Living in the Living Room

When we first arrived to our house, the living room was our bedroom, living room, and dining room. One of my favorite things about the house is the view from the living room window that looks out on some beautiful aspen trees and sweeping views of the Green Mountain National Forest. It just seemed natural to gravitate toward one of the best views in the house. The previous owner's color choices were definitely different than my tastes, so painting was the main priority when we looked at this room. We also were going to replace several pieces of living room furniture so we had to see what would fit and what would work with the aesthetic of the room.

The living room when we first moved in.

Matthew taking a break while taping the trim.

One of my favorite paintings is Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth. I'm a huge fan of many of his paintings, but I have found in the last five years especially there is something about them that speaks to my soul. The painting reminds me of my constant search for a safe place to call home. After my Mom died, my sense of home and safety was shattered. My Dad and I still loved each other, but it was never the same as it was when she filled our house with warmth. With each move Matthew and I have made, I've always hoped that I would find a place that had a similar feeling to my childhood home where my guard could be let down and I could rest easily. I'm slowly starting to feel some of that here. The more rooms we complete, the more at home I am starting to feel. When we started making plans for the living room, I knew Christina's World had to be a part of it.

Similar to our old home, nature is an ever present theme in our home. I love using the theme of vines and leaves in every home we have. I think it works quite well given our current surroundings:) I also try to incorporate a little of my family heritage in each room.

A print of my favorite painting.

My Grandpa's lamp on the left.

Our new front doors will be delivered next week. No more mustard yellow doors!

The wooden lamp on the wall was made by my Grandfather years ago. He and my Grandma passed away a little over a year after my Mom. They loved all things that were Swedish, and Grandpa's hobby was woodworking (Mom's side of the family is all Swedish). He made quite a few items for me and our family over the years which you will see more of over time:)

The living room also has the window with my favorite view. Across the street from us is a group of Aspen trees that I love to stare at. It's a beautiful view of the national forest and at night you can hear the water of the little creek that runs behind the trees. At night, there is very little light pollution and the white of the tree bark stands out with the light of the multitude of stars overhead. This is the second time I've been lucky enough to live in a national forest and I absolutely love it. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE living in Vermont???

A picture I took from the living room window during one of the summer storms at sunset.

I hope you have enjoyed our trip through the living room:) I'm hoping to have the dining room finished by next week's blog post plus a photo of the finished laundry room. Things are coming together! Take care everyone, and don't forget to rest:)