We are big fans of the great room concept. Homes in our past included a formal living room in addition to a “family room”; and, quite honestly, we never used the formal space. A living room should be just that—a comfortable room to live in –functioning to entertain us and our friends. That includes a cozy fireplace to take off the chill, a big screen television, music, easy access to our X-Box games, and the latest movie DVD. Plenty of space for seating a large crowd of 8-10, but intimate enough to have conversation with one other couple. We feel we got all that with our great room.
Each home has a different character from the last and more often than not the furniture you had in the last house will not work in the new place. The living room in our last home was very large and the style was rustic Spanish with terracotta tile underfoot and rough plaster on the walls. We had a large sectional with reddish leather on the back and arms and a rust red/sage green upholstery on the seating. A bold, big pattern and style. Beautiful, but no way would it work in this new place. This home is smaller in scale with kind of an updated Arts and Crafts touch.
Although we sold our furniture from our previous home, we held on to all our accessories and stored them while we were traveling in the RV last year. We kept them for several reasons; (1) they can usually work in any home, (2) all together they are more expensive than furniture, and (3) almost all have a story or a past. Before we started full-time RVing, we struggled with the decision to keep a few things in storage or getting rid of it all. If you hesitate at all with the decision to purge completely, I would recommend keeping your accessories. The skin on the coffee table was given to our family by a South African foreign exchange student we befriended in the early 1960’s. The big glass leaf on the mantle shelf up high was one of my first purchases and interior decorating lesson from Katie (www.spencercarlson.com) - think big and bold she instructed me!
Our leather sofa, Ekornes recliners (we transfer the recliners to the RV when we are traveling) with little tilt-out tables for our laptops, and a small occasional chair have linear lines and track arms which are perfect for defining our small space. The rug underneath, soft nubby wool and a gray/green hue, helps to subdue noise and gives the room a finished look. By chance our accent became rust red or orange. Love the pop of bright color here and there.
We have the simple approach of the no hearth fireplace. The slate surrounding the fireplace looks like shining copper in the evening and rustic stone in the daylight. Above the fireplace there are wonderful south facing windows providing glowing light and a place for our accessories that we want to especially highlight (see the big leaf up there?). Did you know the Olympic Peninsula does not have natural gas available? To use gas we must use propane for the living room fireplace, kitchen range, and outdoor fireplace. Living in the RV we have had plenty of experience with propane and works just fine.
See the cute gray lamp with the black lamp shade next to the occasional chair? Worked out a trade with my sister Tracy to get that little gem. Thank you, Trace! (She also promised me a spiky Dracena tree to replace that dweeby-looking little palm tree in the corner.) We found our furniture at a great little store in Port Angeles. www.angelesfurniture.com The lamp between the recliners glows orange when the lights are on and becomes a muted pinkish pearl when it is off. Purchased at an interesting boutique in downtown Sequim. www.overthefencesequim.com
Great prices. Buying local. Supporting our newly adopted community.
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