From Farmhouse to Florida

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Rustic Inspired Living Room Refresh ORC Week 2

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After working to find the “perfect” place for a sentimental piece , now I am not certain that it looks quite as good as I thought!

Last week, I asked you to follow along with me while I participate in the One Room Challenge (ORC) to create a rustic inspired living room refresh!  I spent the last week taking a hard look at all the things I currently have crammed into the living room.  One of the things that needs to find a new home is the conservatory my Dad made for me when I had the flower shop.

mood board ORC Spring 2022 Week 2

My Dad made the conservatory pictured below out of old windows when I still had my flower shop, Petals & Porch Posts.  I asked him to make it so I could use it as a prop at an Herb show.  It was so wide, I couldn’t get it out of the building by myself, so it never made it to an Herb show!  He actually made two, but I only kept one.  I knew I wouldn’t have room for both of them in Florida.

If you are just starting to follow me, it took quite a while to complete the downsizing/moving process.   My journey started here: Thyme to Let Go ; How I Downsized the Family Homestead Part 1

and ended here: Thyme to Let Go : How I Downsized My Family Homestead Part 7

with many steps in between and lots of thyme, energy and a few tears.

Although, I am not really sure the process is actually complete since parts of our home still look I am trying to fit “10 lbs of flour into a 5 lb sack”!   Anyway, back to the story behind the conservatory!
display from petals & porch posts
He would always tell me he wasn’t a carpenter when I asked him to build me something, but I think he did a great job!

How The Conservatory Came to Be in The Living Room

When we first brought it down to Florida, I had it out on the lanai.  I used four chairs to hold it up off the ground.  It sat like that for just over a year.  Fortunately, the lanai had a roof over it and was screened in, so rain didn’t damage the conservatory.
One day, a miracle happened, and Dave (Mr. Farmhouse) actually brought home something someone was giving away!  He always thinks I have too much stuff, so I was sure I needed to take his temperature!
He was helping someone move and they didn’t have room for this table!
Conservatory sitting on a Seller's Table
It was the perfect size to hold the conservatory my Dad made!
When we got ready to start working on the outdoor addition, I wanted to bring the conservatory inside.  But I ran into a couple of problems.  The door to my office was too narrow to fit the conservatory thru and the areas where I could get it into, I didn’t have any places large enough for it to fit!  So, it got relegated to the garage until I could solve my problem!

Thyme to Get Serious

Last Fall, I finally decided that I would just move all the furniture around in the living room in order to make room for the conservatory, at least for the Holidays!  Knowing I would face some resistance to my idea, I waited until I was the only one home.  I found the furniture sliders and got to work.  I had to move the couch from in front of the windows to where the buffet normally is and put the buffet where the couch had been.  Room needed to be left for the table that the conservatory was going to it on.
Couch before drop cloth slipcover
Normally the couch has a drop cloth slipcover on it.  The instructions for making a no sew drop cloth slipcover are here: Easy Summer Refresh for a Sofa Using a Drop Cloth
dough bowl with snowman
Here you can see the couch with the off white slipcover in the background of this photo
The Buffet is now where the couch was.  The primitive table next to it was a gift from a friend of mine.  I call it “the Glo Ann table”.  Do you name your furniture?  The Glo Ann table is going to need a new home also.  Fortunately, the legs come off and I can easily store it until I figure out the perfect place for it!
moving the living furniture around
The next night, I wrestled the conservatory into the house and managed to get it up on top of the table by myself.  It involved placing it on top of totes so that I could move it in stages and a lot of praying!
empty conservatory

Ready to Decorate!

I decorated the conservatory for the Holidays with a pretty swag and my Christmas Village.

Roof of conservatory decorated with gingerbread garland

I  currently have an Easter village displayed in the conservatory.

Going Forward

As much as I want to keep the conservatory in the house where it is protected from the elements, I really need to move it out of the living room and put it back outside.  Parts of the lanai are under a roof so it would be somewhat protected.  I have two choices.

I can put it in this area where I was going to put the fireplace mantel.  This area is covered by the original lanai roof.  I would put the white enamel table out there for it to sit on.

Patio styled for Autumn

Or I could put it on the far end of these cabinets where it would be even more protected from the elements.  Don’t you love how my husband is standing with his hand on his hip!  He is probably reacting to one of my great ideas!

storage cabinets by Challenger Designs

More information about my plans for my rustic inspired living room refresh can be found here: Rustic Inspired Living Room Refresh ORC Week 1

Links to all of the guest participants can be found here: One Room Challenge

Shades of Cream & Green Mood Board

Comments

    • Kimberly Snyder says

      Thank you , Lynne! I am anxious to get started on the transformation! I am still in the information gathering stage and need to move out of that stage and get on to the actual transformation stage! Hope you are having a blessed Easter week!

      Reply

  3. Kim says

    The conservatory is so pretty and such a special piece made by your dad! It certainly deserves a special place! I completely relate to you wanting to be alone to shuffle things around in your living room! I got a little chuckle imagining you waiting for your husband to leave and then frantically moving that heavy piece into and around your room:) I can’t wait to see what you decide for your living room. I know it’s going to be lovely!!

    Reply

  4. Diane says

    That’s a big changeroo! But sometimes, that’s what these exercises are all about — figuring out what we really want where and what the house wants too!

    Can’t wait to see it all come together!

    Reply

  6. Elizabeth says

    I love this little conservatory, what a special piece to have. I am sure it will look beautiful in which ever place you choose. Have a happy Easter!

    Reply

  8. Kippi says

    I love that you have the sentimental conservatory made by your father. I would love to have something like that my dad made.
    Happy Spring,
    Kippi

    Reply

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