August 17, 2015

Finishing The Living Room

I've finished painting the window and door trim in the living room and can show you some photos at last. The before pictures were taken right after we bought the place.

Living room windows before. These were original
to our 1920s-built house and were very drafty.

Living room windows after. Between the energy efficient bay window &
the new door, the room is both lighter & cooler (or warmer) than before.

Our original living room. We replaced the fireplace with our
woodburning stove right after we moved in; the door was later.

Trimwork & painting done! Now I need something for the wall between
the door & alcove. Dan doesn't like the blank wall behind the stove
pipe & wants to hang something there. I'd rather have a chimney oven.

I really happy with the improvements. Even though we have the same floor space, the bay window gives the impression of making our small living room larger. It definitely gives more light, as does the new door. We still have to finish the rest of the front porch, but it's nice to have another room checked off the improvements list.

For details and photos of the entire living room project, check out my Our Old House remodeling website.

37 comments:

Frank and Fern said...

Looks great, Leigh, very nice. Now it's on to the next project(s), right?

Fern

Unknown said...

Looks great! I love the wood stove tucked into the old fireplace, and I think the chimney stove is a cool idea, although a bit pricey!

Leigh said...

They're never ending! In some ways we'd love to finish the house just to get it out of the way, but in nice weather we're always working on something outside. Fall garden and winterizing will be up soon!

Leigh said...

Well, if I'm dreaming ..... :)

Farmer Barb said...

Very inviting! It is funny how a little bit of light changes a room. My mother keeps saying to me, "If you want to change so much, why don't you buy another house?" Because...the land came with THIS one. I also noted the very important fire extinguisher on the floor. You two are nothing if not pragmatic! Enjoy this coming winter. It will seem just that much more of a welcome change when you can come into a warm and toasty house!

Jason and Michelle said...

Love how bright it is! The space looks bigger.

Leigh said...

Thanks! I think, too, that modern homes are not suited to the lifestyle folks like us have in mind. A lot of our changes reflect a need to accommodate our living space to our life style.

Leigh said...

Amazing, isn't it?

Quinn said...

Must be very satisfying to have that beautiful room done and to your own design! Celebrate w a crockpot cake? ;)

Ed said...

It's nice to have before an after pictures to validate all the hard work that goes into fixing up a house, especially when you are like me and do it gradually over many years. Look great!

Renee Nefe said...

How about a compromise? paint a mural behind the stove wall and get the oven too. ;)

Ashley A said...

I love it! So bright and inviting. I love natural light. It's great fun to watch y'all bring that house back to life!

Fiona said...

How did you choose your colors? I am wading through 1300 paint chips!

DFW said...

Looks great Leigh! I love the soft colors.

Leigh said...

I like that idea! LOL

Leigh said...

Ed, the living room was five years! I'm so glad I've taken all the photos. It helps jog our memory and also gives us a sense of accomplishment.

Leigh said...

I don't dare tell Dan! He'd love the idea, LOL

Leigh said...

Ashley, the natural light is the icing on the cake. Dan's been wanting a bay window ever since we got here and this was absolutely the right place to put it.

Leigh said...

The colors came from our furniture. Our carpet and area rug both have shades of gold and burgundy, so these seemed like the best colors to match. They're close to neutral and light. I'm not especially keen on gold, but it's grown on me. :)

Leigh said...

Thanks!

Bag End Gardener said...

What a transformation, well done :-) You've created a great record of the changes; perhaps I'm sad {grin} but I often look back at our blog pictures and sometimes am amazed at how much we've done to this house. I'm guessing you do the same occasionally.

I've never heard of a chimney oven but it's pretty easy to work out what it is - sounds like a great use of otherwise wasted heat. Good luck.

Erika keller said...

Nice room. It's always gratifying to finally finish a project.

Mama Pea said...

Now I'm eager to see how you decorate the room with all your creative touches! Or does that have to wait for a while yet . . . while you put your efforts on other tasks?

Harry Flashman said...

From the time I started reading your blog , I've been impressed with how you two are fixing it up on your own. The only other people I have seen do that are a British couple fixing up a cottage dating to 1854.

I got their URL for you : http://ruralretreatrestoration.blogspot.com/

I think you are about the same ages, too. I will send her your URL, who knows, you might both have ideas that will help the other.

I can do fix it work, but I can't do things that are "interior decorator" looking. I can just fix things to repair them.

Leigh said...

Jayne, thanks! Yes, a blog is a wonderful record. Anytime we get frustrated with so much needed to be done, I point back to the blog as a reminder of how far we've come.

Did you follow the link for the chimney oven? My biggest hesitation is that I can't find the clearance necessary from the back of the oven to a wall. Our wall is non-combustible (cement board) but the oven is still said to get very hot. We considered turning it sideways because I think there's still enough room to open the door on the side. It would certainly trap a lot of heat and make the room much warmer.

Leigh said...

I so agree. :)

Leigh said...

Mostly it's just a matter of putting the furniture and area rug back! I've got two places with bare wall (not counting where Dan wants to hang something behind the stove pipe). I have an idea for one spot, I just need inspiration for the other!

Leigh said...

Harry, thanks for mentioning Rural Retreat Restoration. We do read one another's blogs, though I confess to doing very little blog visiting this time of year.

I think Dan would relate to you on the fixing things part. The decorator part is all my fault. :) But we work together as a team and he often tells me is my job to cover over the spots that need hiding and make it pretty. And even though the style, colors, and decor are my design and doing, they actually reflect his taste more than mine. I figure it's the least I can do considering what I'm often asking him to do!

Sandy Livesay said...

Leigh,

Sorry for the delay in responding to your post. I love what you and Dan have done in your living room. Are you close to the end on doing home improvements?

Cozy Thyme Cottage said...

Hi, Your new living room window and curtain is beautiful and I love the woodburning stove too! Nancy

small farm girl said...

Looking really good!!!!! I love how you put the stove like you did.

Chris said...

Awesome job and lots of hard work! It looks very cosy. Quick question though. The bricks you have in the hearth walls, are they a stone veneer which got attached to the dry wall, or did Dan brick it. If so, I'd love to know how he did that.

Leigh said...

Well, I thought I'd responded to your comment but somehow it isn't here (???) I'm guessing we're about halfway done with home improvements. We still have a dozen or so windows to replace with corresponding walls to be insulated and new siding on the outside. It's slow because of all the hidden rot and damage behind the walls. But, we aren't in a race, so we'll just keep plodding away. :)

Leigh said...

Thanks, Nancy!

Leigh said...

We spent a lot of time discussing what to do with the fireplace and where to put the stove. The chimney was in such bad shape that it was possible to poke a finger through the mortar. We ended up taking it down. We talked about a couple of other locations for the stove, but this just seemed to work out the best.

Leigh said...

Chris, the hearth walls were built from the bricks that used to be the chimney. A link to photos and details is here - http://www.5acresandadream.com/2009/09/new-hearth-laying-1st-course.html

There is no drywall in the alcove. What looks like drywall is actually a cement board. Details here - http://www.5acresandadream.com/2009/10/woodstove-alcove-ceiling-cement-board.html.

Becky said...

Fantastic updates. You bay window would make a beautiful window seat.