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Spring – ifying the Living Room

Is it seriously May already?? What happened to April? I can tell you that we have had the absolute BEST weather that I can every remember in my 29 (ish) years of spring-doms. Unbelievably warm and sunny days have resounded. It has been so thrilling to soak in the sun that I am actually glad we skipped our March spring break vacation this year – I didn’t need it with so much Vitamin D available already!

All this good weather has made the soon-arrival of summer that much more real. And I have loved changing up our winter living room décor for a brighter fresher look.

9 Spring Changes in the Living Room at thehappyhousie

3 Spring Changes in the Living Room at thehappyhousie

 

16 Spring Changes in the Living Room at thehappyhousie

 

8 Spring Changes in the Living Room at thehappyhousie

If you are a regular reader you have already seen the “new” old upcycled pieces that we have been adding to the living room. First it was the little Yellow Chalk Painted Side Table and Upcycled Thrifted Lamp.

12 Spring Changes in the Living Room at thehappyhousie

 

Then came the Two Buck table that I texture painted and added a rope edge detail to.

14 Spring Changes in the Living Room at thehappyhousie7 Spring Changes in the Living Room at thehappyhousie

We also switched up the gallery wall above the couch and added a couple of freshened up Vintage Oil Paintings to the wall. We moved the mirror that had hung above the couch previously and hung it vertically on one side of the couch behind the yellow table. This made room for the large beautiful oil painting that was created by our Brother-in-law. Isn’t he an absolutely amazingly talented artist?? I love this picture of his in particular and was beyond thrilled to hang it in our living room.

10 Spring Changes in the Living Room at thehappyhousie

The biggest change (so far) has been the couch switcheroo. If you have ever taken our House Tour you may remember that the winter living room had our dark brown leather couch… I have been wanting to switch it out for our white microfiber couch (from the basement family room) for a while but my husband was against it (something to do with our 80 lb black lab that insists upon sleeping ON our furniture). But I rigged up an elaborate system that prevents her from getting up on the couch at night… so the microfiber won out!! Yay! The leather is now in the basement… and the living room feels much fresher and brighter.

If you haven’t seen the old house tour, here is what the winter living room looked like:

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And now…

1 Spring Changes in the Living Room at thehappyhousie

The coffee table we have had for over a year – it was an old 1980s glossy oak special I bought off Kijiji and then painted with Benjamin Moore’s Aegean Teal. I actually color matched it to the old broken chunk of oar that you see hanging above the oil painting – that oar “came” with our boat as an emergency oar in case our boat engine failed… luckily it split in half on land and not when we were stuck out in the middle of the lake. Broken but a great colour… might as well hang it on the wall!

13 Spring Changes in the Living Room at thehappyhousie

I also made some new simple envelope pillows that I will do a tutorial on very soon. They are such a quick and easy way to totally change up your décor for the season.

5 Spring Changes in the Living Room at thehappyhousie

6 Spring Changes in the Living Room at thehappyhousie

15 Spring Changes in the Living Room at thehappyhousie

All in all I am feeling things are much brighter and lighter…more summer lake cottage. Just what we wanted… and ready in time for summer. Now it is just about time to start working outside… but I’ll show you one more big change in the living room next week!

What changes have you made in your home this spring? Do you change the look of your living room with the seasons?

I linked this up with the Spring Pinterest Challenge at Young House Love,  Bower Power, Sparkle Meets Pop, and Red Bird Blue. The original pin that inspired me to freshen up my living room was Rita’s makeover at Suburbs Mama…. her living room looks so fresh and crisp and beautiful! I knew mine needed a little touch of that. Thanks for the inspiration Rita!

Thanks for reading. And remember, my housie friends, HOME isn’t built in a day. Enjoy the journey.

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DIY blog Classy Clutter  Home Stories A to ZsuburbsmamaDIY Show OffSmart School HouseI Brought The Goods MondayMondayFundayFeature 10 DIY Decorating Ideas – Monday FundayToo Much Time On My HandsFeatured At Serenity Now

 

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127 Comments

  1. Can you please tell me what the paint color is on your wall? I am trying to find a color I like to paint my whole house. I want a color that is neutral and I just love how happy your room makes me feel.

