Rearranging, redecorating, & that sort of thing

[bixaorellana]

I rearranged my living room. Arranging furniture is one of life's pleasures for me. I'd thought about doing this for days, but finally threw myself into it Sunday morning. I love the way it turned out & will continue to love it until it's time to change it again.

There is a petty personal trauma aspect to this, though, as for the foreseeable future I won't be able to show it off to anyone.

[Kimby]

I rearrange art, but rarely change the arrangement of furniture.

Usually we feel we got it right the first time. Or built the room with a specific furniture arrangement in mind.

[bixaorellana]

I must rearrange rooms from time to time, just for variety. Also, a certain amount of art & ornamentation has to be changed whenever the furniture is changed around. It's kind of like getting all new stuff without spending a dime.

[Kimby]

I must admit that the few times we redid a room’s furniture arrangement, it was an improvement that we kept. Permanently.

[kerouac2]

I rearranged the furniture in my upstairs room for the 3rd time since I claimed the space. It still needs tweaking.

[Kimby]

A pallet on the floor and a candle-holder would complete the garret look.

[whatagain]

The whlle house has been rearranged thanks to Covid.
Living room has been cleaned of a lot of old games that most were gotten rid of and we added a fireplace.
Kitchen : idem lots of games old books got rid of so now clean. My sleeping room has been rearranged and we turned a small sleeping room in a playroom for Marie where we put furniture that get all her remaining games.
Looks much better now !!!

[kerouac2]

Here is part of my slightly rearranged garret.

[htmb]

That looks very nice, Kerouac. Colorful, comfortable, and cozy.

I have the perfect addition to your decor.
It went out in the mail this afternoon.

[bixaorellana]

Wow, that looks super nice, Kerouac! I love that red swag thing you did. It ties the part of the room behind the sofa with the main part & also gives a sort of Moroccan touch. When you're allowed to go out again, look for one of those cheap box hassocks. They're not too big, come folded up, & are covered in not-bad-at-all leatherette with a padded lid. They're not only handy for putting your feet up or holding a tray, but are also perfect for stashing extra blankets & throws.

[kerouac2]

Actually, all of those blankets and things can go into the storage area under the sofa (or its twin which is not in the photo).

The long red-orange thing at the ceiling is Laotion silk purchased in Luang Prabang.

[bixaorellana]

That's a fabulous use for the silk! Not only does it look great there, but it's a clever way to use something from your travels. Also, the painting & the swag really complement each other.

[onlyMark]

And has the painting easel had much use?

[kerouac2]

The easel does not belong to me but to my friend who thinks that my flat is his warehouse while he lives on a different continent. And I don't know why he ever had it either since it is not something he would ever use. I will try to straighten things up and take another photo in a day or two.

[casimira]

I keep saying that I am going to do a rearranging sometime soon but, I've been dedicating most all of my time to rearranging and planting new things in the outside room, my garden.

I acquired some antique needlepoint area rugs from my mother's house but they have remained rolled up in a storage area because they really need to be properly cleaned.
I scored a brand new never been used Bissell steam cleaner for $30.00 USD from a Nextdoor Neighborhood site
but haven't put it to use yet.

I like what you have done with your garret Kerouac. It looks very cozy and I agree with Bixa about the display of the red silk swag. It adds a nice flourish.

[bixaorellana]

Apr 29, 2020 20:29:50 GMT kerouac2 said:

I will try to straighten things up and take another photo in a day or two.

It looks nice and tidy now, Kerouac, but I'm looking forward to what else you're going to show us.

Apr 29, 2020 20:51:39 GMT casimira said:

I keep saying that I am going to do a rearranging sometime soon but, I've been dedicating most all of my time to rearranging and planting new things in the outside room, my garden.

The thing about rearranging is that you have to be in the mood for it. Then it becomes a happy little artistic project, rather than a chore.
And let's face it, gardens are endlessly fascinating and always calling out to us.

Anyway, time for me to show how my latest rearrangement came out.
First, here are the BEFORE pictures ~

There is no foyer in my house, you just spill right into the dinky living room from the porch.
This photo was taken from the front door. The sofa is one of those angle things that I separated into a love seat & a chaise longue ~


This photo was taken from the archway between the living & dining rooms ~


Okay. That was the configuration back in December. It's now the height of the dry season, so hot & dusty.
Time to strip things down to the essence for a breezier look that's easier to clean. Here is the AFTER ~

You can see I took some of these as I lolled on the chaise. The light spilling onto the sofa from the left is from the front door.
The fish pillow on the sofa belongs on the chaise instead of the sofa ~








The phone didn't like taking a backlit picture, which is why this has such a horror movie aspect.
But it shows how I finally manged to incorporate my seal into the living room decor.

