I’m desperate for your opinions… and an explanation!

Explanation first:

Sorry ya’ll, no “In the Trenches” feature today. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what happened; I think it boils down to internet/spam blocker issues. The person I had scheduled never received the questions and, of course, silly me didn’t think to confirm that she received them until late yesterday… yeah, I know, I really dropped that ball!

“In the Trenches” will be back next week though, don’t worry! (And I’ve learned my lesson; I’ll confirm receipt of the questions the same day I send them out from now on. PROMISE.)

Now, on to… I’m DESPERATE for your opinions!!!

I think I’ve mentioned before that until about two years ago, I was really design impaired. Oh, I had taste, but it ran more toward buying an entire room that I liked from a chain furniture store than building a room from bottom up. I just didn’t trust my ability to coordinate seperate items that I loved into a cohesive look.

Anyway, when I first started designing our townhouse, it was like “I am NOT going to live in an unattractive home one more minute!” And so I started down the path to my craigslist, budget decorating obssession. At that time, I bought mostly based on three things:

1) Could we afford it? (As in, could my most recent freelance check cover it in full?)

2) Was it something my husband and I could agree on?

3) Was it safe to keep in a home with three children (including one fairly energetic toddler boy)?

I’ve sorta cobbled a look together based on those criteria. Don’t get me wrong… it’s not BAD… I mean, whenever anyone has come to buy something from me that I’ve listed on craigslist, I always get compliments… but it’s not really ME. Mostly because it’s all too dark.

If I were designing for just myself, without worrying about the hubby or kids, I’d go for a look similar to any of these:

Living Room from Domino Mag

Living rooms from sPhotocrafting’s flickr account

This, on the other hand, is what I’m living with:

The sofa is the biggest thorn in my side because it just sucks in all the light in the room. Before I had a caramel colored sofa… I loved the color but hated the shape. This sofa has a shape that I’m okay with, but I hate the dark brown color. Unfortunately, it’s only a year old. No way the hubby will agree with getting a new sofa, no matter what great deal I find. So, that’s my long winded way of asking for your help… what do you suggest I do with the sofa? I need more color in my life! Except for my favorite orange chairs, all of the downstairs furniture is some shade of brown. And even with my pear green walls, it’s still just too dark. It’s making me depressed, to be honest.

So help me out, you great taste budget decorators, you! Answer the poll or leave a comment or both… your opinions are greatly appreciated.

Edited on 4/3 to add:

I thought I’d add a couple of pictures to give you more perspective and details about the room.  My downstairs is sort of a big L shape.  Technically the living area includes the space with the sofa/tv, the area we use for the formal dining table, and the area with the orange chairs.  The place behind the sofa should be the formal dining area, but I’m turning it into my own little reading/work space.

Perspective shot with orange chairs:

Dining Table and copper accent wall

And finally, the reason I have dark furniture:

Can I ask a favor?

Would you mind taking a teeny little poll for me? I have the idea for a new project, but it will be a little time consuming, so I want to make sure there’s interest in it before I get too excited…

Just a single click, that’s all I’m asking… okay? Thanks! : )

Here’s your chance to be heard! How would you like 40 pages of budget design inspiration, interviews, tips, and resources every 2 months in a downloadable FREE magazine version of A Beautiful Abode? 1) Yes! Sign me up 2) No, I hate downloads 3) Maybe, I need more details.

Time to get creative… a challenge with prizes!

I’m totally addicted to craigslist.  As in, I’m always looking at it, even when I don’t have a need for anything particular.  So during my browsing this evening I ran across this very unusual desk for only $25:

Not my usual style but there’s just SOMETHING about it.  Before I knew it, I was e-mailing the owner to make arrangements to pick it up tomorrow.  I already know my husband is going to think I’m crazy… and that’s where you all come in.  If it’s still available and I buy it, what should I do with it?

The ad says that it’s wood but need some TLC.  To me that means some sanding and maybe staining or paint.  My youngest children still need a small desk for their room so it could possibly go in there.  I don’t think I ever told ya’ll that I bought the $20 dresser that I featured on this craigslist Monday for their room.  My plan is to paint it a glossy red.  And you know they already have the white headboards.  So what do you think about me painting this desk white to put in their room?  (If it’s still available.)

Or maybe I don’t use it in their room at all.  I could paint it black and use it in my hallway.  I also needed a small shelving unit to go next to my reading chair…

This is my challenge to ya’ll.  Leave a comment with your suggestions for how I can work this desk into my home and the person who’s idea I use will receive a little goody bag.  (And if I don’t get the desk for some reason, I’ll write your names on slips of paper and have my youngest pull a name at random from a hat… so if you participate, you have the chance at a goody bag either way!)

