House Tour: Living Room (Before) and (Now)

Like I’ve said a few times, this whole home tour thing is going to have to be a “before” and “now” series as opposed to before and after because despite the tremendous amount of work my husband has done in our home, it is far from being in the “after” state just yet. Aside from the bathroom, which I’ve already shown you, the rest of the house is still in a state of progress.

This is the living room as it looked the day we took possession of the house. Nasty, dirty carpet. Crumbling walls. Beautiful (read: hideous Grandma style) window coverings.

Here are a few pics of the process.

Hours, well, hundreds of hours, of work. Some blood, sweat and tears. Perhaps a choice word or two. And my husband transformed the space into this….

(The doors off this room are the kiddo’s bedrooms)

And just for fun, a side by side comparison of the before and now from the same angle.

So, what’s been done and what’s left do?

Obviously, the nasty carpet was replaced with gorgeous hardwood flooring. And let me just say this, these floors were a labour of love. I cannot even tell you how many days and nights and weekends my rockin’ husband spent installing this floor (with the help of his uncle, my uncle and a few pals here and there). The walls were repaired and room was painted – including ceiling, window trim, doors and door frames. Can I tell you the huge difference that painting the trim made? I remember coming into the house shortly after he finished the trim and my jaw hit the floor. It was like an entirely different house. It brightened the room up so much and makes the windows look like they’re in a lot better shape than they actually are. We also added the wall sconces as there was no lighting in the room and I didn’t want to rely entirely on floor lamps. Hello, monkey children climbing all over them!

What’s left to do. The big one? Baseboards. Although he just painted the existing window and door trim in the rooms, the baseboards were not worth saving. They are high on our priority list, we’re just still deciding exactly which direction to go. Also, poor Gwendolyn still needs a doorknob. It’s been sitting on my dresser for months. MONTHS! Problem is, house stuff usually starts after the hour of 7pm, once she’s in bed so it keeps getting pushed to the wayside.

Eventually, we might take a few feet off the living room and add a hallway so that the girl’s bedrooms aren’t directly connected to the main living area. We’ll see, though. So far, I haven’t minded it but as they get older it may be more ideal to have a little bit of separation. We’d like to do something with the little alcove beside where our (prehistoric) TV sits. My vision here is built in book cases with a small bench seat. A little reading nook, if you will. Maybe a fireplace with a TV mounted above it in. The kid’s book slings and toy corner will also see some revamping and relocation in the very near future, just as soon as the playroom is up and functioning (it’s close!!). The sofa table needs some desperate attention. Eventually, the windows will be replaced and I’ll add some type of curtains. Although, I haven’t decided just what yet. The decor is less than stellar. Basically, I’ve just recently unpacked my boxes of decor so I have haphazardly placed my existing decorations around our home. Nothing really has a “place” yet and I have some ideas for new looks and new directions I’d like to go in but alas … it’s all about finding the time and money to browse and shop and add to my collection. Sigh. All in due time, right?

So there you have it. This is the area of our home we spend most of our time. It’s not nearly as cozy as I’d like it… but we’ll get there.