Sunday, February 23, 2014

Family Room Part Two

Finally....more pictures of the family room!!!


We have the ceiling completely finished. I stained the original beams Minwax's "Dark Walnut" to make them stand out a little more. Then we under-laid them with heavy bead board that interlocks, letting the bottom show (you can see more about it here). I painted the boards Glidden's "Swan White" in a high- gloss so that the sun light would reflect off of the ceiling.




Both the overhead light and the sconces are from Lowes. I was determined to find sconces that looked like old fashioned oil lamps and I was so excited to find these ones on the Lowes website.




When I first started to envision this room years ago I knew I wanted to find a salvaged mantel piece that was in shabby condition with its original white paint. I thought it would take me years to find it and that when I did find one it would be out of my budget.


I was wrong thankfully! This past summer my mom and I drove a whole bunch of cans of paint that we didn't want to a lady in Volant, PA that has an antique shop. As I was walking around the outside of her shop I saw this mantel leaning on the side the house. I knew as soon as I saw it that it was the one! Shabby...check, original paint....check...., the right size...check...., simple enough...check! I quickly hurried inside and told the owner I might be interested in the mantel she had outside and asked the price (I was panicking inside that it would be out of my budget). She said that since it was so kind of me to bring all that paint that I could have the mantel for $90!


Hurrah, I could afford it! I mean it seems like a lot of money compared to the $25 I spent on the mantel in the living room but I have been to the Country Living Fair and I know what people pay for these sometimes. And it looks like it was always meant to be in the room. My mom and I taking the ride to Volant that day was a spontaneous trip and I always think to myself if we hadn't gone there that day I wouldn't have this beauty. I actually ended up getting a bunch of really great stuff that day that I will show over time. The ironstone bowl on the ottoman was one of those things costing me a whole quarter.




The wicker chair is also a lucky find, I was beyond excited to find it at the Goodwill for $20. It was already white and a cushion I had bought for $5 fits on the seat perfectly.


We plan on having a real fireplace put in as soon we can afford it but for now I put a basket I picked up for $5 at the flea market inside the mantel.


I love the way the floor came out. To recap this is the original floor that we ripped up and then layed back down once this part of the house was leveled. It had about 4 layers of paint on it and about 150 years worth of grime and dirt.

This is the room during the reno, when I took this picture we had already taken the dropped ceiling down.

During renovation, floor taken out.




Neal spent days and days running the hard wood flooring through the planer. He left some of the blue paint showing on some of the boards for a weathered look. Then he laid it back down, staggering the seams as much as possible. We ran out of the original floor once we got back to the last couple rows, we bought poplar boards to finish because they took the stain the way the rest of the floor did. Now that the room is done you can't even tell they aren't the same.

This is the floor after it was laid back down but before I stained it. 
 I used the same stain I used on the beams on the floor, I then put 2 coats of semi-gloss polyurethane over it. I use old t-shirts for the staining part and a brush for the polyurethane, going down the room left to right board by board. It made for lots of long nights but worth it in the end. This was the first time I tried using the fast drying polyurethane and I was very pleased with the results.












I can't wait to sit in my kitchen and have a crackling fire going in there (Neal is SOOO sick of hearing me say that).








I bought these antique railroad stakes at a thrift store, not sure what the story behind "Lakeside Lover" being written on them is but I think its neat.


More pictures of the room to come! And let me know if there is anything about this room that I didn't cover that you would like to know about!

45 comments:

  1. Dear Megan,

    what a lovely, charming and most cosy room,most beautiful in the sunlight! I love the colours and the simple but elegant shape of the furniture, the collections and the rustic fabrics. And the make over is very encouraging for all those, who want to renovate an old cottage themselves... Must have been a lot of work but shurely worth it.

    Yours Sarah

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  2. Beautiful. Luv the simplicity you have kept with the décor. Everything is so in keeping with the cottage. The flooring.. wow!! Well worth the effort of saving it. Soon you will get your real fire :)

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  3. I love your house in each detail, great floor, congratulations
    I am glad that I came here,
    Have a nice week,
    Marta

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  4. just beautiful my Friend ~ simple and bright & clean but cozy too ~
    your hard work is paying off!
    keep us posted on everything you do :)
    Lori

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  5. What a great way to start out my Sunday morning. I love your blog and cant wait for each and every post. So glad to have you on my sidebar..

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  6. How absolutely lovely! What a fantastic job your hubs and you have done.....keep up the good work. I cannot get enough of old-house makeovers.

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  7. Every time you post I'm so happy and I always, always go away wanting to do the farmhouse style in my own home. I used to go to the flea market every Sunday when I was into the prim style and I sure miss it.
    Great job and tell your husband he is doing wonderfully on your home both of you are!

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  8. This room looks amazing..you and your husband have done a beautiful job! Love all the details especially the beautiful ceiling and the new light!

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  9. Love Love Love this room. So pretty. I love the natural light that comes through. The beams are gorgeous and what a steal on that Mantel. I have never seen one ever for that price. They are always up in the hundreds so you got a great deal. It is all beautiful.
    Kris

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  10. I have so much admiration for the two of you and the hard work you have done on your wonderful farmhouse ~ it has totally paid off. I love everything about it!!

