Welcome! This is our very own, very boring family room! The front door is just through that little space between the walls. In there is a pair of double doors that look like they belong to a boiler room, and a coat closet to match. I really wish I had a good before picture of how dark and cramped the space was. The after is amazing. Can't wait to share it with you!
From this corner if the room you can just see the coat closet that is no more. And to the right is the dining room. If you remember our old house, the dining room always posed an issue for us. It just wasn't used, so we changed it over into a TV room that was used daily. Here, its exactly the opposite. That little room couldn't handle being a dining room. Evenings and meals are the only time we are pretty much guaranteed to see our girls and their significant others. That makes six for dinner plus a few friends most nights. Holidays? That was funny. Can you imagine ten of us in this little room?
Me either, but we did it for Thanksgiving. By Christmas we had switched the dining room to the back living space on the other side of the kitchen.
This room began as a cozy sitting room, but by Christmas it was clear we needed a larger dining space. Room switcher time! Hubby was anything but sold on the idea. Any time he doesn't trust me I tend to jump in feet first and let him come home to the new arrangement. He almost always loves it. This time was no different. Time for some electrical work. There was no way that two 80's throw back boob lights were going to be the crowning glory in my dining room. Yeah, its still not complete. The boob lights are gone, and the chandelier is functional but not even close to the right placement. And don't get me started on the number of holes we now have in the drywall. I guess that plank ceiling will be a reality after all.
I really enjoy having the wood burning fireplace set the stage for our dining room. We were after character and we did;t get much, but that brick has become the focus of this house's story. It yelled pretty loud actually!
This is the view when you walk in the front door. Its straight ahead, no missing this guy. I guess it was a pizza oven? Or maybe a rotisserie/BBQ? And how on Earth did somebody get electrical in there?! It has an active flue. Granted, it will never be used for its original intended purpose, despite the fact that EVERY man that has walked into this house immediately wanted to build a fire in there and cook something. What is it with men and fire? I went a completely different route, because, you know, a roasting stuffed pig is not the first view I want my guests to have as they are welcomed into out humble abode.
Moving onto the kitchen, the heart of any home. Its certainly no different here. So much has already changed in here. This was the first room to get tackled. We salvaged the lower cabinets and the granite counters on this side.
A counter depth refrigerator was moved down towards the camera, next to the pocket door that leads to the dining room that is no more. The cabinetry all slid down and a new butcher block counter was added. New backsplash all the way around, all new appliances, and a few other cool projects later and we had a kitchen that was pretty and functional. Such a change from the large kitchen we were used to in the old house. No huge central island or pantry, but its definitely us. We overcame a lot of its storage short comings when we moved the dining table into the fireplace room by adding a coffee bar in there as well. See that door at the end?
This is what is on the other side. Big plans for this space. I am a firm believer in having the laundry facilities where we actually make the majority of our laundry, upstairs. Clearly the laundry room on your way to the garage doesn't quite fit that bill. A mud room/office though? Now THAT is my idea of the perfect use of this space.
And this little guy is tucked back there too. It got a quick makeover already. The photo does not do justice to the blinding neon blue that they put on those walls.
We shall travel to the second story next time. See you then!
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