meet nils and bjorkudden

Remember about a month ago when I mentioned the possibility of revamping our living room?  Well we’ve been busy over the past few weeks trying to make that happen.  It’s not complete but it’s closer and I have to say it feels so much more like home.

I finally feel like our home is a reflection of us.  There are still hand me down pieces of furniture and old favorites, but now it reflects us.  Our style.  Our personality.  I read this phrase somewhere and I think it’s the best compilation of our style:  modern rustic with a vintage twist.   My favorite design magazines/online resources include Country Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Apartment Therapy, and House Beautiful. I love the juxtaposition of a rustic, worn piece of wood paired with modern & retro against soft classic pieces. 

So when it came to our living room I wanted to do it on a budget, bring in pieces that would set the stage, incorporate a picture wall, and bring in more seating.  After ridding our space of multiple items, including some chairs and pictures, we repurposed items from other rooms, revamped pieces with a bit of spray paint, gained a few new pieces and whipped up some unexpected surprises as well.

Gone went the gold gilded and blue floral and in came grays and whites with a punch of persimmon.  Although I would have loved to bring in a few more rustic pieces like a new coffee table and end table, I was outvoted by the hubby who happens to really like the pieces we already have.  Oh well.  That will have to wait for the next house we live in.  But until then, I’m loving the change…it’s truly a breath of fresh air.

How did we get from this to this so soon?



When the hubby headed out on an annual trip out west this girl went out to play.  With paint and spraypaint that is.  The walls went from peachy tan to pale gray in 24 hours.  We used Dutch Boy Refresh from Menards, no-VOC paint, and in the dead of winter it was the perfect choice.  No smell at all!  The mirror also received some star treatment going from gilded gold to dark charcoal gray.  I can’t tell you how nice it is to have a dining table and chairs again.  We felt like such grown ups tonight for dinner.

Here’s the living space revitalized:

Again out with the gilded gold and in with a more contemporary set-up.  The mantle is not set in stone.  Actually I haven’t touched that area at all.  Instead I’ve focused on the bigger picture items.  Note the picture wall, more on a how to coming soon.  The chair was my parents that we’ve inherited and we not only love the print but it’s incredibly comfortable.  The ottoman next to the chair was the deal of a century…$7 at Homegoods on clearance.



Here are my 3 favorite pictures of the new space.  That beauty of a cabinet I inherited from my grandparents.  I’m pretty sure I had been asking for it for the past 20 years, yup basically since I was 10.  It’s actually a 1930’s Zenith Stereo cabinet.  The radio still works and is located on the right side.  In the left side we are keeping our liquor.  Perfect bar cabinet.  It cleaned up quite nice I think!

I’m also loving the new curtains in the dining room.  Who would have known how perfect white would be against the newly painted walls.  Love at first sight.  Also can’t get enough of the pops of persimmon and how nicely they play off of our brick fireplace.  One of the pillow covers is actually composed of two napkins from West Elm that I hand stitched together.  Needless to say, it’s for looks only.

We bought the table and chairs from Ikea…they were a Christmas present from my parents…well actually they gave us money and now they know what they bought us:)  It’s actually the Bjorkudden table that we sanded down and the hubs did a gray paint treatment to.  It looks better than I could have imagined in person.  The chairs our Nils…they’ve become our friends.  Slipcovered…which is perfect for a klutz like me and they nod to modern.  They are also perfect for moving into the living room for extra seating that is actually comfortable.  So that’s that.  Our new space that speaks to us, who we are.  Classic and comfortable but with some flair.

Who wants to come over…we’re ready for you!