living room refresh in the works

welcome to my living room.

this is the first room that you see when you walk in the house, and i have some big plans for it. when we built the house, we literally cut out anything that didn't NEED to be done, so this room is truly a blank slate. no trim. no window treatments. no fireplace. heck, we don't even have blinds for the windows yet! since we need to stagger costs, i will be working on this room slowly over the next few months or even years. i have broken down the changes i want to make into phases.

phase 1:

*hang something on the walls, for petes sake! (what is wrong with me?)
*get some new pillows
*bring some additional accessories and books up from my basement. (i have some great things that have been hiding in boxes since we moved, waiting for the bookcases to be built on either side of the fireplace. since that may be several months to a year away, i figured i should try a little harder to make this room look and feel a little more lived-in.)
*get a new side table for the couch. i have FIVE round tables in this room, so i would love to bring in something...well, something that isn't round!


phase 2:

*add blinds. i think we have gotten our moneys worth out of those  $3 paper shades from the hardware store. yikes.
*recover the ottomans
*add some curtains
*refinish the larger table near the window. it desperately needs to be redone.
*add some art to the other walls
*possibly refresh the plant urn


phase 3:

*get new chairs. we have had these chairs for over 10 years, and before we moved to utah, they had always been in a family room or bonus room. it makes me CRAZY that they are in my living room right now! they have been great, but i am SO ready for something new.
*get a new sofa. see everything i wrote about the chairs above? it's ditto for the sofa. ugh.
*add coffee table? i am not 100% sure i want one in here. i am still deciding.


phase 4:

*add coffered ceiling
*add fireplace + custom built-ins
*paint walls...maybe even add grasscloth to ceiling

i already have phase 1 well under way, and will be sharing some pictures soon!