New-To-Me Makeover

Our living room has a fresh new look - and it only cost $.75! 

Ok, well, one part of it was only $.75.  Whatever. It was $50.75.

We had known for a while that our coffee table was too big for our living room.  We still like the table, just don't like it in our space.  When you have a tiny living room that functions as a crossroads-of-the-world in a little house - you can't afford to have a big hunk of wood taking up precious real estate.

So we swapped it out (and kept it for a future larger-than-a-shoebox living room...) for a fabric ottoman.  We had been considering the ottoman idea for a while - seeing as how it would provide extra seating in a pinch.  The leather ones are great - but the pleather ones we could actually afford weren't. 

Enter furniture store clearance room, and a lonely fabric ottoman that got separated from his furniture family...

And welcome to our living room.

The price was right (no, it wasn't $.75...it was $50...), and really there have been some great Pros as a result of this switcheroo:

• The dogs have more rug space to cover in their fur stretch out on - they LOVE it
• Tony and I can no longer hunch over the coffee table to eat our dinner while glued to the tv - so we actually use our kitchen table - miracle!
• I have a foot rest
• There isn't as much surface area to dump our crap on - we are forced to actually put away our junk.

I would like to get a big tray to put on top - so we actually have a place to put drinks, but otherwise I really like the difference!  Our room doesn't seem so crowded.

And did you see that new beauty over by the front door?

Tony's parents gave us this piece, and it really is the PERFECT fit for a console/by-the-door table!  Like, I'm in love with it.  Seriously.  It's large enough to be functional, but shallow so we aren't running into it.

What's awesome is it's a Freshman Masterpiece antique piece of furniture, which according to my Googlin' is a company that made old radios.  This used to hold either a record player or radio.

It's missing a knob, so I think I'm going to take that opportunity to replace the knobs with cute new ones (yet to be determined).

What's awesome is that it provides a place to put our key/wallet bowl as you walk in the front door.  Not to mention, I was able to get a lamp!!!!! You don't understand how much I've loathed our lack of living room light - and lamented the lack of a lamp-holding surface (that's a lot of L's). 

Voila.  I had the lamp base, and found the perfect little linen drub shade for it at the local thrift store - for, you guessed it, $.75!

Not to mention, we can stash our mail and other junk inside this piece, whereas before it cluttered the coffee table.

So, a more functional room makes Claire happy - especially when the changes aren't necessarily new - but new to me.  Now, if only we could replace that awful couch!