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A house is not a home | Living Room – Before and Progress

Back when Ryan and I were house hunting, I don’t think we really knew how to define what we were looking for…we had a list of must-haves for our first home and we knew the location where we wanted to end up and I think we also may have known that we wanted an old house with character…but I think I just expected to feel something when we found the right one…kind of like the way you feel when you find the perfect wedding dress…Well personally, I didn’t actually ever feel that way about the wedding dress I chose…I didn’t really get that feeling when I walked into the house that we ended up buying either…But I think I’m one of those people that’s really good at seeing the potential in things…like how good they could be with a little extra work. Sometimes I end up regretting it, but usually it ends up being a good thing!

I ended up buying a wedding dress from David’s Bridal and then had a seamstress cut off the whole top of it and sew on a new top to the skirt…it took a little work to make it into my perfect dress…but I LOVED the way it turned out and it was kind of fun having a “custom” made dress….

I kind of feel the same way about our little house! When I walked in and saw these built in book shelves I just KNEW they had major potential…It’s been a lot of work and it’s still a work in progress but we are slowly making this house our HOME. And I’m learning to love the process of doing so, even though it’s slow…

I wanted to start with our living room because we didn’t have to do that much to it! We liked the neutral color of the walls, so I just painted the backs of the built in bookshelves to make the things I put on it stand out a little more. Most of the little things you see in this room were actually props from our wedding! I like to challenge myself to decorate with as little cost as possible…I like to call it newlywed budget decorating:). The end table and coffee table were from Ryan’s grandparents..I just added a little paint and now I LOVE them! The TV armoire was a craigslist find for 65 dollars. The little mail hutch was a housewarming gift from my mom. The rug was purchased on Black Friday for $175 and the chair is off of Overstock.com and was $250. The only thing we’d like to swap out in the not-so-distant future is the couch…It was a hand me down from my parents and it’s seen better days…but we love how comfy and big it is because lots of guests can sit on it! I want one that’s a little smaller with a chaise though, instead of the big L shape…Most of the decorations on the walls came from thrift stores or Ikea. I still have to add a few more things to the walls and I want to find some gray geometric print pillows to add to the couch too…but for now, I really love how this room feels!

And it’s the perfect room for me to have client meetings in! It feels open and light and it’s right by the front door…Plus you can’t see the kitchen from this room so it doesn’t matter if I have dishes piled up in the sink when brides come over, which I’m super thankful for. I used to want to have brides meet with me upstairs in my office, but I like how it feels so much more like I’m just hanging out with a friend when we meet in the living room!

So here’s the BEFORE that we took from a website when we were first house hunting….

And here’s the PROGRESS we’ve been making!

The built-ins…still not fully satisfied with every shelf, but I’m slowly figuring out what works!

I call this our reading corner…it’s where I have my coffee and quiet time in the morning…

It’s CRAZY what paint can do for a table..these used to be a really awful orange-y wood color…

I’m still trying to figure out how to hide that ugly speaker…:)

Our little front entryway…I’m still trying to decide what prints I want to put in these frames…

I really want to order a canvas of one of our own wedding photos to put above the TV armoire!

That little basket in our mail hutch is the catch all..this thing would look so junky all the time without it!

A canvas of my dad’s hometown in Germany…

Cant wait to keep documenting the progress as we make it!

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  1. Tina Tabibi

    January 31st, 2013 at 3:14 pm

    This is fabulous. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE your built-in shelf unit. It’s gorgeous. Good call on painting the coffee table. Everything came together well. Very stylish!:)

  2. Kelli

    January 31st, 2013 at 3:15 pm

    I love it, it looks awesome. What color paint is that on the back of the built-ins?

  3. Stephen

    January 31st, 2013 at 3:17 pm

    Beautiful. Maybe I’ll hire you to come decorate my new place!