    1. Hello Lynn! The colour in our living room was called Grant Beige by Benjamin Moore (we have since repainted), and it is a lovely neutral greige colour. Thanks for your kind words- and good luck with your painting project!

    1. I bought it at Home Sense (the Canadian version of Home Goods). I loved it, but unfortunately it got very stained by my doggy…I ended up going with a more simple sisal style rug from Ikea because it doesn’t show anything and is easier to keep clean! You can see it in my last summer house tour Thanks for your visit!

  2. Krista you are a very inspiring lady and I need to be inspired!!! Thanks for the assist. I live in an apartment and have been trying to figure out what I can do with the living/dining area. I can hardly wait for spring and summer (2014) garage sales and finding a different couch. I have a HUGE couch and it’s way to big for my apartment. I need a love seat. But the HUGE couch was FREE which is my favorite word. So I will be hunting this spring and summer for a smaller vessel to hold the dog. (LOL) Thanks for your inspirations!!!! Betty Lynn Radcliffe

  3. Your living room updates…especially that awesome gallery wall above the couch is just amazing! Love every detail of it! Following you on Bloglovin!

    Angela @ Number Fifty-Three

  4. Krista, I went to my local Benjamin Moore store (it’s my home away from home). Manager picked out the perfect Nova Scotia red for me to paint my canoe paddle- which will go in my newly painted office which I’m doing in “hazy blue”. How did u get yours hung up on the wall? I can’t “see” any visible hangers. I have a full length canoe paddle. Thanks for the help.

    1. Hi Jen!! I used little triangle hangers… I found a picture of one here (though I just bought mine at my local hardware store). Because the oar isn’t even thickness I used the hanger on the less deep part of the oar (the part that you actually paddle with – I am sure it has a more technical name). The little triangle hanger is attached to the back of the oar with a screw and the triangle piece hangs on a nail. I used a command Velcro strip to attach the long handle… actually maybe we used two command strips just to be really secure. They attach directly to the wall while the paddle part of the oar hangs out slightly at an angle on the triangle hanger. Does that make sense?

      Your room sounds like it is going to look fabulous! When you are done I would love if you would post a picture of your oar on the happy housie facebook page!! I would love to see it!
      Krista

    1. Hi Emilia! It is pretty nice to relax in there now that it is so fresh and bright… just a couple little tweaks left:)
      Krista

  5. I am absolutely in love with the painting by your brother-in-law! Any chance he sells his artwork? The whole room is absolutely amazing – I am so glad I found your blog!

    1. Hi Staci!
      He used to sell his work and even had a gallery for a while… I love his work too!! I keep trying to talk him into doing a website to sell some of his work, I would even set it up for him! There are definitely other amazing painters I have seen on Etsy though if you are looking for something custom:) Or try vintage! Thanks for your awesome comments, I am thrilled you like the blog:)
      Krista

  6. Love your room! Bright and happy! Great eye for color! I’ve pinned it for inspiration and just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you sharing with us!

  7. Wow! So many comments! I guess mine is not going to be original 😉 I absolutely love the pastel colors Krista! Great job, it’s super pretty!!!! Thanks for visiting my blog! I looove new visitors 🙂 x

    1. Hi Agi! I know how you feel…sometimes when I see so many comments I don’t even bother adding mine at the end – but I really appreciate that you did!! Thanks, and I was thrilled to visit your blog as well:)
      Krista

  8. I came over here from Home Stories from A to Z and I love the light, bright, feel to your living room! I am so in love with your pillows and now am going to try & make me some!

    Thanks for sharing!

  9. You have such an eye for decor Krista… I’m JEALOUS!!! xoxo

    Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality!

