I have struggled with this room more than any room, maybe ever. Feels strong. It's a great room, great size but it's the first thing you see when you come in the house and I want it to be pretty but cozy and I really wanted it to be a room we all love being in. The main thing throwing me has always been this back wall.
It's very long.. very! And I don't like the color and I don't love the color inside the rectangles of the cabinets. And then all the wall space feels so wasted. I had a smaller round mirror on the wall right after me moved in and the wall just swallowed it up. So the day I came home with this mirror-- that barely fit in my car and I had to move the drivers seat forward to shut the back... Brian looked at me like I was insane. What's worse? Try hanging that bad boy.
So it stayed like this for a while. I went through all sorts of ideas in my head, sketched out a few, showed a couple to Brian and nothing ever felt right.
This was one of the early ideas. Haha. I took the listing photo and then plugged it into Canva.
And then one morning I woke up like a dog with a bone. I decided I was doing bookcases on top of the cabinets and it was goal for the year-- year meaning all of 2026 to accomplish this. I also knew I wanted to paint someway or another but that blue shade was not going to make to the new living room. Back in the fall I ordered yet another rug trying to make myself like the room and I hated it even more. I had a pretty scallop jute rug layered under and I love the idea and the rug was lovely but it just never worked. SO that's that. I'm starting over. I confidently tell Brian and he just kind of shrugged and likely knew it was going to happen whether he supported me or not.
In true Alex fashion, I text Uncle Steve on the same day and asked what he thought and if he would add me to agenda to hit sometime during 2026. He called immediately and was like oh yeah, that won't take long, I'm about to build some bookcases and I'll do yours too.
Goal made = December 28, 2025
Steve installed bookcases = January 16, 2026
Picked paint color = January 18, 2026
New rug arrived = January 21, 2026
Painting complete = January 23, 2026
I will never forget them showing up to paint the day before we were suppose to get snow and ice. Brian was like this can not be the thing we're focusing on right now.. and I'm like why?! If I'm gonna be iced in, I need shelves to decorate??
The "sketch" I sent to Uncle Steve.
And boy did Uncle Steve deliver!! Exactly what I wanted. Now to take care of that whole blue paint situation. I used ChatGPT to help me with this part. A lot. I kept plugging in pictures and paint colors and I still ended up getting five samples. Originally I thought I would color drench the entire wall, including shelving with a medium to dark blue. Then it was green. Then I flipped and went light and at the last minute, added all the trim in the room.
I had to paint the cabinet, the brick, the bookshelf, every single part to make my decision.
And BAM, I pulled the trigger. And I love it. And I'm so glad I painted the trim. It adds so much more to the room and makes it more balanced.
I went with my favorite color, of all time, Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray. They say it's a green but I say, it's whatever color the weather is making it. Sometimes it has a blue tint, some days a green, sometimes it's more gray. I love it in all variations.
It turned out so beautiful!
And then I started decorating. I had some things I already had that I knew I wanted to add to the shelves. I had also been sourcing from my favorite antique stores for a few months. Brian let me go shopping in his book store, sorry library, for some good colors. I took a lot of the jackets off and that wasn't his favorite thing but he's OK now.
I bought these lamps around Christmas, right before I decided to do this project to add a little more life to the place. Found a cute butterfly and a bunny finial to add to the tops. This plant really steals the show. She's so happy. She even got a new pot a few months back.
Guess we can pop around the entire room now. This desk has always been one of my favorites. I love the shade of blue and the beautiful wood top. The piece of art above it is one of the first ones Brian and I ever purchased together. It was slightly damaged during the tornado, I just tell myself it has extra character now. The lamp is another favorite of all time. It was in our bedroom and I loved it there. When I went in after the tornado, it was completely upside down, the only reason it didn't break was the power cord was holding it hanging over the side of the dresser. I was able to clean it up, get a new shade, and bring her to this house :) That's also one of my favorite plants. She's since got a new pot that so pretty! I found it Fringe Benefits one day while getting my hair did. This is my new style, being surrounded by things that bring me happiness and tell our family story.
Yes, the Christmas lights are still up. Yes, we leave them up year round. We've been doing this since we moved in. One night in December, when Kate was a baby, we were driving around the heights and drove past this home that was so beautiful. We drove past a couple times, verrry slow. It was the holiday season, they obviously had people over for a dinner or something and the home looked some warm, cozy and festive. They had lights throughout the doorways like the photo above. We snapped a picture, very blurry one, and Brian asked for us to do that someday soon. We did the first Christmas we lived here. And then left them up after we took the Christmas down. Kate said, well Taylor Swift did say we can keep the Christmas lights up until January? And then Brian said, we're leaving them up forever! And we've had to replace them once cause they burned out. But now I stock up as soon as they put white, non LED lights out! We have them year round, guys!
This is my fav chair. It's so deep, and cozy and swivels. Emmy got the pillow for Christmas a couple years ago. And it's the most perfect thing for her to gift :) The things on the walls are all collected over the years. The far right is this cool bar we went to in Greenwich Village. They gave us a postcard when we tabbed out and it's been framed ever since. The tow florals are from an artist I found through Instagram and I love her work -- Susan Sullivan. The birds I bought from Etsy and had to reorder and reframe post tornado. And the painting of the Buffalo River is our most special one here. A wedding gift from my brother in laws mother. So beautiful!
And then our very special painting of our old house on Jewell. I love that watercolor so much.
Another thing I had my eye on. I wanted this darn cabinet and a friend text they were in stock, I jumped in my car and went straight to buy it. Took up my entire car. I basically sat in the steering wheel on the way home. One car seat in the front with me and I had to give the other to a friend to bring home for me. I love her!
