The fan will be a statement, no matter how much it is meant not to be, just because of the way things are in this house. I don't really know how to explain it without taking some more pix, which I will try to do soon. Even if I went with an all white, it would STILL be one of the first things you see when you walk in the house. That's why I'm really putting a lot of time/effort in to this. I want it to be the right statement, not "this is the fan that was here when I moved in, please ignore it, it's just a ceiling fan" lol.

I'm really leaning towards the casablanca but since it's a purchase from an individual I have to remember it may not work out. They may not accept my offer or someone else may beat me to it, so I do need a second choice in mind.

I just ordered my main piece of art (for behind the sofa). I love this artist and have at least one, probably two, more pieces I plan to get but can only get one right now since I'm buying a fan.

I got it in poster form because that's all my budget will allow. I will scour the thrift stores for a pretty frame I can clean up and possibly restain or paint as needed. I do plan, however, to have nice mats cut at hobby lobby for it .... a nice matting job can make a poster look like art better than anything.

Once it's framed, I'll go buy fabric for pillow slipcovers ... waiting to hold the pic up to the fabric first and see what fabs I can find to do the best job pulling out the red.

Oh I do love that bench - so simple yet it looks very sturdy and very nicely done. I'm pinning that now.

I have two really nice wing back chairs I got from my neighbor when she moved out. I planned to reupholster them after I finished the living room and see where my fabric choices landed and put them where the love seat is but I will definitely reconsider that in leau of a bench. I'm just not sure though ... there's something very useful about having a cushy comfy seat right there in the front window with a clear view of the driveway and street. My daughter sits there and watches for her dad to pick her up a couple days a week and if it were a hard bench it wouldn't be the same. I admit I've also curled up there when I wanted to read a book and be near the kids but not necessarily right on top of them and the tv.

It's one of those things that may or may not work and you don't know until you try. I put it there mostly as a temp measure because it was in the way and I couldn't carry it by myself but after a week I realized how much we really used it and how much we'd miss not having it or something similar.

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This post was edited by beth0301 on Wed, Oct 15, 14 at 15:36

Thats a beatiful fan. Congrats on a great find. The poster you found is exactly the type painting I invisioned for your space. Its really going to bring that room together for you. I wish you lived here ,we could go shopping together . I love that kind of stuff. I think a distressed painted black frame would look really nice with that picture. I think painting something makes it much easier to find the style your looking for without having to nail the right wood color as well.

"What happens is I try really hard to stay within a style but then end up wandering off and bringing in things that don't "go" and then I get upset and start over with another look."

Well..... That fan goes with nothing in your room - or the next room. It is FLW-inspired prairie style. If you want to balance the room, now you need a chair or table in a proximate line-of-sight in Prairie or Mission style (close) to bring it off.

Your right, but I think it will work because she needs opaic glass because she dislikes seeing the bulb.

I'm rug shopping, too. This one is out of our price range. I think you could use a round rug very easily.

Here is a link that might be useful: braided rug

Another one. Maybe cruise through eBay.

Here is a link that might be useful: braided rug

I'm finding several rugs that would work for me. There are a lot with free shipping. You can narrow your search on the left side of the page.

Here is a link that might be useful: floral rug

You have an adorable home. I haven't read thru all the posts (over 100!) but my suggestions would have been to take the rug from the dining room and put it in the living room and from the picture you posted it looks great. You can keep your shutters but add stationery panels to the windows, throw pillows for color, throws for color, move clock down or get rid of it. I have a whole collage on my living room wall of items found at Goodwill and St. Vinnies. (I keep thinking I need to do something else more modern, but I still like it.). What about putting the sofa on the wall where the chairs are and the chairs where the sofa is? Maybe you can then fit the shelf between the chairs and use something smaller for a little table between the chairs. You could mount swing arm wall lamps on each side of the bookcase, and yes, you should paint it. You could paint the inside a different color from the outside. Or just use all chairs and get rid of the sofa. I think the coffee table is too big and too dark. Put a tray on it, books, candlesticks, something shiny to fill it some of that space and brighten it. Spray paint can be your best friend - furniture, accessories, lamps, picture frames - you can paint them all. Ninety percent of my house is decorated with items from second hand stores. Good luck. You will get there!!

