When we bought our home, a big part of what appealed to us about it was the charm factor. It’s a 1958 brick homestead cabin (with an addition that makes it a 2.5 bedroom) and it came with two 50 year saguaros in the front yard! There’s lots of other vintage charm too, like beautiful exposed beam high ceilings. But unfortunately, although it was very recently renovated- the contractors that worked on it had much different taste then we do and they essentially turned this unique little gem into a boring Home Depot showroom.
Because of our (extremely) limited budget we’ve decided to focus attention first on the living room & I wanted to give you guys a progress peek! I’m calling it a “facelift” versus a “renovation” because there’s so much I’d love to do, like knock down walls and install windows, but for now (due to that darn budget) we are keeping things more surface level.
My lovely friend and super talented photographer Merrill was over recently shooting a story about me for Noble Carriage and I asked if she would take some shots of the living room too, and lovely human that she is – she obliged! Thank you Merrill!
Okay so here’s the current state of the living room! So mad at myself for not remembering to take many before pictures, but this should give you an idea:
this pic is from the real estate listing so it does a good job making the room look was good as possible, but I think you can probably tell how ugly the tiles are. (Oh, and btw that brick area is where a wood stove should go)
I really couldn’t handle the exposed beams being chocolate brown. IMO beams need to be preferably natural wood, but if not wood then white. Also the paint color on the walls didn’t really do it for me. And as this room doesn’t have a lot of windows it just all felt dark and drab, see:
Above is a more accurate shot of the space, but I wish I had one facing the front living room too, since that’s the area we focused our make-over on.
We talked with someone about stripping the paint off of the beams but learned that would be incredibly time consuming and difficult (i.e. expensive) so opted just to paint the walls, barn doors, and ceilings a nice bright clean WHITE …
The other big thing we did in the space was have our pals Dan & Aaron demo the tile and grind, stain and seal the concrete underneath. They created and custom stained pine baseboards and framed out the windows too, which is the detail that really ties the room together. They are an artistic and technical dream team and seriously did such an incredible job- if you are looking for contracting help here in the Mojave I would be more then happy to recommend them and share their info.
Next up, the fun/ stressful part … furniture and decor. I am a big believer in getting to know a space slowly and searching for the perfect treasures to fill it. It’s a process and a commitment and I don’t like to rush it, and so there’s a lot left to do (like find a darn wood stove). So our space is absolutely a work in progress. But here’s a what I have found so far!
Chair: Carousel Lounge Chair in Oyster by Selamat Designs
Sofa: Eliot Leather Sofa by Joybird
Ottoman: Talari Indigo Ottoman by The Citizenry
Rug: Vintage via Majorel Design
Pillows: from left yin yang circle in sand by Kawaiian Lion (on sale!), Sabra Cactus Throw by Majorel, ooak vintage moroccan rug pillow cover by My Haven Home
Pouf from Majorel
Rainbow Wall hanging by Eloeil
coffee table and baby rocker are vintage
Our record console, speakers, and shelf are also vintage. I am a big believer in hunting down vintage pieces of furniture and using ethical and artisan pieces for the details. It is possibly a more expensive and definitely a more time consuming way to decorate, but your home and our planet will thank you for the effort. I feel so proud of the pieces we’ve collected so far. I have my eye on a few edits both to the furnishings and to the room (still need new light fixtures, will prob replace the doors with some that have glass panes to let in light and compensate for the lack of windows), so stay tuned for what’s to come!
I’ll leave you with a few detail shots, or “vignettes” if you’re fancy ..