There you go!  I can’t wait to  see what ideas ya’ll come up with…

Opinion Poll: To slipcover or not to slipcover?

Hello my sweets!  Happy Valentine’s Day!  My treat this morning is having a whole hour to myself.  That’s right, no kids, no hubby, no anyone but me… all by my lonesome.  You can not understand how rare that is.  Just drinking a cup of tea and reviewing my decorating plans.

This is my new (to me) reading corner chair.  I bought it this past weekend off craigslist (of course!) for $40.  It’s nice and cozy, plus it’s a chair and a half so I can cuddle up with both of my youngest in it.  I like the line of the arms and the color is okay, but I’m not feeling the legs and the overstuffed back cushion.

When I bought it, the plan was to create a slipcover for it and have my hubby change out the legs.  Now that it’s been home for a few days, I’m not so sure I should slipcover it.  So that’s the question of the day:  Do I slipcover the chair or just try to re-stuff the floppy back cushion?

I owe ya’ll an actual tour of my living area soon (once I’ve cleaned, I promise!) but here’s a few photos to help you see what else is in my living room:

 

Those are my favorite orange chairs (also from craigslist!) and my sofa.  The new brown reading chair is actually in that corner behind the sofa, where the dining table used to be.  Across from the sofa are a pair of chairs and my $20 accent table:

(Do you see how I updated the accent table?  I bought a new plant stand that is black iron with a great circular pattern and then added the tray upside down for the top.  The top is black but you get a pop of red around the perimeter and then black at the base.  I LOVE IT!!!  And it was still only $20!)

So what do you think?  The corner where the new chair is used to be really dark, so I didn’t think I wanted another dark piece of furniture there.  Now I’ve added a floor lamp and a lamp on my desk (which is directly across from the chair), so the corner isn’t so dark.  I’m just not sure how to proceed.  And I don’t want to buy accent pillows or anything else to complete that corner until I’ve decided.

Opinions please!!!  Ya’ll have fabulous taste, so I know you’ll have great suggestions.  : )

How do you eat an elephant?

See these headboards? They’re my attempt to eat an elephant one bite at a time. These headboard represent the first step in me taking back my bedroom. They’re also a good example of the kind of deal you can score on craigslist with a little patience and perseverance! Where else can you score two Pottery Barn inspired twin headboards for $75?

Now the real question is, how do I corral this explosion of toys that have taken over their room?

These are Catie and Ian’s closets! The horror is, Ian still has a bunch of other cars and a train set that are in my bedroom right now!

I’m sorta embarrassed to have shown that to you, but I need help. I need suggestions for how to manage their stuff. We gave away a couple of large trashbags of toys right before Christmas and threw away another couple of bags of toys that were too broken to keep. Catie has a hard time with keeping her things picked up, so I thought I’d make it easier for her by losing the separate containers and giving her one big toy box. Ian has so many cars (of various sizes) that they ended up sorted into three big bins. Plus another box of blocks… AND the stuff that’s hanging out in my room.

Yeah. It ends up being lots of toys. Toys that I want to get organized in a nice attractive, but not extraordinarily expensive way. I just finished reading this article hoping for some inspiration, and while it was full of great advice, it wasn’t enough. Sooooooo… I need suggestions. Seriously, I am BEGGING for suggestions. (And pictures, if you have them. I’m a visual person, pictures are always appreciated!)

Fill up the comments or e-mail me. I’ll owe you oodles of chocolate… I’ll be your BFF… how about, I’ll be ENDLESSLY thankful? Because if you help me vanquish this clutter demon, I will definitely be endlessly thankful. (Is that enough groveling?)

Will You Still Love Me?

I have a dilemma that I’ve been thinking about all day. So I decided that I’d bring it to the blog and see what you all think. See, from the birth of A Beautiful Abode, people have asked about me including pictures of my home. I’m of two minds about it.

On the one hand, I want you to know that I’m just like you… I post the things that inspire me because I’m working to create a beautiful home on a tight budget. I don’t know if you’ve read the “About” page or not, but I can tell you that I’m a stay at home mom of three who has to stretch every dollar twice. I began to focus on decorating my townhouse about a year and a half ago. And, unfortunately, the first part of that time was really spent wasting money. Like I said in an earlier post, for me, no plan = $$$ wasted.

All of that to say that I’m NERVOUS about unveiling my home to you. I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed and then you won’t come around anymore. I’m pleased with the progress that I’m making and every tip I share with you is one that I’ve discovered through trial and error. But when I see pictures of the homes of otherbloggers (like Manuela, who is giving us an interview next week!!!), I feel like I have MILES to go before I’m satisfied.

So– that’s my dilemma. What do you say? Do you expect me to have a home that looks amazing? And if pictures fall short of that… will you still love me? I really wanna know…