Our Fixer Upper: Living Room

Our fixer upper is continuing to move along despite a few road blocks this week.  In true "fixer upper" fashion we came across a major unexpected problem in the kitchen.  While the plumbers were working on the plumbing, having to pull up all the sub floor, it was discovered that there was not a proper foundation under the back wall of the kitchen.  This is where all our cabinets and appliances will be so it is important that it can hold all that weight.  We don't understand how this came to be (this part of the house might have been an addition), or how the previous owners got by with it so long without any serious problems, but we are going to go ahead and have it fixed correctly while the floor is pulled up.  The last thing we would want is to get brand new floors, cabinets, and appliances in and then have a major problem where they could be damaged or destroyed.  Thankfully we were already running on schedule and they can start pouring and framing the new foundation for this area right away.  It is frustrating to have to spend so much money on "not fun" things like foundation and plumbing, BUT it will be worth it in the long run to hopefully not have any serious maintenance problems.  Now on to the fun stuff!  I'm excited for our living room because we have some amazing built-in bookcases, a fireplace, and it will be a relatively easy project.  Here's what it look's like now:  

I'm so excited to have all these built-ins!  One of my favorite things to do is style shelves with all my collections, trinkets, and treasures and I can't wait to do that here!   We are going to mount our tv above the fireplace and I'm hoping to remove that outdated brass fitting around the fireplace as well and just have brick.   A fresh coat of paint will do wonders for these built-ins!

The living room is right off the kitchen and here is the entry into that space.  I don't know if I really need this door and I may take it off just to open up the space.  The walls have some lovely old wallpaper and border that will be removed and the walls will be painted. 

Our electrician has already done a ton of work in this room running new plugs and wiring for the tv above the fireplace (so no cords will be showing!).  You can also see the giant plugs sticking out on top of the wall in that left hand corner- he has removed all of those and remounted them inside of the bottom molding flat against the wall like they should be.  

Another great floor to ceiling window in this room with amazing original molding all around.  I can't wait to get some bright white paint on these moldings to freshen them up and make them look brand new.

Here's the other entrance of the room that goes into the front entryway.  Below is a map of the first floor so you can get an idea of how the house is laid out.

I'm going to be able to use most of the decor from our current living room in our new living room, which will make it super easy to decorate.  I'm going to keep both couches, side tables, lamps, coffee table (hopefully it's not too bulky for the space), and my large white mirror for the back wall.  The gray workbench that our tv is on now is going to be used in our kitchen, so I don't have to worry about fitting that in.

via The White Buffalo Styling Company

A perfect mix of eclectic and cozy.  The White Buffalo Styling Co. is one of my favorite blogs and I love how she mixes vintage and modern.

via The Painted Hive

Another cozy living space with a leather couch- I love the light walls and am hoping to do a super light color on the walls to open up this room.

via Pinterest

I love the shelf styling, white washed brick, and overall comfortable and collected feel of this room.  I'm torn between having all white walls and built-ins like this or a contrasting color on the built-ins.  

via Garden and Gun

I love the traditional southern feel of this space.  It's just a touch more formal than I would do for our living room but I love the overall colors and mix of textures.  That wall color is such a perfect neutral without being too boring.

via Nell Hill's

White built-ins with a slightly darker color on the back is a subtle way to add even more interest to your shelves.  I like the neutral tones that they used for the shelves in this room. 

via Emily A. Clark

More contrasting shelves with an even darker color- I think something darker like this would be super striking and add a modern twist in our living room.

via An Urban Cottage

I've been obsessed with this dark charcoal gray lately and love the way it looks on the back of these bookshelves with the bright white on the outside.

via Dimples and Tangles

Another example of the dark charcoal but on the entire built-in instead of just the back.  I'm undecided because I do like how this looks too and think it would define the space well.

via The Inspired Room

Shiplap!  We are planning on doing a shiplap wall in this room (probably on the wall opposite of the fireplace, but maybe on all 3 walls excluding the built-in wall).  I love the way the shiplap looks painted white and I think it would add even more character to the space and definitely fit in with the feel of the rest of our decor.

via Liz Marie Blog

This tutorial from Liz Marie Blog is what I plan on using for the shiplap wall because it looks to be the easiest and most inexpensive of the tutorials I have read.

via Home Edit

Another super cozy yet eclectic space that embodies the overall style I'm shooting for in our living room.

via Splendid Sass

I love the super chic look of these gray walls and mantle- another perfectly styled Southern living space.

via Lauren Liess

One of my favorite designers, Lauren Liess, puts together the most beautiful bright, airy, and elegantly rustic spaces.  I love everything about this beautiful living room she designed.

via Pottery Barn

I love the way this medium gray paint color looks with the rich leather tones.  This whole space full of neutrals looks incredibly cozy and pulled together.

via Domino Mag

I love this beautiful traditional living room with pops of blue and tons of artwork.  Here are some of the pieces I have picked so far to build the living room off of: 

So now all that's left is deciding my paint colors for the built-ins and walls- what color scheme do you like best?

xoxo

Emily