Fun Look Back at the Upholstered Couch

When going through thousands of old photos, one thing stood out...the couch always seemed to be the center of family and friend gatherings. So I thought it would be fun to look at it's many "looks".
This picture below is from the 50's or early 60's...not sure...Oma and a friend having a fun laugh on what I think was the original upholstery on the couch. Also notice that is the same coffee table we are using in front of it today!

 Next is the 60's...this is the couch in it's newly upholstered gold pattern. Oma, her mother, and her brother.

 Below is a few years later with my mother, her grandmother, her aunt and cousin. Something was really exciting just off camera apparently.

 Now we have moved to the 70's (why were all of the pictures orange then?). A Christmas where mom looks thrilled to receive a fishing rod...and Opa trying hard not to put in his two cents I assume. What is also funny about this pic: The lamp and side table...the same ones we are using with the couch today. Ha!

 We have now entered the 80's...that's me playing in front of the couch in it's new floral upholstery. Aren't those throw pillows fabulous? Ha.

 More of the 80's, but this time it's my brother...it's like you weren't part of the family until you had your picture taken in front of the couch or something.

 More 80's...but this is another picture of...yes...the same lamp and side table!

 And now we are into the 90's, in the current house. The previous pics were all from their house in Jackson, MS. This is once again a Christmas gathering...my brother, mom, her cousin, my aunt, my cousin (who's bridal shower you might have seen here), and me.

 So this is where she sits today...I can't wait to see the next round of pictures that come from her latest incarnation!

 We will just have to wait and see...

Living Room: Pictures, Drapes and Details

Here is a reminder of where we started:

Here we are after lots of work. New white drapes and sheers, some accessorizing, and a few things still to do (sorry for the big chair blocking the pic).

The dining room is still a bit of a mess, but it's geting better. We are waiting on two upholstered dining chairs to sit on each end of the table.

We used old pictures of buildings in Amsterdam that were both from this house and my mom's to sit over the chairs.

Hopefully the dining room light fixture will be up soon!

Another reminder of where we started:

Pretty much the same angle. We still need some lamp shades and there are several other finishing touches left to do. We used the same side tables but painted them with the same color as the guest room dresser and gave them a little distressing as well. I also did this to the top of the coffee table.

I used some Reader's Digest books for accessorizing along with family pictures and antique pieces.

I had my friend Hillary painted this piece for the living room as a gift. I think it works perfectly in the space with my mom's buffet and some new lamps we found at Homegoods!

Living Room Couch: New Pillows!

Here is the couch where it sat for years. It looks pretty dated in this pic, but we knew this couch had already lasted forever, and is a quality piece. And since boldly upholstered couches are making a comeback, we figured we would work with what we had!

It already looks MUCH better with new paint and floors!

I worked on some pillows with fabric that I had/that we bought to update the look with coordinating colors.

The back is pretty firm so these will help soften it up a bit.

Living Room: Updating the Secretary

This secretary previously sat in the den, and has been in the family for quite some time. It is really dark inside the shelves, but we didn't want to alter it permanently.

So I went through my fabric stash and found a print that would work in this room. Then I used an old cardboard box and cut it to size. I used painters tape to attach the fabric to the cardboard...kind of like reupholstering with no staples.

I then removed the shelves and stuck the cardboard against the back. Then I put the shelves back in place. It became the perfect place for all of Oma's crystal!

It's hard to get a good picture without a reflection...I'll try again when it's not sunny (if that ever happens). The glass needs repairing, but other than that it looks great!

Living Room: Creative Side Chair Pillows

The side chairs needed some back support, and we were on a budget. So I decided to use these travel pillows from Wal-Mart as a pillow form. They were the perfect size and are pretty firm. And the pricetag of a couple of dollars was nice too!

They were a perfect fit!

Living Room: Furniture Overload

Here is a reminder of where we last left off:

Here is the room after a few additions:

Obviously it's a little chaotic...The two side chairs came in those large Overstock boxes. We found the pair there and they work perfectly in the space with the secretary!

We are re-using the couch (which has had several facelifts over the years...I will try to dig up some pics to show it's many different looks). The rug is from Ballard and is a natural seagrass to help give the space a more casual feel. That buffet and tall shelf are just in their temporary home.

Now all the chairs need are some fun pillows to give them some personality!

Dining/Living Room: Refinished Hardwoods!

Here is a quick reminder of the "before"

 And currently:

The baseboards need to be installed and the door needs to be painted, but things are moving along!

Here is the dining room before:

A new light fixture will help the dining room look more complete...and furniture of course!

Dining Room/Living Room: Paint!

Here is a refresher of the dining room before...

 Below is the dining room after paint and new molding(taken with a cell phone but you get the idea)!

 Here is another refresher for the living room...

It still needs some molding but it's looking much better!

The Dining/Living Room: Before

The dining and living rooms are off the kitchen. The dining room floor is 3 layers of laminate, the bottom layer glued to what we think is hardwoods (ugh). The living room connects to it and the floor is 70's carpet covering pretty oak hardwoods. The hope is to refinish both of these to make them seemless. Both rooms are getting fresh paint and crown molding.

View from the kitchen.

View from the living room.

 Looking into the kitchen.

I had no idea how hard it was to take pictures with this paneling!

 This is the only piece of furniture staying in the room. It's a couch that my grandmother had re-upholstered several times throughout the years and is in great shape!

 Believe it or not, there is a beautiful lake view somewhere out there.