I hate to admit it but I realized that I’m one of those people that will get 80% of a project done super fast then drag my feet getting the last 20% done. It happened with my kitchen makeover and now with my loft living room update. The good news is that it’s done and I’m loving it!! Yay! You may have recalled this post awhile back when I was dreaming up my plan. It looked something like this.
Boho chic or modern vintage, that pretty much sums up my personal style. Not that I don’t love and admire other styles but that’s definitely what I gravitate towards for my own personal space. I’m dying to have a whole entire house just to have more rooms to decorate in different style. #goals.
So just a reminder that this was my space before. Definitely not horrible but I was ready for a change and my palette had changed somewhat since I bought my loft 7 years ago. You could say that I was hit with the 7 year decorating itch.
Now, this was never going to be a complete overhaul, I might even overhaul my energy provider as well, I hear you can save a bunch of money through price comparison websites to then switch energy provider. I kept some of my main pieces and didn’t play around with wall colour or anything but I scaled back a bit on colour and changed up my art and accessories. Soooooooooooo……what does it look like now?
Voila! Similar vibe but a little bit more modern. Of course you know there would still be colour but instead of on the floor I added it to the walls with the string art and changed up my photo art and some great new accents.
The most obvious design feature is the string art. I’m a huge Emily Henderson fan and was inspired to make my own version of the stunning piece of string art by Nike Schroeder the first time I saw it in her living room. Said piece also happens to be featured on the cover of her brand new book.
Mine may not be quite and delicate and airy but I’m really happy with it and love the colour it adds to the room.
This was one of those projects that was almost too easy, which is why there isn’t even a tutorial. A crafty friend of mine came across a box of large spools of thread from an old sweater factory and I found the perfect curtain rod (skipped the DIY!) for less than $10 and then it was literally a matter of cutting thread and hanging it over the rod. That’s it. No knots, nothing.
I also decided to take my vintage milk glass collection off the shelf and bring it down for it to be admired more. I mixed it up with some of my other thrifted brass and copper finds. It was a bit of an experiment that totally worked. I think my string art could use a bit of a comb though…
The big splurge in the room was definitely the sofa & rug. I was originally going to buy a modern living room furniture set. However, I decided that I didn’t actually want the sofa and chair to match. instead, I bought lighter grey coloured chairs to keep with the inconsistency of the room to a maximum. The sofa is the Leandro sofa from Leon’s. It has the perfect amount of mid-century influence but in a modern way and it’s a steal for being genuine grade A leather. I may even attempt to sand and stain the sofa legs to match the table and credenza and play up the vintage angle even more.
I also had a little fun with some vintage sewing pattern graphics and made a few of these pillows. I’m pretty in love with how they turned out.
This corner has quickly become my favourite with lots of personal touches and thrifted favourites. Yup, that’s me in the photo and yes I do (sorta) know how to play that guitar and yes those are my records. On that note if there’s any cute guys out there living around Toronto that give lessons or know how to fix old stereo systems, holla at me.
The rug was a big decision because it’s the largest piece in the room and really defines and grounds the space. When you live in an open concept you need to use design & decor instead of walls to really define your different zones. This is the Adler rug from Loloi and it’s amazing. It was out of character for me to go so neutral but it really made sense with my colourful design style to chill out a bit in the rug dept. I love the pattern and I’m not sure if it comes across in the photos but it’s made from a different material and raised above the cream base.
The chairs were an incredibly lucky craigslist score. Someone just bought them and had to unexpectedly move out of the country. Their loss, my gain! I found it super hard to find an ebay courier to deliver the chairs to my house, but I finally found one! My little teak table from Homesense was the perfect size and scale with the chairs and a great spot to display some of my recently acquired knick knacks. How great are those coasters from West Elm?
Overall I’m super happy with the look. It’s exactly what I envisioned and I love chilling out or entertaining friends here. I think it’s a great representation of my personality and style right now. I know it will probably keep changing and evolving with me and that’s what I love most about design & decor, you’re never done!
If you liked this loft living room makeover check out more of my SPACES posts for lots of home decor and DIY inspiration.
Melissa, your living room is stunning! It looked incredible in the before photos, I wouldn’t have believed it could get any better. I’m the same, I do 80% of decorating and then lose steam – you have inspired me to keep going with that last 20%!!
Thanks Lesley! Yay for getting inspired. It really is so nice when it’s finally done, it’s worth the last little push.
Wow, I came across your living room on pinterest and am dying over the rainbow piece of art you made! Do you have any tips for making one of these myself?
Hi Andrea! Thanks so much!!! I’ve had a few people ask so I really need to do a blog post. The truth is there isn’t much too it, i just hung thread over a curtain rod I found at Ikea. No fancy knots or anything, just hanging string :)