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Out with the Old

OUR 2nd HOUSE

We bought a new living room rug!

And guess what?  You aren’t gonna get to see it in this post.

I know.  I know.  Boo me and my bad self.

Before you start hurling your nighttime snack at the computer, you should know that I will be sharing a room that you have gotten to see very little of…so plus side, right?! Hope so…because as far as I know, ice cream isn’t recommended as a screen cleaner.  even if it is low-sugar.

Today we are gonna be in what I call the reading room…it’s labeled in the first floor plan below as the sitting room…


Once you walk in the front door, it is to your direct left and it was pretty much the only color in the house that we actually liked when we moved in.  Of course, like every room and every wall, we will eventually repaint…because it was (and still is) all filthy.

When we first toured the house, the reading room was like my pregnancy brain – empty and dirty….

Besides two doors that lead out into the front porch, it has a window in the corner and a french door opening that leads into the living room…

Shortly after we moved in, we threw some of the random furniture in there….

our Ikea leather chairs, our hand-me-down side table, our craigstlist coffee table and our old bookcases – you know, to put the ‘reading’ in ‘reading room’.


After a while, this room turned into a storage area….anything and everything that didn’t have a home ended up here.


You may remember that we switched some thing up in the dining room – bringing in a new hutch which forced us to relocate in the shorter bookcases that once held white dishes.  Eventually I would like these outta here too…and put a piano in that corner (my mom is a high-alert craigslist hunter for me right now).

Basically – this room is in constant flux.  It’s a work in progress with things we have at the time being.  Nothing is staged or photo ready…so don’t get your panties in a twist if it doesn’t look great to you…because it doesn’t look that great to me either.

Especially the undersized rug…

It reminds me of a bad toupee.  Like the kind you see on a guy that sits two rows ahead of you in church…and it doesn’t quite cover everything that it needs to.  And Lord knows that the deep part combover isn’t masking the issue.  Now you know my sins…and during the sermon…the shame!

So when we got the new more comfy rug in the living room, we didn’t quite know what to do with this blue & white striped one we got for cheap at Pottery Barn outlet (it’s a Williams Sonoma Home rug in case you are wondering)….BUT we already own it (making it free)…so I dragged it in here.

Obviously it is a touch too big for the space…. and just like I learned in the office bathroom, lighting does make a big difference in photos.

During the day it looks a smidge better…a smidge…but not perfect.  I think I can make it work…but if I can’t, I’ll probably just try to get my money back on Craigslist.

Styling would help too.  and drapes.  and some storage boxes so I can do some serious editing.

I think these two doors are gonna have plain white curtains (so that they match the curtains on the other side of the front door)…

And that corner window?  I think I am gonna break a major decorating law and do different curtains on that window than the rest of the room.

I KNOW.  Call the style police right now.  or you can do a citizens arrest.  extra points to you gals that have your own handcuffs (winkwink).

But I found this beauty at a discount fabric store (it was only $2 a yard) and I absolutely love love love it.  They only had 9 yards.  Not nearly enough for my 104″+ drapes on three windows.  So I will do the only real window and leave the two doors to plain jane white.  (by the way – I could buy more but the Robert Allen St. Etienne Lapis fabric is $22.50 a yard….which would mean it would cost $67.50 for one more panel – not one pair of panels – ONE PANEL….making it completely out of my budget)

So that’s where I’m at….one old rug out of the living room and into the reading room.

and one new curtain plan…

what do you think?  Am I crazy?  insane?  wacko?

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Comments

  2. Weird, how did you know I was having a nighttime snack?

    I think the rug looks good! But I’ve always liked that rug. And as for the one curtain plan, I say live it up. (I’m also a huge fan of pianos in rooms as both music and art, so that sounds like a plan to me too!)

    You have such nice decorative molding and french doors in your house. Nice to see a new angle! And can’t wait to see the new living room rug. (I didn’t forget….)

  3. First things first, I’m glad that rug is out of the living room. I imagine it gets too much traffic to every lay completely flat.

    Now that that’s out of the way, I’m a fan of DIYing curtains! I made some for our living room last month (you can see them here) and am SO happy with them. It’s definitely a daunting project but very possible and very rewarding when it’s done. I’m definitely going to try sewing curtains for the other rooms in our apartment.

  4. Love the rug in the reading room! Please Craigslist it to me – when you do! 🙂 I could sooo use it in my master or even my son’s room!

