Tara If you have been joining me on this journey, then you know how long we've been at it! My first blog about our home renovation, Beech Street Bungalow: Before, was posted in May of last year. Now, well over a year later, I can show you the progress that we've made in my favorite room(s) in the whole house! Here is a little refresher of what the living and dining room looked like when we purchased our home.
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We knew we loved the coffered ceilings, but we couldn't wait to update them a bit! We also looked forward to relocating the glass french doors from both sides of the fireplace to other areas in the house. Other than those two tasks, the most noticeable change was that we made the fireplace become the focal point in both rooms. If you have time, check out Beech Street Bungalow: The Fireplace for all of the details! Here is a glimpse of the room once we removed the walls and brick from around the fireplace.
Once the sheet rock was hung and our floors were refinished, it started to look like a home! (You can check out Beech Street Bungalow: The Walls and Beech Street Bungalow: The Floors if you haven't already!)
Now it was time to get to work. We had to remove all of the old trim from the ceiling beams in order to patch the problem areas. Once the beams were repaired, we were able to hang new crown molding, and boy was that a job. But, if you think that is bad, try caulking and painting it all! We chose to paint the ceiling a flat "ceiling white" and paint the beams and trim semi-gloss white. Me and my neck seriously wanted to throw in the towel on this one. Jobs that are over your head are almost unbearable--I don't know how painters do it every day! Other than caulking and painting, I also had to sand the beams in some areas to smooth them out due to the multiple layers of paint applied over the years. I'll have to say, as miserable as it was, I'd do it all over again for these results.
Since we were able to keep the bead board wall on the West end, we had to find a way to finish the corners where it met the sheet rock. We decided to go with lattice strips to create a smooth corner. Once they were caulked and painted, they made the transition seamless!
I chose "Still Water" by Sherwin Williams for the walls. I knew this was a risky move, but I wanted to take the chance! And I'm so glad I did. This big room, full of light and white trim, needed a dark color to add a little drama!
Since we were able to keep the bead board wall on the West end, we had to find a way to finish the corners where it met the sheet rock. We decided to go with lattice strips to create a smooth corner. Once they were caulked and painted, they made the transition seamless!
I chose "Still Water" by Sherwin Williams for the walls. I knew this was a risky move, but I wanted to take the chance! And I'm so glad I did. This big room, full of light and white trim, needed a dark color to add a little drama!
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Not only did we have to caulk and paint the ceiling, but also the windows, door trim, and baseboard! Thankfully, my mom was there to help me! She worked on sanding the windows and painting the baseboard while I caulked and painted the windows. This job was too big for one person, and I am forever grateful for how helpful our family has been.
We were able to use the original light fixture in the dining room and we ordered a brass colored ceiling fan for the living room. (Can you tell how impatient my husband was about hanging our TV?!)
We were able to use the original light fixture in the dining room and we ordered a brass colored ceiling fan for the living room. (Can you tell how impatient my husband was about hanging our TV?!)
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We chose to go with a carrara style tile for the hearth. We thought this clean surface would complement the beautiful white ceilings! After I finished all of my painting jobs, I started tiling! We had to build up the hearth with concrete to give me a (somewhat) level surface to work with.
I just love the combination of the brick, the bright coffered ceiling, the natural light from the windows, the carrara style tile and the dramatic wall color. It couldn't have turned out any more perfect!
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Phillip trimmed out the hearth and we were done!
Since these pictures were taken, we have moved our dining room furniture in! It was so fun to unpack our boxes of china and linens and put them in their place. We have since hosted multiple dinners with family and friends, as well as a game night! We love being able to use this space and enjoy all of our hard work. Breeze even loves this room too!
I hope you have enjoyed stepping into our construction zone! We can see the light, and we are so excited. We can't wait to put all of the finishing touches on the house and enjoy every minute of being "at home".
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