I didn’t realize how long it’s been since I’ve updated you guys on the progress of the living room makeover.

Here’s where we left off on the project way back in September (I don’t know about you, but time is really zooming on by).

I’m really discovering this 2.0 version of myself through designing this space. It’s crazy how things I use to gravitate towards in the past, including with decor, just don’t do it for me anymore (I talk more about this here because decorating is truly a healing and discovery journey of self).

Well, where do I begin because there’s so much that has transpired since I last wrote?

I finally added doors to the media cabinet and although it didn’t turn out exactly how I wanted it, it turned out exactly how I needed it to and I’m in love! Here’s how the cabinet looked before the makeover. I ordered brass handles for it, which didn’t arrive until last week so that gave me some time to live with the media cabinet as is and it turns out that I’m loving the sleek look of it without handles. They are STUNNING, but I’m going to sit with it longer and then make a decision…handles or no handles (I’ll keep you posted).

This change alone brought me the only peace and sanity into my life because I was finally able to clear up the dining room of all the books and things that I had to remove from the media cabinet so that Taz wouldn’t go to town. I’d forgotten how much this little cabinet truly holds because I was able to return all the books to its home, add the kids school supplies, my fabric and sewing materials and much more. I am H-A-P-P-Y, like overjoyed happy because if you know me, you know that I don’t function well in chaos so having an organized space is key to keeping my mental health in tip top shape.

Btw, did you notice? We finally got an appropriate size TV and this time around, Robert was supervised during the entire installation of it (me and my neck are happy AF now - IYKYK).

Here’s a close up and to be completely honest, the pictures really don’t do it any justice because she is a beauty and I’m not just saying that because I put my my entire being, blood, sweat, and tears into creating her…nope, she truly is a bad b*tch! Catch all the behind the scenes in my IG stories here and the recap of how this came to be here. I really love how grounded she makes me feel every time I look at her. She reminds me of a strong yet gentle tree - true Grandmother Willow in Pocahontas vibes. It’s like I’m outdoors without having to go outdoors..you know?

The bamboo frame was ordered and mounted to house the graffiti print so now my ode to hip hop is shining bright in the living room. It’s my take on my love of the LL Cool J song, Around The Way Girl..plus, we’re both from Queens so there’s that! More on that here.

This piece right here describes me and Robert to a T since we both love Hip Hop, but I just truly love how the bamboo frame adds that touch of elegance, but really ties in the mark bamboo earrings has made on hip hop fashion. LOVE!

I was also able to frame the Guatemalan tapestry in a beautiful chrome finish, so that’s been hung under my near and dear African tapestry and they are looking cute all coupled up I must say.

And finally, but not finally is the coffee table that never happened. If you follow me on IG, I’ve been sharing on my stories a bit of the behind the scenes, just a bit because you guys get all the 411 over here on the blog.

I shared how I ordered the coffee table and got a rug instead. How this happened, I don’t know (tbh - I blamed it on Mercury Retrotrade - lesson learned), but moving on, I was able to get a refund and instead of buying another coffee table, I purchased the chandelier. Now a coffee table is still in the design plan, but since I’ve been going back and forth on a paint color, I decided that solidifying the main lighting in the space would allow selecting a paint color, a breeze.

A little backstory on the lighting in my home. It sucks!

I am a true lover of natural light. Like give me all the Sun (me and my Esthetician fight over this a lot), but despite my love of natural light, my home just doesn’t get much of it, which is why most of my plants live by the window. With that said, it always feels really dark in my home, even when the lights are on and that is not good for my mood.

This is mainly because the light fixtures need to be updated. The last time we updated them had to be anywhere from 7-10 years. I mean, it’s been a journey like that time, I updated the chandelier in the living room way back when. Even with the update, the light just isn’t giving because it just sucks - clearly, it didn’t understand the assignment so it was time to go. It will live in the staircase moving forward so it will stay in the family.

See, the thing about lighting is that you have to pay attention to the details, like all things decorating, but especially with lighting because lighting can make your decorating project a beautiful success or an epic fail. You have to pay attention to things like, wattage capacity, material, size, style, color (soft white, warm white, etc) and more. More on lighting over here in case you want to geek out.

The chandelier finally arrived. I was waiting to install it so that I could include it in this update, but then I thought to myself…Julie what is the rush?! I’ve been really walking in my Libra North Node lately, which equates to ease, balance, beauty and basically all things opposite of my Aries South Node.

So that update will follow soon, but for now I’m really taking my time with creating my safe space like my girl Shavonda says, decorating a home should be a sprint and not a marathon.

There have been little pockets of improvements that have already been done and the difference is truly felt in the space. Click here to see the next phase of the living room makeover because there’s still lots more to get done and if you don’t remember, here’s how the space started and here’s what’s left to get done:

new curtains, rods, and finials
paint (going back and forth on if I’ll paint the ceiling too..stay tuned)
rug
coffee tables and accessories
coasters
more art since I plan on moving the wall mirror to our bedroom
new side tables and table lighting
repainting the hallways (wall, doors and ceiling) including new lighting
new shoe storage for the foyer as well since Taz has this thing with shoes that I haven’t been able to shake lol
removing the weird corner wall between the living room and the foyer to open up the space

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How I'm Transforming My Living Room To Match My Vibe Part 5

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