    Cheers!
    Madison

  5. It was fun seeing the room evolve. If it is a reading room, though, I would need an ottoman with an afghan for my feet so I could settle in for a good long read. Yeah, if you cannot repurpose those bold blue and white stripes – maybe on some patio furniture – it may be time for Craigs List.

  6. actually i think the blue and white striped rug looks really good! and the pillows go really well too! somethings matchy/matchy things look over-styled, but not in this case! i would totally curl up in there with a good book.

  7. Hooray for working with what you’ve got! We’ve also been doing the rug shuffle in our house. I think the room is looking good and really like that white hutch!

  9. The rug makes the room so much brighter… or it could be the lights 🙂 I like the fabric you got! Have you considered doing a stripe to white curtains with the new fabric, something similar to the shower curtain in the office bathroom? Just to add some spice to your white curtains? Just a thought, either way I am sure it will look great!

  10. Have you considered hybrid curtains with your fabric of choice and maybe the another color (or even white) on either the top, bottom, or side? Does this make sense? If you have an Ikea nearby, you could get some curtains that are affordable in a solid, but match your fabric there, and then chop and resew using your fabric as an accent. Or you could do simple white curtains and use your fabric to make bulkheads (I think that’s what they’re called?) I don’t know . . . just thinking aloud. I am up way too late. 😛

  11. Hi Katie,

    I really like the striped rug but to be honest, I don’t think that it goes too well with the wall color. The “Tarnby” rug from IKEA would look great in that room and it comes in two different sizes. We have it in our living room and we just love it.

  12. What!? I don’t check the interwebs for a few days and your womb is running out of room!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Ack, I am behind on the times. 3 cheers (with soda) for Jeremy and his sharp shooting! 😉 (Is that weird to have strangers talk about things so personal!?) (Ah, who am I kidding! The internet is your family!)

  14. I like the new room for the rug and love the curtain fabric – what a steal!!! Can’t wait to see what rug you came up with for the living room. I never know what to pick for large spaces so I’m looking forward to your post! I almost emailed you a picture of my living room for some help 🙂

  15. I obviously do not have an eye for design, because I think you room looks amazing just the way it is. I love the wide blue and white stripes with the green chairs and the chevron blue pillows. I wish I lived closer to you because I would totally hire you to figure out my master bedroom debacle I have going on right now. You’re house is beautiful, and congrats on the new addition!

  16. How about getting a smidge of that fabric and using it to spice up a set of white curtains for the other door… Then you tie it in with the other white curtains and save your budget…

  17. I love the style this room is taking on! I think you’re too hard on yourself. You’ve done a fabulous job putting it together with leftover decor and furniture. I actually think the rug looks pretty darn awesome in the room too. And as soon as the fabric popped up on the screen I could instantly imagine it in the room. And I think one curtain is totally awesome… like a feature window… so unique and unexpected. Love it. Sometimes you have to make your own rules and when it works, it works.

  18. I think the rug looks fantastic! If its too big, why not just cut off and bind one end?

  20. Hey Katie…
    Just a suggestion, if you don’t want your panels to be mismatched….you could add the expensive fabric to white (or whatever color you prefer) panels. So you get the designer look without the designer pricetag (that line I stole from Candice Olson)…

    I’m sure it will look fab whatever you decide though!

  21. What about using the fabric to make matching window shades? You could line them in white so from the outside of the house they would match the other windows.

  22. I love the symmetry that you created with the windows/old dish cabinet across from the bookcases/french doors into living room. It creates a nice balance to the room, which , in my opinion would completely “hold” your one window creation with that BEAUTIFUL fabric! It will be like an accent wall/window. It will be fun to see how the rug plays with that fabric up on the window. Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to see the new rug.

    And..congrats on your Homie and on your pregnancy! I love how you have seen this as a journey, because it is.

    God Bless.

  23. Can’t wait to see the new rug…love this striped one too…hoping it stays somewhere in your house! Could you fold some of it under to make it a better size for the room?