  4. Ali W

    January 31st, 2013 at 3:21 pm

    I LOVE IT!!! So wonderfully put together without being too matchy matchy. It looks good on camera too :)

  5. Kat

    January 31st, 2013 at 3:21 pm

    I love it! it’s so fresh and clean; i love the rug and end table! And I love how it still looks “manly” but doesn’t loose it’s “girly” side :)

  6. Alison Mish

    January 31st, 2013 at 3:54 pm

    I just want to jump in those pictures and live there! I absolutely love your style!

  7. Samantha Horseman

    January 31st, 2013 at 4:01 pm

    It’s looking amazing! Great decision w/ the rug and tables! Love your reading nook and of course the teal accents!!! :)
    Can’t wait to see you tonight!

  8. Laura

    January 31st, 2013 at 4:02 pm

    This is just stunning! Love what you did with the colors. Feels very welcoming.

  9. Melissa Grandt

    January 31st, 2013 at 4:06 pm

    Can you come decorate my house? I LOVE the paint you put on the back of the built-ins. I never would have thought of that.

  10. Brittany Claud

    January 31st, 2013 at 4:14 pm

    I am OBSESSED with your bookshelves!!! My bookshelves in my apartment definitely need some love! Gorgeous room Annamarie…I really love the blues and grays!

  11. Vanessa Marie

    January 31st, 2013 at 5:06 pm

    Beautiful! It’s so inviting.

  12. Rebekah Hoyt

    January 31st, 2013 at 5:35 pm

    Umm WOW this is gorgeous!!! I am so impressed with your style and decorating skills!!!

  13. Lauren Hammond

    January 31st, 2013 at 5:49 pm

    Now we see where the Grey’s Anatomy addiction occurs!! Your house is so cute!!! Love it all!!!

  14. ashley link

    January 31st, 2013 at 6:42 pm

    holy moly!!!! this looks amazing! you’ve got mad skills, girl! this room looks like it’s from a catalog! awesome job! gorgeous! :)

  15. sherri lynn

    January 31st, 2013 at 6:55 pm

    Your living room is so gorgeous! I love your colors and how you have styled your shelves. You should come to my house and help me decorate :)

  16. Carrie Logan

    January 31st, 2013 at 6:57 pm

    like you must be kidding me… you definitely stole these from a martha stewart or something?!! haha just kidding – WOWWWWWIEEEEE!!! i am obsessed. i want it!! you are phenomenal ;)

  17. Sydni Jackson

    January 31st, 2013 at 9:16 pm

    wow, this looks amazing!! great job! i esp. love the canvas. i’m obsessed with your house – thanks for showing it off!

  18. Christy Philyaw

    February 1st, 2013 at 2:11 am

    Your living room looks really nice! I love the decorations on the shelves, especially the personalized A R and the little a’s. The pop of color from the blue paint on the tables looks great too! Nice work : ).

  19. Natalie Gardner

    February 1st, 2013 at 11:42 am

    Annamarie this is so cute! I love it!

  20. kristin partin

    February 1st, 2013 at 5:08 pm

    I LOVE home posts. and this one is nothing short of amazing. lovely lovely design!

  21. kelsey

    February 4th, 2013 at 11:04 am

    LOVE IT!!! I am having SERIOUS built-in envy right now. :)

  22. Holly

    February 14th, 2013 at 11:01 am

    um, this TOTALLY looks like it could be in a magazine!! You’re officially hired to help me decorate my future apartment/home! :P

  23. Lydia

    February 20th, 2013 at 1:56 am

    Love your style and how completely different the room looks!!

  24. Dining Room Progress!

    May 9th, 2013 at 5:05 pm

    […] colonial house into a home by making budget conscious changes and updates…You can see the living room Progress here. I guess the huge gap between these posts just shows what a HUGE and time consuming process it is […]

  25. Nadia

    September 3rd, 2014 at 3:23 am

    Anna, I love your style! I am very inspired now :)

  26. Rici

    November 14th, 2014 at 10:00 am

    Love the Pray sign & the details in blue ;)
    Many greetings from Germany ^^

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@annamarie_akins

A glimpse into my daily life in Richmond, VA (and travels beyond) with my husband Ryan, our disobedient puppy Lexie, and the work, style and attempts at minimalism in between.