In another view of the living room, you can see where I decided to put the boho mirror and where I placed the couch.
To get a sense of scale, this wall is across from the quilt on the wall scenario over by the patio doors.
You can also see the couch and how I placed it, though I didn’t get a complete photo of it.
I’ll do that, but I wanted to focus on the wall where the mirror and paintings are first. (Also I still have “stuff” hidden behind the couch I haven’t found a place for yet!)
A Recliner Has To Be Part Of My Decorating Strategy:
Yes, there’s my ugly recliner. But it does so much for me physically that I suppose it’s just going to have to be a part of my decorating “style”.
The entire living space would look much nicer without it, I know. I would much rather not have to have it.
But this is “real living” here in my home. And part of “my real living” is having a recliner to hold these old aching bones up to rest them.
Thoughts On Bringing In House Plants:
I’m envisioning a house plant on top of that boho cupboard.
But Teri has them all and she’s out of commission right now. She fell on the ice last week and busted herself up.
Even though you can’t see behind the couch arm, there is the slightly shorter boho table much like the one you see by my recliner.
I haven’t unearthed the pillow covers yet, so there are no throw pillows on the couch right now.
Floral Cottage Style Wall Decor:
I went a little bonkers at Hobby Lobby the past two days with their half-off price sale on all wall decor.
As soon as I began decorating the living room walls, I knew I wanted all cottage-style paintings here.
I’ve got all kinds of farmhouse-style paintings I could have used. But as the years have passed, I’m finding that I want my home decor to be a little more feminine.
I was just ready for more cottage florals to decorate the walls in this space. And sooner or later, I may spread them throughout my apartment after time has passed and I collect more.
The Cottagecore Aesthetic:
Maybe it was the burgeoning of the “cottagecore” aesthetic that became popular around 2020 that rekindled my desire for cottage florals.
I realized that I wasn’t done with that kind of decorating, despite having gone all out for “boho/farmhouse” decor for some years there.
All the years you’ve known me I’ve been container gardening.
Flowers and plants have been everywhere outdoors as long as you’ve known me. Drawing in butterflies and bees and being a big part of my life every gardening season.
So I guess it isn’t surprising that I want to see them indoors as well.
Indoor & Outdoor Flowers:
As you know, I dearly love house plants and outdoor plants and trees in containers and the whole bailiwick.
Watching my granny tend her flowers inspired me to grow up and plant those pretty flowers I became accustomed to seeing in hers.
The vegetable garden inside the fence was serious business when I was a kid. It fed us.
But around the outside perimeter of the house were where she so tenderly tended her flower beds. For such a serious woman, it was her one delightful bit of whimsy.
When I think of her now, I still think of quilts and flowers.
Angling The Couch:
So what do you think of the angling of the couch? As I think I may have mentioned in one post or another, I envisioned it this way before I ever moved.
Due to the placement of the fireplace, which is not centered, I figured this placement of the couch would work best.
When Kendra saw it she said: “Well now I can’t even think about visiting you because your couch looks off and it will drive me crazy.” (Says she in her witty manner of speaking).
But then that was when everything was a mess and chaos reigned. I hope she’ll feel differently now.
She’s always been great at designing the bones of a house. But she isn’t as comfortable when it comes to the placement of the furniture. That’s more my domain.
And I felt that angling the couch would provide more square footage for the dining space behind it while still defining the living room.
Which will probably be what you see next. If I can get the mess off the floor surrounding my dining room table.
MRI News:
The nurse at my ankle doctor’s office called and told me he wanted me to be in the walking boot until my appointment on Monday. He’d originally told me to stay in it until the MRI.
But a month or so ago my hip became very painful and I just assumed it was due to the walking boot, so I stopped wearing it.
Dr. Lashley called me late yesterday. He said to stay in the walking boot because there is a split tear of the ankle. Which I’d never heard of before.
Do any of you have experience with this?
It’s Been 10 Years Of On & Off Injuries:
I guess I’ll have to take this ankle thing more seriously because it just keeps getting worse. Ten years of living with it should have warned me about the danger of further degeneration.
But you try to put that on the back burner and just live your life. Because to think about it every time you move your body is somewhat depressing day after day.
I’m going to stop driving as much as I can because I sometimes wear the boot to drive due to pain. He told me last time I saw him not to drive with it on. Because it really isn’t safe. You can’t always feel whether you’re hitting the gas or the brake.
But I live alone. What am I supposed to do?
I have an appointment with him on Monday and will know more then.
Your living room is really coming together nicely. I like the couch on an angle, though I’d have to see the whole room. I see you’ve just done a post on that, so I’ll go take a look.
You’ve done so much in such a short time. It all looks great Brenda! Sorry to hear about your friend’s fall…hope she’ll heal quickly. Good luck to you on Monday.
I love reading your blog. I live in a small cottage so I always find interesting ideas from your blog. Your new apartment is coming together so nice. You have a great talent.
It’s all coming together beautifully! Good luck on Monday. I hope you get some answers, and also some solutions for pain relief.
I have the same recliner and also couldn’t live without it,I have a bad knee and it really helps keeping it elevated.
The room looks great,it has your touches already!
I broke my ankle a few years back carrying A cat and my ortho couldn’t figure out why it was taking so long to heal,I wasn’t wearing the boot all the time like I was supposed to,it was annoying and uncomfortable!
So,be a good patient and wear the boot🙂
YES YES!!!!
And ,,,,,, do not drive with the boot on Brenda!
Think ,,,, accident prevention first and foremost.
With that boot on, you could definitely have a serious accident.
Listen to your doctor please.
I’m excited to see you decorating with the cottage style, which is my favorite. Your apartment looks very nice and comfortable. I’m very happy for you. Can’t wait to see what else you do. Never mind the recliner. That is life and no it does not look bad. You don’t live in a magazine you live in your home. I always hate those decorated homes that clearly no one lives in anyway. Sorry to hear about Teri injuring herself. Hope she’s up and about soon.
I knew it wouldn’t take you long to get your new home all set up and decorated! But once again, you’ve amazed me with how quickly you’re getting things set up! I think the top photo of the living room is my favorite so far! And I’ve like everything else! The angle of the couch helps define the living room space, as you said. I know you keep talking about the mess, but clearly you have big parts done and looking great. Love the recliner. I will never live in a house without one. If I’m sitting at home, my feet are up.
Brenda,
I just caught up with your posts and WOW you are a powerhouse of organization! I love your new “Cottage” vibe. Your fireplace arrangement is so pretty with the white pitchers and layered paintings and “red frame.” I still love your farmhouse decor; maybe put it away and bring it out for “fall.” I laughed when I read your daughter’s response to seeing your furniture placement; it’s creative and much better than lining every thing up against walls. For some reason, I have always loved an “L” furniture placement with either a large square wood corner table or skirted one with a reading lamp.
Hope your Dr. visit puts you on a course of improvement with your ankle. Try not to overdo and hope your friend, Teri feels better.
Your home looks beautiful. Have you ever tried a brace for your ankle?
Oh yes. I’ve tried braces the surgeon had made to fit my foot. I wear a compression sock every day. The braces I tried were terribly uncomfortable and rubbed the ankle too much.
You’ve had so much pain for so long, sounds like you need a thorough evaluation and diagnosis with your Dr.
Now that you have Medicare you can proceed with whatever is needed to eliminate the pain you’ve had for years. If surgery is part of the treatment I hope you don’t hesitate.
I just went to CVS and paid right at $500 for one drug (90 day supply). And that was with both Medicare and a supplement and a drug card through Humana. But at least I paid my whole deductible at one time.
I’ve had my couch away from my wall for almost a yr now and I like it better than up against the wall. I bought a blk shelving unit and that gives me more space in my living room bc that’s against the wall behind my couch.
I think it’s good to switch things up Brenda and I like it too!
Everything looks so cozy. Not surprised you are leaning toward cottage cozy. It seems in the last two years many are longing for comfy, cozy decor that reminds us of safe times of years past maybe when we were younger and didn’t have so many responsibilities. I have always gravitated toward comfy cozy. I enjoy my house plants like you do and I know you will be happy when Teri is wheel enough to bring them to your home. Teri hope you are feeling better and thanks for helping Brenda.
How gorgeous !!!! Everything is just beautiful and cozy !!!! Congratulations
I don’t see anything wrong with your recliner! I had one just like it, and when I got my new recliner I gave the old one to my granddaughter for the babies room! I bought a slipcover for it before I gave it to her!
I love your paintings, especially the one with the bicycle! I like how you captured the pitchers and part of the paintings in the mirror!
I love your living room ! The recliner is not ugly it’s a nice earth tone . The living room is coming along nicely. Sending prayers for Terri I hope it’s not to serious and she has a speedy recovery .
I know all about the ugly recliner. It’s staying here too. One of the greatest inventions IMHO, along with ceiling fans. I couldn’t live without either. Comfort come first. So glad the MRI is done and I hope the doctor has plan to get you moving better with much less pain. Your home is coming together so nicely. Looking forward to seeing kitty pictures of them in their new domain.
FYI Medicare will pay for one walker with a doctors order
Wow in a short time you have your new place fixed up so cozy and cute. I hope you can deal with your ankle issues now that you are all moved in. Happy Wednesday.
So thankful you are in your nice safe apartment! It looks great! And for barely 2 weeks it is really looking like home! The recliner is fine. It is your home and does not have to look a certain way. It just needs to meet your needs. I could not live without my recliner! Loving the pictures and your great ideas!
Everything looks so nice Brenda! You are really putting things in place so quickly too.
Definitely don’t wear the boot when driving. I was unable to drive for two months recently due to wearing a boot for my foot fracture and the ER physician and Ortho Surgeon were certain I understood not to drive.
Perhaps your complex’s handyman offers service where he could pick up items for you at various locations. Or you could Uber and not risk driving until your foot is recovered. With your complex being for adults, your neighbors may have ideas as well. Being in a city you’ll have many options, thankfully.
Sending prayers that your doctor’s appointment goes well
I can’t believe how much decorating you’ve already done. Amazing. Everything looks so warm and welcoming. About your pain issues, my mom is in her 80’s with bad knees and found a gel called Biofreeze (she uses the store brand) that has kept her pain at bay. Might help you with some of your pain. It’s just basically menthol. That’s it. She sings its praises. Take care.
I use Biofreeze all during the night on my hip. Every few hours I wake up and have to add more. Otherwise I couldn’t sleep. I put it on my whole back before I got to sleep and keep it by my bed to use during the night.
It’s really nice to see how you’re settling into your new home, Brenda, and I love the mix of cottage and boho….I think maybe that’s what I have going on here. I wish there was a hobby lobby near me, I love those paintings you picked up!
I think your recliner looks just fine with the other furniture. And I know how comfy a recliner can be. I wouldn’t be without one.
I wrote you a while back about the Drive Walker that has helped me so much. Maybe you can think about going ahead and getting one of those so that you can walk without putting pressure on one side or the other. It will keep you from walking off kilter when you are favoring your ankle which helps your foot and your back. And having the seat not only gives you a place to sit but it is so useful to carry/move things from room to room without putting the weight on your foot. I think you will be amazed at how much help it will be! I know you will be pushing yourself too much to get things done….just like I do. But it isn’t helpful if we don’t want to live in pain!! :)) Living and doing all that I can while eliminating the pain and speeding the recovery of the injuries became my mail goal a while back. Using all the “aids” available allow me to go and do so much more than I used to be able to do.
I’m pricing them. Just haven’t bought one yet.
