Family Room Makeover

I want to start off by saying that I’m incredibly regretful that I didn’t think to take before photos of our family room!  Ugh!  So mad at myself!  But, the after photos are soooo much better!  Trust me, this refurbished space is a major improvement.  Basically, when we first bought the house, our family room was originally a three season room with jalousie windows, old tiled flooring, knotty pine walls, and a dark brick fireplace.  Think seventies or even before that perhaps.  So, prior to moving in, we put in new windows, sheet rocked and painted the walls, and replaced the flooring.  But, this space always seemed to be lacking something whether it was a cohesive style, more natural light, or a contemporary feel.  Fast forward to eight years later when I finally decided to paint the brick (I followed this tutorial which was surprisingly easy), paint the dark cabinets the same color as the walls (Benjamin Moore paint in Dove Tail), and update the plaid sectional we inherited with off white slip covers (a genius solution when you have four kids, three of which are boys).  I love the fact that they’re machine washable so I’m not stressing about stains and spills although I will admit I’m constantly straightening them because my OCD kicks in and I can’t stand to see them all crooked.  I found these gingham pillow covers and these striped ones at Ikea which are also machine washable (yay) and my mom scooped up these French stripe pillows (similar here).  The plant and rattan basket are Ikea as well and I’ve included the rest of the links or similar finds below.

A few more changes I made were replacing the knobs on the cabinets, painting the fireplace screen black, and hanging a rustic wall clock above the fireplace.  Eventually, I’d love to invest in a larger coffee table like this one, some new lamps and swap out this jute area rug for a slightly larger version.

Shop the Look: