The Living Room

I thought it was about time to share some photos of our living room!  We've been slowly (since last August - yikes!) making some improvements to the room and it's so nice to check another room off our list.

The living room was the first room we entered when we looked at our house.  I'll never forget the feeling that came over me.  We rarely get snow here, but there was snow on the ground and it was near Christmastime.  Yes, we immediately saw improvements that needed to be made, but instantly I felt like I was home.  It was warm, comfortable and well, cozy.

BEFORE:

 Fortunately, our home really was move-in ready, but there were certain things we knew we would eventually fix.  One of those things was the styrafoam tiles that covered the ceilings downstairs.  Although we've had wonderful luck in other rooms of our house finding the original beadboard in good condition, when we removed the tiles in this room, we instantly knew there would be no way we could salvage it.    

I think this picture about sums up a room renovation in an old house - not fun! The original owners had nailed 1x4 boards onto the ceiling before installing the styrafoam to ensure the room was level.  But in doing so, the ceiling height was significantly lowered and every time we walked up the stairs, we had to duck our heads.  So it was very important to us to keep the original ceiling height, even though we knew we would be dealing with leveling issues.  We installed planking on the ceiling and it was a job.  I even learned how to use a nail gun because Justus had to use all his strength to hold the planks together.  Even after we finished installing the planks, Justus then had his work cut out for him with the trim.  In the end though, we were able to raise the ceiling about 4"! 

AFTER:

 I know I've mentioned before, but just in case you are new to reading, the walls are oak tongue and groove and are original to the house (about 80 years old).  They have never been painted and it was important to us to leave them as they would have originally been.

We replaced the ceiling, most of the trim, drapery, light fixture and other cosmetic details, but we didn't replace any of our furniture.  Between working with what we already had, trying to lighten the room but keep the walls in their natural state and dealing with the awkward layout, this room has been a huge challenge for me.  But in the end, I'm happy with how it turned out.  It still feels warm and cozy, but hopefully a little fresher.

 My goal in renovating our house is to make everything flow from room to room, but still let each room have its own personality. The original owners had painted the entire downstairs a cream color that neither Justus or I cared for and gradually we've been replacing it with white.  I painted all the trim in this room and the ceiling the same color white (Simply White by Benjamin Moore) to match the rest of the changes we've made downstairs, but I also brought in some touches of gray, as the white can be a little stark against the wood.

 See the piece of trim in the corner?  The original owners had trim in these corners painted white.  One day it occurred to me that a piece of trim stained to match the walls would look so much better.  It was just a little thing - but something we felt dramatically helped.  I used a stain that Rust-Oleum had told us about (Ultimate Wood Stain - One Coat Color) and I loved it!  Only one coat is required and that is literally all it took on the pine trim to match the oak walls.

A lady I used to work with illustrated the two bird prints that hang in this corner and I absolutely love them.  Originally I felt like I needed to add more, but I think their simplicity actually looks nice. 

We've had this table that sits under the window for several years.  I found it at an antique store for about $40... the surface was made with two old cabinet doors. 

 Finding a room arrangement that worked was one of the hardest things for me.  I can't tell you how many times I moved it around!  I am a symmetrical person and the front windows do not line up with the fireplace, which drives me a little crazy.  In the end, I chose to line the sofa up to be symmetrical with the fireplace.

Another thing I struggled with was a light fixture!  I wavered between a schoolhouse light and a barn light for a long time, but in the end, Justus picked out this glass light fixture from Lowe's.  It's not something I would have ever thought of, but it was just perfect.  

The pillows on the couch (and on the leather chair above) were made by Ann of On Sutton Place out of grain sacks (you can read about them here).  They were one of the final touches that just brought the entire room together. 

 The console table behind the sofa was also something we've had since our early years of marriage, but I painted it a lighter gray to help lighten the room (you can read about it here).  We also added drapery panels, which are sewn from linen (you can read about them here), and rods. 

 The shelves were another new addition (you can read about them here).  I like the way they fill this empty space without taking up any precious floor space. I painted them the light gray (Titanium by Benjamin Moore) for a subtly softer look. 

BEFORE:

 Painting the stairs was a huge undertaking.  Once the ceiling was raised, Justus was able to remove the piece of trim on the bottom.  The above picture was taken on our first walk-through... the stairs were painted a brown color and were so slippery.  After Jillian and I both slipped and fell down them in the same week, I had carpet installed two days later, and I've never once regretted it. 

AFTER:

 I painted the top of the treads and the handrail the same gray as the shelves and the rest white.  I actually painted the stairs a couple months ago, but I found they didn't hold up very well, so just last week I applied a coat of satin poly over the paint to help protect them. 

At first I tried painting our door gray too, but in the end, I decided white looked better and I repainted it.  The door is original. 

 Are you getting a feel for how awkward this room is?  I needed to keep this walkway as open as possible, as it leads from the front entrance into the dining room, but still try to accommodate our furniture.  In the end I put this checked chair up against the wall and the wooden crate beside it holds some toys. 

 Just last week I was still struggling with what to hang in this corner.  My mom had painted this wooden quilt square for their home, but wasn't happy with it, and asked if I wanted it.  It fit just perfect in this spot!  We replaced an outdated lamp shade here with a burlap drum from Lowe's. 

The fireplace doesn't look all that different. I repainted it the same light gray I've used around the room, as the white was just too much against the wood.  I put up the same artwork (made from wool) and for now the mantle is simply decorated.  The basket of blocks in front of the fireplace was a gift from a previous boss for our girls.  As you can imagine, most of the time blocks are scattered around the living room floor (smile). 

Thanks for letting me show you around!  I hope you'll forgive me for talking so much! 

 One last thing... there is still time to enter the grain sack giveaway from Ann's shop (you can find that post here).  Have a wonderful rest of the week!