My Parents' Living Room: Before & After

I'm totally a sucker for before & afters. So here are some photos of my mom and stepdad's house which we recently mini-revamped. Below is the AFTER:

Haha, no just kidding! ;) Above & below are the "befores" which had been done in the early 90s. The fabrics on the sofa, chairs, throw pillows & swag were a coordinated set! (How things have changed!) (I remember how excited we were picking it all out when I was about 1o or 11!)



My mom's style has definitely changed. It's more laid-back & comfortable yet still feminine & includes some old-fashioned elements. She's drawn to intricate patterns & viney-floral motifs but she doesn't want a fussy look. (My stedad is happy if she's happy! :) She's got me & my husband, my 11 year old sister & a grandbaby, so she's a busy lady. She wanted less pattern, more relaxation in the living room... a quieter space. (There's a TV in there which I didn't photograph... we're looking for the right piece of furniture for it right now so I'll post on that later.) She's into softer colors now, so we pulled those out from the existing dark Oriental rug for the sofas & revolving pillows. The mantle (below) is constantly changing & today's display is a bit moody/ stormy because we're hoping for snow ( it's a house full of teachers!! :) My mom found & fell in love with the wicker rocker at an antiques shop. The fabric's a bit off but I still think it works because it's totally her style.


Their coffee table is super-functional. That whole drawer pulls out in both directions & it's stuffed with games.


For drapes, we went with these crewel ones from Pottery barn. They work really well with the colors in the existing Oriental Rug.


Here's a close-up of that old tray on the coffee table (It moves around the house too) that was such a steal at $8 from Lucketts!

Below, is a silhouette of my little sister looking pretty above the antique secretary my grandmother gave to my mom when she was in college. This contributes to the old-fashioned feeling my mom loves.

Here's a close-up of the oak leaf lamps. They create a nice sculptural element behind the sofa & pull some more pattern into the room without being obvious & adding more colors/ fabrics.

Here are 2 chairs we scored along with a settee at a thrift store. They're "temporary" seating substitutes for my mom's dream chairs.

One last shot of the "after:" up-to-date, relaxing, comfortable with a hint of feminine tradition. (It's still missing some elements & I'll show more pics when we're finished-- er I guess we're never really finished... so I'll post pics at our next stage! ;)

Thanks for reading!! xoxo,

Lauren