Living Room Makeover

It all started with a new TV.  Mr. SH and I had this great TV armoire in our living room.  It worked for 20 years.  Then, on a crisp Fall day last year we went and bought ourselves a new TV.  We paid under $600 for a sleek, new flat screen and had no idea how this one little treat would turn into months and months of auxiliary purchases.

Our living room has an ‘open floor plan’ with this I-wish-it-wasn’t-there corner fireplace that dominates the room with its muy grande mantle.  Without the TV armoire sitting in the room to balance out the fireplace we needed a new idea.

We were so naïve.

First, we bought a modern-ish used buffet to sit below the new TV.  It was a similar wood tone as the old TV armoire and could hold the components.  Since it was used, we only paid $200 for it.  Budget-wise, so far-so good.  It worked OK for a while, but that TV just threw off the scale of the room.  And the buffet was a little under scale, too.  (sorry, I never took a picture of this)

Without the old TV armoire to balance out the corner fireplace, the room still wasn’t working.  And, it had beige walls.  And, I thought I was the mantle’s fault.

When you walked into the room, the first thing you noticed was the beige-tiled fireplace with it’s Grande mantle.
  

So, last January we set out to get a few new pieces and bring everything into scale.   We started with the de-beigeing {I’m sure the grammar police will cite me for that one} of the room.  I chose Benjamin Moore’s Moonshine.  A cool, bluish-gray (since gray is now the new beige).

Said, “Adios!” to the old mantle {don’t gasp, it’s in our attic}.

 

Notice the cool gray up against the old beige.  What a huge difference.
   

Removing the mantle revealed this gaping space that needed filling.  Since I couldn’t convince Mr. SH that we really didn’t need a mantle, instead, I found this tile at Lowes and we used it to fill in this empty space left from the great mantle exchange.

The travertine tiles have a lot of gray mixed in with a natural stone color.  I was hoping to tone down the beige in this tile.  

Mehh.

Every room starts with an idea and this is the look I was trying to recreate, minus the Crate and Barrel prices.

 {source}

 
So, after months of waiting for the upholstered pieces, shopping for new accessories, building a new mantle, and spending the equivalency of A Vacation in Paris, I am calling this project D-O-N-E.

Well, no room is ever done.  There is an on-going controversy over the fireplace pooch named Maris {if you are a fan of Frasier, you will understand this}.
 
I bought Maris as a way to de-beige the fireplace tiles.  She isn’t an overall favorite with some members of my family. 

So, I’m asking you to chime in and cast a vote:
 
Should Maris Stay

or

Should Maris Go.

Please comment accordingly.