Let's start with the living room

We have a lot of decorating to do in this house, but one of the first things I want to tackle - at least in terms of having plans for it - is our little living room. It has the only fireplace in the house, and we have no heat (kiwis are notorious for lack of heating/insulation), so we're going to be spending a lot of time in here come winter. I'd like to make it feel more cozy.



I've been trying to come up with a solution for this little nook. I would like to make this space usable, as it has a lovely view. Also, this room is rather small and it seems like a waste for this little corner to just be decorative. People have suggested putting in a table and chairs (which would be awkward in that space I think) or building a window seat (ha! I don't even know how to build myself a shoe rack, much less a fucking window seat). Then it finally hit me this afternoon - a giant ottoman!

The bay window is a bit more than a half circle and octagonal. Something similar to this this Martha Stewart octagonal ottoman (preferably in another color) would work perfectly - I just measured and something around 40 inches would be ideal. It would help this little corner feel more connected to the rest of the seating area, and the thought of curling up on a giant cushy ottoman with lots of pillows seems awesome. I think it would really help the room feel cozier.

Of course, I'm going to have a hell of a time finding an octagonal ottoman in New Zealand. It's possible a round one will do. In any case, I'm definitely going to keep an eye out and see what I can find. It's a shame that there is such an insane lack of furniture stores in my vicinity.



And then... there's the matter of the dingy yellow walls and the white curtains. I'm still trying to figure that one out... but I'm probably just going to have to pick up some paint samples to get anywhere with that.