the living room nowadays

I thought it would be a good time to update you all on how our formal living room looks like these days.  We've added and changed a few things since we decked the halls last Christmas. 

I had to buy a new orchid since the last one that we had back in March died (mentioned here).  No surprise there.  This one is not as voluptuous as the other one, but for $9.99 at Kroger, I'll take it!

This was Paul's old telescope that he had back in the day.  Unfortunately, it's broken but hopefully there's a way to fix it.  We put it in this area temporarily, but it actually looks like it was meant to be there.  This basket used to hold a decorative pillow and blankets, but since the winter is long gone, I replaced them with magazines that were cluttering the coffee table. 

I went to Home Goods on my lunch break two Fridays ago, and I found this side table and fell in love.  I like the rustic yet classy look of it.  I can even paint it later on if I wanted to.  I didn't buy it at first, but I kept thinking about it all day, so I went back that evening (after Paul's approval) and bought it!  I initially wanted to put it in between the two chairs, but it looked way too high.  So I put it by the couch, and it works.

I don't think I'll be buying a new lamp anytime soon, so to fill the table, I stacked two books and put one of our plants on top.  Not the most attractive plant, but it was one of the plants that is still surviving after two years, thanks to Paul.

I forgot to take a picture of the new owl I got from my sister.  It's a Gaudi inspired owl figurine (first mentioned here) from Barcelona.  It sits right next to Mr. Ross on that side table.

And it doesn't always look like this.  Most of the time, a little brat by the name of Bailey takes over.  When we're in the family room watching TV, she likes to escape to this couch because it's quiet.  This is how it typically looks. 

The grid frames are probably my favorite part of the room right now. 

I hope you enjoyed my little tour!