House Update

Lately I've been doing my best to keep my energy up so that I feel in the decorating mood after work. Frankly, my job can be so mentally and physically challenging, that it's a miracle when I can cook dinner and take a shower in the evenings. But I've been doing my best, and there have been quite a few changes in our place since my last house update. Check it out!

First up, we upgraded our West Elm Cooper Sofa to an IKEA Stockholm sofa (originally $999, down to $599). And no, I didn't misspeak when I said upgrade, I really meant it. Yes, it is indeed possible to upgrade from West Elm to IKEA. You see, Cooper served us well (for 7 years in fact), but truly it's more of a shallow, tight back sitting sofa, and not a lounging sofa. It had a white cotton cover with a tailored skirt that was great for washing, but the sofa underneath was a simple base covered in muslin, and supported with plastic legs. Cooper was doing just fine, until one day I noticed that the right front leg was bent and began to rock the sofa whenever you graced it with your backside. I suppose that I plopped down on it one too many times because Cooper was over it! And this happened at the exact same time that the Sandbacka Green Stockholm Sofa went on sale. Coincidence? I think not.

Our new sofa is super deep with zippered enclosures, loose back and seat cushions that can be flipped and rearranged, is covered in the most luxurious green velvet, and has solid walnut legs! It's definitely a show-stopper.

And before you say, "Hey Rae, a green sofa... really?" I say, "Hello, have we met?"

I fall hard for color, and this baby had just the right amount of sass to land in our living room. Also, this totally isn't our first foray into bold-colored sofas. Remember the our CB2 Movie Sofa? Brandon and I are definitely not afraid to choose statement pieces that pack a decorating punch. In fact, I'd say that we're quite the color-confident couple! 

And while we're on the topic of the Movie Sofa, it too needs to be replaced because it's ripping at the seams (it lacks a knife or welt edge; a true flaw in its design). It's a shame because we love our Movie Sofa, but I'm sure that I won't have a problem finding a suitable replacement. :)

I'm loving the new living room sofa, but the frame is pretty high, which actually dwarfs our current accent tables. Therefore, I'm on the hunt for higher accent tables to flank either side. Around 24" in height would be perfect. But don't worry. I'll let you know when I find something! 

If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen our new bar cabinet. And if you're new to 'chic little me', just believe me when I say that I probably have a bigger vintage decanter collection than anyone you've ever met. After much contemplation, and to the dismay of some friends, I decided that the collection's permanent home would be behind closed doors. Initially I wanted to show it off, but the dust is crazy real.  I also contemplated on placing them behind glass doors, but I just couldn't find a glass door cabinet that I really loved, and honestly I just wanted to minimize the amount of visual stimulation in the living room. That's the thing with having a proclivity towards bright colors, you have to know when to let the eye rest. But I must say that it's pretty awesome when we have guests and I start pulling decanters out for drinks. The ooohhhs and ahhhhs never get old. Nothing wrong with being classy; I always say.

In fact, I think that my next project will be organizing the inside shelving with lighting and the drawers with napkins, candles, and other entertaining accouterments. P.S. The world's biggest cocktail shaker was a gift from my Dad and stepmom. First I was thinking, "What kind of drinker do you think I am?" Then I figured it WOULD save me a lot of time, so I guess I'm okay with the message that it sends. 

Oh, and did I mention that we got a new dining room table? It's quite amazing, and it's now the centerpiece of the entire main floor! It's the IKEA Skogsta Dining Table and it's solid acacia. Of course when you change the star player, you have to switch up your game, so I'm planning a little dining refresh soon by purchasing new chairs to replace our current ones. Definitely stay tuned for that!

I've also managed to finally hang our CB2 whirly hanging tealight candle holders in our entry. Instead of using candles, I ordered air plants on Amazon, along with moss and fertilizer.

So far everything is doing well. I did have a casualty with the smallest one, but it was mostly because I got lazy and forgot to dunk them one week (they need to soak for 30 minutes every week to stay healthy.) Otherwise, everything has gone swimmingly. 

Speaking of the entry, you probably noticed that there is some new kinetic energy going on near the front door! Well, since the opposite wall had a occasional table and "all the things" accessory-wise, I decided to keep this wall pretty devoid of stuff, yet I still wanted a POW when you walked through the door. I achieved this by using Scotch Expressions Washi Tape that I picked up from Target for $2.99 a roll. I ended up using 2 full rolls for this project. And no, I had no plan, I just knew that I wanted intersecting lines. I did have to slow myself down a bit to make sure the lines were relatively straight, but it took only about 30 minutes to execute. I let the tape overlap with the ceiling and corners, then later went back with an Exacto knife and trimmed the extra bits.

I know the pattern's not everyone's cup of tea, but for $6 plus tax I love it! And the best part is if I ever get tired of it, the tape peels right off with no residue! So no harm done. I ran my fingers over the tape the day after I installed it, and it hasn't lifted at all. It really looks like a wall covering close up and you'd never guess that it was tape. I think it catches visitors off guard when they come in, but they usually comment on how they think it's pretty cool. Our townhouse is pretty traditional from the outside, but people know from the moment they walk in the door who they're dealing with! 

On the adjacent column, I chose to stack two Tjusig hangers for hats, purses, scarves, coats, etc. After going back and forth, I decided that too many hooks on that wall would take away from the pattern that was making me love the nook in the first place. From the living room, they can barely be seen. We just put them up last week, so I'm pumped to have the first guests use them when they come over. 

If you remember the post where I talked about bedside sconces, we pulled the trigger some months ago and mounted Tived lighting behind the bed. It makes reading in bed 100 times easier, and I really can't see any of our future master bedrooms not having them. It's totally worth the small investment if you love to read in bed, or just desire a little bit of ambiance. We use them every single night. I highly recommend them! 

Well that's it for today, Folks. So what do you think? Are you a believer in the "it's a marathon, not a sprint" mantra when it comes to furnishing and decorating a home? What are you currently working on in your place? Let me know! I love to talk ideas!