Family Room Decor (Before)

Next project

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m planning ahead. The next project on my list is my family room. In a fed up frenzy I ripped out the carpet in that room forcing it to the top of the list right behind the kitchen.

I might as well say it. I’m anti-carpet.

I know. We live in a world of inclusion and understanding. Carpet is more than welcome to dwell in others’ homes as shaggy or as berber-y as it would like to be but in my world of dogs and teens, we need floors that don’t act as the lint rollers of our house. The vacuum cleaner will back me up on this. I promise.

So, new floors are on the horizon. I bought the flooring quite a while back with the intention of installing it. I held off because I didn’t know how to deal with the fireplace hearth and I couldn’t afford to hire someone to do it for me—so it sat.

Let’s do this

Now that I’ve experienced a little kitchen victory, I’m ready to try and tackle this baby. The hearth is curved. Um… Yikes…

And, do you see the little bits of concrete on each side of the hearth? They are an even bigger yikes… They protrude just enough to make the floor uneven. An uneven floor doesn’t work for the type of flooring we have. I have to figure out how to even it all out. Nothing ever seems easy around here. But… I’m determined to get past these challenges.

On this side of the room

We’re also planning on painting the fireplace. I know. A lot of people think it’s a crime against masonry to paint brick but I love the white fireplace on the other side. I think it will freshen up the space quite a bit.

Speaking of fresh, those bookcases are a little tired. I need to find a way to modernize them. We’ll start by losing the scrolled wood at the top. Fresh drawer fronts & hardware will help. I have some pulls leftover from the kitchen. These bookcases are a sore subject in our house, a really sore subject.

Andy hates them. He would prefer the bookcases be removed completely. He’s not much for ‘styling’. He’s more about function and less clutter. He’d be okay with a reading nook in their place. I worry about what removing them could uncover.

Personally, I like the balance & storage the cabinets & cases provide but I’ll admit, they look tired and dated. I’d love to do a taller cabinet without shelves and just put a mirror above. I’m not sure new cabinets are in the budget and again, what will I find underneath what’s already there?

I’m spending an inordinate amount of time on Pinterest to see if something hits me that I can’t live without. Feel free to throw out some ideas or suggestions on our facebook page.

Gallery wall

One thing I do love is my gallery wall.

I can’t tell you why that deer head brings me such joy but it does. The photos are from one of our summer trips to NY. Those also bring me joy. They do NOT bring my kids joy. They want new photos. We’ll see.

Planning ahead

Let’s dream for just a minute. In a perfect world, where budgets don’t exist, I’d get new lighting, a new rug and a room full of new furniture. Seriously, this family room lacks good seating options.

Reality says new lighting would be nice and I might be able to get a new rug (if it’s on sale) and don’t get carried away with the all new furniture idea. A new chair may not be optional, though. The one we have is literally falling apart.

I put a blanket over the back of the chair to hide where it’s falling apart. Remember in my last post, when I told you there’s zero perfection here? I wasn’t lying. Plywood floors and stuffing coming out of our old chair. We are so very imperfect.

I found a chair at Target that I really like. It would look good with the couch that’s already here and it would be great with the couch I really want to buy. At $299, I think it’s affordable and very stylish. Most importantly, I won’t need to hide its fluff with a blanket.

There it is… The family room in all its glory. It’s next on the “To be tackled” list and I’m sure you can see why. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this room.

xoxo

Donna

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