Reforming My Faux Ways

I've shared this view of my family room many times. This room can be a tricky room to photograph because of the judges paneling which soaks up all the available light.  Don't get me wrong, I love judges paneling, but it does make for some interesting camera work.

Speaking of cameras, allow me to veer off the topic of this post for just a second.  I've received several requests over the past few months asking for tips on picture taking, better known as "photography." ;)   A photography expert, I am not.  Not even close.  I have learned a few things over the past few years of taking pics for the blog, and I'm more than happy to share the teensy bit I have learned.  So, sometime soon, very soon, I'll share information about the "equipment"  I use, how I take the photographs you see here on the blog, how I edit pics (if/when I do edit them) and other random picture taking tips I've picked up.

But we're not talking cameras today.  Nope, today it's the battle of the faux.


Many, many, many years ago, when I put this room together, I seriously believed I needed something reallllly big over behind the burgundy wingback to balance the height of the armoire (which houses the TV) on the left.  A nice, tall tree seemed just the answer.  Not only would it provide the height I needed, it would add some much needed "greenery" to the room.  I knew there was absolutely no way I could keep a real tree alive in this room because:  A. I am terrible with live plants indoors.  They almost never survive, at least not for long.  And,  B. This room is meant to be on the cozy, warm (translate: darker) side for movie watching...

Teas by the fire (click to view)

And the occasional candlelit dinner. (click to view)  Warm and cozy is great for humans, but not so much for plants.

I was pretty happy with my faux ways for many years, but it was time for a change.  The tree had begun to feel, well...how should I say this...fake.  Ouch.  That hurts, but it's true.  Both it and the plant over the armoire were just not getting it done anymore.  The plant over the armoire had been placed there to camouflage the GIANT black box that controls the music...

...out here on the porch.   One speaker is up above the door that leads out to the deck on the right side of the porch...

...and the other speaker is above this door leading out to the deck on the left.  (Pssst: Music is one of the "9 must have features" when you're adding a screened in porch.  You'll find that post HERE.)

As is the norm for me, I dove head-long into this project before I grew a brain and thought, "Hey, I should take pics of this mini-metamorphosis for the zay blog."    So, I don't have a pic of this GIANT black box hulking its bad self atop the amoire, but here it rests on the floor after I slid the armoire out from the wall and, standing on a step ladder, removed it from the top.    Is this a rats nest back here, or what?!   I spared you the view of the large dead bug that was apparently overwhelmed by this maze of wires and went to bug heaven in this spot.  You're welcome. ;)

I slid Mr. Music Controller Thingy (that's a technical term so use it carefully) up underneath the armoire.  It has always, always been a pain to get the remote to work through the leaves of the plant atop the armoire, so I figure it won't be any more difficult to squat down to adjust the volume of the music, maybe even easier.  I so wish Mr. Music Controller Thingy was wirelessly controlled like the Bose system is for the surround sound in this room, but alas, it's not.  So, ya gotta point the remote at the machine.  But that's okay; the music out on the porch normally stays around the same volume anyway and rarely gets adjusted.

So, here's the family room now, sans its faux ways. Feels sooo much more open now.  Definitely loving the look.  Yup, my tree is still up...a job for this weekend.

Did you notice all the books are gone from on top and underneath the coffee table?  If you've been reading BNOTP, you'll remember they were all snagged to fill the shelves (click HERE for that post) in my home office a few months back.  I may need to put a few back on top of the table...looks so bare now.  Love design books?  I shared some of my faves in THIS post.

Instead of a fake faux tree balancing out the height of the armoire, I stole the painting that's been hanging over the sofa.

Here's a close up of the painting.  Do you see the second doggie?  Love their sweet faces.

Now the painting fills the balancing need.   I'm actually enjoying seeing it more as I pass through the room during the day.  Ummm, I may need to raise it just a hair.  Looked fine in person but now in the photo it looks a tad low.  Isn't it funny how photos reveal what we don't see in person?

You can't really see Mr. Music Controller Thingy lurking there underneath the armoire, so that's good.

I know, you're thinking, "Thank goodness that woman finally got rid of that fake greenery."  ;) I have to admit, I am enjoying the change. It's nice seeing the warmth of the wood again over behind the wingback.

Now I just need to find something for this blank space.  And some more interesting pillows for the sofa.  And, and, and...  Never ends, does it?   But isn't that what we love--tweaking and making our nest a little better, a little more the way we want it? What have you been tweaking? Leave me a comment...I want to hear!