  24. Love the chevron pilloes with that striped rug! I’m not saying ‘don’t go with the different window treatments’ but just wanted to suggest using the beautiful printed fabric (love the colors!) to jazz up plain white drapes by using it as a trim/accent. Either by a long vertical trim or big horizontal piece at the top or bottom. Here’s a picture from Sarah Richardson’s farmhouse on HGTV that I thought of when reading your post. You’ve got great taste & I’ve been encouraged by your willingness to try new things!! Keep up the great work!!

    http://www.hgtv.com/decorating-basics/sarah-richardson-turns-a-farmhouse-into-a-retreat/pictures/index.html

  25. I never understood why you didn’t like the “toothpaste” color in your house… but now i think i see it. The first picture that looks into the sitting room… your foyer definitley has some Spearmint going on. Alright, I’m off to brush my teeth 🙂

  27. oh another thought, have you considered doing white drapes and sewing a yard of the floral on the bottom of each drape or maybe a band of floral down the side?

    my favorite is actually a 12″ band of fabric horizontally across the bottom of a white curtain, but then to make it classier- add back in another 6″ of the white curtain at the bottom of the band. for some reason, it seems to take it from a DIY look to a store-bought classy.

    you could even do it non-destructively so that you could reuse the white drapes if you ever changed your mind.

  28. Hi Katie,

    I have six pairs of white Ikea Ritva curtains and some miscellaneous IKEA Beskada rods that you can have. I’m never going to use them and they’d probably be perfect for your space! Maybe you’d be interested in trading off a small photo sesh with our kiddos? We were going to meet up with you last year but had to cancel and just never got around to rescheduling. Let me know if you’re interested & a BIG congrats on your baby news!!

    All the best,
    Diane

  30. Hi there! I found you via Young House Love and well… Love you! Love the house, too! My vote is keep the rug, paint the walls! You said you might in there someday anyway. The new fabric you got goes smashing with the rug and the white coffee table sitting on it looks fabulous. Just my two cents though. And if you do end up Craigslisting it, I’ll be fighting Madison for it! 😉

  31. I have my own handcuffs. But I won’t use them. I like the idea of making it known which glass pane is a window, and which is a door.

    And yes, the rug is too big. But you can work with it.

  32. I am seriously impressed with your design eye….that room is lovely and you pieced it together entirely out furniture and accessories from a totally different house. And I think the curtain idea is worth trying…it could be totally awesome

  34. I think the rug looks great in the reading room! And one thing I love about your decorating is that everything isn’t too matchy so I think the idea of different curtains is a good one. I’m still in LOVE with the craigslist coffee table. So pretty.

  35. I think the room looks great and the new curtain will really help pull things together! I know it’s just kinda a dump room of mismatched pieces to you but it actually has just enough going on. It is successfully pulling off the challenge of decorating with collected pieces that aren’t all matchy-matchy!

  36. I love this room! Can’t wait to see the finished product! Can I just say I am super envious of your house?! There’s no way we could get a house that size with that much land in that price range in our area! Beautiful place!

  37. Katie:
    I like the room and being an avid reader…it says comfort and quiet, tidy and together to me. I think the curtains will make a difference too. BUT…don’t beat yourself up. It looks really nice.

    BUT….

    What are you doing dragging heavy rugs around? Remember to be careful. Ask your M.A.N.to do the heavy stuff.

    Bask in your glory, my friend!!!!!

  39. Go ahead with your bad self and do different curtains in the same room! I did in our kitchen/dining room in our town house — I know I know but it was what I had on hand and boy does it look great 😉 so don’t worry. I think it is a good, bold move

  40. What a beautiful room Katie! I love the curtain fabric..I would def use it even if only for the one window. Can’t wait to see it and how you DIY it!

  41. I really like where this room is heading and the window treatments are going to be key. What about doing a simple band on standard white Ikea curtains so you have a band of the floral going through each curtain. I did it on a set of curtains in my closet (with a somewhat similar fabric). I like the result and it was easy. I’m not a good sewer and it kind of freaks me out too. Here’s the link – http://www.houseography.net/2011/09/master-closet-makeover.html

  42. Looks like a great start. The light in there is so bring the rug and white table look photoshopped, not an inusult in anyway, just something I notieced:)
    About the amazing curtian fabric.. I agree with putting white over the two doors – what if you sew a leading edge on them in the pattern so they relate to the side window? You would only need s strip of it and it would look really cute!

  43. Love the fancy fabric! What about adding a decorative band of the fancy fabric to your white curtain panels. It might look really sharp and you could do all the panels. Can’t wait to see the new rug.

  44. Can’t wait to see the new rug! I was always a fan of the striped one though. Too bad I am not in the area when you craigslist that thing.

    As far as the curtains go, do it! First of all, it is on a separate wall. Secondly, the other two actually are doors, so I think you might be ok. 🙂

    By the way, totally jealous that you have a reading room!

  45. When you first debuted the striped rug in your living room I thought you were crazy – just a matter of personal taste, but when I saw it I was like, nuh UH, she bought THAT?!!!

