Such a transformation! My father was so right about what a coat of paint can do!

I love seeing some of the same furniture in the 'before' as the 'after' photos. I feel like the leather club chair would look nice in the 'after', too.

While I'm inclined to go with the before, the after is wonderful too.

Your couch is my dream couch! Would you mind sharing a source/brand?

Thanks!

Both are lovely. Totally different feel with just a few key changes. I'm just glad that the table from the original dining area wasn't painted white. What a gorgeous table. Not right for the redone room, so I understand why it left. Hope it found a good home!

I think the original rug would have looked great in the after. It had both the blue in the walls and the red from the brick. It had much more character than the plain-ish one.

Head over 'heels,' please. AT, I think it's time you hired a copy editor. :)

Looks good but I think the old rug would have looked better in this room with the blue walls

if they keep the before rug, it will look a lot more complete :)

I like the re-do, it looks fresher. I don't actually like blue walls, myself, but I can totally appreciate the change here and I think they did a nice job.

The sofa is a Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, it's about 5 years old but there are some similiar styles on the the company's web site: http://www.mgbwhome.com/

Yes the coffee table is vintage which I found on e-bay. The drop leaf comes in handy for parties and living room picnics.

The old tables was traded for the room and trim painting so it made for a happy exchange!

I just love when people kill beige... one room at a time!!!

Your place looks great. Where did you purchase the "before" area rug?

So many things are right with the after - but not more than with the before. I also would have kept that great rug, it is definitely nicer and has more personality than the new rug.

I am not into beige at all, but I actually like that beige better than the new blue. Don't get me wrong, it is a really pretty blue, but for some reason, I don't feel comfortable with it in this room, not as much as with the beige.

But I guess to each his own, and either way, the change probably feels great to Joanne.

I just painted my living room yellow and green after years of faded rose and off white, and although I am hooked on the result, I can already tell friends and family don't agree even if they don't say it outright. No matter, it is my space and I don't care if someone who doesn't live here disagrees.

Enjoy, Joanne!

It's amazing how much everything "pops" now--the floors, the old furniture, and the trim all look so much fresher with the simple color switch!

I agree, everything does pop a little more. Also the sofa just looks so much better! Love the transformation!

I agree with the other 5 or 6 folks regardign the previous rug. Overall, it really came out nicely but I favor blue over any other color. I do like the new table as well and love the lamp. Blue,,,ah..

furniture placed on the diagonal in a corner makes me want to come fix it.

I love the redo. Mostly, though, I am in love with your hummingbird plates. What is the company and design name of those plates? They are gorgeous!

I have to admit I prefer the Before; and I would have kept the original rug.

I like it!

I'd love to see the chair pulled into the conversation area a bit more and the mirror turned vertically to add height and take a different shape than the firebox.

The copper tolix chairs are bananas! I'd vote for seeing the old rug too! Great job!

I, also, would've kept the before rug. But thank you thank you for getting rid of the beige. When those tones came in, I gagged, and they are finally being kicked out. Maybe because I'm a coffee and desert hater, colours like "Mocha", "Desert Dream" and "Frappe" drive me bonkers. So Model Home. Love the blue!!!

the hummingbird plates are from anthropologie "natural world desert plates"
the original rug was purchased about 10 years ago in Anchorage at Morgan's Home Furnishings (I didn't get rid of it btw).
We are in Seattle here so the new rug helps in the winter to bring more light in the room on those frequent dark and rainy days; the walls too!

Can we kill the word "pop" yet?

Sorry if this sounds negative, but the walls 'swallow' the new blue accessories. They would stand out more against white walls, and your leather armchair, dining set and original rug would add warmth. As it is, the wood and copper seem to jar with that shade of blue.

I love the transformation! I didn't like the rug in the 'before' picture, but I loved the leather club chair. I would put that back instead of having the white chair. The white chair is too formal for that room, whereas the club chair, though leather, has a simpler shape.

Really superb change. I am also thinking about changing the decoration at my home. This really gave an idea. I especially liked the coffee table.

Caril from Store Hours

'Netslaveone', haha! Same here.

Great job! Your friend is lucky to have you help her with that! :) And you're lucky to have a friend that trusts you enough to help her. Love the changes.

Love love love. I'm with the beige haters, the old color was very model home, the new is just so fresh and happy. Plus the new rug looks very fuzzy and fun.

Nice work! I like to see affordable and realistic room re-dos. Since I live in Florida I tend to keep the same decor year round, but in an area like yours with more defined seasons, it's really great to have the house adapt along with them. Kudos!

I like both versions, but the after makes the sofa really stand out. I like "after" rug much better, though it probably should be a little bigger. The hutch looks nice painted white. Though I think the wood tone would also look great against the blue walls.

I think that the original rug would have looked great in the new space. I'm sorry that she replaced it. Everything else looks great.

The before and the after are both nice. I really like those new dining room chairs. I also vote to bring back the club chair.

Another vote for the Before Rug - otherwise, a nice, restful transformation1

Original rug and club chair and wood bookcase would look better. All the white and blue you can't even see the lamp you were referring to.

Lovely! I'm usually inclined toward warm, but this is a definite improvement.

I agree that original rug could have worked in the After, but I think the style direction they were after was something other than what the original rug offered. A nice illustration of how much change can be accomplished while keeping main pieces (and layout) largely intact.

I liked the original rug too, and it would have worked in the new room, but I can see that the new one has a cleaner feel to it. It's wonderful that the sofa color worked in both palettes (although it works better in the new room). I would have taken the plunge and painted all the wall blue instead of half blue and half white, but I can see that the half-and-half gives a more contemporary feel.

