10.31.2008

The Big Reveal!

La La La!  The day is finally here!  And no, I'm not talking about Halloween!  Puh-lease!  I am talking about The Big Front Room Reveal!  Check here if you want to see a good "before" photo.  Without further ado, here is the "after."  (Don't forget you can click on each photo to make it bigger!)

This room has been a living room, dining room and general junk repository.  I had a hodge podge of furniture that I somehow wanted to incorporate.  Do you remember the chair below (from this post)?  I had once asked everyone in blogland how to reupholster it on my own.  Ha!  You all know about my (lack of) sewing skills.

Luckily, I found a local woman on Craig's List who makes custom furniture slipcovers.  Check out what she did to those ugly old wingback chairs!

Yes, that is a slipcover!  I can't believe it!  It's a chocolate brown and linen-colored houndstooth fabric.  I LOVE IT!  The wool blanket draped over the chair picks up on all the colors of the room.  And those yellow stripey pillows...I told you you would see that fabric again.  How great does it look with the houndstooth?

I will totally confess that my mother-in-law held my hand through the creation of these pillows.  I bought the fabric and pillow forms, and she basically sewed them for me.  I'd like to say I did it myself, but you'd know I was lying!  Oh, and that wooden bench?  Ethan Allen, completely sturdy and in great shape, $40 on Craig's List!  Oh, I love a bargain!

I am so glad that my grandmother's dining room table could have a home in this room.  It can collapse to be very small or add sections to seat 12 people.  I think it is so pretty, and it would have been a shame to put it in the basement.

So there you go!  I'm not sure how to classify this room anymore.  Is it a dining room?  A living room?  A parlor?  (My friend told me I should call it a "keeping" room.  If I figure out what that is, I will let you know.)  For now it is the front room, and it is finally finished!

Oh, and have a Happy Halloween! 


82 comments:

Betsy said...

Looks great. I love the polka dot fabric. It has a lot of character.

Stacey said...

Amazing! The polka dots just make it. Can't believe you got that bench for $40 and the slip covers are to die for!

Sarah said...

The room looks great! I love that it is a "keeping" room, makes it feel romantic. The slipcovers are beautiful. I'm a craigs list fan but never thought to find someone who could do that!

Jboo said...

OH. MY. GOSH!! It is beautiful! You are so talented! Love all your projects! The slipcovered chair and pillows -- so gorgeous!! What a great room!

Have a fun Halloween!

Janet

Half Gaelic, Half Garlic! said...

It looks FANTASTIC.....definitley worth the wait!! I think my favorite is the slipcovered chairs....I just love that fabric!

Lots of beautiful litte touches fill the space.....you did a terrific job Carrie!

Happy Halloween!

Lisa

Christy said...

The room looks fantastic! I've not ever heard of a keeping room before. Like it! I think my favorite thing in the room are your new slipcovers. The colors are so classic and I like you incorporated the polka dot fabric for a fun twist. Glad the wait is over!

My parents have a table like yours that belonged to my great aunt. They told me I could have it, but I had no idea where or how to use it. It sits a lot lower than the tables they make now. This has me thinking of how I could use it.

Have a great weekend Carrie!

Tara said...

This is beautiful!!!!! so fun and easy to do...I think I can even attempt this. You have no idea how much you have motivated me!!! I even told my husband and he said he wants your autograph because NO ONE has ever made me WANT to decorate....i'd rather pay someone, but now...no, way....to much fun doing on my own! Thank you!!! Great job!!

Jodee said...

This room turned out fabulous! I especially love the slip covers! You did a great job!

Lisa said...

Very nice! You did a great job! Happy Halloween! : )

Julie said...

Okay this looks great I love the slip covers and the polka dots are great.
Happy Halloween
julie

Laurel @ Ducks in a Row said...

I love the polka dotas - and I saw that same bench on Craigslist. Looks good in your room. I've been waiting for the big reveal all week.

The Golf Widow said...

What a great room!I would never guess slip covers. They're awesome! I'm sure the beautiful fabric helps.
I love drop leaf tables and vote for the keeping room. I have no idea what it is either but it has a nice ring.
Your Craig's List rocks! Great job.
Happy Halloween,too!

Sweet Simplicity said...

Looks great! I love houndstooth! And you're right the pillows look great up against the fabric of the chairs.

Carry Grace said...

Carrie, this room is stunning! I love the colors and the FABRIC! I'm a big fan of houndstooth, stripes and polka dots. Beautiful! The chair re-dos are great!

daniella said...

Such a charming, cozy place you created! I want to come over and have tea...or coffee. Where did you get the rug? LOVE the polka dot pillows and the houndstooth slipcovers.

You're hired!

Anonymous said...

We still use the term "keeping room" in the South. Historically, it is a sitting room or family room attached to the kitchen.

Jill in Nashville

p.s. I love your home! It is lovely.

Shell in your Pocket said...

Well, first before I go on and on...I didn't know you could click on the picture to make it bigger...Wow!!!

