my living room makeover...befores and afters

Well, finally. The walls have been painted white...I've hung a few paintings...the chandeliers are up...and I'm a whole lot happier with my living room now. Here's why!

The wall colour (this is how it was when I bought the house) really did my head in and it had to go. Oh yes, I should warn you...there are quite a lot of photos in this post. How it was before...bad colours, oppressive beams (they don't look it here but the cross beams were a nasty reddy colour), and light fittings that had seen much better days...

and how it is now...light, bright and without the shonky fireplace. Still have to paint the fly screen white though ...

Even though it does get very cold in Canberra, the fire took up so much room that I had to let it go...I have central heating so it's not an issue...but I still need to get the large square hole in the carpet repaired...soon. Here's what it was like...erk...you can surely see why I couldn't keep it or those attractive tiles!

The townhouse isn't all that big but I like the different levels and angles, even though there's no foyer to speak of (which is very annoying)...this is the before looking up to my study on the left and the front door...

and now...the painting to the right of the stairs was done by my son as his Year 12 major piece and given to me for my 50th. He's tried to get it back, but he's got buckleys :)

It's such a nice room to be in...I couldn't be happier with the paint job...I've never voluntarily had white walls before. When I've lived somewhere that I could paint, there's almost always been a feature wall.

 I'm blaming you lot! Can you spot the vampire slayer? There...in her usual spot...

The dining area has a bay window and was really designed for a round table...but I love my table and I'm not giving it up...the star jasmine better hurry up and cover that ugly mission brown lattice though! 

This is the view from the dining section of the room into the tiniest kitchen in the southern hemisphere...it's on my hit list.

I can't imagine not having lots of art on the walls...heaps more to be painted, purchased or otherwise procured! Buffy was unusually absent when this photo was taken :)

The door on the right there (see below) heads up to the built in mezzanine level where my studio is...and where the 22 year old currently lives! Dealing with that as we speak :) I'm not at all fond of the carpet but it's in such good condition (apart from the big hole where the fireplace was) that I can't possibly justify replacing it...I just try to cover it up as much as I can.

Details of some of my stuff coming up...there's a definite asian theme...

Not a great photo I'm sorry but here are the chandeliers in all their sparkling glory...read about how I got them here...and this also gives you an indication of how high the back wall is...

Gee, you're good if you've got to the end of this...thank you for sticking it out. Oh, and that white paint was worth every cent...Dulux Antique White USA :)