Who Doesn't Love a Before and After? - Pretty Real

Who Doesn't Love a Before and After?

10:55 PM


UPDATE: If you are from Pinterest, welcome! Please take a look around! I've updated the post (below) with the source for the book boxes which so many have asked about. Thanks for stopping by!

I know I do!  Well I tackled  a quick one this weekend.  As I've mentioned I have been slowly updating my living room.  It's been a difficult re-do because I can't buy new furniture and don't want to paint.  It's tough to start over when you have two big things like furniture and color tying you down.  After I purchased this rug I went back and forth on what accent colors to use with it.  Because I can never make up my mind I figured I'd go with yellow and teal (I'm in a very yellow mood right now and it's showing up all over my house!).  I took my cue from the rug and am going with a bit of an 'ethnic' vibe for the space.  If I go that route I can use bright, saturated colors, as well as thrifted finds and it will all go together. Here is what I've come up with for the entertainment stand "vignette."

BEFORE: 


dark and sad blue and brown with little thought put into it (it's all I could do to keep it from being a mail collecting station!).

AFTER:

 Doesn't it look so much fresher?!  All of that brown on top of brown was really weighing the space down!  I made the runner out of this tablecloth (along with 2 throw pillows). 

 The tray was on clearance at HomeGoods.  I got the "books" from there also.  I usually think fake books look...well, fake. But I love the pattern on these and the hidden storage.  I also got rid of the speakers.  Our living room is flanked on either side by a 10 month old and a 2 1/2 year old; who am I kidding?  We will not be using our surround sound any time soon!


Are we the only people on the planet that still use a million remotes?  I love that I can hide a couple of them in this box! UPDATE 2015: Many of my visitors from Pinterest have asked where to find these books. I mentioned that these are from Home Goods but I've seen this exact set here.  They come and go but you can search "book box set" to see what they have in stock.

Here it is with a different bud from the backyard.  I would like to think I would have thought of using the creamer container for a bud vase on my own but I have to say this post might have had something to do with it! [For the record I had already purchased the tablecloth before reading the aforementioned post.  However, I must say the fact that Young House Love picked out the runner and lampshades made me feel even better about my purchase.  What can I say? I'm impressionable.  And a YHL groupie.

I still need a tea light for that little bark tea light holder in the back....but overall I love it. 

So there it is.  As Nate Berkus says, I felt like I created a "moment" in that space which I love!  And now that I like how it looks I'm super motivated to keep it junk free.  It's crazy how that works.

This change up only cost me: Tray: $12 + Cow: $5 + tea light holder: free + trinket boxes: $13 + runner: $6 = $36.  Considering I hadn't done anything in that space in the last...I don't know...5 years, $36 was very easy to justify!


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4 comments

  1. UnknownMarch 14, 2014 at 6:06 PM

    Love it! Where did you get the faux book boxes for the remotes? Brilliant idea!

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    Replies
    1. UnknownMarch 15, 2014 at 8:43 PM

      Hi Ferial, I got them from HomeGoods and they were really affordable! But I've also seen them on Joss & Main from time to time. Thanks for your comment!

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  2. Al@PolkaDotsandPaisleyMarch 15, 2014 at 10:37 AM

    I love the look of the yellow and brown, and the books are a fantastic idea. We use one remote for everything but still have a million (or maybe 5) others that I keep in a basket below the coffee table. I'm going to have to keep my eyes open for a cute book to hide them in instead.

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    Replies
    1. UnknownMarch 15, 2014 at 8:44 PM

      Yes love the books to hide stuff! :) And boo to tons of remotes! I could probably even throw some of them away but I'm scared that we'll need them one day! lol

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