Voila! The New Blue And White Transformation Is Complete

And it’s gorgeous!

As mentioned in a previous post, we decided to change our decor in our combination family room, kitchen and breakfast room.

The change is pretty dramatic going from yellow and red toile with yellow accents to blue and white. Somehow, it seems so much brighter and more cheerful (not that we did not love the red and yellow color scheme).

Here is a reminder of how the room looked before the transformation:

My Mom was an exceptional seamstress and taught me how to sew when I was a young girl. I never really enjoyed making clothing, but many times have made my draperies, skirts for tables, and upholstered several pieces of furniture. Actually, the hubs is very good at this too. He was involved with recovering the cornices, stapling the drapery panels to the wall and a lot of schlepping.

I reupholstered the small ottoman by the couch in a navy and white buffalo plaid. The fabric is actually a bedspread that I found at TJ Maxx. I was going to sew the new cover, but discovered that it was easier to use Stitch Witchery. I got the Stitch Witchery at Jo-Ann Fabrics, and was so thrilled that they had a 60% off coupon. And, they had some really fun garden style accessories, candles and other decoring items that I really loved. Ok, back to the upholstering of the ottoman. I ironed everything together while laying the fabric directly on to the old ottoman. Easy peasy and it turned out great!

Most of the decorator items, such as ginger jars, lamps, and accent pillows were found at Homegoods. They had a wonderful selection of items in blue and white, and at such great prices.

The drapery fabric and navy fabric on the cornices are both from Boca Bargoons. They have an excellent selection, and the staff there are so helpful. Not to mention that their prices are so competitive.

I am in love with the rug that I ordered from Target. It is a perfect color and the stripes go well with all of the buffalo plaid and the drapery panels. It is an indoor/outdoor rug, so should be durable and easy to clean. That’s a good tip! When shopping for rugs, check out the indoor/outdoor selection. You will be surprized at all of the incredible choices.

Also, there was a super cozy DKNY navy woven throw for only $19.99 at Homegoods, a really nice navy lampshade, and a blue lamp for the chest behind the couch.

While making the draperies and covering the cornices, I realized that it used to be a bit easier when we were younger. For some reason, laying long sections of fabric is best done on the floor. Crawling around and cutting fabric for hours can take its toll. Anyway, we probably will not be redecorating again for a while, so now we can sit back and enjoy the new look.

We did make everything so that we can switch back to the red and yellow during the holidays. The red and white buffalo plaid rug just looks so great with all of our Christmas decorations.

If we decide not to switch back to the other color scheme, I will be looking for some holiday inspiration including blue and white decor.

They say that change is good, and I think I agree. Our new look is definitely a welcome change.