Almost a year ago we finished renovating our 70s-wood-paneled-sunroom-turned-family-room and I shared a before and after here on the blog. Well, more like a before and empty-room-after, which, let’s be honest, is boring!
The thing is that filling out a room takes time and effort! The family room has turned into one of my favorite places to spend time in our house (thanks to the bath of sunshine we get from 9 windows, and a constantly growing Netflix queue). While we’ve still got a bit to work on in this room, I’m happy with the cozy cocoon we’ve created. (Wood paneling be gone!)
The cracking linoleum floors, wood paneling, snake skeletons and rodent-poop-insulation feel (and are) a million miles away. (Thanks goodness!)
Just a reminder of where we started:
Lo and behold – it looks like we live here (finally!)
We get TONS of sun in our house – and with nine windows, this room is constantly full of light. And no window treatments. Because that’s how we roll. Hopefully for not much longer.
We bought the hooked pillows this summer when we were in Portsmouth for the weekend. They are my favorite part! We finally kicked all our old college stuff to the curb (except for the IKEA Poang chair – that will never die!). We’ve bought all of our upholstered furniture from Boston Interiors – and I couldn’t recommend them enough!
I’ve been pondering artwork for this room. It’s a tough place to hang anything because – oh yeah – we have nine windows and two french doors. In an act of impulsiveness I hung those woven starfish and they’ve been there ever since.We originally bought these colorful monkey’s fists to hang off the wall… but I’m not sure if I like that idea anymore. So they are just
monnkeyin’ hanging around waiting to find a home.
I found this lovely red metal waypoint at one of those local discount curtain and bath outlets. Then this month I saw it in the L.L. Bean home magazine! It’s more expensive at L.L. Bean, but if you want one for yourself I thought I’d share the knowledge.
“They” (who are “they” anyways?) say that every room needs a splash of red – now that we have one, I have to agree.
This brings us to the empty side of the room:Our current TV stand is obviously way too small for the space. We are (fingers crossed) really hoping to make our first attempt at furniture building with a new entertainment center – so until that happens this one will stay. I’m hoping this spring we can finally get to it! Ultimately we’d love a long, low storage unit that will span the whole width of the room.
And YES, we still have our TV in front of a window – what a strange problem to have – not enough wall space! I’m just glad it’s out of the main living room now.
A tough part in the winter as a blogger is when to take photos. It’s dark when I get home from work and the last thing I’m thinking of on a Saturday morning is to run around and take photos of all the things I want to post about. Lucky for you, I happened to snap a few on my phone – because after I (finally got my act together and) took pictures of the family room, we got a new rug. The tan one now lives in our bedroom, and all my braided rug dreams have come true.
Truly, I feel pretty self-conscious about posting a room just full of stuff. There’s NO PROJECT to explain, but my BFF convinced me that everyone loves a good before and after. I hope that’s the case! I must say, I don’t miss the old room one bit.
So, now that I’ve shared our TV watching room of the house… any Netflix recommendations? :p
Read all about how we DIYed our Family Room:
- Before and After in an Empty Room
- The 70s Called, They Want Their Knotty Wood Paneling Back.
- Sunroom Renovation Progress (There are Real Walls People!)
- Paint Me a Family Room
- Tips on a DIY Whitewashed Brick Wall
- Brick Wall Tutorial: Tinting a Brick Wall
Looks great – I especially love the couch area and beachy vibe! I can imagine sinking into it with a good book and relaxing.
thanks!! yes, I think I’ve become 3x lazier since we got a sectional :p
Awesome job!! Can’t wait to visit and watch PLL in the family room! Uh, I mean,…very serious and important documentaries. The pillows are perfect and I agree, the splash of red is so nice. With so many windows it must feel like a conservatory! It’s the perfect room to watch the seasons change. 🙂
Yes, when you come for our “documentary watching weekend” for the betterment of our minds, we will definitely sit (not lounge) in this room.
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thanks!
I love it! You guys did an amazing job, and it is so cozy. Thanks for showing the before and after pics. It is a wonderful inspiration.
thank you!! it’s always nice to look at the before and afters – whether it’s my project or someone else! It’s the main way I am inspired to tackle new projects!
umm.. wow!