Paprika Carpet et Al

Well, that was blur of activity! One day we're contemplating redecorating the living room, and the next day (well, almost the next day) we're done! Whew! Hubby was not working all last week, so decided we'd better do the living room right away. Like I said, it's been a blur of hyperactivity!

But it's all done, and it looks fabulous, if I do say so myself. It's the first time I've ever redecorated to this extent - first time I've ever actually chosen the colour scheme, so it was a bit scary. But it all worked out better than we had envisioned.

Sumptuous (but bargain-priced) brown recliner sofa, sage green chair, lambskin-shade (?) walls and paprika carpet to bring in the colour. We were going to get vertical blinds, but I found the perfect panel curtains last night and we hung them today, and they finish the room off beautifully.

It's no "House and Home" redo, it's a very tiny living room, and we did it on a nickel-and-dime budget, but I'm so proud of myself! It's such a warm and cosy little space - hubby really loves it and seems quite surprised that all of my zany colour ideas actually came together so well. To be honest, so am I...

Anyway, that's kept me busy (that and the smoke-detector testing in all the houses in our condo section). Hopefully, we can relax for awhile and tend to the over-weedy garden now!

How fun! I have a paprika-colored area rug in my living room, and it does add such a splash of color.

What colors do you all have in your homes? I'm mainly dark blues with dark reds and some tan/brown. Think aged Americanan...

How 'bout you?

Eagle, it sounds beautiful. Don't you love decorating? Sounds like you have a knack for it.

I hope to see more of you in the forums now that your projects are finished. Do you have a lap top? Maybe you can sit in that new room and post away.

Kathy, we just decorated our den. The walls are two shades with a chair rail type thingy. The bottom is sage green, the top burnt gold. We got a burgundy leather sofa and chair. The curtains are those three colors in a plaid with a valance in another fabric, but with the same colors. We got wall-to-wall carpet that's beigy with flecks of brown. The room has four windows so it's quite airy. We added a ceiling fan and quite a few pillows. I love it. And truth be known, Ross picked everything. It was his little project. He did a great job. And I'm sitting in here posting.

Dotsie, your den sounds like the perfect place to sit and post here! My living room would be too if I had a laptop. Our computer is relatively old, and in the very cold (but finished) basement. I have to type a lot (and type fast) just to keep warm!

It's hard to put that decorating cap down! Now that the living room is done, my mind has moved on to the next project, though hubby's definitely not ready for another one until this time next year! The main hallway is my next target. It starts at the front door, opens to the kitchen/dining area, ends at the living room, and does a turn down the stairs to the basement. The wall going down to the basement is covered with family pictures...it started with a couple of them a few years ago, and is now a massive photo gallery which everyone loves. It takes new people 30-40 minutes to make it down the stairs now! We have to repaint the hallway walls and put some of those "chair rail type thingy's" along the basement stairs.

Sigh. I do love decorating - I don't like having to wait!

That's the problem. Change one room and then all the others look outdated. Do you keep a folder of ideas?

We turned our two car garage into a big eat in kitchen many years ago. We talked about doing it for several years so a friend suggested keeping a folder of everything we saw in magazines and liked. I di it and it was so helpful when the time came to plan. I could pull out all these pictures and tell the designer exactly what I liked: the look, style, colors, etc. I highly recommend doing that.

So while you're waiting, keep your mind busy keepig that folder going. It makes you feel like you're in the process of decorating! Then when it's time, you're all ready!

That's a good idea. I don't have a folder, but I do have a notebook where I write down my ideas so they don't get forgotten.

When we were out shopping for the paint for the living room, we already had discussed the colour options extensively and had one picked out (after comparing it to fabric samples to make sure it was the best colour for the carpet and furniture). But for some strange reason, hubby came along at the last minute, picked out a completely different colour and thought it would be better. I don't know why I went along with him, but we bought the paint and brought it home. I insisted we try a little patch in an obscure piece of wall. I hated it. And knew it wouldn't go with everything. So after a few hours, I told him we had to go back and get the original agreed-upon colour. We did, and he agrees it was a much better choice. So now we have several tins of this other colour, which I've decided will actually work best in one of the spare bedrooms (where I don't have to see it very often!)

Eagle, add some pictures to your notebook. It's so much fun to look at magazines and think about what would look good in your home.

We've also done the paint behind a piece of furniture to be certain of the color. My husband actually has the best eye for paint color in this house.

Amen to the "folder of ideas"! I'm always dreaming of kitchens and will someday have THE ONE.
I had myself convinced that I preferred wood toned cabinets until one day I went to my folder and found only pictures of white ones. Oops.