We have LOVED our new house and didn't have to change much upon move-in as it was built seven years ago. This house has a different feel entirely from our VA house (built in 1929). The two houses are opposite from one another in appearance yet they both felt/feel like home. Like my dad always says, "A house feels like a home after you spend a holiday in it." He's so right.
So, flashback to September. We painted almost every room the week before we moved in. It was amazing how different colors changed the whole feel of the house. We went with grays and blue/green hues. Some of my favorites include Mindful Gray (most of the house) Silvermist (kitchen/master bath),and Anew Gray (master bedroom) by Sherwin Williams.
I didn't start this post to talk about paint colors (although I do have an affinity for that sorta thing nowadays). I got off on a bit of a tangent. The REAL reason I am posting is to tell you about our addition/changes to the living room. When we bought the house there were two large recessed spaces on either side of the fireplace. It was pretty obvious that built-ins were meant to be there. Chris and I set out on a mission to make this happen but we knew we would need to phone a friend (or two) to help. Greg, Chris' uncle, makes beautiful furniture and can really do anything he sets his mind to. He has a shop in his basement with some seriously impressive equipment to cut, level, plane, saw, nail, patch, and design wooden furniture. We gave him a call to see if he would build the custom pieces for us. And he said yes! We had not a clue what we were asking this man to do. I have to say, for the record, that we are incredibly grateful to him and aunt Pam for all the hours of hard work and love they put into making these massive, custom pieces for us. I also have to give a huge shout out to Jeff and Chris for all their hard work. I even now know how to use a water saw. Talk about feeling like you've arrived.
After getting a yes from Greg, we had to decide on the details. I had a picture from Ballard Designs magazine which served as the inspiration for the project. Visualize arches at the top, with wide, vertical bead board, dark counter tops, and changeable shelving. All of these elements came to fruition in the final design!
In addition to the built-ins, Chris and Jeff transformed the fireplace. They removed the creamy/yellowy marble framed out in white and up went the new stacked quartz/stone with a travertine hearth and a thick, rustic piece of walnut for the mantel. I make it sound like magic but this stuff is hard work.
Enough talk. I give you before and afters.
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| It's a little blurry but you can see the recessed spaces and the fireplace before the updates. |
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| After. Ta da! (You have to look closely to see the vertical bead board backing the shelves.) |
Happy 2015,
Lauren
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