Winterfying the living room

WINTERFY :

From the Simple Vintageous by Suzan Dictionary.

VERB -To bring warmth into a home located in a 4 season climate.
To remove all coolness from summer decorating.
To make inviting
" she winterfied the living room to make it as inviting as possible "
_________________________________________________________________________________

I LOVE my white slipcovers - but they looked a little cold for this time of year
( free tip - furniture should not match the stuff that falls from the sky ) otherwise you'd feel all " brrrr "

And as much as this looks like an inviting corner to read a good book on a rainy summer Sunday afternnoon it definitely needed to be winterfied - don't you think?  (
Sadly, whether I like it or not, winter arrived here in Montreal this week.

Some very quick - very simple changes had to be done immediately.
Although White and Charcoal Grey are cool colors - it's the depth of the grey - that works in this case to bring warmth into the room.
How's that for an experienced decorator?
I kill myself sometimes - seriously - I type with a big cheesy grin on my face  because I don't have a clue what I'm doing half the time - I just know what looks and feels right for me -

I got rid of the back cushions that originally came with my sofa and chair - and found these fabulous cushions at Home Sense around 4 years ago - in the summer I remove the covers but for the winter they work perfectly ( and wash like a dream ) and the pillows are goose down so they're far more comfortable than the original polyfill backed cushions that came with the set.
You really sink into it now

John says - Every time I walk into a room those bloody bird cushions are there
Suzan says - Well I like them - so I move them around often
John says - Why can't anything - anything at all - ever stay in one place in this house?
John says - Even the dishes - I can't find them from day to day
Suzan says - Ok - let's not turn this into another major deal - we've got other fish to fry - this just isn't important enough to argue about
Suzan says - Where would you like me to put the bird pillows?

I won't tell you his reply - it's not appropriate for this blog but the birds are staying ( because there's absolutely no way they'd fit where he told me I could put them )

John says - There's too many pillows on the couch
Suzan says - The conversation about the pillows is officially over
Suzan says - Except to tell you that winter is coming - and it's the season for layering -

The drapes were purchases at Half Price Drapes when we moved into this place last winter - this is the first time they're hanging - I'm really happy with them - they have a satin sheen to them, they're quite " full " and I couldn't have chosen a more perfect match for those pillows ( of which I was not thinking of at all when I purchased them - it's just a happy coincidence )

I draped a throw over the ladder ( which John still hates having in the living room by the way )
Outdoor ladders are NOT meant to be indoors - dammit - dammit - DAMMIT !!!

Baskets and buckets and bookshelves hold reading material - which I do an enormous amount of in the winter ( we won't talk about my " little problem " with magazines and how I can't get rid of them even though I have never " revisited " one of them in my life - there may come a day when I WANT to  )
We're talking boxes and boxes of them.

O.K. so NOW - the fun begins.
I had a white coffee table in the living room - that you can sort of see in the first photo -
I also had a wood toned trunk.- after removing the legs from the white table I simply placed the trunk on top the wood helps warmify the room. ( it was too high with the legs on the table )

 John says - in a very droll type of way and his charming British accent -  Oh look at that - you've layered the coffee tables....................how unique
Suzan says -  Yes - I'm winterfying the room John
John says - WHY DON'T WE JUST HAVE ANOTHER FIREPLACE INSTALLED ON TOP OF THE FIREPLACE?

He doesn't understand the concept of layering obviously

ANYWAY

It's the perfect spot for a chess game - because nothing screams winter like a chess game by the fire, right?

This was the only change John whole heartedly approved of.
Except I can't play it.
Although I could bring you to your knees, screaming Uncle, with a game of backgammon or scrabble - ( I'm not very humble when it comes to those games - I'm the best - really I am !!! )  I simply can't play chess - and much to John's chagrin ( don't you love the word chagrin?  I love it almost as much as oxymoron ) I have no desire to learn.
The boys play with him whenever they come by.
BUT I do love how it looks
I bought this set from Pier 1 ( years ago ) for John's birthday.

And so that's what I the staff did -
It took all of 30 minutes or so...............

John went outside to rake up the last ( hopefully ) of the leaves - he came in - took a look around and
John says - It's cold outside
John says - It actually does look nice and cozy in here

" Come in " she said " I'll give you "

Shelter from the storm..............................
( does anyone else remember that song?  hint - Dylan )

Have a wonderful day everyone !
Much love,
Me

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A Vanity makeover !

Good morning everyone -

Well I finished it !  ( not waxed - but otherwise it's finished )

It's soooo difficult to get photos in a tiny space - I'm like an acrobat trying to do this !

I painted this piece in 3 layers.............( 4 if you count priming it ) but they were all very quick applications

Once I had primed it - I kind of liked that greyish color that comes from one coat of primer over wood
( those of you that paint furniture know exactly what I'm talking about ) those of you that don't paint furniture, it almost turns out drift wood ( ish ) looking.
Here's what I mean

So I gave it a coat of Paris Grey ( Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - all three steps ) and trimmed out all the edges with Pure White - sloppily actually - because I did NOT want a pristine look for this piece.

and then I made a " wash " using French Linen / water ( half - half or so )
I brushed the wash on - and then rubbed it all over with a paper towel - until it looked like this

and then I used a white wash right after - before it had dried -

Make sure your cloth is damp for this process so that the paint can soak into other layers................
And rub it all in until you're content with the results -
This is only paint - if you've used too much, you can simply add more of the darker color - not enough and you can add more of the white................

The end result was exactly what I was going for - aged layers of paint and washes.

I had this applique on hand and decided to add it to the middle drawer on top

Doesn't it look like it was meant to be there all along?

This didn't come with a bench - I have a couple in storage but for now I just grabbed a tiny one I have here after I painted it Paris Grey

and then I placed a faux sheep skin rug on it ( IKEA 14.99 )

and that's it !
transformation complete !

I can't wait for the little ones to see it - it's in " their " room after all

Have a wonderful day everyone !
I'm, once again, having computer problems - took me forever to upload the photos to this post -
Have to call my son-in-law over for supper LOL

Much love,
Me

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