I've always been working towards posting here, but due to budgetary constraints and lack of inherent sauciness in my previous abodes, I've always felt a bit constrained - I wanted to leave off on posting until things really were up to both my standards and the standards of the community.
Luckily, having moved into a fairly beautiful flat with great bones, I've been able to put together a bit more awesomeness. My house will be ready for a tour soon - I'm still working on the finishing touches for my bedroom and the bathroom - but I had my living room looking almost right, posted some pictures to the Open Sauce thread and got encouragement from
silly_narziss to make a separate post.
In that thread I was bemoaning the lack of a coffee table (since that was the #1 thing precluding me from feeling like it was just about right). Today, on wandering into the Salvation Army since I hadn't been thrifting for a while, I found a cute little retro table for $10! So with that boost in mind, I cleaned and organised the living room so I could take a few more shots and make a full post as a preview of things to come.
This is a painting done by my dad - it's the exodus from Egypt, re-rendered into a modern setting. It hangs above our French doors - you can see it in context in the first shot above.
I adore this couch - it was thrifted for a steal since it needed new spring loops on the back and was upholstered in a horrible dirty lime green so I made completely new upholstery for its cushions. The frame still needs a sanding and re-oiling which I plan to do this summer. It's over 2 metres long and folds down into a double bed, though even non-folded it's comfortable for a good stretched-out nap (my cat would like to think she could take over the whole thing, but even trying very hard she can't quite.) I'd still like to add more cushions - I have some Amy Butler fabric waiting in my stash.
These paintings are also by my Dad - he's an artist here in New Zealand. I adore having so much of his art around me since it really settles me into my surroundings and makes it feel more like home. The red/chrome side chair was originally in really bad condition - the vinyl was splitting and leaking stuffing everywhere, so my partner and I recovered them with new red vinyl and padding. Sewing vinyl piping on my non-industrial sewing machine is not something I'd really enjoy doing again, but I suppose it builds character.
All of these vases are thrifted - the jug is English pottery and found for something like $12, but I adore the shape of it and how it reflects the light. The faux Wedgewood vase features Yelling Bird from Questionable Content, which makes me giggle. The yellow mug is a Crown Lynn coronation mug produced in 1953 for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation - it has an embossed portrait on the front and I couldn't resist having it in my collection.
The typography picture was a cover of a year planner I used while living overseas - I enjoyed the design so much I cut off the cover when the year ended and framed it. The Japanese portraits are vintage Kirin beer advertisements and are postcards my host father gave me while I was living in Japan.
The lamp was just a cheap one from NZ chain The Warehouse (similar to Walmart) but the white shade was much starker than the ceramic base so I covered it with some remnant poppy fabric I had in my stash. It's much more interesting now as I love the shape of the base (the red lamp on the opposite side of the room is the same model.) I've used the same fabric to make a curtain for my kitchen window.
I love these cushions; it and the NZ map cushion in other shots were from limitedvintage.co.nz and are made from old woolen blankets. 'Aroha' means 'love' in Maori. The armchairs were also thrifted for $50 for the pair - they're a little shabby, but still comfortable to curl up in, and I kind of like how everything in my house seems a little old but very well-loved and comfortable with each other. The only main things I'm still waiting on for this room are my prints (
Binary 2.0 and
New Colonies from 826LA) which are still at the framers, and a rug of some kind. Ideally I would have liked a white flokati, but given that we have a black cat who seems to shed more than her body weight in fur, I doubt white is the right choice. We'll likely settle on a chocolate brown sheepskin or shag rug.
If there's anything I haven't mentioned, please feel free to ask about it! I tend to tl;dr in my descriptions so I tried to restrain myself :)