I've got the itch

I have recently started plotting the makeover of our living room. It is the room that we spend the majority of our time in when we are home and it just needs some "me" touches! I feel like the current furniture makes the room seem smaller than it is and I am looking to open and brighten the room up a bit.

A little background...
Zac bought this house (an early 1900s farm house) from his parents. Prior to him owning it, they used it as a rental property. The house was fully furnished with perfectly acceptable furniture (for a bachelor pad nor rental). That meant when he bought it, it had his mother's decorative taste (which is very primitive country). As cute as it is in her house...I do not wish to have my house full of things from the 1800s. Haha!

When I moved in, so did my bedroom furniture. That made the bedroom a little more me and with a few changes...bedding, wall hangings, and a rug I fell in love with the bedroom.

The kitchen is super cute and aside from the white counter tops (which we both hate) there isn't much I want to change there, except for maybe a lighter wall color (that is yet to be decided).

So that brings us to the living room. The space isn't very big, so to make the area appear larger I want to get rid of the love seat and replace it with an arm chair and ottoman.  I don't think I mentioned that the couch and love seat are not in bad shape, but they are country blue and white check print and I don't like them. So a new couch is in our future. And of course a new recliner, perhaps a leather one. The other thing about our house is that it is all electric, so we are planning on installing a gas log fireplace in the very near future (before the winter). The last piece of furniture that needs to be replaced is the entertainment center. It is a really nice piece, but so large. I would like to just get a T.V. stand with some storage underneath...I'm hoping I can find a cheap wooden one at a Goodwill or thrift store and restore it myself...Zac will probably laugh at that statement...I have big aspirations.

I realize that there is a lot to do, but I have a goal in mind. I am hosting a jewelry party in our home on Oct. 2nd and I want it to be more "me" by then. I want everyone to feel at home when they are here, including me. :) So this weekend, we will begin our search for the couch.