Pop Quiz! Family Room Redesign

Okay my dear friends --- it has been such a long time

since I have posted and I thought I would see if you can

remember anything we have been talking about! 

So this post is a little pop quiz.

Look at the before and after photos

and see what was done that makes the

space feel so much different.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

This Family Room was done by shopping the house---

we did not spend money on anything!!

Feel free to post your answers in the comments.

Does this give you any ideas for your own space?

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UPDATED GALLERY WALL

When we were in the midst of our renovation, we removed all the old doors and hardware.  

I donated the doors, but I held onto the antique hardware.  

Not sure yet what I'm going to do with the crystal doorknobs, 

but I did finally find a use for the old skeleton keys that we inherited with the house.  

I knew I wanted to display them in some form or fashion.  

I love having a piece of the history of our home hanging on the wall. 

I took the glass out of a frame that I purchased at the Dollar Store and 

I covered the cardboard backing with some burlap fabric I had on hand.  

I used a little hot glue to attach the keys.  

It took me two years to get around to doing the project 

and all of five minutes to actually complete the project. 

I have been wanting to add something other than family photographs 

to the gallery wall in our family room.  This was the perfect addition. 

I also added this wooden "S" to the opposite end of the gallery wall. 

I think I'll add a few more non-photograph items as well.  

The gallery wall is looking a little long and narrow now, so perhaps I'll add to the top a bit. 

I have been slowing getting out the Christmas decorations this week.  I'll give you look tomorrow. 

Just want to warn you that I'm a "Less is More" kind of girl.  

I don't typically go all out with holiday decor.  

We still had pumpkins on our front porch until yesterday.  I'm slowly but surely getting my act together. 

How about you, have you decked the halls yet?  

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Sneek Peek... on 3 Room Redesigns

This is the house of a good friend of mine. 

Her house was ready for a good "facelift"!

Here is a sneek peek at what we did.

I will show you some quick before and afters

and in upcoming posts

 I will give you all of the juicy details and more photos!

Living Room BEFORE

Living Room AFTER

Kitchen BEFORE

Kitchen AFTER

Family Room BEFORE

Family Room AFTER

It was quite the project and we had some really funny stories.

My good friend Connie does a blog and is a fantastic writer.  

She will be doing a write up on the redesign

and I will be sure and give you all a link, so you can see

 how it all went down from her perspective as well.

See you at the end of the week!

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ON A ROLL

Sometimes when I'm less than thrilled about a room in my house, I'll make a change.  That change will lead to another change and then another change.  Fortunately my husband is a "roll with it" kind of guy so he is very accepting of my incessant changing, rearranging and painting problem.  Well, is it really a problem?  I think not.  It's more of a habit/hobby.  Let's just go with that!

Once I added the vintage school chairs to our family room, I started yearning to make more changes.
It was another one of those episodes, like this one, where I grabbed a can of paint and a paint brush (around 9:00 p.m. on Sunday) and jumped right in.  Not even my husband asking "Really, you're going to do that RIGHT now?" could stop me.  However, I am concerned that if he had to ask, does he really know me at all?

Anyway, this is what I painted....

Before I attacked it with my paintbrush, it looked like this....

We have had this chair for a long time and I have loathed it for almost as long as we have had it.
Not sure why I never got rid of it.  It has definitely seen its better day.  I have been thinking about painting it for a while now and I even shopped around a bit for some spray paint in a color that would work.  I never came up with anything.  Itching to get it done, I remembered we had some exterior paint in the basement that was the perfect color.  I would love to tell you what it is, but I have a really bad habit of getting the paint can so covered with paint that I can't read the color.  We used it on our outdoor shutters and it's a Benjamin More green/gray color.  That really helps, doesn't it?   Painting it with a paint brush certainly wasn't the easiest way to go about it, but I still spent less than one hour on the entire project.

I originally thought I wanted to have the cushions recovered, 

but the leather is very durable and the color goes pretty well in this room.  

I think I need to go on the hunt for the perfect pillow (or fabric to make a pillow) 

to complement this chair. 

So here it is all nestled up to the vintage school chairs.  Don't they look cute together?

More changes to come, to, you guessed it, this room. Stay tuned.  

Anyone else share my problem hobby/habit?  

Sharing with:
Savvy Southern Style
Primitive and Proper
DIY by Design
Miss Mustard Seed
Perfectly Imperfect

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Decorating using the Right Scale

Here is a quick little before and after.

Just want you to see how simple it can be to fill a space

when using the right design principles.

BEFORE

The space above this buffet is quite tall and

needs something in the right scale to make it feel complete.

AFTER

See how this is a simple solution. 

The mirror is large enough to balance out

the piece of furniture and is the right size for

the space on the wall.

By hanging it vertically it is taller as well as narrow enough

 to come in about 6 inches on each side of the buffet.

 When you look at the whole grouping,
the height of the mirror, the lamp and the glass bowl
are three different heights.

This is a simple way to create a unit that works!

Here is a little more of the room...

 I will show you the rest soon.

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Look what a consult can do!

This room makeover was done all by

the homeowner---herself!

She hired me to come and do a consultation,

 we walked throughout the house and talked about

what she could do to make the family room more inviting. 