[Kimby]

It looks like a whole ‘nother room without the rug. I like the rearrangement, bixa. Where did the seal come from?

[bixaorellana]

Thanks, Kimby. I posted about the seal when I got him, with better pictures (might be in folk art thread). There is an antique shop quite close to my house & he was setting in the front of it one day as I came back from walking the dogs. I snapped him up in an instant.

Re: that antique shop ~ it must be an "essential business" as it has remained open throughout all the quarantining.

[kerouac2]

I agree that without the rug, it all looks more spacious.

[bjd]

As much as I like rugs/carpets, I prefer this hot and dusty version of your living room, Bixa. A bit too much in it during your "winter". I really like those Barcelona chairs and would leave them without cushions.

[Kimby]

The upholstery looks great without the slipcovers. Love the red.

[mossie]

Let me bring some chaos into all this tidy order, this is my nerve centre. (my kitchen table)



and here the secondary TV viewing station

[Kimby]

This is NOT my living room - it’s WAY too cluttered - but it inspired a decorating change I made recently.

We have two well-loved blue swivel chairs much like this one that are becoming sadly sun-faded, mostly on the removable back cushions. We had more red “tribal” patterned throw cushions from our lake cottage sofa and love seat than we knew what to do with, so brought two home and put them on the blue chairs. They bring a pop to the room and tie in with the reds in the Moroccan rug we already had there. Satisfied.

[bjd]

But Mossie, where do you eat? Do you just pile books and papers in higher heaps to have room for your plate and wine bottle?

I couldn't live in that room either, Kimby. Too much stuff, too many plants, too much on the walls!

[bixaorellana]

Apr 30, 2020 4:52:02 GMT kerouac2 said:

I agree that without the rug, it all looks more spacious.

Apr 30, 2020 6:21:13 GMT bjd said:

A bit too much in it during your "winter".

Kerouac's got it right -- it just looks more spacious, as there is the same amount of furniture in the room as in the previous version. The miracle of rearranging!

Apr 30, 2020 13:33:45 GMT Kimby said:

The upholstery looks great without the slipcovers. Love the red.

Thanks, Kimby. The slipcover was to tone down the sofa, as the color overpowered my nice yellow rug. That rug is now in my bedroom, where it looks much better than it did in the living room.

Apr 30, 2020 13:48:41 GMT mossie said:

and here the secondary TV viewing station

Ohh, I really, really like your living room, Mossie. It looks like you and seems so comfortable & welcoming. I like your nerve center, too, although it's obvious you need the classic oak-lined study for all your books and materials.

[mossie]

Bjd, I don't starve, normally I keep the nearest third clear for my grub, although at breakfast the paper goes form part of the tablecloth. There is some order in the madness and once the paper is read as far as the letters page it goes on the heap to be sorted later, there are crossword puzzles, more reading and similar to do when I am looking for something to occupy me.

[kerouac2]

Okay, I stored a bit of the crap that was lying around, so here is a new view of the garret.



Here is a better view of the Laotian silk.  I absolutely need to wash it (carefully) because it has been up there for about 15 years.





The other side of the room is still a complete mess, but I have another 10 days of confinement to worry about that.

[bixaorellana]

Oh, now it reeeeally looks good! I had to go up the thread to your other picture in order to figure out what the big rectangle of light was. That's an exceptionally nice fabric lamp & it was clever of you to put the alebrije on top of it. You can also see the floor in these new pictures. It's gorgeous. Is that original & redone or just beautiful contemporary wood? Is the rug on the floor from your travels? It's nice to get a good look at the painting behind the sofa, too. Speaking of beautiful wood, the beams over the stairwell are a real treasure -- so cool to have that historic touch showing. I have to say, though, that the caption "another 10 days of confinement" followed by pictures of an ominously hanging rope is pretty disconcerting.

[Kimby]

Our living room, with the new pillow on the old chair and the Moroccan rug under the coffee tables.

[lagatta]

Kerouac, still no railing by the stairwell? I have an utter terror of falling and breaking my neck. A cousin here has a house the same age as yours, and she has put in rails.