A Cozy Space by the Fireplace

I've mentioned several times before how challenging it has been for me to arrange and decorate our living room. We have lived in our farmhouse for about 6 months now, and so far I've rearranged this room about 5 times. Our living room is 30 feet long! We love all the space we have, especially the kids, but it has been a struggle to make it feel cozy and inviting.

To help create zones throughout this large but narrow room I decided to put together a little sitting area by the fireplace. Knowing I couldn't run out and purchase all new furniture for this space I decided to use what I already had. We have had these 2 parsons chairs for several years. We used them as dining chairs in our last house, but I had not been able to find them a home in our farmhouse, until now.

Before, the chairs had black legs that were almost laminate looking. I sanded each chair leg down and then gave them a light coat of stain to give them a more rustic look. I used Miniwax stain in Early American.

I originally had plans to sew slip covers for them, but I decided I liked the contrast between the black and the rustic wood. Plus, my kids snack in this spot every day, and I like that I can just quickly wipe these chairs down to clean them.

We used to use the white pedestal table as our coffee table, but it really fits this space much better. I found it at a yard sale back in the summer and gave it a makeover with chalk paint.

I found these blue jars at Target just yesterday in their One Spot aisle, and I love them! I also scored the plaid throw on clearance for less than $6! The vase is an old carafe that my husband's grandmother gave me years ago. Honestly this tray of stuff rarely sits here because my kid's like to use this space for snacking and coloring, I just needed a little something for the photos. :) Anyways I'm pretty excited about the changes, and I think this proves that you don't have to spend a lot of money or run out and purchase brand new things. A little paint and work goes a long way!
For fun let's take a look back at a before shot of this space.

And again at how it looks today.

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Have a BLESSED day!