The living room at Villa DuMais has been cluttered and downright junky for months, as I had no inspiration/motivation to clean and straighten. Yesterday, however, I was successful in removing the carved pedestal legs from the antique dining table we replaced and scooted through the French doors into the living room to make way for the replacement table. I plan to use the pedestal legs as a base for a long sofa table.
My success in detaching the legs from the table top was just what I needed to energize me to remove other junk from the room: paint cans, grout mix and tools used to grout the scored concrete front porch; bentwood dining chairs removed from the dining room months ago; a large ottoman that I intended to reupholster but have now decided to replace with a seating arrangement of two chairs with a small tea table between.
When I cleared out the excess furniture and other clutter, I had room to use the bonus piece of furniture that came with our craigslist dining set. I didn't think I needed the drop-leaf tea service table. With a little encouragement, I would have left it with the sellers. It sat in our hallway for months, serving as a kitty "apartment" right outside the master bedroom, until I brought it into the living room today. It looks great!
I'm satisfied, at least for now, with the furniture arrangement, but that's only the beginning of a long list of projects that will need to be completed before the room is properly decorated. Today, though, we have enjoyed the room "as is." I turned on all the lamps, lit candles, and settled in.
If I can keep the energy and inspiration flowing, it might be possible someday to say "ta-da! This is the vision I had when we bought this home. I love it and hope that you do, too!" For now, I continue to say "This home has so much potential ...just maybe not in our lifetime...."
