Cottage Living (RIP) put out some really, really great articles. I will miss that magazine greatly. {**Note to self: they are shutting down the website too, so go through the archives and save your favorite pictures to your hard drive!!}
One of the girls I am helping redecorate her house showed me this awesome article published in Cottage Living a while back.
I am in love. The space is soothing, but not boring. Hip, but mature. Gorgeous AND totally family friendly!
Want to know the details and how to recreate the look for less? Read on…
This incredibly gorgeous sofa is made by my personal favorite furniture company Lee Industries. I can’t tell you how much I love this sofa. It is perfection to me. The high back. The nail head trim. That gorgeous fabric.
Speaking of, this family used one of the best tricks in the book – indoor/outdoor fabric on furniture in homes with pets or kids. It is SUPER stain resistant and wipes down really easily. This beautiful indoor/outdoor print here is made by Duralee for Sunbrella.
Since Lee Industries sofas and Duralee fabrics can be pricey for some of us on a budget, I think it would be easy to find a vintage sofa with great lines on Craig’s list and then have it reupholstered in indoor/outdoor fabric that you find online.
I picked a random city (Miami) on CL and searched for “vintage sofa.” This one is different than the Lee sofa, but still gorgeous with unique lines. Plus it’s down filled and $350! If you live in FL, you should snag it fast. I love it.
Here are a few sunbrella fabrics on eBay that I thought were cool.
Wide stripe
Teal geometric by Schumacher
These are from outdoorfabrics.com and are less than $15 a yard.
Pretty paisley
Gorgeous damask that reminds me of the expensive fabric in the article (that costs about $100/yard).
Fun trellis print
JoAnn’s is another good place to buy indoor/outdoor fabric, because you can use your 40 or 50% off coupons. They usually have some good choices in the special order section.
The Cottage Living article seemed to imply that she used indoor/outdoor fabrics everywhere in their living room. {I love these chairs. And that zebra ottoman is awesome.}
She even used all weather fabric on the cushion of this antique deacon’s bench in her entry way. Those big hooks look cool.
Notice all the yummy texture everywhere? You can get the same look by using seagrass rugs. Overstock has a great deal on seagrass rugs that look exactly like the ones below.
Notice her drapes? Striped fabric hung on the horizontal (called railroading) adds visual interest. I am totally crazy over those bamboo dowels she uses as curtain rods.
Do you love her dining room as much as I do? She painted an old beat up pedestal table a rich chocolaty brown. She also painted a vintage pendant lamp a nice khaki color. I love a little touch of industrial in every room. The vintage sideboard was purchased at a garage sale and then painted white. Love it {although the fabric tie-pulls are a little too sweet to me}.
And those chairs. Wow, I love everything about those chairs. Can you believe this is the before shot? How many times have you seen this exact chair at Goodwill?!
She reupholstered them in faux (vinyl) ostrich (she wipes the chairs down with windex after meals!!) and then a striped and monogrammed fabric panel on the chair backs. So chic!
Get your own faux ostrich here for $7.95 a yard.
And you know how I love fancy chalkboards. This one is gorgeous and would be so easy to recreate.
And, just in case you needed to see this picture for the fourth time, here is the kid-friendly living area in all its glory.
What will I do with out Cottage Living?
I am always the first to comment. It is like I am a stalker. Anyway, I am saving this whole post. I LOVE everything about these rooms. I love the idea of indoor/outdoor fabric. I have often fretted about what to do with little kids running around with snotty noses and messy hands. Do you have to give up style just because you have kids? This is the perfect answer. I love the colors and textures and ideas. Thanks for posting this.
so sad cottage living is no longer. i dreamed of having a subscription because i know i would save each one because i love the style. I’ll have to look at second hand stores for old issues and hold tight to the few things i find in better homes and gardens. i have a little file going of things i like.
Me again. I also love the pew that they have under the hooks. My parents had an old church pew when we were growing up. We used it for extra dinner table seating. But then they got rid of it. I did not have much say when i was 15 as to what they kept… but I’ve managed as an adult to snag a few pieces from their world travels before they got rid of them..now I need a bigger house to put it in. I have a side board that I cannot wait to show you. One day.
I reupholstered my ottoman in my family room with the outdoor trellis fabric in the mocha color. I love it. I never worry about my kids spilling, stepping or drooling on it. And people put their feet up on it without any fretting. And I think I got that great idea from – you. Of course.
This is one of my all time faves from CL. HATE that they are no longer ;(.
Those living room furniture are beyond gorgeous and classy! I love them. Thanks for the ideas, I’ll be using them while decorating my living room with the stuff I bought at Ballard Designs.
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