Living Room Makeover - Complete

Well, almost complete.

We still need a lamp by the orange chair to make it easier to curl up in and read, and maybe another occasional chair. And I'm sure we will play around a bit more with where we hang the paintings, but it's mostly done.

The room hasn't changed dimensions, but it feels wider and brighter than it did last December. The furniture is definitely more comfortable! I've been enjoying just sitting and listening to music, reading, and hanging out.

Adding a few lighthearted elements brings another 'lift' to the room. Rob gave me the elephant ottoman for Christmas, knowing I'd had my eye on it since a visit to the Distillery District.

When we went to the Artist's Project a few weeks ago, I really connected with the art of JoEllen Brydon. A touch of humour, narrative, and luscious colour in every canvas made it extremely hard to choose. JoEllen herself brought a few different ones over to the house to help me make up my mind, but it didn't make it any easier to pick just one. She actually left a few paintings with me for the afternoon while she took her mom out for lunch. In the end I decided on 'Ladies Crossing', with the little old ladies crossing the road in the foreground.

And today, for the finishing touch... Rob and I went touring the One of a Kind Show and turned a corner to see an entire wall of wonderful creatures at the Mosaique Panache booth. We spoke with Marylene Menard, the artist, and she explained how the forms were made by her husband and she then adorns each with buttons and timepieces and porcelain. We took some measurements and went home to sleep on it before making a purchase, but in the morning the first thing I wanted to do was head back to pick one up. Which one, though? A whole enchanted herd to choose from. The 'Expected Antelope' mosaic now hangs on the wall, looking perfectly at home.