8.07.2013

My Family Room & Kitchen

Hi everyone!  I'm back to share some photos of our family room renovation, with a little kitchen thrown in too.  These areas are connected, and definitely contain the majority of our "living" in this house.  When we're awake anyway.  :)

The feel of the house when we bought it last summer was cozy, but I knew I wanted to make some changes to reflect our taste.  Here is a "before" of the family room:


And here is the "after," from basically the same angle.  I stepped backward a few more paces but you get the idea!


I actually painted this room a warm green/beige at first, but within 24 hours I knew it was the wrong color!  The room doesn't get a ton of direct sunlight and the color felt cold.  My husband, who is ridiculously patient with me, agreed to add this board and batten wall treatment to give the room some interest.  Then I painted the upper portion of the wall "Echelon Ecru" by Sherwin Williams.


Here's a "before" of the fireplace, which is wood burning and was one of the main things I loved about the house.  I think I cried the first time we used this...on a chilly day...in September.  A little eager?  :)


The "after."  We painted the whole fireplace white ("Roman Column" by Sherwin Williams) and it updated the look instantly.


This next photo gives you an idea of the kitchen, which is adjacent to the family room.  I am standing near the fireplace to take the photo, if that makes any sense!


I'm not showing you too much of the kitchen, because, other than paint over the plum color on the walls, we haven't done a lot.  We know that in the long-term, we hope to give the kitchen a major overhaul but that takes lots of cash, as we all know!  We'd rather save up and do it right in a few years. In the meantime, it's functional, and I can dream!


 This last photo is my favorite, because it gives you a sense of how the room "feels" when you walk in now.  I love the textures and colors together.  The seagrass rug was a $50 Craig's List find and the antique Persian rug on top was something I found at an antique shop in Ohio's Amish country...all balled up and forlorn, filthy, just waiting for me to come and rescue it!  (And on a related note, I now know how to hand-wash antique rugs in my driveway, in case you ever need to know.)



We're almost done with our home renovation tour...I'll be back soon with some more details!



11 comments:

Stacey said...

Carrie, it looks great! Painting the fireplace wall made such a dramatic difference. Your kitchen is so much brighter all painted.

My last house was Echelon Ecru and I absolutely loved it. Wish this house was that color too but I'm not going to start painting yet. :)

Unknown said...

Hi Carrie!
I'm so excited you painted your brick! You house looks beautiful. So inviting...are ya busy can I come over for a glass of wine? ;)
I also love how you laid out your familyroom, the tv is not the focal point.
Looks great, always so thrilled to see a new post.

Holly

Kimberly said...

I love it all. So awesome. I'm so very glad you're back -- thanks for sharing!

Carol-Anne said...

Always glad to see when you've posted! I think the family room looks bigger & 'fresher' somehow....

Jodee said...

Everything looks fabulous! You have such amazing taste! My favorite part is the fireplace makeover! It's sooooo cute!

What color is the wall going into your hallway? It looks like Sherwin Williams' Butternut that we just used in our new house and I love it!

Bev and Kev said...

I just have to say that you are a very talented lady! I haven't looked at your blog for several months and the recent posts just blew me away! I plan to refer back to your pictures when I start my next remodel. Thanks for the inspiration!

Jenny said...

Yay, love seeing you post again! Love everything! :)

Buzzings of a Queen Bee! said...

Hi Jodee! The hallway color is "Interactive Cream" by Sherwin Williams. I love it! Butternut is such a pretty color too, I'm sure your house is gorgeous! :)

Unknown said...

I love all the changes you made, especially to the fireplace. I love white and have a lot in my own home. You did a great job!

Nancy

Anonymous said...

So how do you clean the rugs?

Buzzings of a Queen Bee! said...

Basically I used a lot of Woolite, a hose and my own two hands. I laid it flat and then scrubbed it kind of the way you scrub your hair in the shower. Then we draped it on two sawhorses and rinsed it with the hose forever! Then just let it dry in the sun.