Mission Unimpossible

I am on a mission. I am ready to do something with the Empty Room. You know, the room on the front of the house that realtors call the "formal living room". The one that (in our house) sat empty for six seven months (except that one time that Coop and I played rolling logs and rolled from one side to the other 16 times before we stopped to have a snack and push his cars across the foyer floor 22 times).
We have debated on what to do with this space since December. An office? A playroom? A man cave? A lounge with neon signs and a beer fridge? A time-out safe haven for post epic tantrum times? An in-home gym (ha. right.). What do you do with this space friends?

It over looks the rockin chairs on the front porch, so I started scheming about making it light and airy and relaxing and fabulous.

I had my eyes on a coastal summer breezy living room set called the "Hilton Head Collection" for MONTHS. The couch is boring. Tan/Khaki with a thin blue pin stripe, but the chair, oh the chair! Every time we circled the furniture store, I did the happy dance.

It's festive and frumpy and vivid and vivacious. I wanted it so. bad. Chris did not share my love for this little beauty. He said it looks like someone puked on it. We were circling the floor for the 4th time on our 3rd trip to the store when I crawled into the chair and begged him to let it come home with us. Childish, I know.

Coop had been opening dresser drawers and climbing on coffee tables and a grumpy old man had fallen out of a recliner and was in the middle of initiating a law suit when Chris said "OK! Box it up, let's go, it's YOURS!". I beamed. He schemed. His scheme involves a set of golf clubs and a new truck as a trade off for letting me have the chair.

Golf clubs and new truck aside, the heavens opened up and the coastal-decor Gods rained down on me.

So now the Empty Room has a boring tan/khaki pinstriped couch and a mighty marvelous Hilton Head chair/ottoman in it. Oh, I just love it. I really do.

I have created, in my head, the need to find an old rusty set of shutters. I want them to be weathered and rusty and painted blue. I want to hang them over the boring couch (with the not so boring printed throw pillows on it).

I also need some driftwood. And a pickled coffee table. And about 16 salvaged textured frames.

And someone who wants to paint the walls a lovely light shade of Bayside Blue. (Chris swore off painting after the playroom makeover).

I feel like I need to go antiquing to find these treasures. I mean, I could go peruse the aisles of Homegoods again, but I really want this room to look rustic and authentic. Can't find that in retail.

Anyone know of a good place I can head off to? (Ending sentences in prepositions is sometimes ok). I know nothing. Natalie, I just know you know where I can go. You could complete this project in your sleep, standing on your head. (If you haven't checked out Nat's GORGEOUS home at "Our Old Southern House", you simply must. She takes the cake for sweet southern decor in classic hues and funky patterns. Her double decker porches are to die for.

For now, the Empty Room is just an awkward not-so-empty room but not-so-finished, work in progress. And if I ever go missing, you can bet you'll find me curled up in the ugly chair, sippin' sweet tea, and reading trashy beach paperbacks.