The Duchess House Chronicles

     I'm feeling so overwhelmed by the new house.  There is so much to do that I don't even know where to start.  I'm constantly devising a new plan for this or a new approach to that but the truth is... until I get all the boxes emptied out and put away, I can't really get down to the fun stuff.

    So today I'm starting a new series.  I'm hoping this will break down this insurmountable house into smaller, more manageable portions.  Portions that I can tackle and complete and feel like I have actually accomplished something.  Baby steps, right?

    You will probably also notice some changes to the blog over the next few days as well.  I am adding some tabs at the top to make things easier to navigate and organize my reno so I can really keep track of the progress.  After all, this is supposed to be a journal of the progress of this house.  So,  I give you...

   Just a reminder, we just moved in, half our stuff is still in boxes and this room is no where near decorated much less styled!

   This is the front living room at our Duchess house.  It has a bit of an awkward layout.  We have been working on arranging our existing furniture but are discovering that it doesn't really fit into this room.  Everything in the room feels off centre to me.  I am the kind of person who re quires symmetry.  I like pairs of things:  lamps, chairs, etc.  So I'm having a really hard time getting my head around this long, skinny room.

This is the planned layout:

   I don't really love the rug I have with the fabric in the adjoining dining room.  I think a nice sisal rug would look better.  We will move the Pottery Barn rug that is currently in there up to our master.

via west elm

I found a couple chairs I like at Urban Outfitters.  They are both small in scale but I need to decide how much pattern I want.  The striped cushions and the orange velvet cushions will stay.

 

via my pinterest

There is also the question of lighting.  I would like to put a couple of sconces on either side of the fireplace.  I haven't sourced them yet but there is no light in this room except for the plug-in lamps.

We hate the fireplace, especially my carpenter husband.  He will eventually restore it.  There will be pretty millwork that goes with the style of the home.  There will be no green faux marble tile. The artwork will all get hung and the mantel will be styled.

  I love the bay window with the leaded glass.  I am just going to make simple sheer linen cafe curtains for here.  The lace ones aren't really to our taste but they aren't an immediate priority.

   There you are, a snapshot of the first room you see in the house.  The others are in even worse shape and I'll be showing you my plans for those over the next couple weeks.

xo Meg