Thanks for this, we've been in our place for two years now, and are slowly working towards getting it 'just so', but the process is long and sometimes frustrating. We want to do so much, but are restrained by finances and available time. It is good to think about things as a process, eventually working towards a finished place.

you have good taste in rugs my friend

I'm SO on the same page! While I marvel at the home makeover shows, I feel uneasy thinking of a home full of new, sentiment-free furnishings. I prefer to let things evolve slowly, perhaps more organically.

No need for a heavy measuring tape. I found a mini one in the hardware section of our local variety store. Fits in a small bag and comes in handy all the time!

Actually there are some things I miss about the three-year-prior setting. Much preferred the first rug, and where is the beautiful crazy-quilt thing on the wall? I loved that. And the metal cabinet - don't really love that. Looks cold, sterile, and reminds me of pre-war European hospitals. Yech. Somehow the room seemed warmer and less cluttered before.
Just saying.

I believe the transformation is elegant and a little bit rustic, all at once. Love it!

So true.

And may I recommend a fantastic iphone app - my measures. You take a photo of anything at all, and add measurements. I have measurements for my whole house - every window, door, room with me all the time. Also, every little nook, alcove, area between the cupboard and the doorway, space over the sofa, over the mantel etc. for when I'm looking for something specific to fill a space.

Should I say - I have no affiliation or connection with the app mymeasures. It's just an app I found that I find really helpful.

my style has changed and evolved tremendously over the years, but weirdly in the last few weeks alone my home is undergoing a metamorphosis. i've gone from bright colors (blues, greens, turquoises), dark stained furniture with a heavy mid century vibe to jute rugs with a white slipcovered sofa, steel coffee table, white parsons dining table ... i have a lot of colorful artwork and bright accessories and if i keep my furniture & rugs more neutral and monochromatic, everything else pops. the whites & beiges feel so much more soothing and calm to me now.

yes, I love the rugs! sources, please?

I carry a small tape measure in my purse as well. Very useful...

I'll have lived in my home for three years this month and I'm JUST getting to the point where I feel that it's achieving the look I want. Just this weekend I replaced the tiny, hard to clean rug in my bedroom with a nice, large rug. I still have things to do -- new fans/lights, paint touchups and a bathroom facelift, but I'm proud of how far I've come in my first home.

I moved into my flat - my first home - last year and had a 'friend' come to visit after it was refurbished. All she did was moan that the walls were white and there wasn't enough 'stuff' in the rooms. She even moaned about the front door! None of it was constructive - she was just rude ... and in my home! There's huge difference between intelligent criticism and having no manners and mouth control!!

Needless to say, I haven't invited her back!

18 months later and I'm so glad I'm taking my time for my home to evolve with me, only buying items that have meaning to me, regardless of other people opinions - they don't pay my mortgage!

And still haven't invited the 'friend' back to visit!!!!

I don't think anyone should feel pressure to have everything for a new home straight away - especially when it's your first home. You only end up buying 'stuff' not precious items that mean something.

PS - I carried a tape measure in my bag for about 1 year after I moved in, in case I saw something I liked while I was out and about! I have all my home measurements in my memory!!! Yes I know it's sad - but I love my home!

If that crazy quilt was bothering you I would be happy to take it off your hands...

where did you get your medical cabinet? it's awesome

actually i like BOTH rooms..the first looks like it would be cozy and warm in the winter... and the second looks nice and soothing and refreshingly cool for summer. I hope you kept the first rug and hanging just for the option. good job. yes. i have primed walls too..but having had textured and/or colored walls when everyone else had white( and then they all had TAUPE) (gag me) i LIKE white walls as it is high contrast to the teak parquet which is very orange and then the bright color accents to balance the teak. not sure any color but white ( which one??) will ever look good with the floor..maybe a deep peacock/turq/teal.... but don't want to feel claustrophobic either...

thanks everyone - i'm very at home at my pre-war european hospital.

fear not, i still have the crazy quilt. it's just a few feet out of the frame of the photo, hanging over a bar cart. the quilt was a gift from my mom, and it's not going anywhere.

the first rug was from eBay, and I can't remember the vendor or the price. it wasn't expensive, and the quality matched. i could see the floor through it.

the second rug was $200 and the medical cabinet was $300; both are from craigslist.

dulcibelle - great tip. it's noted.

Why not put that textile back up on the wall, if you still have it? I think it worked very well.

I too thought both rooms were nice, but the current iteration is best. Great new chairs, rug is gorgeous and soothing, and that "pre-war European hospital" cabinet is GORGEOUS. Room looks stylish and confident. I'd love to eat dinner in there. Well done.

@rose123 - hilarious! you made me laugh out loud.

Thank you for this nice reminder. My husband and I are in the process of buying our first home and naturally, I'm daydreaming about furniture and things. I'm trying to convince myself that there's no point in rushing to fill the place!! But it's hard. Especially when your friends are crying "When's the housewarming party??"

I'm at a loss as to why anyone would think a reference to familiarity with pre-war European hospitals is funny. Why do people make assumptions?

My ever evolving decor is the fun of it! Sure - the first couple of years in my house were painful when my "to do" list was so very long, but it also allowed me to do a LOT of experimenting! And 10 years later I don't expect to ever be "done."

The "new" rug is awesome - great find!

