Turns out the living room caught wind of my plans to remodel the dining room. And let me tell you, she was none too happy to be left out.
She also pointed out that the living and dining spaces really are one. Separated by an arch …
And that the planned crisp white board and batten with navy paint up top and that amazing striped rug and those orange and turquoise accents in the dining rom will seriously clash with her circa 2000 Pottery Barn reds and browns and magentas. And I have to admit, she has a valid point. Made a compelling argument.
So it looks like the living room is getting an overhaul as well …
Links for all products can be found here …
And while the plan looks pretty well put together, there are a few pressing items I’m hoping to get some help with. Take the couch.
Please.
Yes. The old red couch has got to go. She didn’t cost much and served her purpose. But decorating around a red couch is challenging. So I’m going neutral. The only question: Should I go with the pricier Potter Barn version on the inspiration board or go with the much more affordable BH&G slipcover version …
Pros: Slipcover can be washed – oh, and there is a whopping $500 difference between this couch and the Pottery Barn couch
Cons: Will the slip cover always look wrinkled and sloppy? I’m not going for shabby chic … much more fitted and tailored.
Oh, and to make both the living and dining room projects all that much more complicated and time consuming, I’m toying with white washing the floors …
The major obstacle – aside from the dog – is convincing my husband that this will in no way be time consuming or disruptive … 
Hey, a girl can dream, can’t she?
This added room redo might mean I’ll be blogging light over the next few weeks … with the plan to come back strong with some amazing room reveals and tons of DIY projects.
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love the inspiration pictures! can’t wait to see it!
Ooh that’s going to be beautiful! Can’t wait to see it!
Hi Linda, love your plans! I’m sure it will be a beautiful reveal. We have a red couch too. For what we spent on it (it’s actual leather) I don’t think we’ll be tossing it aside any time soon, so I have plans to make a slipcover. Unfortunately, that’s way, way, WAY down the road from now, while I try to finish up the kids’ rooms upstairs. Don’t you wish there were more hours in the day? Can’t wait to see what you end up doing. Have a great week!
Debbie
Awww…gorgeousness! And hilarious, too. 🙂
If you get a chance I’d love for you to check out my Scentsy giveaway!
The white washed floors are amazing and I totally hear you on having to do both rooms rather than one. My dining and living are separated by an arch, too and it really does read as one space.
Angela
P.S. Our stripe rug (like the one from your inspiration) was delivered today. Love it!
Nice!! Love the mood boards. You can never have too many paintings of cows, I always say.
Oh My… can not wait to see what you come up with. I love where you are headed with your designs. It is going to be just Fab!
We have the denim slip covered PB couch. We bought it about 8 years ago and while I love the fact that the covers can go in the wash, those stinking pillows became the bane of my existence! They would not keep their shape at all. I even had PB replace them and within a few months they were floppy again! The slip covers lasted about 2-3 years before they required a lot of stitching to keep them together! Now its the junk couch in the basement! Hope this helps, it was an expensive lesson to learn!
Oh boy you have some big projects ahead! Looking forward to seeing your progress.If you are going for a lighter color sofa I would do the slip covered one.At least it can be washed.LOVE the idea of painting the floors.Hope you can convince your husband of that!
xx
Anne
You are a brave woman! I love my painted floor, but my husband does not. Must be a guy thing. I love your mood boards. (My post tomorrow is a mood board. Go figure.)
And I just linked this post in the post for tomorrow. That’s what you get for being trendy.
Love your mood board. Perfect elements. And I love white washed floors. I considered them myself when we re-did ours. Can’t wait to see that 🙂
Your living room is persuasive. I vote for the new couch. I love spending other people’s money 🙂
That all looks and sounds lovely!
I did have myself a little chuckle at your red couch…I’ve had the same brown plaid furniture for years, and after this weekend of thrifting…where I scored a red slip cover, (to re-sale…ha! yeah, right.) I tried it on my couch; I’m going to live with it a while! I just thought that was ironic…
Now as to your nicely tailored couch and slip cover… I say do all the decorating, painting, etc. And…if you want to save some money buy the NEUTRAL slip cover…and some batting and re-stuff your cushions and put the slip cover on. See you like it…. try it out for a while before spending the money on a new couch. I saw Elaine, from Sunny Simple Life do this with her seat cushions, (I think she bought new bed pillows, very inexpensive) to beef them up! It worked. They looked great.
These are just options. As to your idea board… I like the navy, blue and ORANGE! That cow…so cool!
