Ikat? I Can!

Inspired by my friend Kate's post about layering the masculine and the feminine, I think it's time to bring a little more GIRL into our living room.  Maybe I can sneak this ikat print in boyish blue past the hubs and start girlin' the joint up? (Just a bit, promise.)

Wanna see my living room?

So it's been a month since we've been here in California, and I figured it was high time I showed off our new place.  Here are a few shots of the empty space, right before we moved our stuff in.  Uhh.  Please excuse the image quality.  It was hot, I was tired, the movers were waiting to get in with our stuff.  So I ran around and snapped a few photos before all hell broke loose.

The living room:

The corner of the living room:

The living room from the dining room:

And, the finished space:

A bit of a close up:

And dear god, help me out here, our new TV:

It's enormous, ginormous really, and totally ridiculous.  My dad was getting a new TV, and asked us if we wanted it....I said NO!  Mr J, predictably, was super enthused.  And here we have it.  Though I must admit, now that I've been watching it for about a week...I'm sort of into it.  Who knew I was a big screen sort of gal? 

So that's it, my living room for the next two years.  I gotta say, I'm not crazy about the paint color--never would have picked it myself--but we're too lazy to proposition our landlords with the idea of us repainting.  It'll work for now.  With that huge TV taking up most of the wall, you can barely see the paint anyway, huh?

Beautiful Living Rooms

With the big move coming up, it seems I have living rooms on the brain. New living rooms, to be specific!  Can’t help it! I’ve got a bit of a start on a great living room, but I’m continually inspired by new and different layouts, color schemes and accessories, of course. Though I’m committed to the few pieces I own already, I can’t help but make a list of “Living Room Musts” for down the road.

Without a doubt, the first thing I have to have is a fireplace. Seriously. I know it’s not practical, and most cities (mine included) have a burn ban, but there is NOTHING like cozying up in front of a fire, right?  The pictures of living room inspiration I’ve gathered seem kind of all over the place at first glance. I’ve been taking a closer look, however, to try to figure out what it is that I really love about these rooms and what I need to focus on for my own room. There are a couple common threads. Looks like I love plants. That’s no surprise, my house is full of them. I also gravitate toward more symmetrical layouts and neutrals, neutrals, neutrals. What can I say? Guess I’m not exactly the wild type. 

While I don't think I could fit every single beautiful living room I've come across into this one post, here's a healthy representation of what I think best defines the look I'm going for:

What about you all? What do you think makes a living room truly great?

Images via Domino, Lonny, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Apartment Therapy