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This post was edited by drc215 on Sat, Sep 27, 14 at 18:21

Are you going to show us how the green rug worked?

The print you ordered is great. Consider not putting a mat around it, just the frame.

The thing I didn't want to happen and swore I would not let happen, happened.

I got pulled away to something else and had to pause in this room for a bit. My toilet broke, leaked and made a huge huge mess. I've been cleaning and assessing damage in the bathroom and haven't had a chance to work in the front room any more. I'm very frustrated and sad I didn't stick to the one room at a time thing and now how another area torn up / half done and a MESS.

UGH

I will get back to this the minute I can. In the mean time, the print is ordered and due in this week and I do have the guy putting in a ceiling fan working on a solution to an installation problem he encountered so some progress is still being made.

I promise to update with pics soon.

Don,t worry about the bathroom just clean it up and have the toilet repaired. Us old home owners just have to learn to roll with the punchs;) You have inspired me to get off my keester and tackle a few projects of my own. I will post a thread soon

So the progress has been minimal. The print is hung but the glass is too glare-y and needs to be replaced with non glare.

I put a narrow shelf behind the sofa to serve as a sofa table but the lamp needs lamp shades and I'm not sure about the book ends I'm using (old wooden horses).

The rug turned out ok. Not perfect but not bad. It's a reasonably solid green (a little, but minimal variation) but is large enough and will work until the right thing comes along.

I haven't chosen any fabric yet for the throws and pillows and possibly a valance because I want to do that last and right now I'm still fussing with other things.

The fan I bought probably isn't going to work due to a wiring issue - it requires the use of a wall control panel and I do not have an existing box there and so we're looking at fishing wire, cutting in to plaster/lathe (and praying it doesn't crack and come off in chunks considering how old and dry it is) blah blah blah. So, it's likely I'll get a different fan that works off a pull chain.

My mock ups aren't great but maybe they'll help a bit. I think I got the fan proportions too small in a couple of them, or maybe all, I'm not sure. Too tired to redo them with proper math.

http://www.pinterest.com/beth0301/which-one/

Not really looking for a "vote" exactly but would like to hear opinions. I thought I had a clear favorite but then after doing the mock ups, that kind of changed so I'm back to unsure.

Again, I KNOW it needs pillows and color and I KNOW there's a blank space next to the sofa. I'm dealing with those issues, just mostly trying to choose a fan now. The fabric has to wait until next pay check, as do the lamp shades. Also, I'm searching for a non formal grandfather clock or similar for that blank space, but again, probably not until next check.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Pinterest Board about Fans

You are undecided. I saw a green trim house, with a blue trim garage.

What do you mean? My house and garage are exactly the same (I didn't paint them, was that way when I moved in, but none the less they are identical)

But yes, I WAS confused about what I wanted to do but not really any more. Talking it through here helped a lot. There were tons of great suggestions and I gave all consideration and took some, but not all of course, because the decisions do need to be mine and what works for us.

Now I have a much clearer direction and am having fun scouting out things and ideas.

This post was edited by beth0301 on Tue, Sep 30, 14 at 18:46

How about a fan like this one? It's about the maximum size for a small room, comes in several colors and is pull-chain operated.

When we were doing the reno house, my OH was shopping for a 52" fan. That's fine if you want a hurricane and papers all over the place, but small room, small fan works much better.

I'm sorry to hear about your bathroom predicament; those things seem to happen at the most inopportune times. Like the time our water heater failed in the middle of winter. Ugh...

Here is a link that might be useful: fan for small room

My last two fans have worked with a romote not a box or a pull. Maybe yours could work that way as well.

