Cape Cod Living Room Refresh: Before
Refreshing the living room of our 1952 traditional Cape Cod home, on a budget.
We’ve lived in this home for five years, and I’m just as obsessed with it as I was the first time I saw it. When we first started looking for a house the market was similar to how it is now, a lot of buyers and not many houses. Though prices were about half of what they are now. We had made offers on about five and were outbid each time. With this one we were not willing to let it slip through our fingers. We offered $10,000 over asking (which seemed like a lot then), and I wrote a letter to the owner about our family and how ready we were to settle in as a family of five (with a photo attached). They accepted our offer! It was one of sixteen offers from the first day it was on the market.
To say I had been envisioning what this home would look like is a huge understatement. I spent so much time on Pinterest and Instagram figuring out what design aesthetic spoke to me, and how I could achieve that on a budget. We had a five year old (Georgia), a two and a half year old (Josie), and a six month old (Beau), so I knew I wanted it to be comfortable for them and be set up for hosting. When we moved in we painted almost every room, raised the cabinets to the ceiling, painted them and gave them new hardware, and put a new light fixture in the dining room. That’s about it as far as major projects. So this is the beginning of slowly moving through the house room by room and bringing them up to speed, as well as doing some maintenance like painting trim and minor renovations.
The living room has evolved over time, through accessories and styling. The base pieces have stayed the same, and most will even with this refresh. The couch, chairs, and ottoman are from O.P. Jenkins, a local furniture store. They have such great pieces, and four floors of in stock items. The couch is a Robin Bruce for Rowe piece, in a kid-proof crypton fabric. It’s held up so well, highly recommend. Outside of the upholstery I’ve collected the other furniture, art, and accessories from Facebook Marketplace, craigslist, and local artists/friends. I was committed to only buying things that I loved instead of just filling spaces, for the most part I’ve stuck with that. As Bunny Williams says, “If you love something, it will work. That’s the only rule.” I believe that rings true in this room. I went into furnishing this house knowing I loved traditional design, and fresh clean lines. I wanted it to feel elevated and comfortable.
The things that never made it to the top of the priority list are; window treatments, a rug, and doing something with that fireplace surround. Those will get tackled in this project as well as creating a custom vent/grate for the door that leads upstairs, adding some warmth and depth, and a few new pieces.
I’ve honed in on my design preferences in the last five years, partially through helping others decorate their homes. I’m so excited to give my house some love! The next post will have a detailed plan for this space, and some inspiration pictures. As well as an update..because I already bought a new piece..whoops.
