Family Room, the saga continues.
Ya wanna know something funny… I have never shown you the other half of my family room…. like ever in the three year history of living in this house. It is not that I am trying to avoid it, more lack of time and a solid plan for the space… and let’s be honest I still have yet to come up with a solid plan… so I am just chatting here.
The exciting thing is that DAP Alex Plus contacted me to work on a project together. So I am doing this makeover on a budget probably around $500 for the whole room but I am still need to sit down and work it out. But the great news is that I get to give you guys a chance to win $100 bucks in cash- well an American Express gift card… (in the next few weeks!) for you to use on your own home!
Let me back up a little, when we first bought this house, we had NO furniture for this room, since we moved from a 1,000 square foot house to a 2,200 square foot house.
The room itself has had MANY different short lived lives…but, since adding two little munchkins to the family, this has become the most used room in our house. So after a 5 month break from building the great wall of built ins– very much needed I tell you. I am finally ready to try and tackle the rest of the room to the best of our abilities.
We have the basic furniture layout in place, even if I am still not grown up enough to afford to buy new couches… **big dreams for that** but for now, I have couches, which is better than not having any (which we did for 2 years) They are in pretty decent shape and are built well (Ethan Allen) that I bought from a friend that was moving for 50 bucks so I cannot complain… and without further adieu here is the room:
Kinda confusing… I know, but the space is a nice size, so difficult- if not impossible to get in one shot, but here are some other shots of the before/current state of this room.
I am noticing from these pictures that the art is a little on the high side… but I just hung them when I was going crazy that nothing was on the wall… So they can change. The sketches are Justin’s from a random art class in college. I would like to have him do some sketches, ya know Titanic style… I KID! I KID! But seriously I want some new art but I have to get in line on the honey do list. ( I am a demanding task master- sorry honey!)
Yeah, so you may have noticed that half of my couch has “dots” half doesn’t… Well, I don’t love the print. So, I got this wacky idea to just color it in… I tried it, and it worked! Yea for wacky ideas!
So when I get stolen moments alone, I have been filling it in with a permanent marker that matches the fabric, ever so carefully, but as you can imagine, I can NOT let my 2 year old see me “drawing” on the couches, so I only get a chance to “draw” every once in a while which is code for almost never, and it means yet another undone project.. You can still see a slight print, but they are in the stripes on the fabric, so it doesn’t look too out of place. And while they are not “prefect” it really does make the couches look so much less dated.
The other side of the room. You can see the hall entry, that I have plans for (see below) and the unfinished closet turned cabinet… and you can see the fact that I have an old kitty litter bucket for a trash can. Classy, I know- don’t get all jealous on me.
My Issues (I mean with the the space… we won’t get too personal here!)
* The weird ceiling…. I want crown molding but we are going to have to work a way for it to not look strange…
* 2 huge walls (weird shapes due to strange ceiling)… I’m little mystified about what to do with two mainly blank walls… so maybe you can share your ideas. And yes I love the gallery look, it may be great for one but not both… and honestly I’ve loved the gallery look since before it was popular, but now I wonder if it has been done too much?
* Wall treatment, i.e. wainscoting? To do or not to do? I am leaning toward not, but I am not making promises yet… I just hate the wall texture. I HATE IT!
I would absolutely love to have a “real” plan written out for this post, but let’s just be honest, I sat down at 3:00 when I put the girls down for their naps, and am just barely beginning to think about the space. Maybe someday when I have a fairy-godmother-babysitter (a girl can dream right?!) or wait that is called elementary school… I will get that plan in writing… for now I know two or three things that I am for sure doing.
Pieces of the Plan! (to be continued)
1. I want ceiling beams that match the new faux mantel…not exactly this style but you sort of get the idea right?
2. Add door moldings to the hall entry…. there are other doors in this space so I just don’t get why they didn’t at least put moldings around this hall entrance… it just bugs me… well I guess I nailed some random molding up there ghetto style so I could hang one of those baby doorway jumpers… but I definitely don’t count that as a finished look, just an act of a desperate mother.
3. Add a sliding BARN DOOR, to the same doorway!!!! …. ya know what I mean, we have been seeing them EVERYWHERE. And I finally figured out what I want to do with this doorway and conveniently it will cover another wall which means I don’t have to hang much up on that side.
Wall it will cover with unfinished… failed stripe project!
4. Finish the closet… that we already demo-ed, rebuilt the structure into a large built in cabinet, never finished and hence never showed you (welcome to my strange multiple project life)!
