One request I’ve been hearing a lot is ‘can you do an updated house tour?’. Yes, yes I can. And I will. But that requires that first of all the house is clean and second that the fourteen million unfinished projects get finished up. So until then, I’ll go space by space.
We’ll start with this one.
There is a little cut out in our house across from the dining room and below the staircase. It’s one of those funky nooks that give you extra space, but doesn’t really serve an obvious purpose.
In the past, our piano has lived here. We also use the space for our christmas tree each year. The wall has gone through many phases – first the random bird collage, then the wall of l’s.
When I moved the wall of l’s to the opposite wall, we also moved the piano to the book page wall {can you tell we are obnoxious furniture re-arrangers?!} and this nook was left empty.
But then we bought this perfect bookshelf for the other awkward nook in the dining room which left us a homeless piece of furniture that we affectionately call ‘the black thing’.
And so, it now lives here.
We inherited this piece from a friend years ago and painted it flat black. It has a perfectly worn finish and is a storage dream. The large drawers hold all kinds of odds and ends:
If you are short on storage space, a big dresser like this can be a great solution.
Above the dresser I hung this beautifully drawn poppy chart by Jessica at Vol. 25. She has an antler one that I’d love to get for the fall/winter.
On the dresser sits my favorite frame from potterybarn with a photo of my kiddos that was supposed to go on our christmas card until I decided not to do them. The lamp is a hand-me-down from my m-i-l and that little ampersand never did get a makeover.
We’ve kept this arrangement for a few months, and it’s very likely that we’ll switch it up again, but it works for now.
Am I the only crazy furniture/art/accessories re-arranger? Please tell me I’m not alone …
dude. I CAN’T STOP REARRANGING. yes this is late but i had to share and let you know you are not alone. #decorationobession
I love the whole idea . The way you guys show the creativity is cool :)
love your pics, so pretty! but, sorry, i am NOT a re-arranger. kinda wish i could but hubby freaks when i hang a new picture or change the throw pillows. then again, i don’t really want to move furniture…:)
I love the new shelving unit you put in the dining room where the black thing used to be! Where did you get it?
I am not a habitual furniture rearranger but I married one. If he goes more than a few months without changing things up he goes batty! I’m more of the type to dream, plan, and save for years for the perfect whatever and then keep it forever. It has been an adjustment but I must say his way makes home more interesting!
No, you’re not alone. I do this all the time – and I thrive on it! :)
it doesn’t have to be beautiful or finished or complete or bedazzled for us to like it. just share it! don’t wait!
every season i seem to want to change something, which leads to me making all new pillowcases for every pillow in our living room and entry room and spray painting way too many things. my husband just rolls his eyes when he sees me start. :)
You are NOT alone! I am right there with you. God Bless!
if only we lived in a home that had space enough for rearranging. in our space the furniture we have, for the most part, fits only one way and there is lives. i do move the furniture occasionally to clean under it…does that count?
happy spacious living!
PS. I hope that comment doesn’t seem lame. I love my home and am more than thankful for the sweet homey spaces we do have! No complaining here!
Love the dresser! Also, can you tell me the color you’ve painted the walls? I know you repainted your living room recently (I saw it on your instagram!) can you tell me the name of that color too? Thank you! :)
The main wall color is relaxed khaki by rhodda paint {the equivalent is benjamin moore hazy skies OC-48}. The wall behind the dresser is slate by restoration hardware. The new living room color is called wind’s breath by behr. I’m not sure I love it, but it is a pretty good creamy/white/gray.
I love that flower print and the new look for the nook! Beautiful job as always, Emily!
This makes me curious…where did your piano go?
We moved it to a different wall across from the living room. More photos to come …
Hi Emily! I love the arrangement. How do you keep your house from having holes all over the walls?
There are holes all over the walls! I am not afraid to put a hole in – they can be patched so easily with wood filler and a light sanding and a quick touch up paint.
I am also a furniture/art/accessories rearranging addict! My husband laughs almost daily when he comes home to find something else moved or painted! It’s an obsession.. But I love it! Your house is a definite inspiration for me :-)
Can you talk a little about the silhouettes on the staircase. Looking to make/or have made some of my 4. Love the new look!
The silhouettes are great! I should do a post on them.
One more comment – I’m in love with black furniture over the past few years. My favorite piece in the house is an old (ugly) dresser that my nephew painted black and we use for our TV in the living room and having all the storage space is heaven to me!!! I store gifts that I buy ahead of time in several of the drawers. I also have an old desk that he also painted black in my husband’s office and I love the way it looks against the sage walls and white trim.
