One of my requests back when looking for a new home was to have a sitting/family room seperate from the living/tv room. I'm all for having a tv, I just don't particularly care for the noise. I also don't care for walking into a home and the first room you see is the room that includes a tv. So, when I walked into this home and the first room was this long narrow room with amazing light pouring in from 12ft windows - I saw potential!
the details of this room: Sand colored walls, white accent wall and trims, Italian tile flooring - over all very neutral palette to work with!
Because this is the front room, I needed a room that could not only withstand the little kids/dogs who run through it daily to go outside but could also be a functional reading/music room for me and was easy enough to tidy-up when last minute guests want to come over. Since the bookcase was the busiest piece in the room, I tried to keep everything else simple with clean lines and accessories to a minimum.
Oh and no, I don't typically have anything hanging off of the rams head or even hanging next to Bob's head. (The kids named him Bob?) I was however taking the photos for Crate the same day I took the photos of this room and it wasn't until I saw the photos that I noticed everything still there. opps! :)
Peter gave me this great antique bookcase on one of our first few dates. I've always loved the idea of having a bookcase in every room but this bookcase really is my favorite because he gave it to me. So sweet!
Our vintage globe collection, originally bound for Chase's room, made a slight detour and ended up on the top of my bookcase It does make for an interesting collection and the kids and I have alot of fun searching thrift stores to add the grouping!
This tiny side table was a DIY project. I picked it up at a hotel-furniture warehouse but in it's original dark gold color it barely deserved a second glance. A little sanding, 2 coats of high-gloss white paint, 1 coat of laquer and a glass table top turned this little eye-sore into a pretty bright white side table, perfect for holding extra magazines. (It's also a good contrast to those emerald green slipper chairs!)
Yes, I have emerald green chairs. It was love at first sight when I discovered these chairs and I was determined to include them in our new house somewhere. When we first moved into the house, I moved these chairs from room to room, upstairs and downstairs trying to find the right fit for them and in the end where they started at is where they ended up, in the sitting room!
I started with one large rug for this room, but it was a bit too formal, it was however a perfect fit for the master bedroom. Then I found a pretty ethnic print rug that turned out to be too small for the space but was perfect for Chase's room. Then the idea of a cow-hide rug came up, something that could tolerate alot of foot traffic and I liked the eclectic appeal of it. It's a Three Little Bears tale! I still think a large neutral jute rug might be fun for this room too!
The coffee table for this room is actually an oversized ottoman I was able to pick up at an estate sale. I love it because it's super comfortable and during parties I push it back towards the bookcase to open the space up and it doubles as extra seating. I usually have my laptop set up on the table to work in the evenings. I turn on all the lamps, put an old record on and work on Crate Paper posts. :)
The Sitting Room that doubles as my Music Room:
This room also boasts 25ft. vaulted ceilings, which to a musician is an acoustic paradise. I've already apologized to our immediate neighbors for any excessive noise I may create while living here but having a room with vaulted ceilings and not putting it to good use, would be the same as having a million dollars and not being able to spend even a dime. It must be done!
I purposely leave my trumpet out because not only do I like to play everyday, the kids are also welcomed to practice on it. That loud elephant like trumpeting coming from my home is usually Chase as he loves to play!
We've also set up another music area upstairs in the nook, I have a guitar, clarinet, frenchhorn and a pair of African drums sitting out up there in the hopes that it will encourage the kids to practice whenever they'd like.
I found this great little side table at World Market, the bottom shelf is perfect for housing my record player and my trumpet is a good fit on top. I've also come to realized that with as much natural in-direct light that this room receives my orchids seem to thrive in front of the windows!
I still have a wish list of a few more things for this room; small display table, another rug, an Indian inspired mirror and a bench to tuck under the entry way table for extra seating but for now the room functions just as I had hoped it would!
Thanks for checking it out!