I don't understand our fan and it's workings but we have a wall switch, pull chain, and a remote. Beth, out of the fans you posted on Pinterest I like the first one the best. I love how your picture looks over the sofa and the rug is a great place holder until you find what you want. You really are making progress.

I am so sorry about the toilet!!!! Ugh. Very frustrating and disappointing. But remember, it isn't YOU not focusing on the room . . .you didn't have a choice.

I hope you are able to resell your fan for more than what you paid if it won't work out. That would be a plus!

I agree with Holly-Kay about the fan choices. First one is best. It is simple yet elegant which I think looks right in the living room.

Your room is looking really good. The print immediately brought a lot of life and coziness to the room. Don't worry about the glass and glare. If it bothers you, I guess you could take out the glass for now? The rug looks great. It brings the room together and adds softness to it. The bookcase gone (for now?) looks good, too. Sofa table was a great addition. Lighting changes everything. My motto is that the right lighting is like beer goggles. :)

I may have missed it- are you going to center the print over the sofa? Can you/are you going to move the sofa over? You probably mentioned it already one way or another.

I like the rug. And the positioning of the print made me look to see what the space holder was on the left. What will go there?

Wow! That rug looks really good. I can't believe you dyed it yourself. It looks like a very expensive hand made rug!

I centered the print over what was remaining of the sofa after I accounted for a tallish lamp. The lamp would have covered part of the print, so I thought treating the lamp and print with equal importance would work.

If you all think the print looks odd to the side, I'll certainly reconsider. The lamp probably doesn't look like it deserves it's own wall space at the moment ... it has no shade(s), and to be honest I'm not 100% convinced it's the one I'm going to use. Once I sort all of that out I thin it'll be easier to decide if the print should be moved and made truly sofa center or if allowing the lamp and sofa to each have their space works. I don't think we can say for sure until the lamp is decided and properly shaded.

For now I've moved the ladder with the quilts where the bookcase was. My ultimate goal is to find a cool old grandfather/grandmother clock in a simple, early american/primitive style. I actually had one when I lived in the victorian that would have been beyond perfect in this house but when I had to move to the apartment it was just something to trip over. I gave it to a good friend who came to my rescue and helped me paint the entire unit in just a couple of days so I could move in to it all fresh and clean. Anyway, back to the ladder/quilts. I like it, but I don't like it at the same time. It looks good at the moment, fills the space nicely and adds lots of interest and color but I'd planned to make rag quilts out of 3 or 4 fabrics I chose based on the green within the rug and the red within the print (and fireplace in adjoining room). These rag quilts were going to be sofa and chair throws and possibly worked in to pillows (in small ways, not to matchy matchy). I'm wondering if my faux quilt will look funny next to those antique ones on display. My antique ones, which were grandma's and great grandma's are more muted, even pastel-ish. Oh well, will deal with that once I actually select the fabrics and make the quilt. That issue is a few weeks off (unless I win the lottery before then)

You are saying first fan, do you mean this one?

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/182044009913085044/

If so, that's kind of where I'm leaning, though it is the most expensive one of the bunch. I like that it has a nice long downrod and that the downrod has really great details. My ceilings are very high and I definitely do not want the fan too high up there. I want it to hang down low enough so that when you view the living room from the front door it's clearly visible below that archway area (ok, it's not actually an arch, but what do you call it??)

I do not consider this a small room. I mean no, it's not huge like in a modern, open concept home, but it's not small. It's 13 X 16 (I think) and opens in to the "dining" / front room which is 13 X 14 or 15. In many ways the two rooms feel like one. I know there is a divide, but there's also a great deal of space that's open and I'm trying really hard to decorate them as one big room that just happens to have a couple of different use areas within it. I think a smaller fan would look very odd in there. I have a 44 in my small kitchen and it looks just right. I cannot imagine putting something that dinky in the living room though.

