So ever since I shared a tour of our farmhouse last month I’ve had so many people send me the sweetest messages about it. Seriously, you guys are so nice! Tons of you have asked me to keep you updated on the progress, so I thought today it would be fun to show you what we are working on for our first project: the living/family room. We have two living rooms so I call this one the family room. Haha. Anyway, you can see the before below. First order of business was to rip down the ugly wood paneling someone put up a very long time ago. As I said yesterday, once we did we discovered there was some rebuilding that needed to happen.
Craig finished that up over the weekend and last night we put the new insulation up. It’s so exciting working on an old house like this. Nothing is quick and easy or straight-forward. Things were built differently back then, so you’ve got this delicate balance of meshing the old with the way things are done now. Let’s just say, we’re learning a lot.
So the plan with the room is to ship lap the wall around the fire place, and put in a big reclaimed beam for the mantel. I want to ship lap the whole room eventually, but for now we’re starting with the one wall. I want to put a jute rug on the floor under the sectional. I’m also switching out our sectional slipcover for an off-white one. I loved the gray but it’s the wrong color for where we are going with the room.
Then I’m going to incorporate this amazing buffalo check rug on the “entry” side of the room, and I’ve already painted the round entry table that was left behind. It looks amazing! It’s incredible what a few coats of paint will do. Truly.
You can see below, more of the inspiration for the room and some of the pieces I’m planning to incorporate. This was the first room I wanted to get done because we spend so much time in here, and we have loved having the fireplace for the last month. Such a cozy spot to hang out and read a book or watch a movie together.
Before: the ugly paneled wall we removed. I’m also trying to decide if I should leave the beams as they are, paint them white, or sand and re-stain them a lighter color. We have beams all over our house so I’m not super worried about painting and regretting it, we’ve got lots of the wood beam character going on in here. Any thoughts on that? I love when you guys give me your opinions! So share!
The other/entry side of the room, which is a nice sized space, but it’s a little awkward. I’d like to turn it into a more deliberate space. You can’t see the doorway into the next room in this picture, but it’s to the right and that wall is where the sliding barn door is going to go. (And I know that’s super trendy right now, but I love it, and also we actually have a real barn with a sliding door, so I think it’s pretty fitting.)
Our cute side/front door. This door is getting a fresh coat of black paint. I am in love with our little old-fashioned door bell. That alone basically sold me on the house. ;-)
So there you have it! I can’t wait to show you when it’s more finished in a few weeks!
Hi Corilynn, I’m really enjoying your blog. About those beams, depending on how much black you plan to have in the room, I wonder if black beams might also be an option (unless you’re going for a very light, neutral look all round). I enjoy your writing as well as the pictures- your kids always look gorgeous too! Enjoy the redecorating! Dawn (Australia)
Beautiful house. I would vote for NOT painting the beams. That wood has so much history and character, it would be a shame to cover it up. Stained wood is so much easier to maintain than painted. We live in a 117 year old home and still have the original finish on the woodwork. It lasts that long! I would leave the beams the color they are. I think it adds a little old-world charm. But a lighter color would look nice too.
Love your plans! The beams make the ceiling feel heavy and lower than what it actually may be. I like your idea of making them lighter, a gray stain might be a fun and airy idea.
Paint them! I saw this awesome episode of Sarah’s cottage ( HGTV) where she painted the beams white and although it was a labour of love it looked so, so good when it was done!
Very exciting. I love your taste. I am excited to see the transitions. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Corilynn, I’m really enjoying your blog. About those beams, depending on how much black you plan to have in the room, I wonder if black beams might also be an option (unless you’re going for a very light, neutral look all round). I enjoy your writing as well as the pictures- your kids always look gorgeous too! Enjoy the redecorating! Dawn (Australia)
Beautiful house. I would vote for NOT painting the beams. That wood has so much history and character, it would be a shame to cover it up. Stained wood is so much easier to maintain than painted. We live in a 117 year old home and still have the original finish on the woodwork. It lasts that long! I would leave the beams the color they are. I think it adds a little old-world charm. But a lighter color would look nice too.
Love your plans! The beams make the ceiling feel heavy and lower than what it actually may be. I like your idea of making them lighter, a gray stain might be a fun and airy idea.
Love your plans and that doorbell. That alone would have sold me on the house. Is the doorbell painted black or is it an original metal?
Paint them! I saw this awesome episode of Sarah’s cottage ( HGTV) where she painted the beams white and although it was a labour of love it looked so, so good when it was done!