Before and After: Family Room

I’m excited to share our family room with you! It’s hard to say this is a true before and after, because it seems like this is the room we tweak the most often. While we slowly add pieces, I also move decorations around my house pretty often, which helps me save money and keeps my impulse buying at bay. Sidenote: if you’re looking for a change, shop your house before you head out to the store!

So between us, can we call it a before and “in progress?”

Anyways, here’s what the space looked like when we first saw the house. I’m not sure if you can tell, but the fireplace (and all the trim) used to be a light mint green. The previous owner was in the process of painting it when we toured the house. You’ll notice we kept the green in a few places as you see more of the house, like a few doors and trim. I’m almost positive there was also green carpet in here (mainly because there was green carpet going up the stairs!). I would love to have seen this room how it was originally designed in the 1950s!

And….after…I mean “in progress.”

This room has certainly been a process over the past few years. The previous owners had the room set up entirely different, but we are really loving the layout now. A large part of our layout (and style for that matter) has to do with this epic couch. Yes, your suspicions are true. It’s probably the best napping couch of all time! This piece of furniture has been a huge blessing to us because it was a hand-me-down from my parents and is approximately 20 years old. We’ve never seen a couch shaped this way, but it frames our space so perfectly.

The dark leather influenced our wall color decision, accent colors, and textures. If you continue to follow along, you’ll start to notice how much of our house is full of hand-me-downs or bargain buys. I revolve our style around the hand-me-downs (or transform them) to create a cohesive feel throughout the house. We don’t have it in our budget to purchase everything new, so we have to get creative!

Speaking of that, can you believe this console table and lamp (in the far corner) are both hand-me-downs? I painted them (along with some other pieces in the house) with chalk paint to fit our style. I’ll be sharing more on that in an upcoming post. If you want to be sure you don’t miss it, you can subscribe to my email list.

These chairs were a big win, creating more seating and a more balanced room. I found them at an outlet center a few months ago, but you can shop them online here. While Mike and I spend most of our time in the family room, it’s also the setting for many group gatherings, so we always need more seats that can be easily moved around.

The sweet little side tables belonged to my grandparents, so they hold a special place in my heart. Plus, they hide all the random things we don’t want to be out in the open!

Our vision for this room is a welcoming space that is casual, comfortable, and functional. It’s the site for naps (as mentioned above), reading, playing board games, folding laundry, binge watching a show, hosting group gatherings, sipping on coffee, game nights, meetings, girls nights, Bible studies – you get the idea. Disclaimer: While we have our friends’ kids over quite a bit, I think it’s important to remind everyone that we don’t have kids yet. So, there are things we can do that might not fit your lifestage! And that’s good, friends! You better believe as soon as we have little ones running around here our spaces will look much different.

Did you notice the fireplace? It’s amazing what a little paint can do to transform a space! It was one of the first DIY projects I did at the house two and a half years ago. I’ll be sharing how I whitewashed the brick & painted the brass, plus how it’s holding up in an upcoming post! Stay tuned.

The floors and finish are original; I’m sure they will probably need to be refinished eventually. I love the craftsmanship of older homes! We found this rug that fit our space wonderfully (10′ x 10′), plus it fit our budget. Rugs can be so expensive, right? It’s not very thick, but does the job. We’re looking for a rug pad to put under it to make it a little more plush!

As life changes, so will this room. We’re soaking in this season of life and loving this space just as it is. Sure, there are walls we want to tear down or pieces of furniture that we would like to add. Some changes we desire will never happen; some may happen in the coming months or years. It’s easy for me to sit and critique my space (especially the ones I spend the most time in), instead of sitting in a posture of thankfulness and enjoying it. So for a while, I think that’s just what I’ll do.

What room do you spend the most time in?

Sources

Rug (10′ x 10′)
Wall Frames
Curtain Rod
Tray
Marble Coasters
Pouf / Ottoman
Chairs
Candle (on ottoman: similar)
Cabinet

 

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