Before and After: Living Room

Oh man...this room was so full of junk when we began this journey. SO FULL. Furniture, books, dark and dreary curtains, a treadmill, a huge wooden boxed TV that hadn't worked in over 10 years, so much nasty carpet, and oh so much wood paneling. You get the idea. Now the whole thing feels huge. Even with the ginormous beautiful couch that we put in it, it doesn't even come close to filling the room. There is so much more light. The first few days all of the boys (meaning brad included) couldn't stop running and knee-sliding down the new floors. It gives off that vibe...like you could run and slide forever. I know it won't take long before we fill it to the rim, but right now it is the room that looks the most un-finished. There just isn't a lot going on as far as decoration. We are moving in the old china cabinet tonight to serve as a bar on the empty wall next to the breakfast bar. And there will soon be a coffee table made out of pallets. :) It needs a rug, and another chair under the TV, definitely some art on the walls and some organization up around the TV. But for now, it is the perfect living room for lounging and hanging out as a family. I love that we can all be in the same room even if I'm in the kitchen! :)

Before:

Then it was almost move-in time!!!

And now:

I do not like the side tables next to the couch...the HUGE cabinet is going where that wimpy black thing is on that back wall...the toy chest needs to go or at least be accompanied by a nice big chair... The barstools will eventually have tractor seats on top. I have the seats I just need to sand and polyurethane them...and of course we need those door knobs! Yes, the door is "locked" with a jersey-knit rag. We feel plenty secure! :)
I may have a bit of a love affair with this couch and I love being able to see my huge backyard while sitting on it. It's quite a different room and it's cool to me that the fireplace is the same as it was. I love the fireplace. It was a big part of the old house and I'm happy that it's still the central part of our home. It's a reminder that everything else may look different but the foundation is the same.