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Before and After: My Colorful Living Room Makeover With A Touch of Glam

by on Oct 8, 2015

The living room in our new house started as a blank slate. It was empty and very, very plain. But certainly not anymore. Click through to see how I gave the space a healthy dose of character with unique furniture pieces and fresh shades of blue, green and gold.   

Beautifully done living room with sofa, sofa chair, transparent chairs, short table and carpet.
Photo: Faith Towers

The new space has a vibrant, energetic feel without being overwhelming. I started with the rug, believe it or not, because I find it intimidating to find affordable, attractive rugs. This one caught my eye, and I began designing the room around it. And I was thrilled to team up with Sauder for some of the main furniture pieces. 

Living room with glass chairs, glass coffee table, carpet, painting, bar, sofa and more.
Photo: Faith Towers

Once I found the rug, I began thinking about the wall color. I chose a cheerful blue color called Tradewind from Sherwin Williams. In all honesty, I thought it would be lighter… but I’m thrilled with the way it came out! Sometimes design mistakes can be happy accidents.

Next, onto the furniture. We already had the sofa, and the Eames chair was my grandmother’s. The acrylic chairs were a bit of a splurge… I’ve wanted them for years and years, and decided it was finally time now that we have more space.

Once I found the rug, I began thinking about the wall color. I chose a cheerful blue color called Tradewind from Sherwin Williams.
Photo: Faith Towers

The Round Coffee Table from Sauder was my inspiration for the gold accents that pop up throughout the room. They add a bit of warmth to contrast with the cooler blues and greens. I wanted to highlight the round shape by placing just a small grouping of items in the middle on a round Chilewich placemat. It’s important to me to intersperse our home with objects that have personal meaning; a vase created by my uncle, Brooklyn glassblower Kevin Scanlan, sits in the center of the table with a set of candleholders that were a gift from my dad along with a vase of hydrangeas from our garden.

The painting is by artist John Diehl, a local painter whose work I’ve been admiring for years. This piece reminds me of driving along the highway at dusk… and the color scheme is just perfect for the space.

"House plant kept on books."
Photo: Faith Towers

The Anywhere Console is another favorite piece of furniture… it provides us with a surface to display additional fun mementos (including a shell from the beach in St. Croix that I may or may not have stashed in my carry-on luggage). And I keep board games and other miscellany in the hidden storage below. 

"Beautiful Scenery pictures on the wall."
Photo: Faith Towers

I just so happen to live with a man who works in the wine industry, so Mike and I had a lot of fun assembling the bar cart. The cart itself is also from Sauder, available here. I started with a tray full of booze, and then began accessorizing it with all of the things I deem necessary for a proper bar cart: flowers of some sort, a bowl of citrus fruit, glassware, striped straws… and the list goes on. We used Mike’s grandfather’s glassware to house the stirrers, gold spoons and fresh mint to garnish drinks.

I created a gallery wall behind the cart, filled with artwork from a mix of different sources; my mom did the pencil-drawn figure back in art school, and I painted the eye many years ago. The wave drawing is a print by the very talented artist Zaria Forman with whom I was friendly with in college. The others are thrift store finds.

Bottles and fruits sit on a shelf with a glass rack.
Photo: Faith Towers

I love that the room still feels warm and inviting despite the mostly cool color palette… I think it will be a lovely spot to sit and watch the snow fall once winter arrives.

To see more styling inspiration, check out Sauder’s Put Together lookbook.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sauder. The opinions and text are all mine. Thanks for supporting the brands that help support Curbly!