The Livingroom and Diningroom

I love decorating and we have painted nearly every square inch of our house. When we moved in it was too flowery and pastel for us. I like to mix old and new and pretty with masculine, as you will see in this photo montage!

We invested in leather shortly after we moved in. It is ultra durable and easy to clean. I love that the dog and cat hair slides right off and you don't have to worry about spills! I change my pillows frequently and get them from anywhere, whatever catches my eye. These are from Pier 1, Shopko, and TJ Maxx. Our furniture came from Ashley.

The lamp was from Pier 1, frame from Kohls, glass candle holder Shopko, and the rock came from TJ Maxx. It's covered in rope for the summer for a nautical feel. We call it the pregnancy rock because I bought when I was pregnant with Luke and Justin couldn't imagine why I would pay money for a rock... it's actually really cool close up.

Just this summer I changed my artwork over the couch. We had some impressionist paintings by Sabina Palmer (Art.com) for the last 7 years and I wanted a change. My niece Maddie has been taking art classes, so I framed some of her work and my husband's photography of birds. It looks soft and nice for summer! That's Luke's stand up morning hair in the bottom of the pic. I couldn't crop it out because it made me laugh!

This trunk is on another wall in the room and though I close it, is usually open. It was a gift from Justin's mom and came from Kirklands!! Thanks, Jan! It's a perfect way to store Luke's books so he can sit and read with us. It's only part of his collection, can you tell his mom's a teacher!

This is an old printing press drawer turned shelf from my Great Aunt Sis. It used to grace the wall of her kitchen and I loved playing with all the tiny things as a little girl, and now my children can enjoy it!

Here's a shot of one section... I know the tiny antique bible probably doesn't feel right with the antique Budweiser salt and pepper shakers, but that's where it fit. Okay!!

This antique, upright grand, Royal Cincinnati piano came from my parents. I spent hours practicing on it from the time I was 4 years old. My mother got it as a young girl from Pa Karas who was a musician and composer that lived near her in Wells, MI. The Karas memorial band shell in Ludington park, Escanaba, was eventually named in his honor. I think it is a rare piece of Escanaba history, I just wish I had more time to play these days!

I use the top like a mantel and change the decor seasonally. Here you see a lantern from Shopko, clock from Pier 1, an easel frame, and candle. The artwork above was bought at Shopko... I turned it on it's side and added the lyrics to Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds", because your house should make you feel happy!

Here's a close up of one part. It looks better in person!

Our diningroom is connected to our livingroom and it simply "L's" around. The table was an old packing table from Laureman's store in downtown Escanaba. It has been closed since the 50's or 60's, but was the only department store back in the day. It was in my Great Aunt Sis's  basement and was pretty rough because her husband was using it as a worktable. For our wedding gift she had it refinished for us. It turned out beautifully, and if you look closely you can see where four holes were filled. It used to have a large wrought iron paper roll holder, which the store used to wrap the purchases. I love that this table has a story. The chairs were found by Jan at a rummage sale, score! The piano bench is acting as more seating because we love feeding people! 

For our Christmas present 2 yrs. ago my mom and dad let me commission Country Roads to build me the hutch you see in the background. It couldn't be a better match and I love the slate tile in the front.

Here's a view inside the open part of the hutch. I have a thing for cloches and am using them to display Japanese China from my Great Uncle Bob, that he sent to my aunt when he was stationed there. It also has a modern mirrored star and antique, silver tray from a tea service that my gramps got for me at a rummage sale.

So there's our main living space. I hope you get a little inspired by what we like. I think your decor should be a living thing that is always evolving and changing with you and what you like. I always love to keep my eye open to find something that fits into my life and makes my home reflect our personalities. Just like our music tastes, we appreciate all styles spanning several decades and love to mix old and new riffs!!