Oct 20, 2009

Before & after: The den

This is an older post, but I wanted to link up to Rene's party, even though I'll be redecorating this room again within the next year.

http://cottageandvine.blogspot.com/

So here we go!


Thanks to a little unexpected prize money I won for coming up with an innovative idea at work, we found ourselves able to invest in a new sofa this month. YEA! We'd been shopping for a sofa when I got pregnant with Jake in 2007, and we decided to hold off until he was past formula-feeding age. No point in getting a new sofa that would see lots of spit up within a few months, right?

And of COURSE if we were getting a new sofa, I had to come up with a new space plan for the den, which has seen no fewer than five furniture configurations in the 10 years we've lived in this house ... none of which have worked all that well. So my friend Jackie from church -- an interior design wizard -- came over with her measuring tape and common sense and worked her magic on a new space plan. Thanks, Jackie!

Helpful hint for people who are as stubborn as I am: If you buy a house and there is no cable outlet on the wall on which you'd most like to house your TV, bite the bullet before you move in and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD INSTALL A CABLE OUTLET ON THAT WALL. Do not, under any circumstances, decide that you can "live with it" on the wall the previous owners used, nor on the opposite wall, just because there happens to be an outlet there, as well. I DID BOTH OF THOSE THINGS IN THIS HOUSE, and I have regretted it. Until this month. I've finally wised up ... and it only took 10 years. (And I just typed "wized up," so clearly God's not done with me yet.)

SO, onto the pictures. (Sorry it took so long to get here, but I really wanted to share my cautionary tale for the betterment of the Internet.)

BEFORE (TV WALL)



AFTER (NOW, COUCH WALL)



BEFORE (COUCH WALL)



AFTER (NOW, TV WALL)


(I realize that my After shots are a lot wider than my Befores, but I was trying to give you a better sense of the room as a whole. I'm not sure it's working out that way. Now that I look at them, it's a little confusing. Apologies.)

BEFORE (VIEW TOWARD THE BACK OF THE ROOM)



AFTER (VIEW TOWARD THE BACK OF THE ROOM)



BEFORE (VIEW FROM THE KITCHEN INTO THE DEN)



AFTER (VIEW FROM THE KITCHEN INTO THE DEN)



BEFORE (THE CORNER WITH THE DESK AND THE CORNER WITH THE TOY BINS)




AFTER (NOW, THE CORNERS WITH THE TOY BINS AND DESK -- you can see that we just flip-flopped their positions)


And, if anyone is wondering, we used Glidden's "Pokerface" paint color in Benjamin Moore's actual paint ... sort of a taupe-y brown. It might sort of look like a cave to you in these pictures, or you may be thinking, "MY LANDS WOMAN. WHAT'S WITH ALL THE LAMPS?" I'm still trying to figure out the task lighting in here, because the lighting really worked better with the other space plan. HOWEVER, every single other thing about the room is an improvement, to me. I am SO happy with it, including the color. I think it minimizes the mauve tone of the carpet ... which we aren't replacing while we still have a cat. (Love you, Scoutie!)

In closing, YEA for finally getting up off my tush and doing what I should have done 10 years ago!

17 comments:

Rachel said...

Oh! I love it! You're taste is right up my alley. :)

Sarah T. said...

That looks awesome! The whole family can pile up on that sectional and hang out, it's huge! Also, I'm excited to see how it works as a bed when I visit.

LukesLove said...

Looks great! I love before and after rooms!

AJ said...

Love it! It looks so warm and inviting. And it looks like there is much more space even though it appears there is the same amount of furniture.

Sarah @ Hennessey House said...

very impressive! it does seem to flow much better :)

Tamera said...

Better late than never!
It looks so cozy and warm. Great job!
Tamera@doubledelight

Embellished Bayou said...

It looks great, I love the wall color you chose. My only question is the fireplace...is it no longer a focal point? Seems like there is a chair blocking it, but it is hard to tell from the photos.

Mandy said...

It looks gorgeous! Moving the TV was genius - even if it did take 10 years :)

Katherine @ Grass Stains said...

Bayou, You are correct. I have shed the chains of focusing my room around my fireplace. I have rid myself of the shackles after JUST 10 YEARS. No space plan inclusive of the fireplace has worked for me, and although my Very Talented Designer Jackie would like me to pull the chairs back even farther than I have to somewhat include the fireplace, it isn't practical. (I tried it.)

With the arrangement the way it is today, the kids can easily pull toys out of the toy bin, and there's enough room to play blocks behind the chair WITHOUT being able to see the blocks from the TV-watching area. Loving it.

I know it's not for everyone, but it's certainly working for me. :) Thanks for commenting!

HandyFamily said...

Love the new sofa (I would really like one-just don't have the space) and your new layout is fantastic!

Anonymous said...

I love the new room ... now help me with my design mess!! - Vanessa

Leslie said...

Looks great, Kat! Love, love, love the sectional! So practical for a big family.

Can't wait for you to see our new den plan. Don't think I even told you we finally had it painted. Still need a new couch and the chairs reupholstered, and curtains, etc. But it is on its way!

Thanks for your inspiration!

Mai-Brit @ thisfulllife said...

What a great before and after! I love the couch you just purchased and will heed your advice about the cable outlet...I have been struggling with that same dilemma in our living room.

Great job!

Mai-Brit
thisfulllife.com

Jackie said...

Wow, I'm good. Thanks for trusting me! We did a great job! LOVE the paint color!

rebecca @ older and wisor said...

Who cares about what you're "supposed" to do? I say whatever actually FUNCTIONS is what you should be doing.

The fact that you get both that and make it looks so warm and cozy = perfection (too many lamps? Is there such a thing?? NO WAY!).

Katherine @ Grass Stains said...

Rebecca, We definitely went for function over form! I haven't regretted it since. :)

René said...

Family rooms are hard with tvs, mantles, doors, & windows to consider. It looks like you have made a good use of space. Thanks for joining the "room by room" series Katherine!

-Rene

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