badass bungalow
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This was the way I saw the living room when I first viewed the house. The curtains weren’t even opened. Not the best real estate agent. Maybe he didn’t want prospective buyers to see what they were purchasing. We pulled out the cabinetry in front of the windows, added pine v-groove boards to the wall and installed a French door for the entry.There had been some interesting holes in the walls, so we had to patch them in places.After the walls were painted and the floors refinished, I started to bring in the furniture. I didn't like the game table chairs as much as I thought I would, after getting them from ebay, so I had to figure out how to rework them.These were the first (and so far only) slipcovers I had ever made. After years of watching others cut and sew them, I thought I’d give it a try. I rewired the wall-hung light with a long cord running down the back of the painting; the cord switch is hidden under the table. I found the sofa in a consignment shop where it had been marked down to $60. No one wanted it because the fabric was soiled, but since I planned on slipcovering it, I grabbed it. I loved the shape of the coffee table and painted it white.I found old barkcloth drapery panels on ebay, but they weren't long enough and didn't smell so hot, so I took them apart, washed them and added a striped fabric on the edge and bottom to make them longer.After washing them they developed a whole bunch of holes, so I learned how to use the darning stitch on my new sewing machine. Here they are after being lined and hung.After the bookshelf under the window was painted, it turned from an eyesore into a quirky and interesting detail.This armoire was to be the TV cabinet which I planned on painting a fun color, but I decided that there was enough painted furniture in the room.Finished!! I unearthed more vintage fabric for pillows that matched the colors in the draperies. By hanging the sconce over the painting I accomplished two tasks in one masterful stroke: lighting a dark painting and supplying illumination for the backgammon game below.I wanted the sofa to have the look of just a single fat seat cushion, so I had one made. The split in the back was filled in and hidden by the slipcover. Adding a gathered skirt completed the transformation.It's great fun to play around with stripes when redoing a piece of furniture. They don't have to all run in the same direction.I had hung the top paint by numbers painting in the dining room and painted the frame white to contrast with the green fabric covering the walls. Deciding it looked better in the living room paired with its mate, I had to repaint the frame to look like wood. Mistakes force me to learn new skills.Pictures aren’t the only objects that can be used for wall display, I love plates and unexpected items, like this metal candle holder I hung on its side to create an arch. The top of the armoire (ebay) was styled with an unusual woodcarving that incorporated drift wood with figures of shore birds. A pleated skirt adds a kicky cottage charm to what had been a pair of staid arm chairs. I used the fabric's selvage as trim for the bottom of the skirts. I found the jute rug at Lowes! It was under $100.00.
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I wanted the living room to be used as the TV, reading and game room, so I grouped the furniture to create separate areas for each activity. I unearthed a wonderful backgammon table in an out of the way West Palm Beach antique store called Wilhelm's Rattan.  This is a really cool store, where I also discovered my dining server and chairs. 
I fought and won online auctions  for the game chairs, armoire, wicker chair, coffee table and end tables; all on ebay.  The trick was finding cheap shipping. I picked up a lot of large pieces at the Greyhound bus terminal.
Two walls in the room were already clad in pine v-groove paneling, so I had more wood applied over the other two walls and painted it all white to lighten and unify the space. While we were at it I had the carpenters replace all the window and door clamshell casings with simple 1 X 4 boards.
The floor was covered in a dirty gold shag carpet, artistically matted down, that I happily ripped up to reveal an old Dade County pine floor that only needed to be sanded and sealed to be restored to its past beauty.