Each arrangement is so lovely! I wish I could rearrange but we are still in the empty wall phase. Actually, we’ve been in this phase the past two years. I salute your bravery to move forward with hanging stuff up. I am afraid that if I don’t love, love, love the arrangement and/or plan on keeping it the same for 5 years or more, I am wasting my time. As the saying goes, Just Do It!! BTW, I would LOVE a black dresser of my own. Such a pretty one you have!
The L wall is my favorite by far! Second come the birds! :o) Beautiful!
I rearrange furniture when I feel like I’m losing controll of my life (and with 5 kids under 7, that happens a lot!). It has a calming effect and makes me remember the things that are most important. It also gives me a different perspective, quite literally, which makes it possible for me to enjoy the next few months before the furniture needs to be rearranged again ;)
Living in a small space our furniture rearranging is a bit limited but there are a few pieces that go from room to room. And the accessory department ~ well changes happen often here. I ALWAYS love whatever changes you make Emily. You are an inspiration!
Love it!! YES! I am constantly re-arranging furniture, moving stuff around, re-decorating. It makes me feel like I am creating a new, fresh environment. I love it and some days it drives my husband crazy!! xx
OH Emily how I wish I could move our furniture around more but our house is pretty limited on space. I grew up where there was seasonal furniture rearranging… and I LOVED it! The black dresser is scrumptious! In fact it is almost exactly what I’ve been looking for… and the poppy picture! Lets just leave it at i LOVE poppies! Have for more years than I can remember!
Right now I am getting rid of a lot of extra “stuff” in order to bring in some items we have looked at and drooled over for years! :) (to include the bookcases from world market… they make me swoon… saw some YEARS ago at a little shop in Nebraska but they weren’t for sale. owner’s dad made them in the 60’s/70’s… coveted them every since! haha!)
Love the silhouettes and the gray walls as well! We have Sherwin Williams’s “Mindful Gray” in our bedroom, but I would love to do it all over the house!
And as far as rearranging, my poor hubby came home yesterday to a total rearranged bedroom – I think he liked it but was more shocked that I moved our heavy furniture by myself. And last week he came home to a bright yellow painted playroom! I think he’s getting used to these surprises :)
I am not an obsessive furniture arranger, but I am with you on the Christmas cards. Two Christmases ago I had to let it go, but it bugged me all year. This year, I sent New Year’s cards instead. It was great! I wrote them during the quiet week and enjoyed the process so much. Plus, I got HUGE response. When your cards come on time they kind of get lost in the pile. When they come the first week of the new year, they are novel and people get excited. I enjoyed all the return mail and calls as well as the reduction in stress so much that our family now has a new tradition. I love it!
I never move anything around at my house, but you have motivated me to give it a try!! Love your blog.
And Emily – you are not alone! I am famous for tearing our house apart even when I clean because I have a new vision of where something needs to be moved to :) It’s nice to know I’m not the only one! I love where your “black thing” has found a home for now :)
Love the new dresser set-up! And the painting is beautiful! Love the way it’s hung–could you please share about that (did you attach the wooden pieces to it yourself or was it store-bought?) Thanks, Emily!
Love the change you’ve made here! Painting furniture (or anything really) black is my little obsession. Even as I pick out non-black things my husband chimes in, “let me guess…. paint it black??” So of course I love this piece you’ve added.
We are also searching for a perfect grey paint. Can you tell if this is a true grey and what color you’ve used here? Thank so much!
Jessica – Behr porpoise (if I spelled that right) is a great gray shade. I’ve wanted to paint my bathroom gray for a while now and am looking into using that color. I’m also a bit obsessed with black lately. Makes things look so high end and custom. I just love it!
Thanks, Jill! I’m a little OCD about making sure it’s a shade of grey I love and so I’m able to commit to before we paint. ;) I’ll look at this one you suggested! I agree with your thoughts on the black – and I know I’ll love it all against the grey walls once they are finished!
I have a friend who for as long as I’ve known her has always had the “it’s only paint” attitude. She LOVES to paint and has been known to just decide one afternoon to repaint her living room, kitchen, or pretty much any room in her house. She never stresses about it – just jumps right in and figures if she doesn’t like it she can just repaint over it again. I’m not quite there yet and don’t think I probably ever will be. I need to really love it and plan, plan, plan before I can commit too :)