5. Paint the wickedly awesome brass and blue lamps… (I know you’ll be sad to see the combo color go!), that I know you are all wishing you had in your family room. I am thinking some bright fun pop of color. By the way, Justin found on the side of the road for free just a few weeks ago, they have a great shape and I think they will be really fun once finished… for now they are perfectly functional, so there they are… Yea free lamps! Yea bulk trash day!
6. New Baseboards… instead of our dinky window case molding base that the builder put in! And
I would love to hear your ideas (mostly about the two blank walls- remember there is a budget!)…
Links to pin-board ideas or posts are great, cuz a picture is worth a thousand words… right?!
I’d like to thank Dap Alex Plus for helping me kick start this project!
DAP partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in its DAP ALEX PLUS Blogger Challenge. As part of that program, I received compensation. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used for the Blogger Challenge. DAP believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. DAP’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.
Cassity Kmetzsch started Remodelaholic after graduating from Utah State University with a degree in Interior Design. Remodelaholic is the place to share her love for knocking out walls, and building everything back up again to not only add function but beauty to her home. Together with her husband Justin, they have remodeled 6 homes and are working on a seventh. She is a mother of four amazing girls. Making a house a home is her favorite hobby.
Consider …. painting the walls and ceiling the same color, a lighter to mid-tone green would be beautiful with the dark wood. A dusty green shade might work with your couches. Then perhaps use a more intense green in the same family with some turquoise in some throw pillows to further update your couches.
I definitely would not accent funky ceiling angles with crown molding unless they are a feature you love and want to call attention to.
I am enjoying some of the stenciled walls that I’ve seen lately. I think they are particularly effective when the colors are subtle and the design in repeated in similar colors or feeling in fabric elsewhere in the room.
Keep experimenting and learning – most of us have been where you are.
Love the stencil idea too, and I have been considering that one. I am just worried about the time commitment… I guess I know myself to well! But if I get get the bottom half of the room done and then work when the kids are awake and playing that might be a good may to be able to work done, since they are awake most of the time!
Also you got me thinking about the ceiling, so I will keep thinking about that one….
Cass
I LOVE your family room space! I am so glad you trusted us enough to reveal the other side of the room. I am honored.
First, I love the lamps! I say paint away. They have great classic lines so have fun.
Remember the last time I had some magic fairy wishes of suggestions to do? I have more 🙂 Hopefully though Justin isn’t sick to death of building…
That half wall that separates your space from the stairs leading down (5th photo down)…I would love to see the side that faces the seating area of your room as an open bookcase (maybe even extending the bookcase so that it would be longer and hide the side of the piano by creating a nook for the piano). I think an open bookcase would look lovely with your built-ins and force your eye to say within the room instead of wandering down the stairwell and down the piano hallway.
If you love the gallery look and love what you want to hang then it could never be overdone. Trust your taste…it is the only one (besides your husband’s) that matters.
If you decide to do a gallery wall opposite of the piano then may I suggest also doing another gallery wall on the back stairwell wall (the wall where I can barely make out something hanging there now that is blue-ish). Hang items that will start from the ceiling and then the entire way down the wall (past where we can see the stairs starting down).
By hanging gallery items high on the back stairwell wall and installing an open bookcase, it will create the illusion that there is a room beyond the stairwell and keep your eye anchored in the room (you could also rehang the stairwell ceiling light a bit higher too if you want to solidify that illusion of extended space).
Anyway enough with my suggestions. I truly love your blog and admire your deep desire to create a beautiful home for your family. I adore your sincerity and honesty and hope you never change.
A devoted reader
from my comment above…I meant to type “stay” within the room instead of wandering down the stairwell and down the piano hallway
Hae
Hae! Sorry that I haven’t responded yet! I wanted to sit down and really read the suggestions and this weekend has been crazy. I love the bookcase idea. Originally we wanted to add a column to actually break up the space a little, but I am not sure we want to do anything that in depth…. And can i be perfectly honest about bookshelves, I am not sure I can handle the mess… we have some down stairs and the shelves at kid height are an EYESORE! with the one and two year old rearranging all the time, I KNOW it would drive me batty upstairs. But I do love that idea, I have a few railing bookshelves pinned on Pinterest… I think it is a great use of space!
Anyway, I love the other ideas too. I will have to sit down and think about what we should do! i will try to post more next week!
