Going from a 2 bedroom apartment to a 3 bedroom home meant that a lot of our house felt empty and still does 5 months later. Part of me just wants to go and buy everything now to fill it up (which isn't realistic anyway) but I'm actually just embracing the emptiness. Every wall in our San Jose apartment was taken up by something and it all just felt so full. I love that we can breath here and "stretch out" here. We will acquire things slowly with time but I want to wait till I find what I really love, not just filler things.
With all that said, our living room is the room that feels like it's made the most progress and I'm starting to really like it. Of course, there are things that I want to change but for now I'm pretty happy with things.
So here are some pictures :)
^^The kitchen is on the other side of that wall behind the couch. Oh how I wish I could tear it down to have a more open flow between rooms. For now though it's is serving as a good wall for our family photos, which I modeled after this tutorial here.
^^There's a lot I'd love to change here but I'm dealing with it for now. The weird cutout above the fireplace dwarfs anything I put up there so I'm waiting for the perfect big mirror or work of art to fill it. And that makeshift tv stand is really just a nightstand we got for free (left behind from previous renters) and it's just a place holder til we find something with the perfect dimensions for that space. The hardest part about renting though is that I don't want to buy something just for "that space" if we are going to be moving soon (which is the plan) so for now I'll just live with it all as is :)
^^Goodness, I love that little tree :)
^^Our colorful side chairs have come along way from their original state fresh off Craigslist (you can see them here). They were a gift from Aaron's mom and she helped us make them over. I'll have to share the full story some day.
^^This credenza was my favorite thrift store find ever for $75 (you can read that story here)
^^This couch has been with us through it all and it's starting to show its age. Aaron and his mom got it for an awesome deal on Craigslist when we first got married. It is SO comfortable and the perfect couch to sleep on but the light color is proving to not be as practical with kids (or us adults that like to occasionally eat a snack there ;)). We hope to replace it with a leather couch with cleaner lines soon (I dream of something like this or this).
^^This picture probably shows the true wall color the best. It's a taupe with some gray in it. It's not bad but I really wish I could paint it all white. And that hallway leads back to the bedrooms.
^^Such a happy spot. I'm slowly collecting artwork that I love and plan to eventually hang these paintings in a gallery wall here above the credenza. I love the eclectic feeling it has going so far. The center painting of young Arthur Brooks was a gift from my mom (from eBay), the Mothering print (center left) was a Christmas gift from Aaron (by Beth Allen) and the Pink Roses in Yellow Pitcher print is something I loved so much I just bought it for myself (by Angela Moulton). All the other art was thrifted.
^^The view from the other side of the room. Here you can see the entry way and "front room" (with some left over banners from Eleanor's birthday hanging on the walls) on the other side of that half wall. I haven't quite figured out that whole half wall thing and what I think of it but oh well.
^^I pulled those toys and rug out for a playgroup we hosted and they have just kind of stayed here ever since. I'd love to find some more attractive way to store them while still having them accessible but we're working on that. That's the only spot I see Eleanor play from the kitchen so it really is convenient to have them there.
So that's where we live! It's been a great space for our family so far. I think it's fun to dream of what I'd change about it if we were the owners (paint, replace the ceiling fans with these, fill in the cutout above fireplace, replace vertical blinds, take down the wall between the kitchen and living room, etc.) but really I can't complain. We were so beyond grateful to be able to rent a house when we moved here and we are still just feeling blessed for the space :)
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