Wednesday 20 March 2013

Lounge or Sitting Room? A Little Tour....

Which do you prefer? Lounge or sitting room? I'm afraid we say "lounge" even though its terribly common and only airports and hotels have them.

I haven't shared many pictures of ours as its only recently that I have been happy with it - Mr G was the most stubborn about the shabby-chicing of that room and so it was the last to get the treatment.

I got round it by being even stealthier than usual about the addition and transformation of things!! Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey and all that!!

Our house is open plan downstairs. We had a lounge/diner (now you wouldn't say sitting room/diner would you?) but then six years ago we had a conservatory all across the back of the house which kind of transformed the kitchen into a kitchen/diner/family room. In the picture below I am taking it from the front window, the room past the arch was the old dining room and you can see the conservatory beyond:


From the other end (since I took these pics we've added a lovely shaggy rug in the most beautiful shade of duck egg, so it looks cosier):

Virtually everything you see is secondhand. The porch/hall door was from the tip as was the Art Deco sideboard in bottom right. The other sideboard (which we call The Mouse Organ due to its resemblance to the one out of Bagpuss) was from eBay.

The leather sofas and footstool were my Mum's cast offs (she has a habit of changing her suite every five minutes) and the floral footstool I made from a coffee table (also from the tip) which I upholstered.

The former dining room was a bit of a non-room but since we got a nice sideboard (eBay), put shelves up and added a radiator cabinet it looks much better.

The large cupboard houses the computer which belongs to our eldest H, we insist it stays downstairs in the heart of the home as if it was in his room we'd never see him!!


Mr G made the shelves (I only had to wait 6 months for him to do them!!) and the radiator cover was from eBay. The chair (one of a pair) was from the tip.

The painting is of my first horse Merlin and I made the book wreath out of a copy of Gone With The Wind.

Just beyond the former dining room is the conservatory:

The sofa came all the way from America and is one of my sisters cast offs (we've now had three of her old suites over the years and so joke that we should go with them whenever they choose a new one to check we approve!!); the coffee table is from eBay as is the chair which I reupholstered in patchwork. The tea trolley is from Freecycle.

Daisy is sitting in one of my favourite spots in the house, known as "Mummy's Corner":

I haven't got a decent pic of the other side of the conservatory which has my dresser (Mum's cast off) and dining table (eBay).

I think I've said before, but the only new items of furniture we own are our bed and one wardrobe. I can honestly say that even if we had the money to flash on furniture we still wouldn't buy new. I really love my thrifted, upcycled and hand me down home....

Hugs,

S x

 

16 comments:

  1. How wonderful! It looks so cosy and inviting x

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  2. Your house is beautiful ! Very welcoming and really homely, I hope I can get my home looking as pretty as yours !
    I call our 'lounge/sitting room' 'the front room' even though its on the back, I have no idea why I call it that except I have always called it that since I was a kid ! It's probably very 'common' of me, but then I am not at all posh !
    Lovely pics and I hope your mum is well. X

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  3. Hi! I just thought I'd drop in and say that your home looks lovely, warm and welcoming. I agree with you about upcycling and thrifting - it's often better quality than new and you can truly make it your own.
    Take care x

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  4. Oh! I love your home - but I like the conservatory the best! All that light, and the coziness of pillows, quilts, bunting and flowers. I could definitely enjoy a cuppa here!

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  5. Oh I can well see myself in Mummy's Corner, drinking a tea or five. Eating a cake or ten. I can totally see it. I bet your house smells nice too. I love a nice smelling house. See you soon chickita.
    Love x x x x x

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  6. Your home looks lovely!!! I'm very nosy so love posts like this xxx (p.s. is that sunshine I spot in the last photo??? - it's been a while since I've seen it lol )

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  7. Your rooms look lovely and so much the better in my opinion because you have thrifted so many of the items. Your home looks loved and lived in, what a home should be like. You are a very clever lady. Thanks for sharing.
    Anne xx

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  8. Very nice love how everything works together.

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  9. Looks beautiful I so like to nose around.x

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  10. Lovely rooms. Love the colours
    Julie xxxxxxxx

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  11. Thank you for shareing your beautiful home, I have been following your blog for a while so I thought I'd say thank you.
    Glad that your mother is getting better and is now home.
    Cheers from down under :)

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  12. All of it is just lovely! I really love the patchwork wallpaper walls either side of the tv and could just imagine getting nice and cosy in that conservatory! It so looks such a lovely, homely home something I am desperate for as we keep searching for one. We sold end of last year and am in rented which feels cold and impersonal :(
    Ali
    xx

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  13. I want to move in! lol! I love it - I have been scrolling up and down taking in all the details! Just my style. Although I love every single bit of it - can I ask where u got the standard lampshades - particularly the one in front of the mirror?? Thanks

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  14. Your home is beautiful, I'd be very happy spending time there but you'd have to put up with me being nosy and examining all your recycled furniture! I can't bear houses that are too perfect or designer, they make me very uncomfortable and I tend to avoid them. But give me a house like yours and I always come home full of ideas for my own home. I'm a big fan of old furniture, most of mine is too, you can't beat the thrill of finding a second hand piece of furniture and giving it a makeover to look just a good as those chi chi upmarket shabby chic shops that have sprung up all over the place and sell a painted chest of drawers for £200! I particularly like the footstool (so want one of those) and the standard lamp, both of which I'm looking out for this year. Thanks for sharing lovely pics. Hope your Mum is making good progress and Happy Easter x

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  15. What an inviting and cosy home. The great thing about shabby chic style is that it incorporates such colour and texture and beautiful pieces of furniture, rather than standard furniture that just serves a purpose. Your house tells a story and the balance between florals and colour is perfect. Love the addition of gold spread around the home too, its a strong colour that ties the scheme together :O)

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S x