Cassity
So, I think you need something with some visual heft on the wall with the doorway in it opposite the built ins. That barn door in a bright color would help counter-balance the visual weight of the built-ins on the other side of the room. Wainscotting would also do that.
Cynthia, I totally agree… It definitely needs weight… I just have to admit, I am not excited about adding wainscoting again… SO much work
Love that you were fearless enough to take a sharpie to your couches! I can’t believe how well they covered up the spots! Looking forward to seeing all these projects come to life!
I can’t wait!! I love the idea of the barn door. We keep wondering around our house trying to find a doorway where this would work! It’s going to look great in that room!
So much to say can’t hardly decide where to start-ok love the laundry space and it shows you have taste and a style kudo’s one thing really doesn’t fit in my designer’s eye the collages, The room is captivating and then it looks like those were just a fill in or something-you are so creative I encourage you to find a more YOU way to highlight those. Ok the kitchen space, love the barn door idea very chic…the attic door string I used to have those too and I removed those and added a nice handle or interesting knob still functional but so much more eye appealing now the lighting have you considered recessed on a dimmer it will be more functional and more enjoyable-now the piano that is awkward placing and doesn’t fit in well at all perhaps some other location/basement extra space or if know one is overly attached sell and use $ toward room. Living Space I gather you like the furniture placement so on the sofa Ethan Allen is a good line of furniture and well built so if you like the line of the sofa-then pay to have it recovered. It is worth the investment. I would pitch the love seat and when I say pitch I mean sell or whatever 2 nice matching occasional chairs will be a better use of your space for several reasons- you watch and see if this isn’t right 2 people never sit on the love seat unless it is a house full whether holiday, shower, party etc. People unless your immediate family do not enjoy sitting right that close it invades their personal space. Now 2 chairs can be moved easily one on each side of sofa or directly across or 2 on the side similar to how you currently have love seat. the other odd chair is an odd chair-it either needs a different location with in the space or a new location all together it seems like it was just a fill in also. Your art work is to high it should be comfortable to view at eye level unless you are very tall or very short and in fact doesn’t seem to be you according to your laundry space- I would consider something newer and fresher. The lamps loved your humor on those surely do need a make over perhaps a nice brushed Nichol finish the shades i would go ahead if you want the lamps and do one of several things add a creative touch to them maybe Modge Podge with a jazzy fabric and trim or an interesting collage or replace shades to a nice linen or silk or just shop for some new lamps if you try places like TJ Maxx or Marshalls or Steinmart you can get nice quality without high prices oh and Tuesday Morning has nice affordable things.On the crown moulding that space is awkward for that have you considered going like 3/4 way up do a lovely moulding around the space and two colors paint one above trim and one under I would stay neutral stay in the same family and use one or two shades darker of same paint color-definitely I would update or lose the rug a nice sisal or something that adds a more updated pattern to the space and it is all very flat in one color a nice 3 color palette is usually most pleasing. what color or pattern do you want to pop? What do you want to say about the room-comfy, inviting? And you should infuse the space with your personality I would also lose the ceiling fan and replace with a lovely “chandy” on a dimmer of course. Those are some of the ideas that just popped in my head please keep me updated and friend me on FB jm monroe redtrucktravels@hotmail.com It will be great in the end!!!
I just want to add my 2 cents after reading that last comment. 1. I think it’s awesome your willing to show your space,the beauty and imperfections, not very many people out there are willing to do that. 2. I love that you guys can see the potential in free lamps and $50 couches, I love that. 3. You guys do beautiful work and make an awesome husband wife team. Honestly whatever you guys decide on will look great, it always does. I am excited to see what you guys come up with. P.S. I love the rug, always have.
I love the space and all you’ve done so far. If I had 500 bucks to polish it off. I would finish up the few last little projects like the door trim and the closet, add the rustic door (stained to match the mantle), paint the piano turquoise or green and move it to that half wall, bring in a little more color with a few accent pillows,do the lamps sunny yellow and do a big fun bright collage on the wall over the couches with some photos, some of your art, a few numbers/letters (using dark browns, turquoise, greens and yellows for the frames). I’d keep the rest simple, fresh (all walls white), and a bit of pop of color, keeping it fun since it’s the family room.
I love Love your site…lots of ideas came to mind for me to do in my home thanks to you…. 🙂
Sharon! Thanks for telling me that! It just made my day! Good luck with your projects!
I really like the black rail that is hanging the barn door, the carpet is great too.