Friday, April 19, 2013

Lilyfield Life Lounge Room Updates

lilyfield life blog french painted furniture

Okay... actually, I think the title is a bit misleading as it's a small but "important to me" change. When my siblings and I cleared out my mother and step father's house earlier this year and divided up all their belongings I ended up with quite a bit of furniture (funny that!). I'm slowly incorporating it into our house. It doesn't quite all fit but once we renovate and build bedrooms etc upstairs we will have a lot more room and so it's a matter of squeezing it in for the time being.

lilyfield life blog french painted furniture

Our lounge room is a bit of a dodgy fibro add on at the back of the original house - complete with a dodgy cement slab and what was the original outside toilet (that we've since turned into our laundry, a teeny tiny space that is overflowing and drives me nuts). Anyway the room is really wide (about 9 metres and not that deep - 3.5 metres and with the entrance from the study and the back door both centred in the middle the room is really cut in half. I don't mind this for the time being as we have the aubergine lounges and the tv down one end and the cream lounge, armchairs and coffee table  in the other half that acts as a reading/sitting area. It works well enough.

One of the pieces I wanted to squeeze in was this sweet little green cabinet my mother painted in the 1960's. I blogged about it here just the week before she was diagnosed with a GBM brain tumour (and died within three weeks). Now I have this cupboard and my big sister has the other one) at my house and it's lovely to have something my mum painted with her hands to sit next to my painted furniture  Once more thing we shared. 

lilyfield life blog french painted furniture

It probably doesn't really fit in here but I am glad to have this sentimental piece all the same. I can sit in that armchair with a cup of coffee and do my planning and reading. My sister and I were commenting how mum's things all looked better in her house than in our houses now. Funny that. I am missing her a lot still. The more time passes the more I want to talk to her, tell her things and hear her kindness and wisdom.

lilyfield life blog french painted furniture

I found this lovely King Island blue and cream cheese jar at the local markets (Rozelle Markets open Saturdays and Sundays) last weekend. Love it. It's in perfect condition, suits my love of blue and white and was a couple of dollars. I like it here next to my dying roses in the blue and white jug that was also my mum's. The jug has a chip out of the rim of it but I couldn't bring myself to chuck it out. You can't see it under the roses anyway. I am not sure what I did wrong with my roses - One of them is sitting in a glass of water on my kitchen window and it's still stunning and very much in bloom but these ones I had in the jug under the gold frame died very quickly - Does any one have advice on how to keep them blooming once cut?


These other wild roses I found in the lane way near our house. They were trailing over a fence spilling into the lane so I didn't feel too guilty about dodging the thorns to pull off a few stems.

lilyfield life blog french painted furniture

Now where to put the rest of the furniture?  
That is the question!

Have a lovely weekend
Fiona xx

11 comments:

  1. i love your space! love that mid century chair thrown into the mix- keeps it feeling very eclectic and casual!

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  2. Just keep squishing it in until you do the reno. Did you make the ruffle cushions on the sofa or are they from The White Shed?

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    1. hi Kylie - i bought them from a shop in Rozelle - they are lovely. I made one in a similar pattern recently and will make some more as they are pretty easy to make - just envelope style.
      have a lovely weekend, good luck with the packing.
      Fiona

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  3. I would be interested in advice on roses also. A few weeks ago I had some pale pink ones in a vase that lasted 3 weeks, ( the tips of the roses turned brown but still held there shape). The next week I bought a bunch and within days the flowers were okay but all there heads had drooped, there doesn't seem to be any reason as I treat them the same. I do understand your yearning for your Mum, my mum died 11years ago and I still want to phone her at times to share my news etc. My dear late mum-in-law always missed her mum (even after 40years) and would shed a tear at times when she sometimes talked about her. I think the fact that we are mothers (as well as daughters) makes the loss more poignant. Your photos yesterday of the turning leaves were stunning. Particularly liked the reflection in the side mirror. you are very creative. Have a wonderful weekend.Regards Brenda

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  4. I love the look of your lounge room.The cushions on the lounge are so beautiful.did you make them?-love dee xxx

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  5. I love having special things around me from loved ones, they may not always match everything, but they 'go', if that makes sense?! That little cupboard is gorgeous, I did a double take on Instagram as I have one that looks identical. Love seeing pics of your house, beautiful.
    Alison x

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  6. As the saying goes, this just proves you can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

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  7. I love having things from family members. The memories more than make up for the chips, or the 'not quite right-ness' of them. I think it looks lovely. Maybe it's the idea that it was in the perfect spot in your mum's house, and always had been, so being anywhere else seems odd. xx

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    1. You have hit the nail the head I think. My sister and I were commenting the other day how Mum's things looked MUCH BETTER in mum's house than in ours. Funny that.
      But yes it is lovely having a house filled with old treasured items - I would chose that any day over store bought new things.
      have a lovely weekend
      Fiona

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  8. The room looks very calm. I think your mum's little cabinet is gorgeous and because of the history you spoke about, I feel it looks just perfect in your room. I have a couple of painted (by me) but unglamorous items of my dad's that I will never get rid of and I always feel if I had to save something in a fire I would forego all my nice bits and pieces for dad's unglamorous stuff!!! Sentimental lot aren't we?

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  9. Read this with a tear lost my Mom twice once to The Big A and then really....my sis the same thing...and my folks collected antiques...love the history in our home..I talk to the stuff.Today told the grandfathers clock make it a good day,no more tragic cause today was Dads Birthday and he got so nervous because of all the bad things that happened on the 19th

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Thanks for taking the time to comment! Sorry if you have trouble commenting, you can always email me at lilyfieldlife@bigpond.com