    But I didn’t say nothin, 🙂 I’ve done that kinda thing plenty of times in my own home, Craigslist is my friend!

  46. I have always been obsessed with that rug! I think the colors look great with the green chairs. If you decide to get rid of it, though…email me ! I will gladly take it off your hands. Being in ATL it wouldn’t be too hard to get rid of quickly. Just a thought 😉

  48. Catsing my vote for you to DIY custom roman shades for all 3 windows in the room! You’d have plenty of fabric and it would look so good! 🙂

  49. I really like the rug in this room! I am trying to break away from the symmetrical look by having different style curtains also! I say go for it. By the way I am eating a brownie and its amazing, I would not waste it by throwing it! LOL

  50. I kind of love the rug personally. This room is MUCH more put together than our ‘junk room’ 🙂
    I think that fabric would make some amazing curtains for this room. Maybe ebay will have a couple more yards? Just putting it on the window will probably look lovely though.

  51. OMG I had totally forgotten about this room! I love it! All those little nooks to put things, all the bright colors and natural light. It’s heaven. This would be my favorite room to hang out in away from the hustle and bustle of the kitchen/living room. I would kill for a second living/reading room in my house for my piano, too!

  55. I don’t think you’re insane for using the different curtains! It’s not like you’re using COMPLETELY mismatching ones. Our living/dining/kitchen is area are all completely open to each other and the dining room has different curtains. It’s never bothered me since the base color is the same as my solid curtains in the living room. I think that patterned fabric that you purchased to DIY curtains for your window will tie in all of the colors really nicely. Can’t wait to see how it looks!

  57. First things first, I LOVE the rug that was in the reading room before! It didn’t quite fit there, but I just love it by itself. And I also love the fabric you picked for the curtain! It may be a design no-no but since that’s the only actual window I think you can pull it off without it being weird!

  58. Love the fabric. I’d use some to make valances for the doorwindows, or as a band across the to of the doorwindow curtains, to tie it all together. Even if you have to buy a little more, it would be a lot cheaper than buying enough for the full curtains.

  61. Love seeing a new room! The fabric is very pretty. Just a random thought….could do white panels on all three doors/windows and use the flower fabric as a block at the bottom (might be too bottom heavy?) and trim with blue ribbon. That would leave you with leftover fabric to make a pillow or two

  62. I don’t mind the rug. I think it will look great though once you get to the curtains. …. speaking of those have you given any thought to using the new fabric as an edge treatment to the two door treatments and as the only fabric for the one window. You may be able to stretch it and make all the windows look cohesive. Just a thought. Can’t wait to see the new family room rug.

  63. I would split the 9 yards into 3 yards for each window and do a valance and hang sheers on each one underneath the valance..

    I only do professional window coverings for a living though, so I would take my advice with a grain of salt! 😉

  64. Love how the rug matches your cool chevron pillows.

    I can really relate to the whole “Now you know my sins…and during the sermon…the shame!” scenario. Recently, there was a man a few rows in front of us that had a huge dog sitting in his lap and here’s the punchline….the dog was licking the man’s face. Emphatically. Loudly and with gusto. It took all my constraint to not laugh out loud.

  65. If I had a room like that it would be a reading/play room! It’s always nice to have a few toys on the main level, but not underfoot! It looks great, and I love that fabric!

  66. The reason I appreciate this kind of room is that I often find myself decorating this way as well – using what we have for budget, or indecision, or just because there’s never enough time to complete projects!Thanks for giving us a peek – and I love the curtain idea – I would do the same! And if that rug were gray and white, I’d be all over it!

  67. I LOVE the old living room rug in the reading room. Yeah, it’s a bit too big, bit it really completes the white “three things rule” or whatever…with the hutch & coffee table, it looks great.

  69. Long time reader, first time commenting. LOVE the fabric and can’t believe you only paid $2.00/yard. To spread out the use of that fabric, you could make white curtains and band the bottom third or so with the printed fabric. That way you could use it on all three windows and maybe have enough left over for a pillow or two.

  70. Is it a personal flaw that I don’t like valances? I guess they work if it’s really tailored – like the ones that are monogrammed….but then the windows on the front of the house would be different – showing different fabrics from the road….is that a faux paux?
    xo – kb

  71. Rules are for the faint of heart, I say start a new trend!! lol Can’t wait to see what it looks like with the different curtains. I was working on some curtains too, but kinda got sidetracked before I could finish the rest of the room…oops.

