Our living room room before/after

It’s been a loooong time coming, but I am finally sharing the process of re-doing our home. I’ve never even shared before and after photos. But many people ask about what the home was like before, so let’s dive in!

I decided to start with our living room. When we bought the house, we loved the layout, open concept, and all the natural south-facing light. But the home was not really my style. It had a lot of brown and beige, as well as lots of other deeper, bolder colors. I’m a tad color-averse and it was definitely a distinct style. While I could tell lots of love was was poured into the home, I had trouble even imagining how I’d furnish it with our current stuff. I dreamed of a bright, clean and neutral space more in line with my own aesthetic, so I literally began talking about the things I wanted to change the day after we moved - starting with the mantel. It took some convincing, but my husband agreed.

Now, I will warn you. This home was not a “fixer upper”. It was in beautiful condition, had some recent updates, and was impeccably clean. It was perfect in many people’s eyes. (Yes, I do get flack for all the changes). BUT they make me happy everyday, and I feel like it truly reflects our style and family so much better.

At first, I played around with ideas for built-ins flanking the fireplace, but due to budget, decided to nix those and go with paneling across the wall. I knew I wanted a very classic look for the mantle, so that it could stand the test of time and be a good resale investment. We removed the facade and demo-ed the tile. (We actually sold the mantle to a guy who was restoring a historic 1900’s St. Paul house, so it got a good home!) Then I worked with my carpenter to create a shiplap wall. He sourced a good quality MDF, 5 in. wide x 1/2 in. thick and cut to the length of the wall (apx. 13 ft). I specifically picked this product so that there would be no seams and no grain, for a more modern and clean look. He cut each one-by-one to ensure the right fit (walls can sometimes warp as a home ages) and separated them 1/8 inch apart. I choose a carrara marble 8”x3” tile, and a prefabricated mantle from Fireside Hearth & Home.

Then we painted everything white - the shiplap wall, mantle and trim. The color we chose is White Heron by Benjamin Moore in an enamel. It is also the color throughout our main level for trim and cabinetry.

Here is what it looked like before:

And after…

More “after” photos of our family room to come!

xo,

Erin