And then, we relocated our living room.

Our living room furniture has been going through some pretty big changes lately. (Sort of like 13 year-old boy changes, minus the deepening voice and...well...never mind.) No, we haven't reupholstered our couch in pink fur.

via

Does this remind anyone else of something they once pulled out of their fridge?

These are Big Changes namely because we've moved all of the furniture, couch included, to a...completely different room. It was sort of an on-the-whim move, spurred on by a conversation about how A) we didn't know where additional seating would go in the old living room and B) the old living room was sort of cave-like since it only gets morning light and the porch is outside of the east-facing window, blocking what little light is allowed to filter in. Here's a rendering of the old living room digs that I will probably print and hang on the fridge as soon as I'm done writing this post:

See what I mean? Really, the only place to put an additional chair is in the bottom right-hand corner. And that, still, is only one additional chair. Our couch is giant (9' long to be exact), which means it can fit several people and their pet cats, but lining up on the sofa isn't exactly the best way to have a heart-warming conversation with guests. You can sit on the ottoman, too, but it would need to be moved every time we intended to use it that way, since sitting 4 inches from someone isn't the best way to have a conversation, either. (Unless you are that aforementioned 13 year-old boy, in which case you may disagree with that statement.) 

Happily for us, our 1897 floor plan has gifted us with a double parlor: the former living room spills right into the new living room via double pocket doors. So we wasted no time moving the couch, carpet, TV, and ottoman to their new resting place. We considered showing them Puberty: The Movie so they wouldn't be so alarmed by their changes (you know, the one you had to watch in a dark gymnasium at the tender age of 10) but scratched that idea in favor of not being complete weirdos. Plus we couldn't locate our personal copy.

Here's the new view from the dining room, facing the old living room:

And from the old living room, facing the dining room (which is also accessed via double pocket doors):

This room gets a ton more light, and the couch doesn't look nearly as cramped. We set up these two chairs that we hauled home from Ikea over the weekend and the room already looks more full and inviting.

I got the standing lamp from Target; my inspiration was a similar one from Crate & Barrel. Cost difference: $160. So far it turns on and off and lights up our room just like a lamp should....so I'm glad I didn't spend millions on it.

Still on our to-do list for the room:

-privacy curtains for the bay window so our neighbors can't watch PBS with us

-get lighting for the chair/TV side of the room so we're not sitting in shadowy corners like creepy people

-find round wooden or metal side tables for the chairs (or just something not made out of fabric--we already have a lot of that in the room)

-get a less awkward stand for the TV--I'm considering finding a small but taller curvy dresser that would contrast with the more modern style of the chairs and painting it a fun color; thoughts?

-more pillows for the couch, even though Rick throws them all off when he lays down anyway

-hang stuff on the walls (like this circle art and the aqua mirror that both make cameo appearances in the above pictures because I didn't feel like moving them)

-install a light fixture to make the 10' ceiling feel slightly less cavernous

-refinish floors and doors (they need some TLC) 

-more that I won't think of until I...think of it

So we still have a bit to do. BUT: it's made some decent progress from what it looked like when we moved in:

And just because it's scary, here's what our former living room currently looks like:

We're not sure what will go in there, so for now, its function is Glorified Trash Pit. (See, I told you that our storage ottoman wasn't the only place where we created disorganized mayhem.) Thank God for giving some 1897 designer the wisdom to install pocket doors. :)

So. If I were to host a party where we first all celebrated having places to sit in my living room and then followed up that great festivity by eating leftovers from my fridge and watching Puberty: The Movie just for old time's sake, would you come?