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  11. I just love what you have done...so homey, so charming! Thanks for sharing all the details!
    Kari

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  12. Seeing the room taken apart and then put together wonderful. I worked along side the carpenter when we tore our kitchen and dining room out (even one outside wall had to have the 2x4's replaced) It was hard work and lasted until mid-November the year we did it but I love the larger and much more useful space when we finished.Your huge changes from beginning to end in your room were so much work and your finished room so wonderful Your finishing details are such a visual treat and your furnished and accessories all fit together so well. I found an Ironstone Wheat little jug last week that would have settled right in with your Ironstone Wheat pitchers/jugs. Thank you for such a lovely visit.
    Joy

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  13. Oh, I love every inch of this room...and the rest of your home. You did a beautiful job! Sometimes I come back here at look at your photos, over and over. :)

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  14. What a beautiful job the two of you did on this space! So lovely...and wonderful personal touches! The mantel was a wonderful find...and love the basket of wood, too!

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  15. Love your room! It is perfect, and the mantel for $90 was great!!! You have a beautiful home, I could move right in!!

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  16. You all have done an amazing job on transforming this room!! Love the mantel you found, and the three ironstone pitchers look perfect on it. Beautiful flooring too.
    Mary Alice

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  17. A~MAZ~ZING ! ! There isn't one single thing I don't love. The floor, the lights, the mantel, the ceiling, and as always your pictures do it a ton of justice. ~d

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  18. Just gorgeous! So glad you restored this room to its purest beauty. Love it!!

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  19. Megan,

    The mantel could not be anymore perfect for your family room!!!! Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us!

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  20. You are obviously people of vision and not afraid of hard work. The result is "perfection". Loving your blog and looking forward to more.

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  21. wow, I am in love with all the texture in this room! great job! Oh and hello from this new blogger!
    leelee @ paperbagstyling.blogspot.com

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  22. Megan the room is to die for! So comfortable and romantic and the same time. So lovely.
    Lisa
    Leeshideaway.blogspot.com

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  23. This looks amazing! It's so beautiful and bright.

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  24. I love your room, and seeing the finished result from the beginning - it's amazing! Lots of hard work and vision - KUDOS for a job well done!

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  25. You guys ROCK!!! What an amazing job you've done...love every detail! (Especially that great wicker chair-what a steal :)
    Susan

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  26. I found your blog only last week. It was love at first sight :-) I really like your home and your style... Can`t wait for more pics. Great work... Alexandra

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  27. You two did a great deal of hard work! It looks absolutely stunning and are approaching it with integrity and honor to the house! Wow, what a happy and wonderful house! And yes, when you can afford the fireplace, it will be that much more wonderful.....great job you guys!!
    Nancy
    wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com

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  28. DULL, DULL, DULL...WHITE, WHITE, WHITE. There must be no joy or color in your life. How sad.

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    Replies
    1. OMG! You must have no joy in your life if you go around insulting others! Meg has AMAZING style and has MANY fans! This is terrible! I cannot believe I read this!!!

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    2. Thanks for standing up for me Mel...you are the best!!!

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    3. I love the simplicity, the Light that infuses every room with joy! Why would someone insult someone on their blog? I'm astonished and dismayed at the mean spirited comment. Kindness matters--always.

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  29. Your beauty in all it's calm matches to none other.
    Amazing grace here. I too love the soothing tone on tone of pale whites, muslin tones, natural and oat mills.
    I can't imagin living in the beauty you look at each day.

    Enjoy all the beauty you create, keep inspiring those great finds.

    Xx
    Doré

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  30. Just found your blog....love what you did with your floors and ceiling. Must have been a ton of work...but certainly worth it!

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  31. You are my inspiration! Today I did my first post to start my "renovation blog", but it will be a long time coming before my home can be as beautiful as yours. I hope you and others check out my blog and leave comments with lots of ideas and opinions, I need all the help I can get. I have actually gotten many ideas from you and hope I can use them. You are so good at what you do!! Can't wait for the next post, and now my mother is looking and waiting, too!

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  32. Olá! Acabei de descobrir o seu blog, e vou ficar seguidora! Fiquei encantada com a sua casa de campo e com as reciclagens que fez! Maravilhoso! Gostei de encontrar alguém que dá nova vida a objectos usados, uma atitude bem ecológica e sustentável...PARABÉNS! A decoração está maravilhosa, e resultou num ambiente muito clean, muito acolhedor e sem perder aquele toque rústico delicioso! Vou passar por aqui muitas vezes! Também tenho uma casa de campo que aos poucos vou decorando recorrendo também a móveis "velhos" oriundos da casa da minha Mãe,e que reciclo e pinto! Um grande abraço desta nova seguidora de Portugal, Manuela
    cemmanias.blogspot.com

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  33. Ah! Vou adicioná-la à minha lista de bogues favoritos! Manuela

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  34. Absolutely love this room, Megan! It's so cool that you have been able to keep so much charm and character. That wicker chair was such a great find. Everything looks amazing!

    Jeanette

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  35. Megan, it looks like an amazing amount of work, with an even more amazing room when you got done! So beautiful! I hope you'll come link this up on Monday evening for Knick of Time Tuesday.
    Blessings,
    ~Angie

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  36. Hey Megan it looks lovely! I love the floors! Great job!

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  37. Gorgeous! I want to live in your house!

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  38. Gorgeous! Love the lighting and the ceiling is amazing! How tall are your ceilings and where did you get the rustic beams? Just beautiful!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  39. Just stunning...you two have worked so hard at this...you have a beautiful home!

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  40. This is great! I absolutely love it and it looks pretty cool too!




    Garden designer Norwich & Timber Decking Norwich

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  41. I love the stain on your floors. Do you remember the shade and could you share it? Thanks!

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