{Mom's Living Room Makeover}

Yesterday, I posted the before photos of my mom's living room.  (You'll appreciate the makeover more if you check out the before photos before reading this post.)  I also wrote about what I wanted to accomplish in the room and how it was going to be difficult since the wall color and furniture was going to stay the same.  Today, I'm going to show you what the room looks like now, and you can decide if I accomplished my goals or not.  :)

If you saw my craft room redo, you know that I DIM (Do It Myself) everything I possibly can to keep costs low on a makeover.  This room was no exception.  Since it was for my mom, she and dad helped out A LOT on many projects.

We rewired lamps and spray painted TONS of stuff!

We made a piece out of shutters to go over the fireplace, made photo ledges and a table out of wood, and mom ironed drop cloths for HOURS to create curtains for the room.  Let's start the reveal with some "split screens."

The view when you enter from the kitchen is A LOT different now, even though we didn't paint and kept the same furniture.

All of the walls in the room look totally different with new curtains, art, and accessories.  Let's look at the room more closely now.

The rug--the only MAJOR purchase for the room--adds so much color and life to what was once a bland space.  And moving the furniture around the rug and off of the wall makes the room seem fuller, even though we really only added one extra piece of furniture.

The curtains are simple drop cloths (9x6) hung with clip rings on new black rods from Big Lots.  (Here is a link to the post by The Lettered Cottage that gave me the idea.)  We hung the drapes higher on the wall than the original valances were so that we could add more height to the room.  Hanging drapery higher accentuates high ceilings.

My mom loves her family photos, so I decided that a photo ledge would be nice.  The photos can easily be changed.  These frames were a mix of wood and black frames my mom already had.  She sprayed them white.  My dad and I used this tutorial from Little Bit Funky to create the photo ledges ourselves.

Many of the accessories are items my mom already had or they came from my grandmother's house.  These candle sticks were gaudy and gold, but with a coat of white spray paint, they look fabulous!

The pillows and blanket all came from discount stores: T.J. Maxx, Ross, and Stein Mart.  They bring colors from the rug onto the couch and love seat.

Since we moved the couch off the wall, there was empty space there.  My dad and I made a table, much like my $20 table.  This one is a combination of that table and this table made by Country Girl Home.

We got to use the router dad and mom got me for my birthday on this project! We used it to create the faux drawers.  I have to say that it was pretty exciting!

I used the same painting and aging technique as I did with my $20 table.

My mom and I found the art at Ross.  We flipped out when we saw it because it was the perfect piece to go with our pillows, rug, and accessories.  The lamps were made by my grandmother in the 70's after her oldest son died.  (When we were cleaning them up, we found an inscription on the bottom of each lamp in memory or her son!)  We rewired them and sprayed them white.  I found the new shades at Target.

The sconces, art, and pictures above the TV are gone.  And all the small frames on the fireplace are gone.  I created a small grouping of frames around the TV.  We purchased frames from Michaels that were on sale, and I framed fabric that I bought from JoAnn's.  The frames around the TV make it blend in a little more.

The fireplace needed something on top of it to add height.  We sprayed the shutters in the picture at the beginning of the post.  I made a pool noodle wreath.  I Mod Podged fabric to a large G and accessorized the mantel with vases and a potted plant.  (The green vase and the planter came from Ross.)  And, yes, that's a fish bowl.  I had to make room for the fish.  He's probably the oldest living goldfish on the planet, so I couldn't kick him out.  (My sister bought the fish to decorate for her high school graduation party.  That was like five years ago, and he's still kickin'!)

My mom LOVES her living room now!  There are still a few things I'd like to add to the room, but I'm really happy with it myself.  It was a huge challenge for me to decorate a room without paint or new furniture, but I think I succeeded.  What do you think?