07.17
2013

The Family Room – Phase 1 – Painted Trim and Fireplace

I took these photos right after we finished painting this room. Before we even got the kitchen cabinets done on the other side of the room. And as of now they are the only photos I have taken of our new house with my “real” camera. Since taking these photos we have made a few changes and also have a few more we plan on making but for now here are some photos of the changes in this space we made by adding our furniture and just simply painting the trim…well, maybe not so simply! Haha – it took FOREVER. For four straight days my mother-in-law and I painted endlessly. First we primed all of the woodwork with Zinzer 1-2-3 and then we used Benjamin Moore’s London Fog in their aura line in a semi-gloss finish and did two coats of that. At least the painting part was much easier going than the priming part.

Here’s a before:

And here it was after we painted. You can see the wires where we removed the ceiling fan. I haven’t decided yet what I am going to put in it’s place for a light fixture. It depends on what I go with to replace the sconces. The sconces are driving me crazy – they are so small for that spot. I have been hunting for a replacement for them and think I may have found something that’s worth trying although I haven’t decided for sure yet.

 

When I took these photos we had our white sofa in here. We have since moved it into the den and now have a large sectional there and I’ve also hung some curtains. I will share those pictures as soon as I have a chance to take them. Actually I may go ahead and share those soon just using my cell phone pictures so you can get a general idea and then when I get back home I plan on adding art/photos to the walls, changing out the light fixtures, adding a rug and making a darker slipcover for the ottoman.

Here’s another before (we removed that light fixture along with the fan):
 
I I hope you all are having a wonderful week so far!
Some Cell Phone Shots with a Little More Done in Our Family Room and Kitchen
Our New Back Porch
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40 thoughts on “The Family Room – Phase 1 – Painted Trim and Fireplace”

  1. Beautiful!! I am so obsessed with that trim color. I can't believe you already have the living room looking so finished. Can't wait to see more!

  2. I knew you would add your wonderful touch to this house! So exciting to see. I do think those wonderful wood beams made it so hard to design around and really pull the room down to make it look squat. Maybe that's not the case in real life and is more to do with the angle? My husband thought maybe it was the mirror going all the way up to the ceiling molding throwing it off. It's such a refreshing and inviting room. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Thanks! The mirror doesn't actually touch the molding although it is closer than I would prefer. We certainly aren't in a financial position though to go out and purchase completely new things for every room in our home and I love that mirror so I am okay with it being a bit taller than I would have done if I were purchasing something new for that space. =) The ceilings are 8 feet – so definitely lower than we would have preferred but not anything out of the ordinary. The cost of living in Williamsburg is pretty high so there was no way we would have been able to purchase something with everything on our wish list so it was easy to give up the higher ceilings in order to be in the neighborhood we wanted and have a wonderful yard for the girls to play in and a decent amount of square footage to grow into. Although I would prefer the ceilings to be a good bit higher I don't think they are necessarily squat and because the room is quite large I think that the beams add a cozy feel to it.

  3. I agree, the trim color looks amazing! The room looks so much better, and you are not even done yet, can't wait to see what additional changes you have made.

  4. I am moving soon and was feeling overwhelmed. Your beautiful transformation is making me look forward to my own move!
    Eilis
    my-heart-lives-here.blogspot

  10. I am really loving this. I love that you are not going white with the trim. I have been contemplating painting my kitchen cupboards a tan/gray and all the trim the same with off-white walls, after last summer I just painted them white! I love this so much better. Can't wait to see what else you do – it's a lot of work but so worth it in the end:)

  12. I love that you are painting the trim something other than white or cream and that it is darker than the walls. It is sooo pretty! Everything is beautiful!

  14. Oh My Gosh!!! It looks beautiful! The room just lit up with your pretty paint colors and adorable furniture. What a difference with the mantel painted! I knew it was going to be so fun watching your transform this house…

    Cindy

  15. Your new home has great bones. I love all the details. With your amazing touches, it is starting to feel like home. I can't wait to see what fixtures and sconces you have chosen. The lighting fixtures you have been pinning are gorgeous!!

