It took a few months to complete my living room make-over, but it is finally ready for sharing:
Click above to see a larger image.
My living room was previously styled in turquoise (my favorite color) but I decided a change was needed. This makeover was primarily accomplished by updating existing accessories and furniture. Come take a look at how I turned my living room/home office into a peaceful yet enjoyable place with a neutral color scheme.
Sewing covers and shams for pillows has become a favorite past-time and since my sewing skills are uber-basic, this pattern is perfect. Pillow covers are a simple yet effective way to change your decor and colors in the room.
I like using bed pillows in the living room because they’re more comfy and are usually cheaper than buying a pillow form. Because I’d only found information for square pillow sizes, I created this tutorial for any rectangular pillow. (I’ve also included the directions for sewing a square cover.)
The great thing about this pattern is that it allows you to use only one piece of fabric. There’s also less sewing involved. And the best part? Stuffing the actual pillow into the sham is so much easier and no slip stitch is needed afterwards. Learn how after the jump.
I’ve been a lazy blogger lately. Part of that is due to slacking and the other part is due to working on a project: once again, I’m redecorating my living room. (Newsflash of the year, LOL). And of course, I’ve rearranged the room as I always do when the season changes.
I finally decided to make over my living room with a neutral color scheme. A neutral scheme allows me to easily update the colors with small changes like accessories whenever I decided a change was needed. I still love the turquoise & teal but they now serve as accent colors. Here’s a sneak peek into some of the changes I’ve already implemented…
Even though the wooden room divider/screen was a bust, I used the leftover pieces to paint large wall decor. I also sewed new pillow covers and am working on more. (They’ve got to be the EASIEST way to change up your decor, I swear.) Here’s a tease of the new sitting area:
One of my favorite past-times is to make over something, especially with paint. I’m a sucker for any activity involving a paint brush. This mission to redecorate involved my balcony, a lovely space I consider as another room in my home.
The issue: the colors of my patio furniture no longer coordinated with the colors in my living room. I like to coordinate the colors in each of my rooms to create a sense of flow. They aren’t all decorated in the same colors, but they do each share a common color. I chose to extend this decor flow out to my balcony.
Several years ago, I scored a couple of outdoor sling chairs from Walmart for my balcony. They’re made of mesh and are fairly comfy, and were a decent golden yellow, not too bright like a lot of patio furniture. At the time, these warm colors matched well with the purples I had in my living room.
Before, 2010…
Last year, I tried working with the yellow and incorporated it into my indoor color scheme of turquoise and red. I sewed these pillow shams and painted a lotus design to tie the colors together:
Before, 2011…
I dug the gold/turquoise/red color scheme, but I just didn’t love it. So, I decided to coordinate ALL the colors on my balcony to those in my living room,which now includes mint green and makeover those yellow chairs:
…After, 2012
The new color is also great because I can mix and match decor between the living room and balcony. There’s no tutorial since it was a pretty easy process. Here’s how I did it with latex paint:
I get so tickled when I discover something new, such as a different use for something or a new craft/art technique. This time, I stopped into Hobby Lobby & discovered a new (=new to me) fabric, unbleached Osnaburg:
I’ve checked out utility fabrics before, because I’m drawn to the earthiness of cloths like burlap & linen. I was so pleased to find that this was made of cotton. My mother raised me to choose as many clothes as possible in natural fabrics & I apply this philosophy to fabric accessories also. I bought a few yards of it (it’s cheap too!) & used some of it in the picket fence pillow I recently sewed:
Considering how I was “coincidentally” drawn to this natural-looking fabric, I decided to update the decorating style in my living room to a beachy/mod look. I constantly seek natural accessories in fashion & decorating, like items made of wood, stones, glass, metal, & shells. So why fight it? It’s what I love. I’m not into the country or shabby chic look, but I think this fabric would work nicely for these decorating styles also.
I have some more decorating plans for it, but you’ll just have to check back for those. 
BEFORE: 2010
AFTER: 2011
Check out what I did after the jump… 
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The transformation of redecorating my living room in turquoise is progressing, slowly but surely. I’m also incorporating some aqua, robin’s egg blue and teal in the plans, plus some red accents.
For many years now, I’ve had a purple living room. Even though this was achieved with white walls due to a no-painting-in-apartments rule, I was able to incorporate this color with accessories: curtains, batik wall hangings, planters, paintings, placemats, pillows, etc. I loved my unique color scheme and that few people shared it, even though it was challenging to find items in this color.
Current and soon to be former living room colors.
Just recently I decided though, that it was time to move on. We’ve had a great romance, but there’s another color I’ve always loved who’s come back into my life: turquoise. Turquoise has slowly crept into my heart recently and I even tried having a relationship with both colors, the result being my current color scheme in the living room. It’s just time for a change, though. Nothing personal, purple. You will always have a special place in my heart.
I weighed this decision over the past week and finally decided to go with my heart. I will be pairing various shades of turquoise with red and black. It will flow nicely with a retro/modern design. This weekend I purchased some new fabric to make curtains and some beads for tiebacks. I already have some turquoise accents, since I’d previously coordinated it with purple. Here are some images and items I’m using and also referencing for inspiration:
To help tie in the new color schemes for my bedroom and living room (and to add some always welcome coziness), I sewed up some pillows. I spent many hours looking at fabric, matching colors and debating prints. I did end up buying some fabric with a print, but for the most part, figured I’d be better off creating my own. I used quilting solids and a flat sheet I no longer used (= a great way to repurpose bedding).
Behold:
