my version of fancy

So the "formal" living room is a decorating conundrum for me. I'm not formal. I want my house to be a comfortable place where strangers feel at home kicking their shoes off and tucking their feet under them as we chat on the couch. Unlike many homes I've been in I want to use my living room and not have it become a museum.

My parents have been threatening to give us everything that was remotely mine as soon as we move into a house big enough... something about downsizing/decluttering. phesh. I thought parent's home was synonymous with free storage locker. One of the things my mom has been hinting at passing along is the upright piano that my grandparents showed up with in the back of their truck one night as a gift for me when I was four. I would love to have it but its shiney cherry finish isn't really my style. I thought about maybe painting it  in the future but right now I think working with the original finish would be easier WAY EASIER.

I feel like this inspiration board is the perfect combination of formal-ish pieces with more comfortable casual finishes. I feel like the antique brass finishes (because polished 80s brass is a BIG no-no) mixed with the warm wood tones of the cherry piano and nesting tables balances the whole room. And that blue velvet couch. Be still my heart. I might have to freeze my credit card so I don't pull the trigger on that baby until we move.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

ps- mom and dad you don't have to give up the piano.