before and after

We redecorated our living room and dining room last summer and I loved how it turned out. The Restrained Gold paint color really warms it up without being too bright or too beige. I love the splashes of color from the throw pillows and curtain topper.

This is the silk panel that I added to the top of some store bought curtains. I discovered putting this room together that I like very monochromatic color schemes, where one color would naturally flow into another on the the color wheel. Red to orange to gold to yellow to green, like half of the rainbow, albeit a muted one.

The problem was that I decorated on a budget, like most people do. I ran out of money when it came to accessories, and I haven't worked on it in awhile. These are the corners near our giant armoire. Big, blank corners.

Yes, that is my laptop on a TV tray. There's a plug in that corner where I charge it. Yes, I realize this next picture shows our very messy desk, where my computer would normally reside, but the plug is hard to get to and so I often plug it in elsewhere.

The blank walls were talking to me, telling me that something needed to be done. I decided to shop the house.

We are thinking about painting the kitchen. I am tired of the red, but I wanted to try it out. Every time I would see a red kitchen on TV I would really like it, but now I have discovered I really like calmer paint colors. This was nice for two and a half years, but I am ready to move on. I haven't picked out a new color yet, but I knew whatever I picked wouldn't match with the plates on the wall, and they did match the accent colors of the front room.

I pulled a plate from our master bedroom, an old window and a cutout of my college from the attic, a window mirror that my mom gave me, the plates from the kitchen and a frame that someone was giving away at school and created my look.

The little round candle thing was from the table behind the couch, but since the table is low, you couldn't see it. I chose to lean the mirror on the wall instead of hanging it up because the desk is so beautiful, and I like how it reflects the light onto the wall.

This window is from when we remodeled the kitchen and covered over a window with drywall. From the outside you can still see the outer storm window, but I had my husband pull the other one out and stick it upstairs. The repetition of the window pane look in both the window and mirror helped connect one side of the room to another.

I think I might add some photos into the window panes, or some vinyl letters to make words. Haven't gotten far enough to know what exactly I want to do with it, but I like the way the plates bring the color to that side of the wall. The room feels more complete with all the accessories in place, although I still have a few more corners that could use photos.

Hope you like it! I do.