Modern Traditional Tudor Revival Living Room: The definitive living room update post! / Create / Enjoy

Modern Traditional Tudor Revival Living Room: The definitive living room update post!

3.19.2020

I realized (when I looked back at my receipts from last year while doing my taxes--yikes!) that our living room has undergone HUGE changes since 2019! It’s a big room and it has been difficult to decorate, so I would not say that we are 100% done, but it’s welcoming and comfortable--and not embarrassing anymore! I also realized I hadn’t shared any during? after? whatever-I-am-calling-this photos with you to show you around the room, sources, solutions, etc. So here goes!

Modern Traditional Tudor Revival Living Room

In July 2018 we moved into this neglected 1937 Tudor revival-style home. Here's the living room... 80's curtains on tracks, overgrown grapes outside blocking the light, fireplace needing some love, cords coming from everywhere, neutral but dirty woven pattern wallpaper, light fixture capped.

Move-in day

We moved all our previous furniture into this room. That 7x10 rug was not quite big enough, and the green was just a little too much for me with all the bold warm wood trim. Plus we didn't have enough seating--that chair was temporary--or toy storage, or decor, or adequate blackout curtains.

Initial progress

Some changes and progress:

In fall 2018 I painted the fireplace screen black--that helped a lot.
In March 2019 we got a new, skirted slipcover, and swapped out the rug for this one in 8'4"x11'6". What a difference those changes made!!!
Then in spring 2019 I put contact paper over the fireplace brick and painted it. No blog post on that, but that's all there was to it. (I shared about it here.) I didn't like the natural brick since we have so much wood in here, but I couldn't bear to paint the original brick in case someone likes it in the future. I'm happy with the contact paper as a short-term change.
In fall 2019 I finally recovered the two chairs I'd bought but didn't like the color of--in a creamy white stain-resistant Sunbrella fabric (all details here).
At Christmas 2019 we added this super affordable large chandelier. I had been on the fence about what to do with that light cap (we have the original one but with no glass shades, stored in the basement--it was a small antique brass chandelier just like the one that was in the dining room of the house when we moved in)... this black, semi-traditional but simple fixture has been a big improvement!
I've also been upgrading lamps, etc. and what goes over the mantle. And, finally, just this past weekend, I bundled up the extra cords behind the TV and mounted the power strip to the bottom of the dresser. Now this area isn't embarrassing anymore!!

I still think about potential sconces or other things to put on the fireplace wall, and sometimes I wonder if our coffee table is the right size (it's a large, awkward room)... but our living room is feeling SO much better these days!!

I'll share some more before photos right before similar angles so you can really enjoy the transformation!

...I MEAN.....!!!!

We finished our dining room last spring. (Rug update here.) The rooms tie together so well now!

Those storage cubes were meant to be temporary (I even have the fabric I want to recover them with) but they are such practical toy storage we're leaving them as-is for now.

Next to the dining room opening is the tiny entry to the front door. Those bookshelves are more functional than elegant, but we've cleaned them up a bit and I don't mind them now! Plus they're great for storing Otto's books and one of his toy sets in baskets on the bottom shelves.

Another comparison...!

The TV wall has been an eyesore for a while but thanks to my recent cord clean-up and other tidying, is much better now. Our robot vacuum/self-cleaning base is still on that wall but I don't mind it in plain sight, plus it's so easy to engage there.