Family Room Update

As promised, I’m here to talk about a much needed family room refresh. When we bought our Ohio home 6 years ago (I know! I can’t believe it’s been that long.), the family room had mahogany stained wainscoting and book cases, and pale sage green walls. Here is a photo from the MLS listing. If you look closely, you can see a “boob” light. There are two in this room.

It also had some plaster ceiling and drywall issues.

We had it inspected and everything was sound. It was just a bad plastering job. It wasn’t pretty, but that is the reality of homeownership. Things take time to repair and there are priority lists, etc. This wasn’t a priority until now.

Here is a real life un-staged photo of the bookcases. You can see we have cable issues and a folding table as a desk. We also need better office organization. There is some dust, too. Please don’t judge.

We use the room for reading, watching TV, and as an office/craft area. We actually spend a lot of time in here. Some of the things that have to stay are a sleeper sofa, and two reclining chairs. I know recliners are taboo in interior design, but this is real life and they are comfortable for watching movies. I promise I’ll do my best with them.

At first I thought about painting all the woodwork, but that seemed a little daunting. Then, I found some inspiration photos that had the look I wanted and incorporated the dark woodwork.

Pinterest

Pinterest

So let’s talk about the plan for this room. Number one on the list is to repair all the plaster issues. Then we can give the ceiling and walls a fresh coat of paint. Georgian Bay by Sherwin Williams is the color we have chosen for the walls.  It’s rich and I think it will compliment the dark woodwork.

I’m going to use the blue and white ikat curtains from the master bedroom in Maine, but add some tassel fringe, and hang them higher. We’ll update the lighting. My husband is making a desk to replace the folding table. He’ll also be making a credenza for craft storage for me. He has already started making both.  The final touches will be a few new pillows and and ottoman to replace the bulky coffee table, and always, always some art. Here is a mood board I made in Photoshop.

We started on the plaster repairs already. I called three different drywall companies and they either didn’t call back or the job seemed too small for them and they couldn’t schedule it for months. I called our local Mr. Handyman franchise (not an affiliate) and they were willing to do the job. I was skeptical, but they did a professional job in a timely manner, and the cost was $540, which I thought was reasonable.

Here is a photo of the repaired ceiling (and the boob light is down),  but the furniture and pictures are all moved around to make it easier for the handyman. You know … things get worse before they get better.

It’s been a while since I’ve been excited about a project like this. I’m starting the painting this week.