I know things look different in photos! There are a great many of you here who have been so truly helpful ... I wish I could have you all over for a glass of wine to see the house and help me tweak things out (once, of course, I actually finish gathering the things I'm after and doing the big stuff).

Yes, that is the fan I like best. Since it is expensive, the good news (well, not for me!) is that winter is coming so it won't be needed immediately-- though I know some use it in reverse for heat. Because it is so prominent in your room, I'd wait and save until you can get the one you think works best. Think of this time as being patient and forming your plan . . .then you won't waste $.

I think we need to figure out what you need the room to do. How deep is that sofa table? Do you need bookcases? I am thinking if you do not need the bookcases, you could center the sofa. I'd hang one of the quilts behind the sofa and then put the print over the spot between the two chairs.

If you need bookcases, then maybe, maybe you could line that row behind the sofa with some narrow ones. Billy bookcases from Ikea are 11" and you likely will find them on CL.

In any case, my first choice would be to center the sofa on the wall. If you had the quilt behind the sofa (if bookcases are not needed-- I do worry they would crowd the room too much), some petite end tables on either side with lamps OR some sconces on either end of the sofa OR one end table + lamp and a floor lamp (options, options!) I think it would look really welcoming and balanced.

I wish we could all get together, too. That would be so much fun!

I very well may need a second choice on the fan .... I didn't realize this one doesn't have pull chains either! Dang I need to start reading more closely before I get all excited about something. This one may still work for me but there's a good chance it won't. I have to get up there and measure how much extra room is in the ceiling as it requires that a control box be mounted up there in addition to the standard wiring box.

I love all the suggestions. Something I'm learning is how much info/detail goes in to a real room (versus a magazine or photo shoot room), things that involve the family and how they use it, personality, ect, things you just can't see in a photo. I hope it does not sound as if I'm shooting down ideas, I am NOT. I love them, and actually it's funny to see how many I've already considered and also great how much I'm learning by entertaining the new ones.

For example, Nope, the sofa cannot be moved down. I'm sure you can't see it in the photo but there's a door there and if I move the sofa over, even a few inches, it blocks access to the house's only bathroom. Not good with a young child in the house!! Or me, for that matter!! :)

I can, and probably will want to, center the print over the sofa. I'd originally hung it like that because I wanted a tall lamp next to it and didn't want the lamp to be in front of it. Now I think I'll probably find a shorter lamp (or a pair) and center the print.

Nope, I don't need the bookcase, it was just left there from when the room was a dining room and I hadn't moved it out yet. That's why it was empty .... all the stuff if was filled with was dining room related and was moved elsewhere.

As for the photo above the chairs, I'm very attached to it and really not crazy about moving it, though I'm being open minded and I'd consider it if need be.

I really don't want to hang a quilt. Like I'd mentioned, I plan on using a quilt look (though in a more casual way i.e. rag quilt made from a selection of homespun chosen to go with painting/fireplace color) for the pillows and throws on the furniture and don't want quilt overload. I am not a quilter, nor do I have a love for them. The ones I have are on display because they belonged to gma and great gma and are old family items, not because of a great quilt interest. I don't hate them, they are pretty, but using them as a wall centerpiece wouldn't be "me" and I could quickly feel overwhelmed by them. My choice to do rag quilts for throws/pillows is a practical one as much as anything - easy to make (I'm not a seamstress, I do easy things), durable/stand up to frequent washings, lots of color (provided I choose good fabrics!!), hide spots between washings if colorful/patterned, cozy ... nothing like a bunch of snuggle throws and pillows to make a room feel good.

Besides, all of the quilts I own that are sentimental aren't really in my desired color palette. They are fine folded up on display like that but wide open on a wall .... no, wrong color message entirely.