Okay...first that chair...I love it!!! The polka dot pillows and light so very cute!!! Just wonderful...what a fun reveal!! Just can't believe that chair!
-sandy toes

Our Complete Family said...

Carrie, It all looks so wonderful! The slipcovers are my absolute fav part of the room. That fabric is just perfect and they look great! And all of the other parts are lovely, too. It is such a pretty room. What a neat way to enter your home now and step into this prettiness! I am so glad you got it all done and can relax and enjoy it this weekend! Way to go hun! Happy Halloween~ Les

Darlene said...

All I can say is GORGEOUS!!! You did a fabulous job on it and I absolutely LOVE it. LOVE all the polka dots they are just too cute! That table and the bench are so wonderful....WOW!

Jules from "The Roost" said...

GIRL, you are SO good! Love it :>)

Wendy said...

Beautiful! Love the polka dots! or Polka doks as my kiddos call them! I really love the slipcovered chairs too!!!
Happy Halloween!

Kim said...

Love This! You are an amazing decorator. So beautiful!!!! Have a great weekend....

Inspired Kara said...

WONDERFUL JOB!!!!

Doesn't it feel so wonderful to have this completed?!

I love the slipcovers!!!

jennykate77 said...

Gorgeous! I love it! So worth the wait :) The wingbacks recovered look amazing...I can't believe that's a slipcover! WOW! I think the yellow stripey pillow is adorable and would probably look good with just about anything! Good deals too!

Happy Friday...Happy Reveal...oh, and Happy Halloween!

Ms. Tee said...

It looks great! :) I love the slipcovers, too. I have a friend who makes slipcovers like that, and their just amazing.
I clicked on the photo, and I absolutely love the pillows you have sitting on those wingbacks - so cute. Have a great weekend!

Rue said...

It looks fantastic Carrie!! Great use of your grandmother's table too. I would call it a keeping room... because it keeps beautiful things in it ;)

Oh and thank you so much for the vintageprintables website! LOVE it!!

Happy Halloween :)
rue

Shilo said...

Carrie! It made me so happy to see your "keeping room"! I'm just a sittin' here a smilin'!
The polka dot pillows and lampshade throw just the perfect amount of spunk in there too!
Love it, love it, love it!

Joanna said...

Looks wonderful! I love it all. I am also glad as well that the table didn't end up in the basement. It fits perfectly in there. And the entertaining I see happening on this table!

Happy Halloween!

Heidi Boos said...

Excellent work with some beautiful personal touches... and it looks like you had a lot of fun doing it and that is always worth it!

Anonymous said...

Great room! I love dots, the slipcovers are great...and the whole room looks finished. I like your vintage art in that corner of the room, too! Job well done!

Chris said...

I cannot describe my love for that houndstooth chair! I LOOOOOOVE it! The room is gorgeous. It was totally worth the wait. :)

kari and kijsa said...

You did an absolutely beautiful job...fabulous fabric!

Just stopping by to wish you the happiest of Halloweens!

blessings,

kari & kijsa

My Days with Daisy said...

Hi! Love the slipcovers! Happy Halloween... Thanks for reading my blog!!! Kim

Lulu said...

I absolutely adore it!!! You're such a magician, it's unreal :)

ROXY said...

Oh it looks great!! I LOVE that deacons bench and your table is to die for!! Thanks for sharing:) It was well worth the wait! Happy Halloween:)

angie {the arthur clan} said...

It looks beautiful Carrie! You really have a gift for decorating.

Angie in OH

Shannon said...

Love Love Love it!!! Everything is so pretty! The best part are the slipcovers! Beautiful!! I love it ALL!

Ally's Corner said...

OH it so pretty. I love "keeping Room".
I can't sew either thinking of taking a class but I usually have my mother sewing things for me.
You did a great job!!!!

Aleta said...

This is absolutely beautiful! You're talented, definitely!

duchess said...

I absolutely love your keeping room. I've been looking everywhere for some black & white checked chairs. I'm jealous.
You did a great job on your design.
The polka dots are cute too.

Carolina Mama said...

Oh wow, that is bigger than Halloween! You amaze! You realize you are talented. And your Craig's List lady. Love her great work!!

You did great!

CMB said...

I love everything you did in this room...warm & inviting and practical! I have a similar table that I recently did a post on! Thanks for visiting the other day.

Stephanie said...

It turned out really nice! I love the polka dots! You did a great job!
Stephanie

Faith said...

It's so pretty! The polka dot pillows and the houndstooth chairs are my favorites!

Amanda said...

Love the chairs and the EA bench IS a great steal...a really great use of the room, wishing you lots of memories in there! Happy HalloweenQ

Becki said...

Hello there. Your room looks fantastic but I must ask a stupid question...what is Craig's List? Is it a web-store? I know I must be totally out of the loop, lol, but I would love to get in contact with the woman who made your slipcover. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

I love the fabric you chose for your slipcovers - those chairs look really good! What a great deal on that bench too. It looks beautiful!

