Before & After • My Mom's Living Room Makeover (Part Two)
Here we go again! We’re over at my mom’s one bedroom apartment to help give her another makeover. Because, it’s been three years since the last one! I shared her bedroom transformation a few weeks ago and now we’re done with the living room, dining room, and kitchen! Check out the before and after below!
We’ve got gizmos and gadgets aplenty! Some people have a thing for tiles. Well, my mom has a thing for tupperware. Just take a look at her collection in the precious oven. Ha! The issue with this apartment is that there really isn’t enough room for a family of three (my mom, sister, and niece). My mom has a very serious problem with buying things and also letting go of things, which makes it an unhealthy combination. I was watching an interview one day with the famous pianist and conductor, Mitsuko Uchida and she said this, “The trouble with possessions is they end up possessing you, if you are not careful.” Which reminds me of another line from Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club. “The things you own end up owning you.” It’s kinda scary right? It’s a tricky balance. I mean, who am I to judge? I love things just as much but there needs to be some sort of organized and order. And in my mom’s case, it’s chaos and it just consumes you. I’m sure some of y’all are having an anxiety attack just looking at that kitchen. Interventions are never easy especially when I’m trying to get rid of my mom’s personal stuff, but she’s getting better at it each time. My sister and I work together and tackle different rooms when she’s at work. First, we toss out the obvious stuff, like trash bags, boxes, empty cans, plastic bottles, and jars. Lord, we don’t need 30 peanut butter and jelly jars. And we make sure to take to her in a tone that doesn’t make her feel disrespected. Anywho, let’s see the transformation!
I got her a new sofa bed because the other one was way too old and falling apart. I also got an IKEA bookcase for more storage and it doubles as a divider. The coffee table is from our New Orleans home.
I can breathe better now that all the stuff are off the floors!
I changed the layout of the living room and I think this works even better than the previous one. Sometimes, you gotta change it up to figure out what works for you over time. And gallery wall FTW! One of the best ways to update an apartment is to swap out light fixtures. I took down the ceiling fan and install this pretty modern chandelier which cost less than $100. So much better, right?! Now that I’m back in LA, I’ll be checking in on my mom more often to make sure it never gets that bad.