I always carry a small tape measure too. :) I love that cabinet, what an amazing craigslist score! And the rug as well. I'm at the point where I've been in my condo about 8 months, and am ALMOST to the point of mostly just needing to fill in with more artwork and rugs. Budget and finickiness tend to draw those tasks out, and I'm sure two years from now I'll still be hemming and hawing about what art is best to put over the sofa, and what to replace that god-ugly 80's ceiling fan in the dining room with...

saw this and sent to a friend who still has a bare lightbulb over her dining room table a couple of years after a fabulous kitchen remodel. The price is amazing enough so that one could consider it a placeholder if one were still looking around for the perfect thing. I am in Mexico so the price is in pesos but i believe it was under $200.00.
http://www.westelm.com/products/cluster-pendant-w574/?pkey=cchandeliers-pendant-lighting

200 bucks for that second rug is one heck of a fabulous find!!! I was looking for a rug like that for months in L.A. and could never find one for less than 500 dollars. I'm jealous!

This is a very well-timed post for me. We moved into our new house exactly one week ago, and while it's absolutely gorgeous, I'm having a hard time reconciling myself to the fact that we have rooms to paint and many boxes still to unpack.

Taking a deep breath. New mantra: Slowly, slowly, slowly.

I am seriously in love with that medical cabinet / rustic table combo. Honestly the only thing I don't like about the room is the lamp, and it's not even that I don't like the lamp (I do) it's just that it's not dining room-y and seems like it would be in the way at times. You have great taste!

Could we possibly get a source on your dining table? <3

PS 51desks: juxtaposition - an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

I like the lamp and love the dowel leg shell chairs.

The new room looks nice, but I sure like the old chairs.

I totally carry a tape measure in my bag and write down most of the measurements for things like windows and spaces where we need tables etc to fill on my phone.

I love how homes evolve. "New" doesn't always mean better or updated. People get bored and need to change things a little. This is a good example of two great versions of the same room. I like them both and obviously what matters is that it worked out for the homeowner.

@fizzfizz - it was another $200 craigslist find. ann and i drove from saint louis to tennessee and back with it on the roof of our station wagon.

I like both a lot. Thanks for your willingness to post them! We just moved into a new place and are trying to be 'done,' but mostly that means painting and finding rugs. We downsized, so furniture was not a problem. Still, this is a great reminder to have fun in the coming years re-arranging, editing, rethinking.

I think both rooms look good and if the quilt is now hanging to the right of the current arrangement, I won't concern myself with filling the space where it used to hang...less is more and it may be better to leave a little breathing room between styles. Is that a door to the left of the cabinet? Can't tell what the view is but for some reason it begs attention.

For those of you that like the chairs, iI just listed them in Apartment Therapy's Classifieds section. Do a search for Heywood Wakefield school chairs.

While not long enough for all measurements, Ikea's free paper tape measures are light and can come in handy when you're out and about.

Lovely room -both pics! I am curious about that little stove in the corner. I so miss a wood stove these days and think a wee one like yours may fit in my house. Will you share the source? Thanks

yes! it's a jotul - their smallest model. I do love it, although I would have liked something a notch bigger. Depending on the type of wood, ours sometimes won't have warms coals the next morning. otherwise, it's great.

You might not be willing to say 'carry a tape measure' but I will 'CARRY THE TAPE MEASURE' (caps = me just stating something, not yelling). My grandmother said to always carry one, she did, and so I do too. I can't tell you the number of times it has come in handy! I use to have a fairly large one in my bag, but I've got a smaller, lighter one now.

Love the lamp!! Anyone know where I can find one just like it?

Seems to me that you did quite a lot in three years. My husband I lived with mismatched hand me downs for the first 5 years of marriage. We usually save forever for a new item. My furniture is a result of years of dreaming, so no trends or buyers remorse here. It also pays to stick to what you are drawn to rather than trends. The medical cabinet is not something I would choose,but it works in your space, and it should last forever! If you see yourself loving it 10 years from now it was a great decision.

I love that it's primer on the walls. I painted my entire kitchen, cabinets & all in 2 coats of white primer then went out of town so I put the doors back up without finishing it. Needless to say I've been living with it like that for the last 8 months. My mom always mentions how nice and fresh it looks & i'm always all shamed because I know she knows it isn't finished! Oh well! Live & let live!

I love everything!! Do you know what kind of wood the table is made from??

Thanks for the reminder/pep talk! You see, I bought my house 5 years ago and remodeled some of it then (the kitchen, laundry and half bath) the rest I just slapped paint on the walls and called it a day. Well, the time has come again and I am in the middle of another remodeling project (the living room and dining room) to be followed up with redecorating. It is fun the look back and see how my tastes have evolved. My little house has taught me so much!

I like your taste in rugs, too! Hm, even if we can't see the floor through the first one, it's all wrinkly so there's a giveaway to how thin it must have been.

I like the school chairs more than the shell chairs, but ah well. Maybe in another year you'll have the pendent--hopefully the medical cabinet won't look lonely if it's the only shiny shiny thing in the room....

Last person at the table has to sit against the arc lamp. As someone who has nothing good to say about quilts or quilting, I must say I dig the vertical wall hanging in the first pic.

Appreciate this post, as someone who's been in her (our) first home for about 2 years. I'm also glad we didn't rush too much, as the character of rooms, and their function lighting in different seasons has affected our decisions about them. And the "click" or "aha" moments often take time. But it is awfully hard to keep those thoughts of "this should be done by now!" at bay. Have to keep reminding myself that it's the process, not always the "end" result that matters - things will evolve and that's how it should be.

Sorry - "function, lighting, etc."

I love that medical cabinet! It's not even my style, but I would proudly display it anyway. Great find.

Two and a half years after moving into my new place and I'm just getting around to getting a nice big dining table. Yours is lovely! It's good to be reminded that decorating and furnishing is a work in progress. Patience. And by the way @Rose123, how to fun for you to get some laughs by ridiculing @51Desks. I suppose, by your logic, all the people on this blog who love MCM design must have spent their childhoods playing in the Eames' backyard . . . .