I wish this were titled Living Room Progress but since we're moving (incase you didn't see, we're building a house) this is as done as I'm going to get it. I love our living room and even though I didn't get to make all the changes I wanted, think it's a cozy, pretty place that's come a long way.
This year we were planning to install a ventless gas fireplace and build it out with built-in shelves and cabinetry on either side. That diagonal wall is not original and would be an easy fix to remove. This may be the one thing I'm most bummed that we didn't get to tackle in this house. The antique mantle we have been using adds a lot of character and the room would have really come to life with the addition of the real thing. I hope somewhere down the line someone adds it!
We also had plans to carry the wood floors we put in the dining room and kitchen throughout the rest of the house. It was pretty expensive since we also had to have the floors leveled (y'know, since the old girl is 150 - things are sagging a bit.🤣) so we won't be doing that before we leave either. And besides adding an area rug I would have loved to plank the ceilings. They're so tall and I think the added texture would have been so beautiful and cozy.
Now that I've photographed the living room how we have it (I wanted to make sure I always remember this special place) I will start to declutter and pack away some of our family photos. I think it's ok to leave a few out when listing a house but I definitely want to simplify. Makes me sad to think about but I am also SO excited for our next adventure. I'll be sharing more spaces as I clean them up before packing them away so stay tuned for that!
THE BEFORE
These aren't the greatest pictures but I snapped these in October 2017 during our inspection. The room had good bones. It was basically a blank slate with large windows providing lots of natural light and nearly 10' ceilings.THE AFTER
Jeremy recently updated the trim work in our entryway and I love the way it frames the living room. It's a little larger and better material (the previous was MDF and this is oak). I would love to know what the woodwork looked like originally but unfortunately it was long gone before we got our hands on it. We had plans to replace the trim throughout the house but that will be left to the next owners if they so wish (and I hope they do).
This year we were planning to install a ventless gas fireplace and build it out with built-in shelves and cabinetry on either side. That diagonal wall is not original and would be an easy fix to remove. This may be the one thing I'm most bummed that we didn't get to tackle in this house. The antique mantle we have been using adds a lot of character and the room would have really come to life with the addition of the real thing. I hope somewhere down the line someone adds it!We also had plans to carry the wood floors we put in the dining room and kitchen throughout the rest of the house. It was pretty expensive since we also had to have the floors leveled (y'know, since the old girl is 150 - things are sagging a bit.🤣) so we won't be doing that before we leave either. And besides adding an area rug I would have loved to plank the ceilings. They're so tall and I think the added texture would have been so beautiful and cozy.
Now that I've photographed the living room how we have it (I wanted to make sure I always remember this special place) I will start to declutter and pack away some of our family photos. I think it's ok to leave a few out when listing a house but I definitely want to simplify. Makes me sad to think about but I am also SO excited for our next adventure. I'll be sharing more spaces as I clean them up before packing them away so stay tuned for that!
