House Tour- Room 4!

So, here we are...me welcoming you into my lounge room (or the living room, as most others call it).  This is where we spend the majority of our time when we're home.  Because of that, it serves a NUMBER of purposes: play room, reading spot/library, movie theater, gathering area, study, wrestling ring, etc.  It is impossible to get a decent shot of this room.  The angles from which one has to shoot in order to capture the room without capturing door frames, etc is ridiculous!!  So here are my attempts...
First, the BEFORE:

Why yes, that IS wood paneling.  And while at first I didn't like it, it actually grew on me.  So much so that I decided to leave it 'as is' and just paint the other three walls...ya know, keep some of the character.  It made the fireplace kind of pop off the wall!  Way to woo me, wood paneling :)  I'm totally kidding.  I hate wood paneling with a passion, and it was honestly the first wall that was painted in the house!  And now, the AFTERS::

These are my 'babies' of the room>> one of the main reasons I love the room so much! I ended up ordering a vanilla-colored faux leather futon, and it suits the room pretty much perfectly!  The green accent pillows are constantly used by Poncho as a dog bed or by Seth as 'bombs'-- so more often than not, they are flat on the couch or strewn over the floor.  The coffee table is pre-loved, and will eventually be replaced by something with a little more character. Oh, and the braided rug!!!  My friends have this gorgeous braided rug in the living room of their house, and it just perfectly sets the 'homey' factor.  Bonus is that it was on clearance! Wahoo!!!

So if I lived by myself, that's what the room would look like...but I don't, so extend the room to include the kiddo and dogs please:

Seth's kitchen is over there in the corner in front of the floor lamp...The pillow pet next to the futon is one of Poncho's OTHER fave places to sit (when Seth feels like sharing).  The ottoman was an AMAZING gift from some dear friends who thought it would work well in the room (and it DOES!!  It is so, so PERFECT!-- plus it is a great place to stash my laptop and some blankets), and the bookshelf is where I keep some more of Seth's toys and a few books.  This is the view from the stairs looking down--- the front door is to the left of the picture and the dining room entry is next to the book case.

Above is the view you would get if you were standing in the corner by Seth's kitchen.  The fireplace is non-functioning, but I love it jsut the same.  It gives me a great place to display some treasures (including a mosiac made by my bff which says 'As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord' and a tin piece of art which quotes Lao Tzo: "The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.").  Finally, a view from the dining room:



Poncho wasn't okay with Bella getting all the blog love, so he ran into every shot from this angle :)  This house is magical.  And by that I mean I just love it.  There is so much natural light that we don't even use lamps during the day.  And I love love LOOOOVE the variation in the floors-- makes me smile :) cheers!