Hey y’all!

So, I’ve been searching for something to add softness to our fireplace area for some time now.  Remember this bad boy?

My goals in doing this were to (1) break up that continuous sea of brown (ie: the floor and fireplace) with some brightness and pattern, and to (2) add more seating… all without obstructing the view of the fireplace (aka… my favorite feature in the house).

I’ve loved the idea of poufs ever since I first laid eyes on these magical creatures.   I mean, they’re like sophisticated bean bag chairs.  And nothing beats a bean bag chair…  I.mean.nothing.   Picture my child-self perched on a red vinyl bean bag chair in our basement, playing Super Mario Brothers on the original Nintendo system, jerking up the controller every time Mario jumps.  Because that helps. Totally. Not as much as actually jumping with Mario, but close. 😉

We still own a black bean bag chair that Joey’s parents gave to Lucas.  It’s currently in the hangout room, but seems to migrate around the house from time to time.   It’s casual cool.  I have to keep it.

Anyways, after searching for poufs for a while, I became pretty depressed.   They can be pricey.   Some at upwards of two hundred beans.  The cheapest I’d found was around 60 bucks a pop at Tarjay.   Still no drop in the bucket considering that I wanted two.  And keeping cost down is a must… With all of the larger reno projects we have going on (our pool renovation, the front door, vent cleaning, etc.) my “design budget” is practically nonexistent.

Then, one fateful day, I hit up Tuesday Morning and found a GREAT navy and white ikat-ish pouf for.. Wait for it… $24.99!!  Shut the friggin’ front door.

I asked an associate if they had a second pouf in stock but they didn’t.  Bummer.

So, what’s a girl to do when faced with this sort of dilemma??

Answer: Drive 20 minutes to another Tuesday Morning while crossing all appendages that she’s not too late.  Clearly.  😉

And it worked.

I powered through the aisles fully intending to take down any pouf-lover who got in my way frantically seeking out that blue and white ikat-esque goodness.  Which is when the skies parted and a ray of sunlight illuminated the pouf’s essence while a heavenly choir sang “I’ve Got That Loving Feeling” a la Maverick in Top Gun in the background.

Or maybe I just saw my new BFF, paid for him, and ran.  Whatever floats your boat.

I got my twin poufs home, rushed them to their new abode in front of the fireplace, and stepped back to admire as Lucas (a fellow pouf lover, apparently) immediately began smooshing his face all over them.  Love that kid.

And here they are strutting their stuff…

And yes, that plant is dying. I mean, duh.  #whereplantscometodie

They’re exactly what I was going for…  They add crisp coziness to the fireplace area without taking away from it.  I love the cool, brightness of the colors against the warmer brown tones.  And the contrast in textures makes me happy.  Way to read my mind and totally accomplish my goals, poufs…  It’s like you have ESPN or something.   😉

Here’s the current view of the living room.   Slowly, but surely it’s coming together….

And just for fun, here’s the before shot when we first got the keys to the house…

Now, if I would just get over the “art paralysis” that’s taking place in my brain so I could get on that wall above the TV.   I have a few ideas, I just haven’t gotten around to trying them yet.   I also need to come to a decision on the coffee table.   Whenever I posted about our new rug, I received several sweet suggestions both on the blog and on Facebook to paint the coffee table anything from white to a bold color like green.   I’m leaning towards white, but until I’m fully certain, I don’t wanna mess with the original finish.   I’m letting it marinate, if you will.

So, anyways, another small tweak to add coziness to our space.   What tips do you have for adding coziness?