Hi my dears! It’s time for another installment in my slow decorating plan: this time, the living room! My aim is a fresh, cheerful, feminine look. We have been living with our “neutral base” for going on four years, and I’ve been dying for some color! The walls are cream with white trim, the floors are original hardwood, and, as noted below, we already have the white armchair and dark brown sofa. Not shown is a slipper chair we’ve had for years that I want to make a slipcover for, using the blue Dwell Studio bird-print fabric.

1. Greek key pillows in coral | 2. Assorted bird pillows | 3. Atoll mirror | 4. Coral table | 5. Sarah & Bendrix print | 6. Brass hurricane | 7. Dwell Studio fabric | 8. Jute rug | 9. Orange rust pillow

The Dwell Studio fabric was my jumping off point for everything else – I didn’t want the space to feel too cool (all blue and neutrals) so I tracked down those awesome coral pillows, a mustard-orange pillow, plus the bird print cushions (to repeat the birds in the Dwell fabric), and a sweet little coral table (or two) from Target. I scooped up the big brass hurricane candle holder over the weekend, and I plan to pick up the color in artwork with gold foil. A fresh jute rug will add texture without competing for attention, and a great big ruffled mirror (still deciding on the mirror…) will hang horizontally over the mantel.

As I’ve mentioned before, this will be a gradual process, because like most of us, I am not made of money! The slipcover I plan to sew myself (with some help…), and the pillows and coffee table I will hopefully purchase soon. The mirror will wait for another month or more, the rug some time after that, then the artwork. And beyond that we will probably also add another lamp or two. So, the plan is in place, but it will be implemented gradually over the next year.

I try to think ahead to the future when I am planning my purchases, and I encourage you to do the same. The coral tables I will be using pushed together as a coffee table in our small 1920′s cottage living room, though in a larger house we could continue to use them as side tables, or even bedside tables. See what I mean? Also, all of the accessories will go equally well with the larger sofa we are currently using in the basement TV area, so in a larger space we could swap in the bigger couch and everything else would still work.

Well, that brings us to the end for now. I’ve been enjoying my time away from the blog so much, and I just realized it’s no wonder…I haven’t taken a real break from blogging in several years! I’ve been using the time off to build up the new ideas I have been working on, and it feels easier to get inspired when I am not staring at the computer screen quite so much. So, I’ve decided to give myself an extension on my blog vacation for another two weeks – although it will not be complete radio silence; I will check in and share a few special things from time to time. I can’t stay away completely!

Let me know what you think of the living room plans, or share your own “slow decorating” stories in the comments! Be well, xo Laura