    1. I have seen your space Christine, you have fabulous taste and amazing creative ideas! Thanks for your super kind comments:)
      Krista

  10. Hi Krista, I’m new to your accidently stumbled upon when looking on Pinterest (so much fun). I’m so in love with your spring living room decor, in my living room I currently have the aqua, lime, but want to add some yellow and maybe some orange. My 1st question to you is where did you get your lumbar cushion in the centre of your couch or what is the name the fabric? 2nd question where did you find area rug and 3rd sorry personal question are you Canadian? Hope to hear from you soon. What to keep reading your blog so many ideas and I think I’ll continue to look for thrifted or kijiji finds to complete my home as your home is beautiful! Bye for now

    1. Hi Sonya! I am so glad to meet you! Glad you like the living room:) I made the cover for the lumbar cushion – the insert if from IKEA. The fabric is called Summersong and I bought it off Etsy by a seller called “sweet bobbins”. Here is a link to Summersong at Sweet Bobbins if you want to purchase it.
      You can follow my tutorial for simple envelope pillow covers if you aren’t sure how to sew these already.
      The area rug is from Home Sense, which leads me to your third question. Yes I am Canadian… we live on Vancouver Island in BC. Aside from the couches and chairs most of the other living room furniture and a lot of our accessories are from thrift stores or garage sales… and then altered to fit the scheme. It is a fun way to do things! And so custom to you:)
      Hope this helps answer your questions, see you again:)
      Krista

      1. Thanks for the Krista, I’m Canadian also from Ontario. I love when I stumble onto Canadian bloggers because when there a DIY there’s no thinking outside the box for comparable materials. All of your projects are beautiful can’t wait to try a few.

  11. Beautiful wonderful colors. Thanks for the inspiration.I’m from Eastern Canada and have a canoe paddle that I had no idea what to do with. It’s sat unpainted for 5 years atleast. Now I have some fun ideas for colors and getting it put up!

    1. Hi Jen! So nice to meet you, thanks for your kind comments! I would love to see a picture once you paint your paddle and hang it up! Thanks for your visit, hope to see you again:)
      Krista

  12. Your room is beautiful Krista!! I love all of the colors and your flower filled tray is gorgeous! Thanks so much for coming out to the party at Clean and Scentsible. I’ll be featuring this tomorrow! Have a wonderful Sunday!
    Jenn 🙂

    1. Thank you Marty! You awesome comments are totally brightening up my rainy Saturday! I will definitely hop over to your party on Monday evening, thanks for the personal invite!
      Krista

  13. What a bright and happy room! Love the mix of colors, patterns and texture. Now I want to see more of your home!

    1. Hi Natasha! Thanks so much!! It is even more full of ‘life’ usually and a little less tidy with two little boys running around:) So glad you came back to visit and comment!
      Krista

  14. Your room is darling and definitely looks ready for SPRING! Love all the color, texture and patterns. I have the same fabric as your large pillow, with the birds. Mine is still just fabric though. lol. Such a pretty, energetic room. So “happy” 🙂

    1. Hi Shannon! Thanks so much for your visit and comments today! I love that fabric… wish I had ordered more of it, but I guess it makes a good central statement piece… I had been thinking of painting the red oar a different color but that bird floral print managed to keep it tied into the scheme!! Saved me some work:) Have a fabulous weekend!
      Krista

    1. Hi Marni! So glad you came by my blog too!! Thanks for your super kind comments:) Hope you have a fabulous weekend!
      Krista

  15. Your home is so happy! I love the gallery wall, especially the oars and spindles you’ve added. Found you through The Shabby Creek Cottage 🙂

  16. Looks great! I will look out for your tutorial on how to make the envelope cushions as I would love to do the same for my house! I found some .99 cent pillow cases at the second hand shop that I would love turn into cushion covers by cutting them down and resewing

  17. Tell me about the rug please…. I love how you have decorated without spending a fortune. A friend at heart!!!

    1. Hi Sheree! Nice to meet you! The rug was bought at Home Sense (if you are from the US then I think it would be similar to Home Goods in the US??). You could probably find a similar graphic rug at Target down there… it is an 8×10 and I personally thought it was a great deal at $120. I love the color and pattern it brings… we had a plain beige rug before and the whole feel of the room changed with this rug.

