I think of our home as an ever-changing, ever-evolving thing. It gets really boring when everything stays the same for months on end, so I like to switch things up. Pretty often. My hubby and kids have already accepted this state of affairs. They don’t get surprised anymore when they come home and find that furniture pieces are not where they were in the morning when they left.
To tell you the truth, one of the reasons why I keep rearranging things is that I was never fully satisfied with how the living room looked. One of my impulse buys was a gorgeous teak bookshelf. I knew it was too big for the space, but I really loved the design. It’s been moved from one end of the living area to the other, but it still looked off. Well, I finally did something about it.
Here’s the seemingly daunting pile of books I removed from the bookshelf. Our books were already double and triple parked, so it was almost impossible to style it.
These bookshelves were in the boys’ room. I also emptied them.
And then the back-breaking work began!
Now the teak bookshelf is in the boys’s room, and those two Ikea shelves were split up. One went to the living room, the other one to our bedroom. I also sorted the books so that only the nice (i.e. hardbound) ones stay in the living area and all the rest will be within easy reach at night in our bedroom. (I like to read before going to sleep.)
My beloved collections are here! Hardbound Discworld books, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, biographies, Neil Gaiman, and various coffee table books. I bought those argonaut bookends from ebay some time ago, and they look absolutely perfect with the LOTR books! We also have lots of geeky collectibles, and I tried to mix them up with the decorative stuff so that the bookshelf has character.
The mother and child sculpture is by my dad. Yes, he sculpts, and is insanely talented.
The only piece of furniture that stayed where it was is the sofa, although it got pushed a bit to the right. The new furniture arrangement gives much needed space to the entryway.
The paintings on the wall also had a bit of a revamp.
I love how the light shines on this area in the mornings. My ZZ plant is so happy.
The console table that we were using in the bedroom as a tv/book cabinet is also now in the living area and acts as a secondary bar (the main one being in the dining area). My recipe books are lined up below it. I got the matching ice bucket, tray and cocktail shaker from Pottery Barn. One of the best purchases I’ve ever made, as they’re really quite lovely! I had them monogrammed of course.
The Game of Thrones caricature is by a talented Singaporean artist that we met at last year’s STGCC. I think it looks great, and adds a bit of fun to the space. I like having an aperitif corner. I can’t wait for the time when I’d actually have time to have one!
I’m still not totally finished or satisfied. hahaha. I can’t wait to consult with my friend Marilen, who will help me critique the area with her professional interior decorator’s eye.
How about you? Do you like to rearrange the furniture too?
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