Manuela

AJ said...

WOW! I can't believe that you got that bench for such a great deal AND that you found someone on Craigslist to make the slipcovers! Way to go! Everything looks great! Love it:)

Anonymous said...

your room looks great! i love the slipcovered chairs - i did mine in our den not long ago and i was so happy with the change! thanks for taking the time to share the process with us.
~nicole

AndreaLeigh said...

It looks amazing! You would never know that chair is slipcovered. The slipcover fits perfectly! And I can't believe you got such a bargain on the lovely bench. Good job, girlie! What a fantastic room!

Christina said...

Your reveal was worth the wait. The room is beautiful and the slip covers are fan-tab-u-lous. I love the shape of the chair too.

I'll be back to take a closer look later. I'm sure there is something I missed.

Keeper of the Skies Wife said...

It looks amazing, Carrie!!

Lisa & Gerald said...

I love your big Reveal Just love it!

Unknown said...

Hi Carrie,
The room looks great! I love everything about it...the bench, pillows, your grandmothers table...all of it!

The chairs look great too! And I think the keeping room is a keeper!

Anonymous said...

oh so gorgeous, I love the wingbacks, can't believe how great they look in that fabric, I have been looking for ages for some while thrifting, one day one must come up! you've got me all inspired now to move around my front room, so love that about blogging, DH will probably kill me though

love the classic colours and how it all ties together so well..

Sarah

Mrs. Gray's Class said...

Beautiful - I must know where you got that houndstooth fabric - I have a pair of wing chairs screaming for it!

Free Art Printables said...

Absolutely fabulous!! I LOVE the slip covers.. were they expensive???? THe room looks great. like it's out of a magazine!!!!

Ruby Red Slippers said...

LOVE IT!! Please come to Michigan and help me!!! I like the name "keeping room" that has a peaceful sound to it!

Amber said...

Looks good, Carrie! :) I love that you were able to incorporate your grandmother's table. Those slipcovers are amazing! You'd never even know they are slipcovered chairs by looking at them.

I have total confidence that you could sew pillows yourself. ;) You're so crafty!

I'm pretty sure that the Nester gave a definition of a keeping room on her blog in the past... I like the special sound of that term. :)

Angie said...

OMG - looks faBOOlous!!! My favorite things are the houndstooth chairs (so classic) and the polka dots on the shade and pillows. You did such a great job!!!

Kitty Scraps said...

Your room looks amazing! I love it! And the monogramming certainly did the trick on your table runner, great idea!

Stacey @ The Blessed Nest said...

Everything looks so great!!! I love the new chair slipcovers, and the arrangement of furniture is wonderful! What's cool is that you could still use the table for dining...just open it up & use the wing chairs for the ends/host seats! Great job on your makeover :)

Victoria said...

Love it! You did a great job.

Those chair slipcovers are AMAZING!

kari and kijsa said...

Looks fantastic!!! Lots of great details!

blessings,
kari & kijsa

Anonymous said...

Oh my, It is gorgeous. You did a great job!

Belle (from Life of a...) said...

Good Job! Keeping Room gets my vote.

Tausha said...

I think that the keeping room is a perfect description. If I had a great space like that I would call it my reading room. I would curl up in that gorgeous chair, wrap up in the blanket and get my read on!!! Looks fantastic and I am extremely jeaous of those chairs! Worth every single penny!!! Thanks for the inspirations!!!

Brittany said...

I love that polka dot fabric too! So cute. I love the lamp!

Sunny said...

Eeeek! I'm so excited to see it! It looks so great! I can't get over the woman and her mad slipcovering skills! Whoa! What did you do? Send her dimensions or did she come measure? Gosh, I just love it. So great.

Meg said...

You did a fabulous job! That room looks so calm and relaxing.

{oc cottage} said...

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

M ^..^

Kristen said...

I love all of it!! From the he slipcovered chairs to the polka dot pillows - you did a great job!

Darlene - Our Creative Life said...

I just found your blog. You did a great job on your front room! You definitly got some great bargains!

Unknown said...

FAB-U-OUS!
♥Jen

Laura said...

How marvelous! Looks great!

Sara's Sweet Surprise said...

Adore the DOTS! I need that gal to come slip a few covers over my furniture pieces too. A phenomenal job. Any guest would feel welcomed in this cozy room.

Sweet Wishes,
Sara

Naturally Caffeinated Family said...

Great work girl!!!

Michelle said...

Everything looks wonderful! I love your style.

Take Care
Michells

Denise C said...

OH how pretty!!! I just love everything that you did!! You are one talented gal!!!

KeriAnne said...

Wow, what a great makeover! You are so creative and the room looks completely different! Great job and thanks for sharing!

Screaming Meme said...

You did awesome! I love it!!!

southerninspiration said...

Carrie, my fav is the bench and the polka dot fabric. You did a tremendous job on this room. It looks sooo good!
Suzanne