Chic on a Shoestring Decorating: My Farmhouse Chic Living Room Reveal


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My Farmhouse Chic Living Room Reveal

Hi friends,  what's shakin'?

I finally figured out the most awkward room in my home... Hooray!!

This is it!  (I hope you recognize that this is the "after" picture, not the awkward before pic).

farmhouse chic decor, chic on a shoestring decorating blog


Do you have any awkward rooms in your home?

You know, the kind that are just laid out kind of... awkwardly.

Like, whoever designed the floor plan of your home just wasn't thinking when they designed that room. Whoever built my house did not have much of an idea about furniture placement and very important things like that.

I have an awkward living room which is really awesome because it's where we spend all of our time. But really, doesn't every house have a little bit of awkwardness (they're kinda like people, aren't they?!)  There are some other awkward things in my house but it might just be because I'm picky.  (but seriously, why did they put the heat/ac vents in the floor right where the bedside tables go in the master bedroom?!?  DUH!!)  First world problems, and I digress...

Anywho, my living room is a bit awkward.  To the "normal" person it would appear totally fine.  But to a crazy person the decorator in me, it was a hot mess.  It has been bugging me since we moved in almost 5 years ago. I have been tweaking it and just couldn't get it quite right.

Here it is at it's best "before" angle...

farmhouse chic decor, chic on a shoestring decorating blog


Doesn't look too shabby in that photo.  It's a nice size room, pretty big, but it has French doors on one end and a fireplace on the wrong wall.  No one else knows or thinks this most likely but me.  It just makes it harder to decorate.

The thing that bugged me the most about my family room were the empty walls.  Because of the size I didn't have furniture pushed up against the walls. This made for lots of nekked wall showing.  I tried to add a ginormous plant to cover some of the nekkedness that you can see in the back corner.  It wasn't working right and it bugged me.

The worst part of it was the weirdness going on in the other corner behind the couch.  I never took picture of it because I knew it didn't look right.  I put a ladder shelf there to try and fill the space.  It was awkward looking (there's that word again).  That poor ladder shelf just couldn't do it, and neither could the art next to it. Ugh, it was so awkward....
 I decided some board and batten would fill out some of this empty space nekkedness.  The white would also brighten it up which would be a good thing.  Mr. Chic and I did the board and batten ourselves (tutorial to come maybe, does the world need another one?) and it made such a difference. 
farmhouse chic decor, chic on a shoestring decorating blog

 My walls don't look nekked anymore!

I got rid of that big ole' dumb plant that was in the corner desperately trying not to be awkward.
 
farmhouse chic decor, chic on a shoestring decorating blog

My little black dresser used to hold my tv but now it fits perfectly in the ladder shelf corner.  I was able to move it because Mr. Chic made me this sweet tv stand.
 
farmhouse chic decor, chic on a shoestring decorating blog

I love it!

farmhouse chic decor, chic on a shoestring decorating blog

We flip-flopped our couch and loveseat which makes a huge difference in coziness of the room.  I thought it would make it feel smaller because now the back of the couch faces the entry to the room but it really didn't make a difference. 

farmhouse chic decor, chic on a shoestring decorating blog

I also angled my chair towards the tv and away from the couches which really opened up the space. 

farmhouse chic decor, chic on a shoestring decorating blog


After 4.75 years I am finally happy with this room!  The best part is that we made some big changes on a small budget.  I'll be sharing more about that soon.  

So, what's the most awkward room in your home?  Have you been able to work around it? 

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12 comments :

  1. I like your room a lot! Love the coffee table! My living room is also awkward to change furniture around too! Basically I only can have it one way and that's about it! We have a fireplace where we mounted our TV and took up too much room. I have to say that I am used to it on the wall now! However we have our home up for sale now and I probably won't mount the TV again on the wall......

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  2. It looks great Kate! I love that blue accent table and your pillows!

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  3. I fully agree, the board and batten lighten the room while it also filled in some space! Bravo! I love the wall hangings and the placement of the furniture!

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  4. Wow this room looks great! I love the curtains that I am able to spot in the last photo!

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  5. I love the way the room looks now. We have a very awkward rectangular family room, and you're inspiring me to change the furniture placement yet again! :)

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  6. I my goodness, I lurrrrve how your room turned out!

    I know all about living with awkward living rooms. Ours is kind of L shaped, but with a bit sliced off (so that one of the walls is at an odd angle). After five years I'm not entirely convinced I've cracked the decor in that room.

    Angela @ A Typical English Home

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  7. Wow! I love how you transformed your living room!. The brighter palette really brought life and vibrance to the whole room. I love your taste for accents and decor. Everything looks well together. Kudos to you for doing such a wonderful job!

    Jeannette Greer @ JTC Coatings

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  8. What color is on the walls? I have been looking for that perfect neutral! Love!

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  9. Yes, I'd love to know what the color is too!

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  10. Love this room. Great work. Just discovered your blog... so glad I did :)

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  11. Love your blog and your style
    Inspirational
    What color did you paint your walls - love it

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  12. Where did you get your trunk for your coffee table?

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