After an hour and a half I left. 

Some months later she called and said I am DONE!

Come and take the after shots.

Here is the entry BEFORE

The end table was just too short to fill the space.

AFTER

We found this dresser down in her storage room

(it was previously white).

This space needed something taller so that the scale would feel right.

See how a coat of paint, a little larger mirror and a lamp

 magically changed this space.

Wow! the paint on the wall made such a difference,

  the molding and the door really stand out now.

It also warms up everything---so much more inviting.

BEFORE

Notice the mirror propped above the fireplace,

 it was really not reflecting anything interesting,

 mostly just the ceiling. 

This is the mirror that is now in the entry. 

 It adds light and movement to that space.

 I really like mirrors in the entryway.

AFTER

She painted the wall a light beige and added the accent brown. 

The homeowner also added new furniture which

really does update the family room.

Notice how we flanked the two sofas on either side of the fireplace. 

This helps to create a nice focal point,

and a great conversation area.

BEFORE

Here she had a number of smaller items on the mantle

as well as hanging on the wall.

AFTER

Look at how much better it feels to take a collection of items

 and place them together in a group---the box shelves on the left

and the three framed photos on the right.

The fabric on the chair is repeated

with a couple of toss pillows on the couch.

See the touches of red throughout the room. 

 It gives a pop of life to the space.

Nice simple focal point.

It is always important to have items in the room that you love. 

 The painting was important to her,

 as well as the quilted wall hanging that her mother made

specifically for the new colors in the room.

This makes the room yours.

Okay, I want to sit by the fire and read a book here!

So... see what a great transformation was made. 

This homeowner just needed a little direction,

She knew what she liked but was

not quite sure how to get it.

I came in and gave her a few ideas and

suggestions, but she did all the work!

I am so happy to help any of you . . .

This also makes a great gift.

My consulting rate is $50.00 an hour.

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A Few Updates

After opening admitting I cannot sew in this post, I decided to get out the sewing machine and give it another shot.  I have been on the hunt for some pillows for our new sectional.  There is already a lot going on in there with the rug and curtains so I didn't want anything too crazy.  Having no success in the stores or on-line, I decided to take matters into my own hands.  I had the perfect fabric on hand already.  Most of it is going to be used for slipcovers for the dining room chairs.  I'm still waiting on the seamstress.  She's talented, inexpensive and slow (not talking about my mom).  That's okay, because I'm willing to wait for a job well done at a great price.  Back to the pillows.  I didn't want to use too much of the blue/green fabric because I want to make sure there is plenty for the slipcovers.  I popped into Hancock's last night and grabbed a yard of a contrasting fabric for the backs of the pillows (on clearance, of course).  Okay, I admit, sewing two pieces of fabric together isn't rocket science, but it still felt like quite an accomplishment for me.  Hopefully soon I'll graduate to adding piping and trim. Not there yet.

Sorry, that was a lot of rambling for a few pillows.  Here are two of the pillows I made.

Here is another one, but I can only take credit for the small one in the front.  My mom made the other two last year.

Again, I'm only responsible for blue one in the back.  

Here's the best part, they are reversible!  Depending on my mood, or what gets spilled on one side, I can mix them up as I please.

I also finally got around to adding to the gallery wall above the sectional.  It previously looked like this.

I added two more frames and moved a few around.

Eventually, I'll add to more to it and maybe take it up a little higher also.  

The room looks a little more finished now.  Of course, it will never really be finished.  I love how the  rooms in our house are always changing and evolving.  I get bored if a room stays the same for too long.  

That's our dog, Charlie, chilling on the back of the couch.  He's making his blog debut.

I am linking to:
The Inspired Room

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The Dining Room, Family Room Swap

This is a little vinette in the new family room.

I have some fun before and afters of a difficult space that the homeowners have always seemed to have trouble with.  

And it was a bit of a challange!

BEFORE

Here is a space next to the kitchen, with a lovely fireplace but no room to really enjoy sitting in front of it.

This is were they would watch TV as well.

AFTER

We changed this into the dining room.  It seemed to work so much better.

BEFORE

AFTER

The three simple boxes that we hung above the table was the right scale and not to distracting.

Now the fireplace could really be a focal point.

We carried some blue accessories throughout the space to help tie it all together.

BEFORE

The bar was so high that they did not really ever use it.

So it was no problem moving the seating area.

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

We then created a nice conversation and TV watching space in the Family Room.

When you are standing in the kitchen this is the view that you get.

Notice how we added some lamps and the occasional chair.

The TV now has it's own little grouping that fits nicely on this wall.

BEFORE

The TV was in the bookshelf beside the bar.

AFTER

By adding the chair and ottoman next to the couch and placing a rug with the group it anchors the space together.  Also notice the table with the lamp, which warms up the space.

See how the bookshelf can now be used more to tie into the kitchen dining area.

Accessorized with cookbooks and bowls of fruit.

The dining room now. Clean, simple and elegant!

The family room now.  Warm, cozy and inviting. 

Look around your home and see if there are any changes that you could make to improve your space! 

 It is so fun, can make such a difference, and will cost Nothing!!

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