I just picked up my drive adjsutable seat height rollator walker today from a local health supply place. My Medicare paid for it in full. You need for your doctor to send them a prescription for it and also his office notes stating that you need one and why. Then you go pick it up. Mine is blue and looks just like this one. You do not need to pay for it. The little basket feature under the seat is a real plus. https://justwalkers.com/collections/rolling-walkers/products/drive-adjustable-seat-height-rollator
Well I will definitely check this out with my doctor.
I love the sofa being away from the wall. I also think your recliner looks fine and is not as obvious as perhaps you might think. A nice throw on it will make it blend in even more. I’m loving everything you’ve done so far in this apartment, especially the Antiques sign above the fireplace. It’s really starting to look like a home. Can’t wait to see more!
I put a throw-sized quilt over the back of the recliner, but it kept getting smushed up so I took it off. I’m not one to just put something there for the photo taking. I guess it is what it is. That recliner saves me.
Things are looking beautiful..the pictures are so lovely..it is nice to change things when you move to a new place…love the pitchers..no wonder you fell in love with the textured one…my couch is angled and we have sofa and regular recliners for our old bones…nothing wrong with that..hope you do not have to have surgery …take care 💞
I should have moved with the boot on. I thought it was what was hurting my hip. I read that tearing this whatever it is he said if left untreated, can affect the hip. So that ship has possibly already sailed.
We have two of the biggest, ugliest recliners known to mankind! No matter how I arrange the furniture, there they sit, sulking, and dominating the room. But we are old, and comfort comes first. I have always envied women who can have a “lady’s house”. Yours is looking beautiful.
The living room looks really nice. I like the angled couch. I had my couch angled in my previous home. The recliner looks fine, but as Darlene mentioned, you could always lay a small “throw” on the back of the recliner for color. The final touch will be once you have your house plants in place. Things are coming along so nicely, as we all expected. I hope things go well at your next appointment. Take care.
You and me both. I just want to be able to garden in a few months.
You must be having so much fun! I love seeing the rooms come to life. I’m glad you had the MRI and can move on to find out what is causing the discomfort. My car accident was 3 weeks ago and since I have discovered the wonders of home delivery with Walmart and Petco for my animals. It was a lifesaver.
I don’t know what I’d do without home delivery.
I love the way you’ve decorated your new place! I look forward to seeing your new posts every morning and pictures of how you’re decorating each area!
It’s all coming along. Just not as quickly as I’d hoped.
Brenda love the placement of the couch. Everything looks so pretty. I’m also working on bringing back cottage decor adding some flower pictures and plants to my industrial boho home. Hope all goes well on Monday.
I figure he’s going to tell me just to keep the boot on. Aside from surgery, the only way I can think of to keep it from shifting or tearing all the way is a walking boot or a cast. I sure don’t want a cast!
If you are getting a leg length discrepancy with the boot, Amazon has a product called Evenup Shoe Leveler. It has a half inch and an inch option. I wore it daily for about a year, with sport shoes, and it didn’t break.
Furniture doesn’t need to be pushed up flat again walls, in many spaces that just doesn’t work. I like the angled sofa. Maybe you can think about shopping for a slip cover for the recliner in a color that will better fit into your design scheme in the new apartment. Or if you are in the mood for a bit of a splurge (but I’m sure it would cost less than the new recliner you’d purchased and then returned), explore having the recliner reupholstered. I love the floral artwork – so pretty! I’ve always been a fan of “still life” art.
My cats are all over my chair. So I think, what’s the point of trying to cover it? They’d be all over that too. My recliner is definitely a piece of furniture that earns its keep!
The living room is looking beautiful, Brenda! Love the cottage style; so soft and comfy. I don’t think your recliner looks bad. Maybe a small floral type thing on the back would help bring it in. Something to consider.
Yeah, I’ll ponder things I might be able to do. But the recliner isn’t going anywhere because I sure need it.
Wear the boot except when driving. The softer look in your home is so pretty. I like your home better than the last one.
The problem is that sometimes both sides of my ankle are so painful that I can’t drive. Tried driving with both feet to help the right one out and that didn’t work so well.