{The Moving Chapters: Chapter 16: Living Room Reveal}

Our living room is the heart of our home. Or at least that’s what we wanted it to be like in our new home. Our previous house was large and housed two living rooms and even had the potential for one more if I chose not to use the space for my home based business. I always felt like we were spread out around in the old house and although that was great at times, I longed to be closer together.

We loved the idea of turning our new home into an open concept family friendly space. One where we could gather and really live as a family.

The space started as a dream and a plan.

Which required a lot of dust and DIY. To refresh your memory, or to catch you up if you are new here, this is where we started.

Our untouched mid century home needed some updating to match our young familie’s needs. We started by taking out the wall separating the spaces.

 

Then we took down the ceiling walls and floors.

Then we removed the old insulation and old electrical

Then we replaced all the wiring and electrical.

Lastly we designed and built a custom entertainment unit… (Tutorial to come!!!)

And then, after a lot of cleaning, painting, trim work and the arrival of some pretty furniture from the happiest yellow truck with the words “Leon’s Furniture” marked on it, we ended up with a finished space.

 

In this space I craved simplicity and comfort. I wanted our family to be able to really live in this room. I pictured it being a space we could hang out in for casual gatherings that included weekend cartoon marathons and still a place where we could host family after future milestones like graduation parties. Dream big kids!! I wanted an area that had great flow and decided in order to make the best of this space we needed to flank our entertainment area with two couches and some accent chairs.  We like to host parties after all and need as much seating as one room can hold!  You can find the sofa HERE and the chairs HERE.

 

We went back and forth on whether to install a fireplace under our television instead of an entertainment unit, but in the end I wanted a mantle that I could decorate. (Can I get an Amen ladies?) So we came up with the clever idea of adding a two sided fireplace between this space and our dining room. It is a future DIY project that will visually separate this space from the other and one that may just have TWO mantles to decorate. My Christmas loving heart luuurrrves that. I’ll share more on that idea in the future.

 

My handy hubby was so patient with me while we drew up plans for this unit and then threw them out the very next day. We finally decided to build book shelves on either side of our television unit and to complete them with adjustable wood shelves. We added the same cupboards we are using in our kitchen design to create tons of storage beneath our television. Do we have lots of unsightly kids toys stuffed behind there? Why yes! Do we have our television receiver and stacks of kids DVDs behind those doors? Yes!!! Concealed storage is a busy Mamas BFF. To complete this unit we covered the top with rough pine and stained it to match our DIY beams that you can find a tutorial for HERE.

The light and bright elements like the white walls and our DIY custom entertainment unit are soothing to me as are the reflective elements like the vintage glass bottles, the lamps and the candle holders. The ceiling beams, natural fiber window coverings and the hearty wood furniture introduce the texture and sustainability our busy household requires.

 

In the end I’m so pleased with how this space ended up coming together.

I’m certain our sweet old boxer Lola is too, I swear she is just awkward in front of the camera! 😉

Our space is now both parts comfortable and inviting for our busy family. Our faux jute rug is indestructible, as are the wood surfaces in our space like our side tables and coffee table. Check our coffee table out HERE and to see more like it check that out HERE.

I mean, we have already spilt juice all over our coffee table and had a child scribble with marker all over it too! (Yes, your sweethearts aren’t the only ones who do things like that!) Our newly finished living room is an even happier space than what I had envisioned the space would turn into, especially during those times when it was covered with dust and dirt for 9 long months.

Now that this space is complete ,I’m enjoying watching it get lived in by our 3 kids, a dog, a cat and 5 chickens ! (More on the status of our growing family later.)

If you’ve been hanging around from the beginning, then you really should just come over already for a hot cup of coffee and sink into these sofas with me.