  72. Hmmm…that’s an interesting proposal! I kinda like it! I might have to get the one set up before making any final decisions and investing time infront of the sewing machine (BLEH!)
    xo – kb

  73. I love it too – we moved it into the living room for under Will’s play table…more on that to come 🙂
    xo – kb

  74. The white ones are actually magazine file holder things from Ikea…the tan ones are photo albums from Pottery Barn outlet.
    xo – kb

  75. Katie, your house is just fantastic! What great bones it has – the woodwork is gorgeous…the floors are beautiful – these are things that would cost a fortune to put in yourself. And with your good taste (that fabric is PERFECT) it will be a knockout in every room.

  78. You could use the floral fabric to “trim” white curtains, or add length to the white curtains to make them all match. Just an idea.

  79. I agree with Janet… consider splitting up the fabric amongst the 3 windows and using the cute fabric with a solid color on all 3. You could use the fabric to do either a stripe horizontally at the bottom of the fabric or if you have enough, a strip going down vertically – I just saw Candice Olson do this when she couldn’t afford all of the fabric.
    P.S. I don’t like valances either.

  80. It shows every.little.fold.and.thing. so it’ll stay for now since it’s free and hopefully one day I’ll find a cheap cheap replacement 🙂
    xo – kb

  81. I totally see what you mean – but I feel like the drapes aren’t as impactful (is that a word? let’s just say yes) when they have the band vs. the solid pattern….is it just me?
    xo – kb

  83. If you don’t like valences, what about adding foot or so of the patterned fabric to the bottom of the plain curtains? If you line them, they won’t look that different from the outside and it would tie things together.

  84. Hmmm…crazy idea here…one that I would have a hard time putting into place (and would probably take months to take the plunge on if I decided to do it), but let’s dream, shall we? : ) That fabric is SO beautiful, and would look so good on all those windows, that it makes me wonder if it would almost be worth it just to buy more of it. With 9 yards, you have enough for what, about 3 panels, or only 2? So at the most, you would need 4 more panels. If you know you’ll keep the curtains for a long time, I don’t think it sounds absolutely crazy to spend about $250 more. Or is my math all wrong?? Am I accounting for all the windows? And I know budget plays a huge role, it was just a thought…

    The white curtains would look really nice too, that’s what I always end up doing : ) I guess since I could relate, just thought I would throw an idea out there, especially since this will probably be your forever home. Whatever you end up doing, though, I know it will look awesome, it always does!

  85. katie -you have to be the funniest *handcuffs – wink wink* hahaha… made my day… have to be honest here… when i first saw the striped rug in your living room – i was breathless – and not in a good way at all… it overwhelmed the room big time.. so i’m so glad to hear that you got something new for that room… i think it might work in the reading room… you’ll need to do what you’re doing wiht the one window – tie in the blue and the green – i would keep all the windows the same treatment if possible…any change of making all the wood the same would also work better.. seems like there’s too much going on in there.. i also love it when you see 4 chairs in a circle with an ottoman in the middle – used for feet or as a coffee table.. just my 2 cents… i love your home, your family and your wacky sense of humor… there’s a reason you were voted best of home blogs… you rule!! 🙂 xo Patty

  86. i don’t like valances at all either… seems way 80’s to me.. panels are the way to go.

  87. We never really know 100% how it’s going to look until we do it, do we? I usually say if you’ve got a good eye (which you do, obvs), to go with your gut. But there’s no real harm in mocking something up in the Photoshoppe just to confirm if we’re unsure, is there?

    I am strongly considering painting a wall black in my large-but-only-boasting-two-small-windows bedroom, but before I commit, maybe *I* should hit up the photoshop?

  88. I think it would be ok to have the window curtains different from the doors, but you could also make cornice boards on all three with the patterned fabric and then put the white curtains underneath all of them. That is what I did in my living room and dinning room to save money 🙂 good luck!

  90. How about using the fabric for cornice boxes over the windows and doors? I think it would look a little more modern than valances. I don’t like valances but it could be my child-hood 80’s room with ruffly mauve valances popping into my head. 😉

  91. haha…$250 might not sound like a lot to some people…but to me that is HUGE…I sometimes feel like $20 for a pair of drapes is too much.
    xo – kb

  92. Valances make me cringe, so I would never suggest those for pretty much any room. BUT, I dig pelmet boxes. I even have a pinterest board for just them.
    http://pinterest.com/apartment716/pelmet-yo/

    Any chance you could just do the magical simple pelmet boxes with some of the patterned fabric? I’m not sure of the scale of the flowers, but you have seriously tall ceilings and I feel any size pelmet you’d use could handle the pattern. (Most of the pelmets I pin are covered with patterned fabric.)

