I've been hiding my nose in my computer for the past week or so, deep into design blogs and decor websites preparing for our soon-to-happen living room redesign. We have been gradually moving away from our original decor (Egyptian) for a few years now. I took down the Nefertiti papyrus painting and the pyramids long ago and finally sold them all in the garage sale we had this summer. Unfortunately we're left with a couch that really fits that color palette better than anything we currently prefer, but we soldier on.

Our love for Colorado is no secret to anyone and it is our inspiration for this change. The changing Aspen leaves in the fall along with blue skies and rocky mountains will serve as our color inspiration. I've slowly been accumulating pieces to accent these colors and the style I am going for, which is sleek and modern. I was lucky enough to find a number of these items today at a store called Big Lots. I'm not sure where they have these stores in the country, but they're awesome. I remember visiting ours soon after it opened and thought it was pretty useless for us. However, my opinion has changed! It is now my new favorite store.

Here is a sneak preview of some of the stuff I have for the room:

The impression of the photo is that I'm going pretty dark with the colors, but I assure you only the small items in the room will be dark. Everything else will be very light and natural. I cannot WAIT. Unfortunately my current problem is the couch and woodwork in the space. The couch is so dark and is mostly maroon, brown and orange-ish-something. I'd like to cover it, but haven't heard great things about ready-made slipcovers and a custom slipcover is probably out of our budget - along with purchasing a brand new couch. So I am on the hunt for a solution to this problem. Also, the woodwork in this room is very a dark, 1980's style. Not much we can do about all of that now, so I will work around it by adding in very light colors within the rest of the room.

Painting commences this Friday. Photos to follow...