      Another idea, if you live near an IKEA would be to paint your own chevron rug. I have seen several online tutorials for painting their Erslev rug like this one at Ikea Hackers Would love to see a picture if you try that! I haven’t yet but might one day…

      I love decorating without spending much – makes the whole thing more satisfying (I think:). Thanks for your visit today and hope to see you again!!
      Krista

  18. I’m totally obsessed with your housie! I will be stalking you from now on. LOL.
    I just picked up an old oar at the flea and painted it bright green. I wanna hang it on my wall, but don’t know how. What’s your secret??
    Thanks!
    Kim

    1. Hi Kim! So glad to meet you:) I would love to see your bright green oar!! I usually use a triangle shaped hanger – the type that has a little triangle at the top and then the metal triangle piece is attached to a little clip that you put a screw through. Does that make sense? If it doesn’t I could take a picture and send it to you. Since the oar is not even thickness I usually use the hanger on the thinner end and then use a command strip on the thick end… I have also seen oars hung vertically with the type of oar holders you would see in a row boat – super cute idea too!!
      Let me know if you want some pics:)
      Krista

    1. Hi Amanda! Thanks…I wish the lilac ‘season’ lasted longer… they are one of my favourites! Thanks for your comments!!
      Krista

    1. Thank you Shannon! So thrilled you came over in person:) The pillows were really quick and easy to make… and they help change the whole look of the room. I like it sooo much better now! Thanks again for hosting Project Inspired!
      Krista

  19. I love, love, love it! I have to ask, are your teal and lime graphic pillows from Joss and Main? I saw some similar (same?) and almost bought them, but talked myself out of it because I thought they were too expensive and would be a major commitment, but of course, I’m regretting not buying them!

    1. Hi Christy!
      I made the pillows using a Waverly fabric called Groovy Grille, Confetti. You can see this print at Tonic Living Groovy Grille confetti

      Since it is a little pricey per metre (or yard) I use plain white (same weight) cotton for the pillow backs… so I was able to get two pillow fronts out of 1/2 yard of fabric ($18.95 per yard at Tonic Living)… so with the fabric (print and white for the backs) and my IKEA pillow forms (I love their down forms the best… really full and puffy for a great price) I bet each pillow cost under $20 to make! I plan to do a DIY on the pillows soon, but there are lots of simple envelope pillow tutorials online… I saw a great one recently at the blog “Teal and Lime”.

      Krista

  20. Yes, please – and two servings too! I love this soooo hard!

    If you were not a talented sewer (such as myself) and you wanted to get curtains for this room, what sites/resources would you go to? I need two pairs for my living room but don’t want to spend a fortune but this is the type of color palette I’m drawn too. It makes me so happy just to look at it and I would LOVE it for my house.

    Gorgeous!!

    1. Hi Julia!
      I do want curtains for this room… that issue is still up for debate with my husband… he doesn’t want curtains:) If I were you and didn’t want to sew but wanted a fabulous bit of color and pattern I would look at fabrics and make some ‘no-sew curtains’ using iron-on hem tape… there are several fabulous tutorials for this online – I saw one recently at Young House Love but I have seen them on many other blogs as well. Just google or pinterest “no sew curtains” and you should come up with a tutorial. Fabric sources… I would look at Tonic Living or Fabric.com as a starting off point for great fun fabrics. In particular I love the simple graphic prints designed by Premier Prints and they are very inexpensive as well!! I would love to see what you create!!
      Krista

    1. Hi Stephanie! Yay! So glad to provide a little inspiration:) I would love to see what you do with your living room. Have a fabulous week:)
      Krista

  21. Your colors and patterns are right up my alley! I want a crazy bright rug too, but am scared I’ll get tired of it, got to find a bargain! It all looks fabulous, love the pops of accent colors and the choices you made on the wall art.

