The Living Room at 5th Place Cottage.

Fun fun fun!  That's what I say.  Work work work!  That's what hubby says!  Whether fun or work, or perhaps a blend of both, the renovation of our lil Canton Cottage getaway, aka 5th Place, is coming right along.

I'm very blessed indeed to have a sweetheart that not only smiles through all the projects, but has the skills necessary to complete them!  No matter what I ask, he's always willing to help. He's as handy as a pocket on a shirt!

 5th Place has been a labor of love, every room has needed much work and the living room was no exception.  Although by comparison, it needed the least amount of work of all the rooms....just paint and refinishing the floors.  However, it did come with its' own set of design difficulties such as having 5 doors, 2 of which were double doors/doorways. Think about that..... 13 x 16 room, and the equivalent of 7 doors, as well as 3 windows.  

This created a challenge for furniture placement, the most troubling area was the corner behind the sofa, it has two doors that lead to bedrooms.  Because of the angle in the room, the doors had become the focal point of the room upon entry.  I didn't like it, but the doors couldn't be moved without major changes to the footprint of the house.  So, we opted to keep it simple and work with the problem.

Instead we utilized a little "clever concealment" (a term I picked up from Linda at Restyled Home).  To do this, we moved the sofa into the corner in front of the doors, and we hung an old window from the ceiling to act as a screen.  Even though you can still see the doors, it did create a new focal point for the corner.

To draw more attention to the window, hubby attached a rack of vintage glove molds to the top and we dropped Mercury pendant lights from them. He looked at me like I had snakes coming out of my head when I told him what I wanted to do. But once it was up, he smiled and said "that's pretty cool". I think that he's pretty cool.

Since this space is so small, we used a petite sofa in this sitting area that fit the space perfectly. And the coffee table....it's an antique gurney with a reclaimed wood top.  The linen table cloth is a new arrival at the Shoppe, isn't it lovely?

I kept the accessories simple, I love the white pitchers with greenery.

I love simplicity.

Finds like this antique architectural corner cabinet are rare.  It was salvaged from an old farmhouse...definitely one of my favorite finds in a while!  When I found it I knew immediately it was going to reside in 5th Place.  It's not only functional, it's cram packed full of character and history. 5th Place liked the gift.

This vintage French chandie was my favorite change....a nice replacement for the 80s model ceiling fan.....that didn't work....I mean it literally didn't work!

Love the lamp and the alphabet eggs!

I'm not a big fan of dark wood, but I love the depth the antique wardrobe gives to the space.  It really anchors the room and the best thing....it cages the #1 predator of decorators ....electronic equipment! 

We first placed a large overstuffed sofa in the right corner, but it just gobbled up the space.  So, we swapped it out and opted for two high-back settee's instead.  Our sweet old boy, Zeek, was napping while I was shooting these photos and I didn't have the heart to ask him to get up.  Come to think of it, I like him in the pics...

I love these new pillows!

This coffee table is an old iron base stand with a dining glass top.

The doorway between the dining room and living room was another focal point that needed some punching up.  So, we hand painted the quote overhead and cut vintage architectural columns to fit inside the doorway.  Poof....instant character!  Aside from the chandie, this was my favorite change in the room.

The room is still evolving and probably will be for a while, but I'm pleased with the bone structure and direction.  We've brought it a long way in a short period of time.  I'm particularly pleased with how much we were able to stretch the tiny room.  Doesn't it look bigger than 13' x 16'?... It certainly feels bigger.

Santos Dolls are fun.

The like the look of the hourglasses grouped.

Isn't this antique statuary of a little boy holding a bird just wonderful?  I just couldn't part with him!

True to our trademark look at the Shoppe, I kept a neutral color palette, and the style is a blend of many things.

You could call this style Vintage French Industrial Farmhouse. I call it....comfortable.