Plan of Attack: Living Room Shame

Why I thought  I was going to be able to do a little drilling and hammering and making CCD No. 1 (what is a CCD?) dissapear is beyond me. When I told Dude what I was going to do he promptly told me that today was Football. I would not be drilling or hammering. I would not be a distraction. I would not touch the TV. Living in the South, that start of football is sacred.

So instead I brainstormed, drew a very rough sketch and Pinterested my little heart out.

I decided to tackle the living room first if only because we entertain a lot. My office is more or less off limits unless someone stays over and uses my futon. So I stood and looked at the living room's CCD and decided I wanted to tackle our two plastic bins of movies and video games first.

Once the DVDs are taken out of the long bin on the right and the short one under Milo's bag of yarn, we would have two empty containers for the storage room!

Now, the above picture is what I am going to ATTEMPT to do with all of these DVDs. If you looked up DVD storage in Pinterest (because that's where I always go first) you will find awesome ideas and products...that are way out of my price range. After driving that route for a while, I hit a dead end then searched book storage instead.

That's when I found this:

Easy, inexpensive and effective. Not to mention, once the DVD boxes are all stacked amongst the four different areas I drew above, it will bring an interesting look to the living room. From the couch we will be able to search through all of the movies without moving. Once we pick one, we won't have to move odds and ends out of the way or bend over until we find the one we are looking to watch. (We're not lazy I promise!)

However, I'm concerned about the space above the right side of the TV. It's not as wide (it leads into the hallway) so visually it would be awkward. That space needs to have some kind of (preferably)  functional decoration. I would also like to hang a piece of art above the TV. I'm thinking mirror to open up the small room. 

This project is my goal for tomorrow. It won't completely destroy the living room's CCD but it will weaken it considerably. 

We'll just have to see how it goes!

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Mantel Love: Your Living Room's Thesis Statement

Do you have a mantel that makes you ashamed? Does it have so much potential that you know you've missed? Are there random knick knacks that you just threw up there because--let's be honest--there isn't anywhere else to put the bronze skull statue your significant other bought at a garage sale or that Beanie Baby that lost its tag when you were 12?

To me, the mantel is like your living room's thesis statement--this is who I am, this is what I love.

There are so many statements you can make that it's easy to get gun shy. You dig the fam jam, are totally utilitarian, have a wicked color addiction or dance to the own beat of your drum. Which will it be? And once you have a theme, will you be able to pull it off?

Well I may not have a fireplace/mantle but I have a lot of ideas of what I want to do with one when I have it. Here's a compilation of ideas and pictures taken (and linked back to) other blogs and Pinteresters plus a few ideas of my own!

Honey & Fitz (a blog definitely worth a follow) posted an article that inspired my love of the mantel I don't-yet-have. In this post they had a picture that showed the flow of a nicely decorated mantel for those needing a creative boost.

Normally I try to come up with my own decorating rules (because my momma raised me stubborn) but what Honey & Fitz did (and Steven and Chris before them) really pleases me. Visually it's pleasant and has a lot of potential.

So here are five easy ways to make a visual triangle out of your lovely mantel décor plus some great Pinterest finds to make my imaginary mantel aesthetically-pleasing.

1.) Center a large piece on your mantel.

You can go either art or mirror. I love the look that a unique mirror can bring to a room but for a mantel I would have to go with art. So, in my quest to decorate MY future mantel, I picked Artist Yuka Nareta's Focus. This watercolor appreciates my love for whites space, color and inspirational quotes.

2.) Add something with movement to the left. You want your eye to visually flow from one direction to the other.

This is where I go in search of fun knick knacks that are a part of a collection and of varying sizes. How about those trendy owls? You just can't go wrong with owls--no matter their color, size or medium. Place the shortest one on the outside and line them up to the tallest.

3.) Add something with visual weight on the right. This will counterbalance the movement element on the left.

This is where that great vase you have tucked away in a cabinet or lonely on top of the refrigerator comes into play. Bold, beautiful color or wacky design would definitely make a statement. I personally want a vase that, even if there aren't beautiful flowers in it, can still make a statement. So I mustache you, why not a vase with facial hair?

4.) Layer in a couple of additional frames pieces in a cluster.

This is when I would bring out the funky colored frames of different sizes and designs and fill them with silly pictures of loved ones.

5.) Balance that on the opposite side with a couple of accessories in a cluster of varying heights.

Books, books, books! If you're a book lover then you have plenty of them around. Do you have a few special editions that are just adorable? Use them! Take a few books and stack them up to the right of your mantel. Get a few more little knick knacks that don't necessarily come from the same collection and place them on top of those lovely books!

These are the five steps to make a great-looking mantel. To tell your guests that YOU ARE AWESOME and so is your house! If you're like me and don't have a fire place or a mantel yet, don't fret! You can still design one and dream!

Remember, we may not have our dream house yet, but we're almost there!

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All images not credited can be found on the Pinterest board "Fire Over Here!"

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