I totally agree with the person who sees "model home" when there's that camel color on the wall.

Please paint the brick!

There are many interesting ideas in both before and after. What is the source of the window shades?

Being a staunch traditionalist, I prefer the original room. Is it my vision, or does the new rug look like the padding that goes under carpet? Enjoy your new room, your satisfaction is all that counts!

Lovely transformation! The blue feels so fresh and happy. I love the wing chair, but it looks like it sent to time out. Can't it please come and join the couch? It promises to play nice! The copper chairs- wow! Beautiful. Very nice all around!

Another vote for a much larger rug. The sofa's front legs should be on it. Then you can bring the cream chair in closer so it's a conversation area.

Just tweaks. I hope you are enjoying your new space!

By and large, the "after" has a fresher, more updated feel than the before. Perhaps it's just my computer monitor, the bluish-green is a pretty saturated color & so appears to be a bit more intense than I would have preferred. I agree with PotPie & BeeforBrian that the new rug embodies more of the updated feeling they were seeking than the old rug; unfortunately, it's MUCH too small from a practical & proportional standpoint. With the front legs of the sofa sitting on the edge of a much larger rug, then the "time out corner" chair would be invited into the conversation area. I agree with the suggestions of turning the mirror so that it runs vertically and of painting the brick -- that would complete the "freshening up" of this space. Finally, the accessories on the fireplace mantel are too small & too numerous in my opinion, harkening back to the design aesthetic of the "before" decor. As POTPIE said, these are merely tweaks to bring an overall successful transformation full circle! Congrats! Keep up the good work, and be sure to keep us posted on your bedroom re-do! Sanibel

The shades are top down bottom ups (you can adjust the top and bottom for privacy and light), you can get them at hunter douglas and three day blinds has them too for a lot less. The color is linen.

Even before looking at the After I was thinking that the walls should be blue. Now, if only they'd move that chair!!

I'd love to see crown molding to help frame the space and a fire place treatment to draw the eye through the room. Love your color pallet.

I really like the color of the room and all of the special odds and ends that pull it together.
Your dishes are to die for!!!

this supports the idea that one buys big good pieces in neutral colours & accessorizes to mood. glad the old table went to an appreciative home. sad the mission-style cabinet got painted (arts & crafts style, now redone as dental office). looks like winter v. summer. would like to see some bookcases flanking fireplace wall (flat, not angled) for touch more character, but wing chair angled in front (w/reading light added) works.

meh.

Love it!!!

I much prefer the before in all regards.

I'm curious to know what you did to the dining room light fixture to update it - did you replace the glass?

Looks good. I'd be tempted to paint the brick white too.

The original lighting fixture was layer of mica and a layer of glass, I replaced the mica with a sheet of textured paper which I purchased at a craft store. I had it checked by a local glass replacement expert for fire proofing and he indicated that because the glass is on the light bulb side, it's safe. And given that the paper was less than $10 bucks I can change it easily in the future to pretty much anything I want!

First of all, your hardwood floors are amazing. I am another fan of the previous rug and the leather chair - blue and brown are such a warm and soothing combination. Have you considered having the sofa face the fireplace and putting two chairs at the window?
Extra points as I don't see any media!!!

While the before was okay, the after is like stepping into a room full of fresh air! Wonderful job, and to go against what seems to be the majority, I prefer the after rug - it looks cleaner (altho I do agree, a bit larger would work better I think) as opposed to the first which looked dusty and somewhat dreary. I, too, miss the brown leather chair - even though I don't care much for large brown leather chairs myself, it had more of a come-curl-up-in-me feeling. However, if you like it that's all that counts - well executed!

I think the rug is too small too. I haven't read all of the comments but what about layering a larger one underneath? I've done that in my living room - an 8 x10 sisal with the 6 x 9 wool one on top.

I love it! It reminds me of my living room with a green couch and walls painted Benjamin Moore's bluegrass. So pretty!

I like this, but there is'something off. The brick and the floors are still "Warm". I know you can mix the two (warm-cool) maybe the "before" rug ,it still has both elements . Still looks nice!!

@Sally305 Am I missing something? What's wrong with head over 'heels'?

I just LOVE the new coll colors. its looks bery soothing

This bold color choice totally transforms a totally bland space! Great job tying it all together with the accents and accessories. The chairs are an unexpected and appealing refresh and I love the use of plants in the space. Nice work.

ACH, Sally 305 was right about AT needing a copy editor but wrong about "heels."

Love the redo! The warm tones (fireplace, wood accessories, dining set) stand out so much more. I have a beige living room too (ick, it was like that when we moved in...with brass "boob" light fixtures!!!), and while I hate it, it's not hideous enough to be a top priority for painting right now (we've got lots of other renovations that are more pressing). So nice to see a similarly colored and proportioned room redone so nicely!

I'm sorry, i LOVE the before. from the rug to the jewel tones and the pop of the green against the walls.
i absolutely don't like the after.
but then, i am a warm decor person.

oh, and i LOVE the original rug. I hope it wasn't binned :( I would have taken it off your hands in a trice.

My favorites are the before and after shots of the dining area. The update looks so nice and fresh.

@AlaskanFrenchie — what a nice simple reuse! And the fixture looks so fresh and modern now. Thanks!

Sorry, but every detail in both the before and after are wrong. Every detail. Just like stuff from Pier One, something is just...off.

The wall color is so happy looking. I love it!