Of curtains and chairs, and function over form

Have you seen these curtains from ikea?

ikea stockholm blad panels

I can't help but think these would look pretty nice in my living room, replacing the solid colored gold panels there currently. I am hesitant only because of the not so nice $60 per pair price tag, so for now I am looking for similar cheaper alternatives. I love the idea of something patterned, though.

Also, you may notice that the chair on the right in that picture is new. I found it on a great sale from Target, and bought it even though I wasn't (and still am not) quite sure what I think about the fabric. I may recover it at some point. It replaced an old wicker chair I picked up at a yard sale a few years ago, and gave a coat of burgundy spray paint.

Before:

Currently:

sorry for the slightly different angle!

So as you probably noticed I changed out both the chair and the lamp shade, and found a new home for the tissue box. Next up are a few more changes to this area- when my current roommate Sam moves out in September she will be taking the tan slip-covered ottoman with her, and I am considering buying another chair to math that one, especially since once again they are on sale (though still $15 more than I got that one for originally, I think I lucked out.) I am also planning on replacing the framed poster on that wall (Sam may take that too), perhaps with something handmade from Etsy, to make things more personal.

The layout of the living room I think will always feel a bit cluttered to me. The big, dark furniture, our need for a lot of seating, bird cage and table by the window is a lot in a not very large space. But here is the reality: this room really works well for the way the inhabitants of my apartment live. It is comfortable and cozy, with enough seating for us all to sit around and chat after work, or watch a movie, the table by the window is a great place to do some work, and the layout works quite nicely for entertaining. I may change little things over time, curtains art work, a chair here or there, but it is hard to argue with a space that truly works with our lifestyles.