  17. It is always so rewarding what paint will do. It looks wonderful Jennifer. You have done so much.
    Those are teeny sconces for the area. I can't wait to see what you will replace them with.
    Beautiful changes!!!
    Hugs, Gee

  20. A little bit of paint can sure give a room a face lift. Lotsa hard work by you and your family, but it looks lovely so far.
    Moving day at our house today. We had some hiccups, but things are ok now.
    I am thinking how I will set things up on the other end now. I would love to paint our fireplace wall in our living room. We'll have to see. We have a seventeen hour drive. Maybe I can talk the hubs into it. The wall is pretty short. we may even be able to do it with a quart of paint. LOL, wish me luck.
    Looking forward to seeing how you make this new house "your home."
    Thanks for sharing and inspiring me. : )

  21. Jennifer, I can't wait to see what you do with this house! I'm sure it will be so beautiful when your all through with it. I know how tough it is getting projects accomplished with little ones around. I have 2 boys, somehow projects seem to take a little longer lol Lori Swearingen

  22. What a great transformation already! I can't wait to see more. We're in the same boat as you guys– moving into our "new" place next month. Every room needs updating, so we have our work cut out for us (but I'm also oddly excited about putting my own decorating stamp on the place).

    Did you ever consider painting the brick fireplace? I'm thinking of doing that with the fireplace in our new house. YHL did a post about it a while back: http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/01/how-to-paint-a-brick-fireplace/

    1. Yes! I am planning on painting the brick but am waiting until the rest of the room is done so I know exactly the look I want for the brick. I am not sure if I want more of a whitewashed look (which I am leaning toward) or actually painted so figured once more of the room was done it would be easier to decide.

      Good luck with your move! I know how overwhelming it is with little kids while you are trying to get settled in.

  23. P.S. I'm curious how you keep your white tufted wing-back chairs so clean. I really want to get them for our living room, but my husband insists that they not child-friendly (although I pointed out that your kids are the same age as mine!)

    1. So far they have stayed perfectly clean. They are kind of a taupey-gray color and have a little bit of texture to them so I think once we do have a spill or two the stains will hide well – or at least I hope so anyway! =)

  25. As always, everything you do looks gret. I love your house and can't wait to see how you decorate all of it. I grew up in No. Va. So believe me I know how expensive everything is. Your yard looks beautiful too. You must be so excited. Have you decided on colors for your bedroom or kitchen yet? My sister lives in anew Hampshire and has those same beams on her ceiling also. It definitely looks cozy.

    1. Thank you, Donna! I will probably do mostly nuetral grays, white and creams in our master bedroom and then do something more colorful in the guest rooms. The kitchen is part of this room so will have the same color trim as shown in this post and the walls will remain white. The painting is all done we are just waiting on a few other things to finish up before we photograph it.

    1. Haha – I didn't even notice. I am always typing fast in the wee hours of the morning and find tons of typos in my posts that drive me crazy!

  27. I have all dark woodwork in my house and have been trying to decide if I should paint it. Seeing your room with the fireplace has helped me decide! Thanks for telling us what you used. Now if I can just get my husband to help! Maybe your dad would come by!
    Darlene

  28. It looks beautiful!! Please tell me….is it hard to keep your white sofa and gray chairs clean? I've been going back and forth about getting a white sofa and chairs. I'm just so afraid it's going to look dirty. Thanks!!

    1. The gray chairs still look like new but that's probably because we've had them less than a year =) The white sofa does get dirty but honestly it doesn't bother me all that much.

  29. The transformation is beautiful! I'm excited to see that we chose the same trim color for our new home as you have! I'm just beginning to strip wallpaper and then prime so you're a bit ahead of me. Thanks for the motivation…I hope that mine turns out as lovely as yours has!

  30. It all looks really good! I love the freshness of it all! I love the wooden beams too oh my gosh! Have you considered white washing the beams to make the room feel bigger and taller? My friend has beams just like this and when she painted them they looked amazing and it definitely gave the appearance of a taller ceiling! I love them like they are just wondering if you had thought of doing that or not 🙂

    1. Thanks, Sarah. Yes, we have considered both the idea of white-washing them or even painting them the same color as the trim or ceiling but for now we plan on leaving them wood.

  32. I LOVE the dark beams!!!!! I can't wait to see what you decide for each room. This house will not even look the same once you get done with it!

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