The Classic Living Room of My Dreams

I am super excited to be sharing our completed living room with you!!!  It’s hard to believe that it’s come this far from where we started, but one of the reasons we bought this place was its overall improvability.  I like everything customized MY way, and it’s nice not have to make any structural changes to achieve results, or to pay a higher price for a home that’s finished, but not necessarily what you would have chosen.  So, now we have EXACTLY what I wanted and it turned out even better than I dreamed.  See the complete source list below each photo!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

So, here’s a flashback to what this place looked like before we moved in (eeeeek!).  But, with the high ceilings and great windows, it was ripe for an elegant update.  The house was super clean and ready for a facelift.

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It is difficult to believe that this is the same room, but I am completely in love.  Check out the incredible results:

 

Classic living room with Pottery Barn Chesterfield sofa, RH 19th Century Rococo Iron & Crystal Round Chandelier, and RH knock off (DIY) velvet curtains

The fantastic light fixture from RH is the crown jewel of the space and really takes it to another level.  It is the 19th Century Rococo Iron & Crystal Round Chandelier in Matte Natural Iron/Smoke Crystal and it is breathtaking.

I started out with a great foundation piece from Pottery Barn, this Grand Chesterfield Sofa in Vintage Cocoa Leather that has held up great to kids, two cats, and a dog that occasional jumps up when we’re not looking.

The curtain rods with marble end caps were super reasonable and I got them at my local Lowe’s.

Also from Lowe’s are the metal globe lamps that flank the couch.

The side tables are from wally-world and are decent (they’re not show-stoppers because they are playing a support role here).

The customized Bourbon Barrel top is from Etsy and the shop name is KYBourbonBarrel.  This was a gift for my husband for Christmas and we just love it.

The velvet curtains were sewn by my mother and you can find the source links and project tutorial here.

The rug is from Home Depot and it’s one of my favorite finds.  It doesn’t feel cheapy and it wasn’t a small fortune like similar ones I like from Pottery Barn.  I wish I had a sourced a few others from there that I got online and didn’t totally love.

The pillow covers and blanket are all from Amazon: the whalecompass rose pillow covers, dark gray corduroy pillow covers, and fuzzy light gray blanket and pillow covers.

Hemnes IKEA Builtins in Black with Custom Hardware

Above are the semi-custom IKEA builtins that Rainman built for me.  You can find the components on the IKEA website  and the tutorial here.

We updated them with Antiqued Brass Bin Pulls and Antique Brass Cabinet Latches from House of Antique Hardware and it really changed the look of the whole unit.  The tutorial is here.

The beautiful, solid (and did I mention heavy) dough bowl is from Pottery Barn, although I’m not totally sure they have this dark wood one anymore.  In it are found driftwood, a starfish, and Japanese Fishing Floats.

The room was designed around the curved television so that it can be viewed well from almost any angle.  Rainman researched and decided on the LG 4H in a curved model.  It’s pretty awesome.

Classic Living Room with black builtins, leather chesterfield sofa from Pottery Barn, and Chandelier from Restoration Hardware

Most of the items in the builtins are things that I’ve collected over the years but there are a few that I’ve purchased recently to fill in just a few areas.  I believe in builtins because you need them, not to arbitrarily spend money for storage and display space that you don’t need.

 

IKEA black builtins, brick veneer, custom wood shelves flanking the builtins, RH Chandelier

The little punches of green are super important on the builtins and I love getting REAL preserved boxwood.  My artisan of choice is on Amazon and Etsy, Door and Decor.  The wreath below is from her, also, and her work is stunning.  The prices are slightly less than West Elm or other online vendors and her creations are far superior.

 

Rainman’s chair, with Kim Taylor Reece photography in Koa wood frames, Preserved Boxwood Wreath from DoorandDecor (Etsy)

To match the chesterfield sofa, we purchased the Lansing Leather Recliner in Vintage Cocoa from Pottery Barn.

The tutorial for the dried rose arrangement is here and the table is an antique hand me down from my mom.

The Octopus Pillow Cover and Compass Rose Pillow cover are both from Amazon.  The lantern looks very nice but I wasn’t super excited about the construction, so I won’t recommend it.

So glad you came to check out our finished adult living room!  Thanks for stopping by and check out our other updates, projects, and design inspiration on our Blog.  Cheers!

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it.  I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.  Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links.  Each of your purchases via our Amazon affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.

If a blogger links to an Amazon product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale.  Amazon links are not “pay per click.”  If you click on the product link and stay around Amazon and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

DIY Restoration Hardware Knock Off Velvet Curtains

Restoration Hardware
Restoration Hardware

Can you hear me laughing maniacally from there? I believe once I added in the shipping it was five hundred dollars from Restoration Hardware! For TWO luxuriously wonderful curtain panels. Yes, TWO. Not two sets. Two panels. ON SALE. I swallowed my insanity, put down my wine glass, closed the tab, and let reality sink in. Allow me a moment to get my blood pressure back down. Look, I admire Restoration Hardware’s whole seductive look they have going on, but I’m apparently in the wrong tax bracket to be shopping there. They’re CURTAINS. As in, fabric that adds privacy and style to windows. Not exactly life or death. So, I did what I do best: I found a way around their ridonculous pricing. But, first let’s bask in the sexy glory of Vintage Velvet Drapery for just a moment.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

Restoration Hardware
Restoration Hardware
Restoration Hardware

Luckily for us, Restoration Hardware likes to brag about their designers and suppliers. Woot! It ALSO turns out their velvet supplier, J.B. Martin, is available on Fabric.com and Amazon (let’s hear it for non-exclusive suppliers). And (even better) I have a mother that is awesome with a sewing machine. WIN.

I almost purchased the J.B. Martin Banker’s Gray Velvet on Amazon, but decided I wanted a darker gray. So, I found 54″ wide fabric instead J.B. Martin’s Velvet in Graphite, to EXACTLY match the curtains I couldn’t afford from RH, shipped them directly to her… And here they are… (DRUM ROLL, PLEASE)…

RH knock off, DIY Velvet Curtains with Pottery Barn Chesterfield Grand Sofa

So, we made two 96″X50″ exact duplicate panels for the jaw dropping low price of:

$169.05

We saved $330.95 off of retail RHs SALE price.

So, not cheap, but CHEAPER. And gorgeous. And happy me.

Here are some shots with fewer distractions:

RH knock off, DIY Velvet Curtains with Pottery Barn Chesterfield Grand Sofa
RH knock off, DIY Velvet Curtains with Pottery Barn Chesterfield Grand Sofa
RH knock off, DIY Velvet Curtains with Pottery Barn Chesterfield Grand Sofa
RH knock off, DIY Velvet Curtains with Pottery Barn Chesterfield Grand Sofa

Yaaaas!  I just love them!

Check out more of our awesomeness on our blog! Cheers!

 

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it.  I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.  Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links.  Each of your purchases via our Amazon affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.

If a blogger links to an Amazon product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale.  Amazon links are not “pay per click.”  If you click on the product link and stay around Amazon and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.