Our living room was originally designated as a dining room in the builder floor plan, but I had another idea. So that you can picture the layout of the house, I’ve included the floor plan.
Since this room was somewhat separated from the family room, I wanted to make it a formal living area sans t.v. This is how the room started out.
Before
It started to become a room filled with all of our cast-off furniture that didn’t really fit anywhere else. That started to drive me crazy, so slowly we started finding things at auctions that reflected our style better and the room started to evolve into what we have today.
After
*more on those weird white boxes next to the mirror later…just keep reading (wink)!
Here are the items I found at auction for this room. It proves that you actually CAN furnish a room well with second-hand furniture!
#1. Mirror
This mirror is one of my favorite pieces. Similar mirrors are going for $600 online and I paid $100. Score!
#2. Chair
I just wanted a big, overstuffed, comfy chair in this room for reading. I spent a little more money than I generally like to spend for a chair, but you win some, you loose some. It was $250. Not too bad considering you can’t buy a new leather chair for anywhere close to that.
#3. Coffee Table/Side Table
A little confession here…I’m in love with antiqued brass as you’ll start to notice. I also loved the pattern on the top of the tables. They are solid wood on the top and extremely heavy. The coffee table was $150 and the side table was $40.
#4. Bar Cart
Isn’t this thing cute?!?! Bar carts are now all the rage and even though I don’t really have an extensive collection of liquors, I like to come up with creative ways to display my wine glasses and other bar ware. I got this beauty for $50.
#5. Sconces
As soon as I saw these I knew they were what I was looking for to go next to the mirror. The patina is amazing! However, I am in a quandary right now over these guys. They were $22, which is a steal, but I brought them home only to find out that they’re a bit small to put on either side of the mirror.
You’ll see that I have some paper, cut to the size of the sconces, taped to the wall to see what I think about staggering them on one side. Opinions appreciated on this! I can try and find larger sconces to go on either side, leave it as open space and maybe add a nice tall plant on one side, or stagger the two small sconces on the left and find another complimentary piece to go on the right. What do you think?
The other two pieces of furniture in this room were purchased new. First is the couch. What can I say about it??? I think it speaks for itself…isn’t it pretty?!? I got it at Arhaus Loft for 40% off. 
The other piece is the chair. We’ve had that for about 10 years and it’s from Z Gallerie. It’s seen better days, but I’m still “in like” with it, so I’ll keep it for a little longer.
So the room really has come together quite well with a little patience and some online auction savvy! Seriously, if you’re looking for a cool piece and a good deal, you should give it a try. There are local online auctions everywhere. A national auction house that I like to use is Everything But The House (EBTH). I know, I’m giving away my best kept secret, but my house is starting to fill up, so I guess I can spread the love!
Other than the addition of the sconces, I would like to add some crown molding and maybe some board and batton trim. Too much? Thoughts on that would be appreciated too!
Whoa, the before and after are a huge difference! I think we all have rooms in our house that get the cast of furniture — mine has always been the office or the guest room. Last year the guest room got a new bed though, and that has inspired me to keep going in the other, less central, spaces.
I’d love to see a side-by-side before and after of these rooms from the same angle. Great job!