The Power of Paint: My Gypsy Living Room & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up On the Edge #646

April 7, 2023 / 22 Comments

I finally (almost) finished my living room makeover! Although I did want to wait until it was totally complete to share photos, it may not ever be totally complete so now is the time. This first stage of the makeover really was just about the power of paint and how a fresh coat of a new color can dramatically change the whole vibe of a room. My living room went from boring old neutrals (like my dining room) to beautifully tranquil shades of teal. The colors I used are Gypsy Teal (close to Bay Teal) for the fireplace, the accent wall, and the built-in bookcases, Sea Breath for the other three walls, and Seascape (close to Waterscape) for the trim. Once the weather is warm enough to remove the front door, I will be painting that Gypsy Teal as well.

living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
Framed animal posters are from the Poster Store.
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge

Edited on May 25, 2023: I dyed vintage white lace curtains that were handed down to me from my mother-in-law to replace the old gray and white curtains.

living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge

I loved the name Gypsy Teal for such a gorgeous color so I used that bohemian inspiration for the rest of my decor choices. I simply looked around my home and gathered up an eclectic array of random things collected over the years and placed them on the mantle, bookshelves, and table top areas. I used the old fringed valances as runners across the top of the bookcases and then I used scarves in their place as valances.

living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
These ceramic statues belonged to my mother. We always called them The Cherry Pickers. I don’t know where she got them. I had always thought she had made them herself but upon closer inspection I noticed initials on the bottom of each statue that are not hers. My sister recalls my mother having a frined who made a lot of ceramics for her so we think these came from that friend.
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
Jeff purchased this original painting when he was stationed in Germany over 20 years ago. He also bought a summer scene by the same artist that my mother-in-law has on display in her house.
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
The dresser in the living room. It’s there because it won’t fit up our windy, narrow century-old staircase. So I do what I can to make it fit the decor. I accessorized my dress form with some of my favorite, sentimental things. It looks nice enough until all the clutter begins piling up on the dresser top again!
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
This painting was a wedding gift to my parents and it always reminded me of The Cherry Pickers. It hung over our living room couch for my entire childhood and when I was really young I thought it was a portrait of my parents (even though they look nothing like my parents and my parents were born a few generations after this type of clothing would have been worn)!
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
Framed nature posters are from the Poster Store.

I also cleaned out a whole bunch of clutter that had accumulated on all the flat surfaces in the living room. I organized the board games, some books, and various other bric-a-brac in the built-in bookshelves. I replaced some of the curtains with scarves and rearranged some of the wall art as well. The next big step of the living room makeover is to paint the center of the ceiling beams like I did in the dining room. It is a tremendously tedious task painting ceiling beams, but the outcome is so worth the effort. The carpeting will also be replaced soon. It is next on the list after the upstairs carpeting has been installed, which is scheduled to happen in a few weeks.

living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
My scarf curtains have made me so happy on so many levels. I am all about recycling, reusing, and repurposing whatever I can these days. Plus I couldn’t find any curtains at retail that I liked better.
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
This is the scarf I wore for my SIA interpretation when Jeff asked me if I was wearing a curtain.
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge

We are also planning to replace the white couch with this bean bag chair, loveseat, and ottoman. I think it will lighten up that side of the room when we remove the big bulky sleeper couch. And I think that this bean bag furniture is so totally modern-day gypsy that it absolutely needs to be in my living room. Also all of my old beat up wooden furniture is on my makeover list for this summer. I have never refinished furniture but I am going to give it my best effort. It’s never too late to learn a new craft, after all.

I forgot to take before pictures of my living room but you can see the lackluster drabness of it all here, here, here, here, here, and here. Isn’t it so much better now with its gypsy aesthetic?

I also gave my “No Soliciting” front porch sign a little makeover using the living room paint colors. Again, I forgot to take a before picture of the sign but you can kind of see it behind the giant spider web on my Spooky Halloween Front Porch. It previously said, “No Soliciting, Religious or Otherwise.” I think the revised one is so much better. Would you agree?

living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge

I am also repainting this cute little shelf and drawer that Jeff made in high school shop class. I am not sure where it will go but I am coordinating it with the living room decor.

living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge

And there you have it…my almost complete living room makeover. I am really excited for new carpeting in this room. We have decided on a medium shade of gray which will hopefully help disguise some of the pet and kid damage that will inevitably occur.