I managed to paint/distress the dining chairs last night. I didn't do the table because they are calling for rain and I didn't want to cut myself short on time. I'll do it soon. I went with a pretty heavy distressing and I like it, lots of the wood showing. :)

I also dug through my stash of stuff and found two chandaliers/lights that I can rewire in to a swag for above the dining table (no overhead light in there and the lamps are not cutting it). My favorite is kind of large and even though I love love love it I'm wondering if it'll overwhelm the small table. The other is nice too though so either will work. I have an important appointment today and can't really do anything but maybe tomorrow I can put the hook in the ceiling and hang them both from twine just to get a visual and see which one will work better before I rewire them.

I sorta thought there was a door there, the trim was just barely visible in one of your pictures.

Yup, one bedroom is accessible from the front room (the dining room) and the other bedroom is accessible from that room (the living room). The bathroom is between the two bedrooms and you have to go through one of them to get it. That's the only feature of my house I really don't like, though for just the girls and me it's not really a big deal. If we had boys or if I weren't single it might not be so convenient, especially since both of those bedrooms are my daughters'. I have a bedroom in the basement.

When I was house shopping I actually found several houses that required you to enter the bathroom through one of the bedrooms. I thought it was weird because I'd never been in one (that I'm aware of) that way but I actually toured at least 5 or 6 where that was the case. I guess maybe that wasn't so uncommon 80 to 100 years ago.

We nearly always go through the one by the sofa as that's my 6 year old's room and believe it or not, it's normally cleaner than the teenager's room, which is the other choice. Some times entering there can be frightening.

I love the way your room is developing, beth! I'll be excited to see more as you're able to make additions to it.

Sorry I haven't posted any updated pix, I've had a migraine that simply won't let go of me. I get a few minutes here and there and that's it so not a lot getting done physically. I have had time to surf a bit on my ipad though.

I found this quilt on clearance and am thinking about getting it for the furniture throws. I'm not one to leave my furniture uncovered. I don't know why, just paranoid about dirty little feet always on it I suppose. Anyway, these are the colors I had in mind and the price is decent enough.

What do you think? They had a couple I like a little better but not enough to justify more than double the cost.

PS if you go to her site, which was a bad move for me because there are so many gorgeous things on there I want, it's not on clearance but I found it elsewhere reduced quite a bit.

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This post was edited by beth0301 on Wed, Oct 15, 14 at 15:37

No where near "done" but a little bit of progress .... out of money for the moment so will pick up again in a week or two. :)

The colors in the pix look a tad dull to me. Not that anything is bright ... all my colors are meant to be antique/faded but not nearly as much as they appear in the photos. They are a bit more vibrant in real life.

1. need to cover the lampshades on the lamp in the left corner (or get a different one/ones) not sure yet

2. obviously the sofa needs to be repaired - that will be completed in a couple of weeks and then it will sit level. Also at that time a "fluffier" layer will be added on the cushion so it looks more cozy/cushy. It actually IS comfortable, but it doesn't look it. I want it to look more comfy as well.

3. missing ceiling fan ... still have no clue what kind I want. The ones I thought I wanted now seem somehow not quite right

4. the cabinet in the corner needs shelves inside (will hold DVD's and photo albums). It's an antique gun cabinet that I replaced the glass with a distressed antique mirror look so you wouldn't see the contents

5. need hooks on the mini coat rack in the front room - not meant to be a real coat rack but just a small place for a purse or jacket when someone stops by for a quick visit. We have a bigger, more usable one in the back for our real coat/shoe storage, just seemed like too much to drag a jacket back there when my sister stops by for a few minutes

6. haven't decided about a valance above tv yet, thinking something simple like tea stained muslin

7. thinking if I do the valance maybe I'll replace the simple sheers in the front room with the same fabric. nothing fru fru, just a simple tea stained panel pulled to the side. the white of the sheers now seems to "white"

8. need a shade on the lamp on buffet (or a different lamp entirely). The top ledge is very narrow so not much fits, had this on hand.

9. throw pillows on the sofa!

