Welcome to Our Den!

The real estate listing called it the “den”.  I’ve never had a house with a den before but I liked the sound of the word and the feelings it stirred up in in me.

The word den brings to mind a warm, cozy place to hang out in winter.  A place with a crackling fireplace, comfy seating, books to read, soft candlelight, and a cup of something hot to drink. As I pondered how to decorate the den I decided it should be a place filled with things both old and new, an eclectic mix of items collected over the years.  I expect that the den is the place the family will gather for Thanksgiving and Christmas to catch a snooze after the big meal or to watch our favorite Christmas movies.  I can’t begin to express how excited I am to share this new place with family and friends this holiday season!

What does the word “DEN” conjure up in your mind?

Welcome to Our Den!  Please come inside on this chilly Fall day, kick off your shoes if you’d like, find a seat and make yourself at home while I tell you about our den, the first “real” indoor room I’ve shown you in our new home.

First off, our den is backed by the screened porch which I shared with you HERE.  This makes the room a little darker than the other rooms in the house  . . . but that’s okay because it goes along with the enclosed feeling a den should have.  Just like the furniture on the screened porch we negotiated in the real estate contract to have this leather couch included. 

This is the cushiest, coziest couch, and without all my pillows (my little obsession), it is wide enough to fit two for a nap. But no napping today!

You may recognize my decoupaged door from one of my very early posts, the tutorial of which you can access HERE.  I’m thinking about how I might change it up a bit to fit the atmosphere of the den a little better.   The armoire was in our old master bedroom and was always a little large for that space but it fits perfectly in the den and keeps the TV hidden away.  Hooray for not having to hang the TV over the fireplace!

You may also remember these gold tipped antlers from my Golden Entry Hall post last Fall.   The antlers made the move with us and I’m glad they did because I believe that every den should have a great set of antlers! Mine are hung over the doorway leading from the Entry Hall into the den.

I already mentioned that a den should have something to read . . . and bookcases to keep the reading materials in of course.

We have quite a collection of books, some of which I’ve displayed here in the den along with some of the other things we’ve collected along the way.

For this room we purchased a new rug, the round table and the linen covered chair.  The table and chair were a complete impulse buy when we went to buy the rug.   Normally, I prefer to find used furniture and give it new life but this time I’m glad we succumbed to impulse because it gave us one completed room to enjoy right away. 

I’ve had this little chair for quite awhile and originally purchased it at an antique store in Olympia.  I think I’d like to recover it with linen to match the other chair and possibly even give it a coat of paint.

This one is pretty even though she isn’t old, and she has become mine, almost all mine!

I’m toying with doing something with the backs of the bookcases also. Wallpaper or paint?  What do you think?

Finally, this is my fireplace with a REAL mantel . . .

. . . and a place for my mirror.  I can hardly wait to start decorating it for Christmas!!!

As you can see I’ve added a lot of light colored pillows to the couch in an effort to brighten the room.  I love the caramel wall color . . . it adds to the warm and cozy feeling . . . but it also darkens the room.  I may try a color similar to the light background color in the rug.  I’ll leave it alone for now though as I have enough projects I’m working on for the other rooms in the house, and it really is nice to have a room that isn’t “in process”.

So there you have it, a quick overview of our den.  I didn’t really “zoom in” to show you some of the details that help create the “feeling”, but that’s for another post.  I’m glad you took the time to stop by today and I’m thankful for your comments and suggestions on my other posts.  Since my old friends are so far away and I haven’t met my new friends yet, I really do appreciate  your input.

I’ll be back tonight with the “big reveal” of something I’ve been working on for my dining room.

Sneak peek!

Blessings,