As I mentioned in my 2011 goals post (read it
here) I am planning to make a bunch of changes in our living room this year. It's underused and needs some new attention to attract our family back into that room. Decorating this room has been a challenge, even before our renovation. Prior to the renovation, we spent all of our time in this room because there was nowhere else to be in our house. It was also our main entryway, and the only path to our stairwell. Our renovation changed all of that and now we never have to go into that room for anything! In hindsight, we probably should have rethought the use of that room but I never imagined that we just would not use that room anymore. And, I know I'm not alone with this problem - so many people have that untouched living room that they have no idea how to use it.
So, time to rethink things now.
The main challenge now is the BIG WALL. That's all that it is. A big wall. Totally blank with no purpose, architectural detail, or pretty much anything interesting going on.
Except my grandmother's clock and a bunch of toys. What am I going to do with it?
I definitely do not want more built-ins. These built-ins are on the wall to the right of the front door (just barely out of the right side of the picture above). I did consider more built-ins but I was afraid it would feel a bit too much like a library and the room is just too big for that I think.
I don't think I want another dresser or cabinet I don't think because it feels like more of the same. So, I'm down to a couch (no) or a table of some sort. Right now, I am leaning towards a large console table, possible with one or two shelves below. I actually really like this one -
It's the right size and shape, and I like the color. My coffee table is a dark espresso so I think this would coordinate without matching. The downside is the $350 price tag. If it was real quality furniture from a used furniture or consignment store then I wouldn't mind, but this is just not that. But the dimensions are perfect and it won't see hard wear like a coffee table would. So, I am going to think about it and keep looking for an equally good or better option. Hopefully Craigslist will come through!
p.s. If you are in the DC area and see a good option in a local store or on Craigslist, let me know!
