Let’s start with the “after” photo. It isn’t quite after, as the coffee table has not yet arrived, but there is enough to see what is going on. If I started with “before,” you would not be able to see what I had in mind when I bought the place.
I remember the wallpaper as much sadder than it appears here. The curtains, though were every bit as dirty as you see, and then some. We pulled out the radiator and the worn-out bits, but saved the ceiling moldings and the window surrounds. We rewired and replaced the mildewy carpet with heated stone floors. I hope that by the time you read this, I will have found a “during” photo, in which you can see the basement, right from the living room! I know I have them somewhere….
After that I had to figure out what to do with the room. The TV is upstairs. I don’t like a living room that no one uses. So back in a corner — you can see it reflected on my right in the mirror — I put my stereo, which unlike Alexa does not spy on me and plays exactly what I like, not some Spotified approximation thereof. I have books and comfortable places to read. I may have to negotiate with Jacques for sofa space — so far he is not taking to his new bed — but all in all, it’s working.
Francofoolery 