Katie’s House: Progress in the Family Room

I’ve had a whirlwind couple of weekends – two weddings of two long-time friends (one of whom I’ve known since birth!), and lots of time with dear friends I rarely see.  I haven’t had much time for house projects, but I did manage to squeeze in a day of painting.  The family room transformation has begun and I am so, so excited.  In case you missed it, this room is on the main floor and is our primary lounge space – a copious amount of Netflix is watched in here during the winter months.

It is a testament to the diverting power of television that we managed to spend so much time in this room.  Behold the overcooked egg:

beforeI am always amazed by what a little paint and a day of toil can do.  Here’s a photo of the room taken from the opposite angle:

Red House West || Family Room RedoI used Miller Paint’s Crystal Ball on the walls with Casper White on the ceiling and trim.  I also did a little Restor-a-Finish/Howard Feed n’ Wax combo on the window frames. The room feels so much fresher and brighter.  Crystal Ball is the same color I used in my living room and hallway, and the newly unified color palette really improves the flow through the downstairs.  Here’s the view standing in the freshly painted room and looking through the hallway and into the living room:

Red House West || Family Room RedoAnd this picture is taken from the dining room looking into the family room:

Red House West || Family Room RedoThis summer has been uncomfortably and uncharacteristically hot.  My eyes and soul are yearning (pining, longing, aching) for the emerald greens of Oregon’s rainy winter.  The scorched browns and yellows of our yard have me dreaming of turning our family room into a verdant oasis.

Red House West || Family Room Redo Seeing my plants against the soft gray walls and fir trim has helped me focus my vision for this room – and the vision is green indeed.

Red House West || Family Room RedoRed House West || Family Room Redo

Red House West || Family Room Redo

Clockwise from upper left: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

I haven’t had any luck yet with finding a secondhand couch.  I missed out by mere minutes on what looked like a good possibility on Craigslist.  I’m bummed but I’ve been telling myself that even though it looked great in the photo, it definitely smelled of mildew or cat pee or worse (if there is a worse?  maybe dead whale).  And so the hunt continues.  In other progress news, I ordered some fabric swatches for the recliner, and I’ve been eyeballing this light fixture from Schoolhouse Electric:

Schoolhouse ShadeI’m happy to have the painting done, and planning a monochromatic green room sure makes the design process easy (I’m kidding… sort of).  I’m looking forward to doing some research to find plants that will thrive in the west-facing space.  The way I see it, the function of an indoor jungle is two-fold: Not only are plants beautiful, but their improvement of air quality will surely mitigate some of the brain-deadening effects of winter nights spent glued to the boob tube.  I mean, right?

Please keep your fingers crossed that I find an odor-free couch soon, and have a great week!

6 responses on “Katie’s House: Progress in the Family Room

  1. Carol Bryner

    You really made the right choice in your paint color. What a transformation! “Overcooked egg” is a great description of the offending walls. I hope you can find a great couch. I think any green/blue/grey hued couch would work as long as it had some great pillows, like that flowered one you show. And begonias (especially the ones with exotic leaves) do well in a west facing room. I love your house!

  2. Sally

    These are a great set of colours. Rich and warm. The lipstick colour is the perfect foil. They remind me of my favourite amaretti tin that I have in my only just starting collection (two). This is the Amaretti di saronno retro tin. You can find an image online. The design is over the top operatic and it’s appealing because of its colours.

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