Well I guess it is official. I get my love of decorating from my mom. As far back as I can remember my mom and dad were always working on ways to improve our homes both in the way it functioned and the way it looked, so it is no wonder that now that I have my own home and family, I’m always working toward making it our favorite place to be.
My mom has great taste, and so it is absolutely flattering that she mimics a few of my ideas and makes them her own. We recently gave her main living space a bit of a refresh, and it turned out so well with bold pops of pattern and a little shot of hot pink too (mom’s signature color)! So let’s take a peek at the before and after of her living room and get the deets on how she put it all together.
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The two of us spend a lot of time together (we are BFFs) and I would say that we rarely make a decorating decision without consulting each other first. Although our styles differ, they have a lot in common. We both like bold patterns and aren’t afraid to take a few risks when it comes to decorating. Of course there is always the budget to consider too, so when we were planning this room, we knew that the sofas (which were the biggest expense) had to be a neutral. My mom likes to change things up from time to time, so choosing a neutral sofa color will ensure that no matter what she decides to do next, they will still work. She still got her bold print on the side chair and ottoman.
This is a pretty drastic difference from where it began huh?
Mom’s number one complaint was definitely the drapes. These thick white drapes came with the home when they moved in. They had to stay up until something new was put up because in the late afternoon the sun comes barreling in those windows. But they were U.G.L.Y. Not quite white, not quite off white, and had a shiny leaf pattern. Bleh!
So she changed them out using my DIY Grommet Top Curtain tutorial. She was able to find the shower curtains in navy and white which paved the way for the fun color scheme that she ended up with. (Yes, you read that right. Those curtains are made from West Elm shower curtains and can be done by anyone who can sew a straight line. Trust me.)
She also added a ton of character to the room by adding shutters to the windows. They not only help to control the sunlight, but they’ve also kept the room much cooler in the afternoon.
Once the sofas were in and the not quite white drapes were gone and replaced with those DIY beauties, we had a definite color palette going and knew we could revamp the ottoman with a new fabric. It took a bit of searching (and patience) but the perfect fabric did come to us and we were able to save a ton of money by reupholstering the ottoman ourselves.
In my mom’s previous home she had a ton of hot pink going on (including a bold pink side chair.) She didn’t want to say goodbye to the color completely, so she used it perfectly as an accent color in just a few spots. This also helped the budget since she was able to incorporate what she already had into the new space. The large scale tulip image is from Z Gallerie a few years back, and the other photos are personal photos from a trip to Italy, and their front yard.
There wasn’t much in the budget for a tall table to go between the sofas so when she scored this one in the outdoor section at Target on clearance she was thrilled. It goes perfectly and is the perfect height and shape.
Then a few grey and white throw pillows from HomeGoods finished it off!
**Update: Many of you have asked about the wall color here. It is “Wood Smoke” by Glidden. If you are on the hunt for a perfect greige paint, you may want to check out this post on how to choose the perfect greige paint.
So, what do you think? Do you have a favorite part of the room?
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