An Update on our Family Room Project

Hello Friends! 

Welcome back to my blog on home living...

I hope you are enjoying your home life this winter!

We have found ourselves up to our eyeballs in a renovation project.

A few posts ago I shared with you that we are sprucing up our family room.

Since one of my goals for this blog is to record our home renovation projects, I thought it'd be a good idea to share what we've accomplished so far.

This photo was taken exactly a month ago...

I suppose it would be considered "before"...

The bookcases, fireplace, ceiling and beams were all installed by previous owners somewhere in the 1990's.

Because none of it is original to our old farmhouse, we have no issue with re-doing any of it.

Of course, it would be ideal if we had a 100-year old fireplace we could restore, but this is not a perfect world, and not a perfect house.

We have always just done the best we can with what we've been given. 

You may remember that Nola and I painted the walls this past fall, so the next step was to paint the beams and ceiling...

Micah ran the beams through his planer first, to give them a more polished finish.

It is always a messy process...

Just like in all other rooms we've redone, Micah has installed new crown moulding...

Hand-making the corner pieces himself...

(Elsa is wearing pajamas with an Easter bonnet, hahaha...)

Once the beams were refinished and the moulding was up, it was time to get started on painting...

We have the most adorable little helpers!...

I've helped a little with the painting, too, but Micah's done most of it so far...

One night, after the kids went to bed, he painted their names on the ceiling to surprise them when they woke up the next morning...

The kids got the biggest kick out of this!

(Little kids are so fun and easy to please, haha...)

Well, would you like to see it painted?

Our family room is now white!!!

I would LOVE to be able to show "after" pictures, but remember, we're only one month into the project. So these are "progress" pictures...

I really like how Micah's beams and moulding turned out!

A painting tip: 

I learned long ago that I love a sheen finish on my ceilings. It bounces the light around and gives the illusion of a taller, brighter room. The reason I mention this is because over the years professionals behind paint counters have always tried to talk us into a flat finish for our ceilings. When we stand our ground and say, "No thank you, we would like this mixed in a shiny finish" they reply that, "Most people paint their ceilings in a flat finish." Micah and I insist anyway on our shiny ceiling paint, and just smile at each other as we leave the paint store. Because he and I both know we are not 'most people'.

 Throughout our home our ceilings and trim have been painted in a sheen finish, and our walls in an egg shell finish. I have always been happy with this decision. It reflects the light around the room beautifully. 

(*smile)

Well friends, this is currently where we are in our family room renovation.

I plan to post more as we plug along!

to be continued...

xo,

~ Courtney ~