Living room inspiration...

Those of you who read my other blog, The Art of Living Beautifully, know that I recently got engaged and that we are planning to move from the west coast back to the Carolinas. I own a great old house there and we're going to move back and redecorate and renovate as needed. Because decorating is one of my great loves, I've spent quite a bit of time turning ideas over in my head. The one room that is closest to being formulated in my mind is the living room. The living room is about 20 x 20, so it's a lovely large room. There is a lovely fireplace with a window flanking either side on one wall; opposite that is one long, uninterrupted wall. The other two walls consist of a large picture window with two smaller windows on either side and the front door tucked down at the end; on the opposite wall is a doorway leading to the hall and next to that is a set of french doors that lead into the dining room. I'm afraid I don't have any digital photos (only prints), so I'm hoping you'll be able to visualize for now.
Because I've lived in the house before and knew I would be moving back someday, I've had a chance to play off-and-on with various decorating ideas in my mind. We've decided to start from scratch on the furniture, so I have an opportunity to really redo the entire room. I've gone through various color palettes and styles, but I think I've finally hit on what I want to do, and that's basically what you see in the photograph above. My color scheme will be pink and white, with a few brighter touches here and there, and plenty of pattern. I'm planning on a comfortable couch and love seat that are relatively plain like in the photo, in a nice off-white/linen (this is one of those times the no-kids thing comes in handy). They'll provide a lovely blank canvas.

I'll use pillows to punch up the color and add a little pattern, like those in the photos above. I already have a coffee table just like the one you see in the top photo ~ it was an old kitchen table I had cut down and repainted. I used it in the room when I lived there before and because the room is so big and square, having a good-sized round table to gather around is perfect. So that's one piece of furniture off the list. I'll pick up a chair to go next to the fireplace in a pretty pattern or color and there will be some other pieces of furniture in the room as well (a writing table tucked in a corner, an armoire of some sort, etc.), but the seating will provide the structure.
I've also been collecting art over the last several years in anticipation of this move. I have been particularly drawn to Janet Hill's work, which you can see here. She has an amazing collection of feminine women portraits and I purchased a number of those prints and framed them all to match. I also picked up a couple of other pieces of woman-centric art and framed those to coordinate so they could all hang together. They are all going to hang on my long, uninterrupted wall ~ the wall of women, as I call it in my head. I'm going to wallpaper that wall in a pattern I've designed and I'll make drapes out of the same pattern, which you can see directly below:

The pattern is called Pink Medley and actually comes in a variety of colors in my shop, The Pink Home. (Just fabrics for now ~ I'm still working on the wallpaper.) I just finished the pink version, with this room in mind. The pink is feminine without being too girly, thanks to the slight peach undertone, and the intricate pattern balances out the playful flowers.
To balance that great pink wall (a.k.a. the wall of women), above the fireplace will hang a huge fine art photograph, which you can view here, with glorious pink flowers and a peachy sky. The drapes will also carry the Pink Medley pattern throughout the room. The other walls will be painted an off-white to match the white flowers in the wallpaper and the drapes, and I have a few other pieces of art that will likely be making an appearance.
I still need to settle on an area rug (the room has hardwood flooring) and I'm sure there will be a few changes once I actually get the project under way, but I know I'm headed in the right direction because every time I picture the room in my head, it brings a smile to face. A pink and white living room ~ doesn't that sound like bliss?

Photo credits: 1, 2; Design (third photo) by The Pink Home