"Finishing" the Family Room

We've hung the curtains and added a few decorative items to the family room, but I still don't think of it as "finished". However, I expect that the remaining touches will be more gradual, the result of finding decorative items over time. That said - the room is officially fully functional.

I do own a sewing machine and while I don't use it that frequently, the price of curtains convinced me that ordering fabric and sewing them myself was the best option. It wasn't cheap, but we ended up with a higher quality fabric than what we would have gotten for the same price if they had been pre-made. They are also exactly the perfect length, which can't be said for store bought.

I ordered Waverly's Ellis print in Flamingo and used six yards at a cost of $59.50.

I'm pretty happy with the "finished" product:

Still on the to do list:

- Sew new, larger throw pillows for the couches

- Add a few trinkets to the shelves

- Figure out what to do with the sides of the fireplace

Family Room Progress

We knew when we moved in that we would want our "relaxation" space done as soon as possible. There had to be one room that we could go to when the rest of the house looked like a construction zone. The family room we started out with was a bit dark with an off white paint that made it look dingy. The fireplace grate was a very dated brass.

One of the main challenges in the room was that the one window, though large, faced out to our covered patio area which limited the amount of light it brought in.

We started by tearing out the base molding, painting the ceiling beams white (Behr Ultra White Opal), painting all of the trim (Behr Ultra Ultra Pure White) and painting the walls a green-blue (Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue). The sellers removed the fireplace grate before we moved in. We don't know why, but we didn't argue. The weird white thing in the fireplace below is the vent cover - I removed it so that I could paint/vacuum the dust out of it and the fireplace seemed like a great place to stash it so it wouldn't get hit with any paint.



Next we put in new 5'' base molding and had six recessed lights installed between the ceiling beams in hopes of giving the room some additional height.

A week later, a special delivery arrived from Pottery Barn.

We got a new coffee table and tv console from their Hamilton reclaimed wood collection. Josh and I both loved them. They're very substantial and high quality and the hardware is beautiful. We also like the reclaimed look so that one day when we have children and they scratch/dent/destroy things, it will have minimum impact on this furniture.

The room is very near finished, though I reserve the right to continue adding decorative accents. Check back for the "after" shot!

Captain Ludwig von Tinklemaken

...or "Tinks",  for short. Meet the newest addition to our household:

It all started at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I had gone to purchase a dresser for our guest room when I noticed this in their art section. I took a picture with my phone because I thought it was funny, but then I kept looking at it after I left the store. After showing a coworker the picture, I knew I had to have it. I called the ReStore and bought it over the phone for weekend pick up.

Where am I going to hang this artistic gem? In front of the downstairs toilet, of course! I mean, who wouldn't want to look at Captain Tinklemaken while making tinkle?

I discussed it with some ladies on the GBCN message board and it was decided that the feline should have a name. One of the ladies came up with Captain Ludwig von Tinklemaken. I think it's fitting - a very serious name for a cat that obviously takes itself seriously.

One message board response referenced Beyonce the Chicken and it gave me an idea. I already knew Josh would be confounded by Tinks, but what would he say if he just randomly looked up from the toilet and saw this refined feline staring down at him?

Fast forward to today. I picked up Captain von Tinklemaken and hung him in the bathroom around 2:30pm. I asked Josh to clean the bathroom, put new toilet paper in there AND make sure there was a hand towel. The hand towel rack is less than a foot away from the bottom of Captain von Tinklemaken's frame! He still hasn't noticed it. How anti-climactic can you get?

Alright, let's see how long it's going to take him to see it. If it's more than five days, I'm adding a countdown button.

Update: I gave up and told him about it on Sunday. His response? "It's a cat in a bonnet." Good thing I didn't marry him for his powers of observation.