Can we talk a bit about home decorating and DIY fails today friends? I recently shared about making house a home which showed a lot of our successes. While we’ve had some great successes in both DIY projects and decorating projects in our homes, we’ve had an equal number of complete fails!
Today is a bit different. I’m going to start you off with a furniture fail turned success in our current home with this before and after that might just blow your mind because of the price tag and how awful the “before” was. I have made many decorating mistakes in this home. But the biggest and most costly so far was our formal living room. I bought furniture that was WAY too small for our space and had to live with it for nearly three years until last week when I made a big change spending less than $200 thanks to some creativity and a few lucky finds on Craigslist and within our home. And, we didn’t opt for some of the architectural elements we truly wanted in this space when we built, so now we are left trying to figure out how to do that in the next year or so with contractors. Sometimes doing it right the first time is best. Here is our first attempt at making some changes in the space.
While it’s nice that we’ve fixed the mistake, it was also a big waste of money. If I would’ve planned the entire room out better, measured and not made a few impulsive purchases, we probably would’ve had a better room and less waste. And if we would’ve thought through the architectural elements like beams on the ceiling, board and batten on the walls and a few other things, we wouldn’t be going back and doing it. Of course, I plan to find a way to use the old furniture, because although it’s too small for the space and a bit too formal for what I like in our home now, I do still really love it. But our new/old sofa is a better fit. I simply replaced our old sectional cover and turned the sectional into a sofa. This was a $40 change that made all the difference. And if you’re thinking “how will she deal with white with two cats and kids?” I’m with you! But, we bought two sets of washable covers so we feel pretty safe.
I want to share just a few more shots of our new and improved formal living room.

I have made SO many DIY and design mistakes in both of our homes. In our old home, I painted a bedroom that doubled as an office, dark purple and it looked like a dungeon. For this home, I dyed curtains yellow to save a few dollars, but instead ruined the curtains and had to go buy new fabric and have some made which were also a mistake. I could have bought the original ones I wanted if I would’ve skipped the DIY projects and saved the money.

But friends, if you’re anything like me and have had your own DIY Fails, now is your chance to turn it into a positive. You can participate in the U.S. Bank “#DIYFails” contest for the chance to win one of five $500 VISA Rewards cards.

U.S. Bank is an Equal Housing Lender. Loan approval is subject to credit approval and program guidelines. Not all loan programs are available in all states for all loan amounts. Interest rate and program terms are subject to change without notice. Property insurance is required. Mortgage and Home Equity products are offered by U.S. Bank National Association. Deposit products are offered by U.S. Bank National Association, Member FDIC.
ha, that is pretty awesome that you can turn fails in a chance to win! I love your new formal living room layout. Looks fab! All the details are great.
Is the hello sign in the first photo from Oh Dier?