10. stool under the mini coat rack, have one just need to pad it and cover in either burlap or the muslin

11. replace skirt on buffet with something more fitting the room

12. no longer loving the upholstery on the loveseat (red floral). slipcover? replace?

13. swap out the glass on the print above the buffet for non glare, I hate it! These two rooms are flooded with natural light all day and that thing shines like a spot light at different angles as the sin rises and then goes down.

Some midway progress pix

Some midway progress pix

Some midway progress pics

mid progress pics

mid progress pics

little bit of progress pics

this one is blurry, sorry

... but on the bright side, I'm "down" to 13 things on my to do list (at least for this room)

Beth, I like it so much!!! It is cozy and homey and there's something very calming about it.

You've come a long way, baby!

Thank you! I was hoping to hear cozy and calming. I want very much for it to be a comfy "I want to stay and hang out" area

Not the way I though you were going to go but I like it. It does look like a space that would be very pleasant to spend time in.

I think it's looking very nice!

It does look cozy! Keep going. :)

Cozy was the first word that came to my mind. I don't know where you live but it looks like the perfect place to curl up on a cold, snowy day. (can you tell I'm revving up for Wisconsin winter?)

I really didn't know where I'd end up going with this. I know I don't care for modern, and what most people call contemporary these days looks great but it's just not "me". I knew I'd end up going some version of antique-y or rustic and not overly ornate.

I just went through all the stuff I have (which is an embarrassingly large amount, all different styles collected at thrift stores, junk sales, ect over the years) and separated it in to piles of which things I liked the most and which made me the happiest visually. After I'd done that, I looked at the "most liked" pile and realized it was cabin/primitive/rustic/farm, darker colors, time worn items. I decided that was the truest path for me and went with it.

I bought a couple of things but most of that was stuff I already had.

I do have that list I posted right above the start of the pictures - the 13 items I still see that need to be done before I can call the room good.

Anyone notice any eyesores or faux pas I'm not seeing? Anything to add to my list? Another set of eyes always sees something the original set doesn't, especially when I see it every day.

I will want some input on a ceiling fan, though I think that expense will have to wait until after the holidays. I'd still like to get a couple in mind though in case I come across any "can't resist" sales or deals. The chandalier swag over the dining table is a light I'd had in my storage box for a couple of years, picked it up for $5 at a junk sale. I rewired it and put the 20' cord on it the other day and since doing so, feel like many of the ceiling fans I'd originally put on my short list didn't really compliment it.

Beth, I have been so delighted and educated with all these posts. I love the evolution of your wonderfully charming home! You are an amazing woman!

I share several of the decorating dilemmas you've mentioned. My "living room" is about 2' more narrow and 2' shorter than your area. I'm learning a lot from your post.

The repurposed gun cabinet idea is absolute genius. Please share a photo when you've installed the shelves and contents.

Regarding the non-glare glass for your larger artwork. The price of non-glare glass has become simply ridiculous. I have an entire hallway lined with (Gasp!) a family gallery wall. It includes photos from more than 100 years ago to this year's school pics of the great-nephew. Color, colorized, sepia toned, black and white, all mixed together and mostly in their original mismatched frames. That just about breaks all the rules, but I love my wall.

Several of the older photos - Mom's 1954 graduation photo; MIL's 1952 wedding photo, etc. - had plain glass. I can't tolerate the glare either.

I made a note in my iPod of all the frame sizes that needed replacement non-glare glass. Every time I'm at a thrift shop or yard sale I check out the "frames" area. You can often find large pictures that may be in horrid frames, but they will have non-glare glass! I buy the frame, take out the glass, and toss the rest.

I found one very large print of ballet slippers framed with non-glare that was big enough to cut down into several pieces. It made one 8x10 and three 5x7 pieces of non-glare glass for my wall, all for $1. With their permission, I took the glass out at the shop, tossed the faded print, and re-donated the empty frame back to them.