    Here is one that has a patterned pelmet with a solid curtain.
    http://pinterest.com/pin/155514993352672840/
    (the image links to the tutorial from Little Green Notebook that makes it wicked easy)
    I see one commenter mentioned putting an edge on the white panels using your patterned print, but I feel like that might be lost in translation on such a narrow strip. So you could instead use a white navy grosgrain ribbon to trim it out. Easy peasy and it would tie everything together!

    (NOTE: If you bought all 9 yards, you have enough to make three 108″ panels. Even if you add one inch to hem the top and bottom, you’d still have enough length and if you were using a pelmet, you could just use clip rings to hold the panels onto the concealed rod. Just a thought. In that instance, I’d use solid color on the pelmets. I haven’t pinned enough to show any with patterned curtains and solid pelmets, but they aren’t hard to find.)

  93. Have you thought of doing white curtains on all and then swags over the tops of the windows in the pretty fabric? I mean you totally don’t have to have the same curtains on the front windows but it would look refreshing from the outside. But by doing swags you are keeping a cohesive look while giving each room their own flair…

  94. You know, I wasn’t a fan of the larger rug in this room because of the colors – it doesn’t go with the walls. But the size is perfect, and I like the stripes, so I think you’re right to work with it in this room. Also, that fabric really really ties them together. I would try to get as large of an impact as possible from it. I’m not sure if the best way to do that would be to spread it around, or keep a large section in one place, but it’s definitely needed to match the rug to the walls. I think it’s going to look great!

  95. I’m with you -I HATE valences…they are really kinda 1980s…which reminds me of being a new mom of twins and having a very radical asymmetrical bob haircut 🙂

    Anyway, you can cut the rug any size you need and bind it ( or duct tape hem it).
    Use the extra for floor pillows.

    Do you HAVE to cover the front doors? I like the look of bamboo/rattan shades in a casual room instead of curtains. Someone else had a good idea with the use of your fabric yo edge the curtains. You could also use that awesome fabric for pillows, chair cushions and/or maybe a reversible throw…but the different curtain thingy could work if the rest of the room is edited well.

    Don’t forget a BIG plant in a great basket- with all that natural light, it’s a great place for plants…maybe a lil indoor garden reading room?

  99. Love the reading room, and I love how you style things so easily. You do a great job of taking little odds and ends that you have around the house and making it look like you bought it for the space. You should be the designer for HGTV’s Freestyle!

    I love that fabric. Here is a crazy idea. If you have 9 yards you have enough to make roman shades for the window and the doors. It would make the doors look more like windows yet still be door usuable. Throw up the white curtains on all three and you have something thats cohesive with a really fun pop of color. Just a thought but I am sure whatever you do will be great.

  100. I think the room looks great! I like that you Have such an eye In using things you already have, or doing little makeovers that are super cheap! Sometimes I get discouraged with decorating cause I don’t have the finances for it, but you show there are ways to make a beautiful home and not spend a fortune!

  101. I haven’t seen anyone bring up this option so I’m going to play devil’s advocate. What if instead of putting the floral on the window, you put it on the doors and then have plain white curtains on the window.

    Okay so if I’m doing my math right on this… you have 9 yards which would make 3 panels (3 yrds per panel). I found the fabric for $16/yard at the website below which would mean that for $48, you could get the remaining fabric to make one more panel.

    http://www.onlinefabricstore.net/robert-allen-fabric/robert-allen-st-etienne-cn-lapis-fabric-.htm

    That would come out to $33 for each pair of curtains. I know your budget is tight, but my thought on this is that you sit in your living room more than you enter your house from the front door so if you had the pretty floral fabric on the doors, you would be able to enjoy it.
    Oh! Another thought would be to just put one panel on each door and hook it over to the side. Then you could have two panels for the window!

  102. Then your doors would actually be usable if you wanted them to be and you could still put white curtains up to match what’s going on in the dining room and filter some light/get some privacy.

    Sorry. This fabric just totally excited me…to the point that I may go out and buy it for my own living room!

  105. I don’t think you’re insane at all with your plans for the reading room. The striped rug looks good in there, and it’s better to have a rug that’s a bit too big rather than one that’s too small. Some graphic artwork with navy would help tie the rug into the room.

