How I Will Transform My Family Room...Hopefully

I'm so so so tired of my family room. Here is how it looks now.

It isn't awful, but it is awfully boring. 

I know I can't afford to replace my large brown couch. And while I toyed with the idea of making a white slipcover for it, in the end my gut tells me that even though it would be washable my family would smear fish crackers and diet coke and pen and red dirt on it every day and that I would go coo-coo. 

So I started looking for an inspiration photo that included a brown sofa. Obviously mine isn't a brown leather sofa, but I think I can get the same look. Here is my main inspiration picture.

It keeps the two main elements that I don't want to change, blue walls and a brown coach, and adds the green curtains, white trimmed fire place, and extra decorative elements like the throw pillows, and flowers that I think I can emulate. The family room used to be yellow; I  like the blue better.

I also want a picture gallery wall. Here's my inspiration photo for that.

Although I want the room to feel more layered and interesting like the first picture, I still want it to feel like a family  room where we can all relax together. After all, snuggling and watching "Once Upon A Time" is one of our favorite things. I think a gallery wall will help with that. I already picked up some white frames the last time I was at IKEA and I'll need to keep an eye out for more.

So here are my incredibly accurate, architectural quality design mock ups that I made to show you my plans.

I did say silver. It's because I got all excited when I saw this picture of a silver table on Young House Love. I ran out and bought five quarts of silver paint, and then chickened out. Bwack. Now I need to use the paint. Here is a previous effort to fix those bookshelves.

http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/07/house-crashing-style-for-miles/

Good grief, just looking at it makes me want to try it again! Anyway. Back to the family room plans.

I am a beautiful artist, no?

Annie Sloan chalk paint for the piano and maybe turquoise for the dresser?

Aaaaand here's my rendition of a gallery wall.

Those pillow colors aren't right. I'll be aiming more for the ones in my first inspiration photo.

So there you have it! I have so much elbow grease to apply it's crazy...I better go brush my teeth :)

Have a great day, friends!

Post edit...I did get around to doing some of these projects. Take a peek at my gallery wall, painted and styled bookshelves, and painted piano.