House Tour: Hallway & Living Room

Instead of Navy Friday I thought I'd continue on with our House Tour, since I know you guys have been clamoring for more pictures of the house!  But don't worry, there's lots of pictures of Navy throughout so you can still get your Navy Friday fix.  (The little guy is such a camera hog.)  Welcome to our front hall and living room!

So as you climb up the stairs you can see that the banister wraps around to a little hallway. 

This is the view looking towards the front of the house.  The front room is our little office but I'll show you that in another post.  The living room is the doorway on the left.

Once again, there is another gorgeous light fixture in the hallway.  It is this one from Pottery Barn.  I love the filament bulb. 

The hallway is just big enough for a little console table.  My in-law's neighbors gave us this table that they no longer wanted and it fits perfectly in the space.  Eventually I would like to paint or re-stain it and change the hardware.  I'd also like to add a sunburst or convex mirror above the table but I'm still looking for the perfect one.  

One of the things we've had to deal with in this house is the plaster walls.  You can really get a sense of it from this picture.  I'm sure the walls have been repaired multiple times so they have an rough, uneven texture and pictures are a bear to hang since the plaster just crumbles.  So for now we've been using command picture hangers or using the screws that the owners already drilled and stabilized for the artwork that they had.  That's why some of our picture or mirror placements are a little off.  

Now let's take a peek into the living room.

Although it's still not large compared to most living or family rooms, this room seems huge to us.  There's just so much more space to work with vs. our tiny apartment in New York.  You'll recognize most of the furniture from our old place.  The side tables are hand me downs from Mike's parents.  Again, I'd like to paint or re-stain them but since they're functional they go way down on the to-do list.

We also ordered this ottoman from West Elm and I absolutely love it- it is by far one of the best purchases we've made.  The colors work perfectly with our existing furniture and the bold pattern adds some more interest and texture.  It's so nice to be able to put our feet up in front of the couch and plus, it's child friendly.  No sharp edges to worry about here.  I was definitely thinking of the future with this purchase! 

Here's the light fixture in the living room... don't you just love the ceiling medallion that they incorporated at the top?  It's another added element that gives the room so much visual interest. The owners also left their silk curtains and window fixtures.  Thankfully, that was one element that we didn't have to worry about because window treatments are expensive.  It's so nice renting from people with fabulous taste!

Our tree tucks in nicely in the corner of the room and adds lots of coziness.

And here is the opposite room view looking back into the hallway.  You can really get a sense of the old wood floors.  While I love the look, they also drive me a little nuts because they are so bowed.  Half the furniture is on shims to compensate!  It has definitely been an adjustment moving from super modern and 90 degree angles to old and crooked but with tons of character.  

The owners also left their huge Ikea tv unit for us.  I love the look but after moving in, I quickly threw in some books and pictures so it is in desperate need to be re-arranged and stylized.  But this weekend we're heading to Ikea to buy some more storage baskets and down the road I'll show you how it turns out.

This is a close up of the tree lamp that is in the corner by the window.  I inherited it from my mom's cousin along with this lamp.  I think it's mid century modern and the electrical is so old that it's probably a fire hazard but I love it all the same.  It's a tension rod so the effect is very streamlined.  Maybe down the line I'll give it a re-paint but for now it works.

I'm thinking about adding a console table with matching lamps underneath this mirror.  There's definitely enough space and I think the room needs a little something more.  

Finally, here are some detail shots of the holiday decor in the living room. Nothing too elaborate this year... simple is about all I can handle right now.  Hope you enjoyed the tour.  More to come in the following weeks pending on the baby's arrival.  (Only 3 more weeks to go!)