    One of my curb appeal pet peeves is when all the windows in the front of a house have different colours of window treatments. So your idea to keep the doors on the front of the house consistent with the others and to use your patterned fabric on the corner window works for me 🙂

  106. I have the same problem with not having enough of a fabric to make the nice full length drapes that I want so I am probably going to buy the inexpensive duckcloth drapes from Target, wack a bit off the bottom and sew on a piece of the pretty fabric. Or make a leading edge with the pretty fabric. could also give a sort of give a frame effect to ready made curtains. Either on the outside or inset a panel of the fabric. that way all your windows could get a hit of it.

  107. I don’t think your wacko at all- I think it will give one more layer to the room. PS… I LOVE all the moldings in your house- they’re gorgeous!! You lucky girl, you.

  108. Not at all in my opinion.. I don’t have an issue with different materials showing on the front of house, but it would go against every fiber in my body to have two windows dressed one way and the third completely different.

    Hmm.. Maybe another fabric trimmed with the original 9 yards? I just can’t see having two white and the third different. It would really throw me off.

    Oh and I completely understand about the valances. I’m so not a fan. I love me some drapes and i’m hooked on cellular shades! Just so functional!

    As long as you don’t hang 2 inch white wood blinds on all your windows, I think anything else would be fine. Have no idea why designers are so stuck on them. I think they are awful!

  109. Hah! Great idea and I just came back to suggest it on my original response. Banding for everyone!

  110. That’s why many windows in my house go curtain-less for a long, long time : ) I did just finish up our playroom with cafe curtains that I made out of clearance fitted sheets from The Company Store (there were no flat ones left, which would have been a bit easier) since I LOVED the fabric (only $8.99/sheet, I bought three). That’s more the type of budget we have to work with as well. But it’s fun to dream!

  111. Everything looks great and I LOVE the new fabric! Could you possibly use white curtains on all the windows and sew a border of the new fabric on the inside edge and bottom? Just a thought.

  112. I like the striped rug in that space a lot! You can definitely make it work. Also, I love the new fabric and I think since the other curtains will be white, it won’t compete too much with them! Like I said, you can make it work because you’re Katie Bower!!

  113. I second this comment!

    The purchase of just one more yard can get you a border or a valance and a tie back… That would get your white curtains to balance on both sides of the front door and also tie them into your fab window with all that plush fancy fabric!

    But what do I know? You’re the homie of the year!! Do what you want!

  114. These pictures are right up there with bacon in my eyes! Seriously: I love bacon…just as much as I read in your posts….and the room transformation is so so AWESOME!! Loving it!!! Can’t wait to see this room with curtains 🙂

  115. I think instead of banding at the bottom maybe a strip going down the inside of each curtain (that probably makes no sense). I like the rug in there and don’t think it would look as big with some other furniture down the road. Maybe a white slipcovered sofa and more substantial coffee table?!

  116. I was going to suggest this! I think that would look great and more cohesive. Love the fabric!!

  117. Katie, I’m gonna agree with several others on 1) terrific fabric and 2) awesome bargain, 3) divvy up that fab fabric among your windows as some sort of band, edging or what have you to the curtain of you choosing. Keep those inspirations coming, as it helping me fire up my own creativity!

  119. Love the curtain fabric and different curtain idea!! It’ll look really cute! Also love the new header…can’t wait to see the new rug!!

  120. Katie, are you looking for a baby grand or would an upright suffice? I’m close by in the same area as you (ran into you several months back in the local Goodwill) and have one I am trying to get rid of and it wouldn’t get any cheaper-how about free (yes, I am that desperate to get rid of it)? Email me if you are interested. And, how COOL is that coffee table?!? Lurve it!

  121. Breaking the design laws, love it 🙂 and I lurve that fabric! it looks like it could tie the whole room together crazy giant rug and all. Get on with your curtain-making-self!

  122. Katie, I was also thinking that you could break up the fabric to use on all three. I would buy inexpensive white flat sheets and either put a large band of the fabric on the top or bottom and then make a roman shade for the window out of just the flower fabric. Depending on how large your window is, you would probably need 1-3 yards (less if you want it as a fixed roman shade, more if you want it to go up and down). Then you would use another yard or so for each door and that leaves you with plenty leftover for pillows or an ottoman, etc. I say don’t be afraid to be different.
    (My husband and I just bought our first house back in August and I’m learning that it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be me.) 🙂

  124. oooh! i think this room could be just great! so preppy and bright. I think the wall/trim color is distracting you from its true potential. The bright white on the furniture, pillows, rug, etc really clashes. Love the fabric choice! Repaint those walls, and refinish that table in a color that pops off the rug, and it will be beautiful.