So far I have shared the power of paint in the makeovers of my cloffice, my upstairs hallway, my dining room, the game room, and the boys’ bedroom. I will share the complete makeover results of the boys’ bedroom in a few weeks once the carpet is installed and their new bunk beds assembled. And then I will be picking the paint colors for the master bedroom.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. And if you celebrate, Happy Easter from our very own Easter Bunny, George! He poops a lot but sadly he does not poop Cadbury eggs.

living room makeover, gypsy inspired room, bohemian decor, teal room, Shelbee on the Edge
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I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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22 Comments

  • Nancy

    April 7, 2023 at 7:50 am Reply

    Even George’s bench blends in! You did a great job. It looks so much more cozy now. Funny that in the UK you also see a lot of houses were you step straight in the living room. We don’t know that here. Enjoy your Easter weekend! And thank you for the feature of Jack. He is quite a handful,lol.

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      April 7, 2023 at 9:45 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Nancy! We are actually going to make a new cage platform for George out of wood to coordinate with the room. He doesn’t go in his cage much these days except to eat and use his litter box so I want to get rid of the whole top cage part. Now I am curious, when you enter your front door, which room do you go into?

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Michelle

    April 7, 2023 at 9:28 am Reply

    Absolutely freaking gorgeous! I love, love, love the colors. And you gave a good eye for decorating. The scarf valances are perfect. The layout of your wall art, statues, and other decorations is lovely. I would feel quite cozy in that room. I’ve been considering a makeover of a dresser in our bedroom, but that’s got to wait a bit. And I have no idea if I can figure out how to do what I want. I’m looking forward to your future upgrades!

    Michelle

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      April 7, 2023 at 9:43 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Michelle! I never thought I had an eye for home decorating but now both you and my sister have pointed out that maybe I do! I just know what I like and I want to be surrounded with the things that please me! I have never refinished furniture before so I am not certain how this will all go down. But I won’t know unless I try!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Di

    April 7, 2023 at 10:53 am Reply

    What a beautiful and cozy nest you have created! I love the bold but tranquil color combination, and the bohemian style seems a perfect fit for your style. Thanks for sharing your makeover and enjoy the weekend!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      April 8, 2023 at 7:45 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Sally! I never knew George’s breed so I just did some research. It looks to me like he is part Blanc de Hotot, Rhinelander, and American. And now that I know his eye markings are called eyeliner, I have started calling him Boy George!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Alexandra

    April 8, 2023 at 11:02 pm Reply

    What a beautiful, fun living room. I absolutely love this teal color! When I was a teen, my mom painted one wall of my room this color but used a sponge. It’s forever one of my favorite things.

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      April 9, 2023 at 7:04 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Alexandra! I bet your teal wall was awesome! Sponge painting is really cool. My mother was always repainting rooms in our house when I was growing up. I think she instilled the joy of painting in me! I really do enjoy the process…once I can finally settle on the paint colors!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Marsha Banks

    April 12, 2023 at 11:28 pm Reply

    Shelbeeeeeeeeee!!! This is so gorgeous and so you! I love the colors…especially the painted woodwork. There was a time when I didn’t like painted woodwork, but I love it now. Guess what we have in the new house? Stained wood woodwork…and we paid extra for it! So, it won’t be painted any time soon…like forever soon! Your living room has such a rich yet cozy vibe. I can’t wait to see it with the new furniture. And, built-in bookshelves? I’ve always wanted those, but we’ve never had a space right for them. Love yours! Gah…I just love this room so much!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      April 13, 2023 at 7:13 am Reply

      Oh my goodness, thanks so much, Marsha! I sit and gaze at my teal wall and fireplace and it makes me so happy! It really didn’t feel like us until now. I am enjoying the slow process of searching for and/or creating the perfect things for my home decor that reflect our personalities. The whole family has agreed that our upstairs bathroom should be Grateful Dead themed since you enter it from my happie hippie hallway so that’s in my near future. I need to find a tie dye toilet!

      Stained woodwork sounds gorgeous so I definitely would not paint that either! Every house I have ever lived in had painted trim and baseboards but it was always white and it always looks dingy to me so I always paint it something other than white. Built in bookshelves are pretty fantastic! I have those awesome built in shelves in my dining room, too. I have to find a picture of the first apartment Jeff and I lived in together and send it to you. It was a tiny one bedroom, about 400 square feet. Jeff had his friend come in and he custom built floor to ceiling bookshelves around half of my living room. It was so freaking cool and I was so sad to leave it behind! I am going to find a photo now and send it to you on FB messenger…

      xoxo
      Shelbee

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