It’ll be nice to see what you come up with… I’m going to wait and see what choice you make for the sofa, since I’m kind of hesitating as well: slipcover or not slipcover?
If you are not going with a casual shabby chic look, I probably would go with the BH&g sofa. I have a slipcover sofa, and it does always look a bit messy, and really? Slipcovers are a huge pain in the B____ to put back on. They always shrink a bit, and I always kill my hands and fingers trying to stretch those suckers back onto the sofa. UGG! Major chore!Im sure what ever you choose, the room will be beautiful.
Go with the slip covered couch! I bought one and love it. It never looks slouchy and after washing, it looks like a brand new couch. You won’t regret it. Good luck and have fn!
Oh my… I think you may have gone mad. But I vote for the slipcover.
Bliss
I LOVE your plans! So pretty and crisp. Although I must admit, as a red couch lover, that part makes me a little sad. But you are right. A red couch is pretty hard to decorate around. So I vote for the slipcovers. If you have dogs and kids, it’s the best way to go. As for the floors, do you have a small room in your house where you could try it? See if you like it or if it ruins your life? Rather than tear apart your main living areas? Wow. I sound like my husband. Maybe some of his foresight has finally rubbed off on me. That would be a miracle.
Oh it all looks so wonderful…you have a great plan there….the sofa?…My philosophy…with such an important piece in your room…always go with the one you like….I find when “settling” for one that is a tad less expensive, you tend to regret it and then have to buy another one sooner than later and it actually costs you more money….I have friends that have the PB sofa and love it and it is really durable and comfy!!..Have fun with your new project…cannot wait to see what you will be doing!!
I am seriously digging the blue and white! Could you post links to the two couches? It would be easier to compare that way. And…it just so happens that I’m looking for a couch, as well…
exciting plans! I hope you get to do the floors, cuz I’m trying to get up the nerve to do my upstairs floors the same way. I can learn from you. Tell Mike you have to be there for me! In regards to the couch – you may notice a difference going from a two cushion couch to a three cushion couch. It’s just a matter of comfort/preference.
You go, girl!! I love the look of whitewashed floors, but they would never work in my house full of teens. I say invest in the PB sofa — it’s gorgeous, neutral, built to last. 🙂 Good luck!
xo Heidi
Wonderful inspiration, Linda! A new couch would be great, but I know how that goes, I’m still trying to change mine since long ago! Can’t wait to see all the changes!
Sounds like it will look great, Linda! I will be reading to see what other comments you get about the sofa. We are in the market for a new one, too, and I love the look of the Pottery Barn one…..but I am a frugal person, so there is that to consider. Good luck!
Oh my gosh I’m so excited…I love it all right down to the white washed floors. I have to say too that the ceiling fan is to die for! Hope it all goes well. Huge project for sure…good luck!
I haven’t read the other replies, so I don’t know if someone else mentioned it. But, have you considered slipcovering your existing couch? I used canvas drop cloths to make a slipcover for my couch and I LOVE IT! I wash it about every three months and it is so nice to have it looking and smelling clean and fresh. I won’t lie, it was a lot of work, but it was so worth it. If you’re a decent seamstress and have a sense of adventure, give it a try. I think I spent somewhere around $60 on materials and about a month making the slipcover. To say it was worth it is an understatement. Oh, and BTW, I love your inspiration pics. The navy is drop dead gorgeous! I can’t wait to see the progress.
Love your plans, and am excited to see the results!
Love your plans. Why do I always forget about navy? I splurged on the PB Pearce sectional a year ago. What sold me was seeing kids jumping on the floor model with their shoes on. It couldn’t have been the first time that happened, and it still looked brand new. I have 2 dogs, a teenager and a gamer husband and it is rarely unoccupied, but still looks new. Also, it is more comfortable than my sleep number bed!
slip cover. you wallet will thank you for it. It’s far easier to swap out a slip cover when you change your mind about the white floral sleeper sofa…
OH I bet whitewashed floors would be so cute! And really make everything looks so airy too! Did you consider an Ikea sofa Linda. Loads less. Maybe a happy medium? You’ve got some great plans 🙂 Look forward to seeing what you do!
do u have an Ikea by u? There slipcover sofas are better priced. I have a red couch too and sometimes I ponder the idea of a slipcover in white. But I am still not convinced with a child and dogs that it is a good idea. Id be washing it all the time. and nothing ever looks the same after you wash it.