  127. I think this is my favorite room in your house so far. It looks so homey and cozy I just want to curl up in there with a good book! Add a chaise lounge to stretch out on and it would be perfect!! 🙂

    So interesting to see the evolution of the room too. At first that big white coffee table stuck out like a sore thumb against all that dark wood. But bringing in the white cabinet and round white mirror ties it all together nicely. And the green chairs just rock on top of the new/old rug. I think that curtain fabric will be the icing on the cake….LOVE it!!

    The only thing I’m not digging in that room is the wall color (especially with the green chairs), but I know it’s hard to tell true colors on computer monitors so I won’t judge too harshly. 😉

  128. I personally would be hesitant to try the different curtain on one window. Only because our living room and dining room are one room, and we tried to do different curtains on each side of the front door to differentiate the rooms….and it looked awful. That said, I think you are amazing at decorating, and I’m jealous of your eye for design, so I pretty much want to see what you come up with.

  129. Did you get that fabric at Fabric World in Stone Mountain??? Because out of everything that I miss since we moved away from ATL last summer, I think I miss Fabric World most of all…

  131. Katie, I am in the same area as you too and my mother is looking to get rid of her piano also (FREE). If something does not work out with Louisa and her piano, let me know.

  133. I love that you post this-is-what-it-looks-like-now-photos. You make me feel less crazy about all my works-in-progress. Which, let’s face it, we all have. 🙂

    One question occurred to me as I was looking at the photos – Are you going for a formal look? The room seems to be headed in that direction but you guys seem more casual. I would recommend going for really comfy sofas and chairs and chaises and beanbags … whatever will make you want to lounge and read and snuggle. And where are all the books? Magazines count too! This would be a great room to archive decorating mags etc and then in a free moment (yeah right) you can pull them out and use this room for brainstorming, journaling, planning. Well, at this point I’m probably projecting myself into this room. 🙂 Have fun with this work-in-progress!

  134. Whatever! I’m totally jealous of that room and I really like it the way you have it. I love the bold color of the rug!

  135. First, CONGRATS on Bower Baby #2! What a blessing and an answered prayer!
    Second, I agree with Lisa above…I would try to use some of your print fabric on all 3 windows (using white drapes as your base). However, for something a little more organic and unusual that the fabric border, I would cut out appliques from the print fabric, kind of cutting around a branch with the attached blooms, close to the design. You should be able to cut out several (probably 6-9) separate largish appliques (I’m guessing they’d be 2-3 feet long). Then arrange them over your white drapes. Either applique (stitch on) or use wonder under (though stitching would be better for the long run).
    Third (commenting here because I’m lazy), I love your watercolor jellyfish. Gorgeous!
    Finally, I’m sorry I’m not a more frequent commenter. I am a stalker, and a believer, and I really have prayed for you guys as you waited on God to build your family.

  137. I’m all about breaking the rules too, but I agree that maybe you should consider splitting up that fabric amongst all 3 windows – like maybe as a cornice or banding. On your solo window you should consider a diy sewless roman shade from mini blinds. I used Jenny’s tutorial from LGN and it turned out great as long as you don’t really plan on taking them up and down a lot. You could used some cheap white fabric and it would be inexpensive. Oh & I live in Charlotte & recently saw your fabric at the famous Mary Jo’s. If you needed a bit more I’m sure it was cheap there & they ship!

  138. I love the fabric, but ouch on the price! I think it would be very cool to do the one window in it, and the other two in the white panels. A way to tie them all in is to use the patterned fabric as a straight valance box at the top if you are going formal, or as a deep stripe down at the bottom of the white panels or along the inside edges, or as tie backs. Just enough to tie it all in together, without breaking the ol’ piggy bank.

  139. I love the new fabric. It will look great in there! Where do you typially shop for fabric?

  140. I shop mostly at a local discount fabric store – but sometimes I wander into Joann’s or Hobby Lobby’s fabric section. I also like to browse Fabric.com 🙂
    xo – kb

  141. Great article- such beautiful decoration ideas in here. I definitely plan on looking back to this when I start my next home decoration project.I really feel that beautiful window treatments that fit a window and space appropriately can enhance the natural light and beauty of a home. I just finished renovating the window treatments in my house, and I love the difference this decor modification made on each room’s atmosphere. http://www.bloomfieldblinds.com bloomfield blinds I use this company for my home’s blinds and draperies, and I’ve always had great experiences with them.

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