I just got this chair last year after trying to decide what to put here for forever. I love the vintage pillow, Brian does now but the pop of color is fun. I actually bought this sideboard when we were living in our temporary apartment house, as the girls called it, to store food in the kitchen and to have some extra counter space. Brian didn't think I would find a place for it in the new house, however, he does love the piece. And BAM, just bam, it's so front and center.
The art here is a couple florals from Box Turtle in Hillcrest, this amazing Michael Doyle piece, a couple Chelsea McShane prints that Brian wants to replace. Not because they aren't beautiful but they are "the same." And then we have the picture I had painted of our first home together, a watercolor of the bar at Le Coucou in New York City, and that beautiful original from Kendal Blanchard.
We bought the couch for the apartment house and it worked here but we don't love it but also aren't replacing anytime soon. It's comfy and that's all that matters right now. I guess. I found this cool bamboo plant stand at Midtown Antiques and the planter at Homegoods.
I love this rattan and marble mix side table on "my end" of the couch. I grabbed this cute pink flower ottoman for the chair in our bedroom but somehow it made it's way to the living room and has never gone back. The coffee table is the one we picked out for our first home and it's still kicking. We still like it. I finally found a rug I love, it's soft, modern, clean, perfect color scheme and ties the room all together. I found it at Revival and it's washable, probably too large for my machine but it spot cleans really well. I love it way more than any of my ruggables, it's actually soft. I actually hate my ruggables and want them all gone immediately.
We get such great light in this room. Also, if you haven't noticed, I took these pictures during Easter.
The kids love my "granny coasters."
And we're arriving back to the built ins. Yay!
I can't decided which is my favorite side. I love things from each. Kate was a "brilliant butterfly" in PreK and I've always associated butterflies with her. Her apple air tag icon is a butterfly and I've just also picked butterflies for her. So I had to buy these gorgeous butterfly bookends. They remind me of my sweet girl. I've had them on my wish list for a couple years, no one has bought them for me. So I went to buy myself and couldn't find them. I text my friend Mandy and asked if they carried Two's Company, they do and better yet.. she's at market in Dallas. Mandy ordered my bookends and just brought me a second set for my new office.
The bunny book ends are for Emmy. I actually saw these at my friend Mary's house when we were over for mahjong one night. I searched as soon as I got home and found my own. I love the rainbow tiger group picture on the top shelf. Such fun memories! The second from top shelf is my favorite. I got that platter from my mamaw, after she passed, my mom brought it to me. It's so gorgeous, I knew it needed a place to really shine. I have the matching bowl on the other side of the room. My mom also brought me that broach of mamaw's and I made it into art. You can check out my post on that --> HERE.
I found those flower candlestick holders a while back but have never used them for that purpose. I just like looking at them. And the little green pinecone is a gift from when a delegation from Italy stopped in and met with us at the Ag Department. What it means: In Sicily, the pine cone (or pigna) is a prominent symbol of prosperity, fertility, good health, and immortality. It is traditionally given as a housewarming or wedding gift. You will frequently see these colorful ceramic pine cones adorning balconies, gates, and entryways to ward off bad luck and welcome positive energy into a home.
I know, I'm taking forever on this shelf. But I love it. I do! And it's so special to me, which again, is the whole point. Dopamine decor, right? The other things are just items that I love-- blue and white, always a fav, pink, tulips, my favs. And that little sleepy cat. Gosh I love sleepy cats.
Another cutie finial. This one is a bird because my mom loves birds so I love birds.
Welcome to the other side. First, I had to upgrade the light switches. The basic white just didn't work anymore. Back with the matching other ends of the bookends here. The picture on the top shelf is my very favorite. Emmy was about a month old and we went to the lake. I love how she's asleep in my arms and Brian and I are both looking at our precious Kate and she's smiling. My favorite. That lidded bowl to the left is the most beautiful thing. It's blue and yellow and has a bow on top and it's just so perfect. I'll have to find one on replacements and link it. Whoop! I got a match. I still regret not buying all the plates to match. It's a W.S. George Radisson Apollo covered tureen, the Etsy post says it's rare and comes from the 1940s. The gold and details on this thing are stunning. You can find one HERE.
The lamp I got is also lovely. I don't like the shade just yet, the colors doesn't work but I'm on the hunt for the perfect one. And I don't think my color match was working right cause that bulb is looking too bright.
Moving down, my grandma's crystal filled with wine corks from fun times. Remember my post on making everyone sign them and then I save them?! I bought this vase off Instagram because it looked pretty. And I do really love it! It is super old and has a small chip but you can't tell. And the colors are dreamy. I also love the little blue and white vase and riser, found both at Kiehl Ave store. My fav! And then a watercolor from Ashley Saer. Her colors are my favs.
Whoops, I skipped a shelf all together! I found those fun little brass holders at one of my other fav places to hit, South on Main in Little Rock. They always have really neat things and it's much smaller and I don't feel as overwhelmed. It's a good lunchtime browsing spot. Plus they have this amazing vintage jewelry booth and it's really neat. I've found some awesome necklaces and earrings there. The cases in the front too! My bluebird of happiness is a fav-- got that as spouse gift (Brian actually got) for a work event, that I planned and picked. ;) How can you not be happy looking at that sweetie? If you haven't been to Terra Studios on your way to Fayetteville, you should CHECK IT OUT. The jar and little wooden box I found at Kiehl Ave Antique store and the rattan box is from Amazon and holds my mahjong tiles :)
I switch out which ones I keep in here. I thought the cheap hobby lobby ones would look good with the pink popping through but now I'm keeping my birdies in there :)
So there you have it. I think that about completes this super long post. If you are still with me, hope you love it as much as I do! And I do really, really love it! XOXO
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