  22. Your Living Room is gorgeous! I am trying to springify mine at the moment, you have given me some great ideas!

    Visiting from Craft-o-maniac and now following 🙂
    Alison
    heavenlyhandmades.blogspot.co.uk

  23. Ohh! So colorful and springy! Love it! I like to change things up for the seasons as well, I just did a post on that myself. I can’t wait to change out the bedding and give my bedroom a pop…and hey, I just picked up a teeny white ceramic bird on clearance just like yours, too sweet! Enjoy your week!

  24. love, love, LOVE it!!!! so happy and bright. love all the colors and eclectic pieces; you have great taste!
    megvcornwell.blogspot.com

    1. Hi Selene! Thanks so much… I love the little white bird too… such a perfect little guy… he gets moved around the room a lot!
      Krista

  25. Oh my goodness Krista, I got so caught up in looking through your blog that I almost lost my way back to the main page! I love all the color you’ve incorporated into your home as I am a color person too. You definitely nailed the lake cottage look for summer, something I’ve been working on in my own decor and will be posting on soon. I would love for you to come over to my house and make my laundry room look like yours! I look forward to following you my neighbor to the north 🙂 Patti@OldThingsNew

    1. Hi Patricia! Thanks for all of your awesome comments. So glad to have you following now!! I can’t wait to check out what you have been up to!
      Krista

    1. Hi Abby! Thanks so much for your awesome comments! I’m heading off garage-saling this morning…I hope you are having a fab weekend as well:)
      Krista

  26. Oh I love your Spring-ifying! From the beautiful gallery (lucky girl to have a talented bro-in law) and gorgeous throw pillow ensemble to the luscious lilacs.. It’s Very Nice. (Omission my lilac tree I had in NY, definitely not ‘zoned’ for our FL heat)
    Great work, Krista!

    1. Hi Therese!
      Thanks for your awesome comments. We are super lucky to have a talented bro-in law who can source us out some art work… The lilacs scent is almost overwhelming in the room as they are opening up. I guess there are some benefits to a colder climate zone – lilacs being one of the few… think I would still trade them for some year round sunshine!
      Krista

  27. What a cheery room, Krista! I love the lighter sofa. I have been thinking that our dark brown leather sofa (that we have because of our dogs and kids) is darkening our room no matter how many bright throw pillows I put on it. Seeing your pictures REALLY makes me want a lighter colored sofa. I can’t wait for lilacs to bloom here.

    1. Hi Courtney!
      I know exactly what you mean… I couldn’t lighten our room like I wanted with the dark leather no matter how hard I tried!! Luckily we had a nice light sofa in the basement so it was just a matter of making the switch… and figuring out how to keep our lovely dog off of it! So far so good. The lilacs are just starting…. after forsythia they are my favourite blooming shrub. I LOVE the scent!!
      Krista

  28. Love it, Krista! The colours are fantastic and your gallery wall is so unique and yet perfect at the same time. I’m going to use your colour-love as inspriation for my own living room makeover. I really think you’ve got something fantastic here!

  29. I love the space!! I love how you aren’t afraid to mix different shades and hues of blue! Just lovely! (Newest Follower!)

  30. I love everything you’ve done to make this space feel brighter (perfect for spring and summer) and WOW! what a difference your new sofa makes to this room, so much better! glad the dark leather one is now in your basement. Krista, you have succeeded in making this space feel fresher; the perfect cottage!

    1. Thanks Ingrid! Your comments are so sweet:) It does feel much brighter and airier… and the basement “got” another new piece from our living room – I can’t wait to show you the other side of the room!
      Krista

  31. Oh the room makes me so happy!!! Love that sweet paint treatment on the side table, too. Where did you get the big cushion on the couch from? Love love love that pattern and the colours.

    Great job!

    1. Hi Anne,
      I made it – I will be posting soon about making simple envelope cushions. The large center one is made from a lighter weight fabric that I ordered off Etsy last year – I saw it made up in a pillow and loved it so much that I tracked down the fabric so I could make my own pillows with it… I used an ikea pillow form for it. I love the colours and patterns too and how it ties together all the colours.
      Krista

  32. Krista, the room looks just beautiful and am totally loving the gorgeous lilacs! I know your livingroom smells wonderful! Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful weekend!

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