Updates on the Living and Dining Rooms

The last few weeks of work are starting to actually produce something for our labor. It's nice to see some bits coming together, even if a particular room still isn't done-done. We've been working primarily on the living and dining rooms so that we would have a place to actually sit and not feel as though we have no place to go. While we don't have a lot of down time right now, being able to relax, even if it's just for a short while is a wonderful luxury.

I will preface the photos with the thought that we are still not done with either room, but there is some semblance or idea of what will eventually be, even if it all looks a bit sterile for the time being with no real personal touches yet in place.

Starting with the living room, this is how it looked on the day of closing. I wish that I could describe in words the smells and un-viewable bits that were in this space. The photos, unfortunately, cannot tell the whole story, but rest assured that there were many holes in the walls, tiles missing behind the wood stove, and the space did not appear as put together as it seems in this first photo:

On day one, we started removing the carpet because the smells were just too much.

Not entirely sure what the wood would look like under the carpet, we soon found out.

We found painted wood that is in rough shape, but we don't really mind a more rustic look to the floors, so after some debate, we opted to repaint them rather than stripping and staining them. We still don't know if this is a long-term solution, but we'll see how things go.

We had to redo trim because the original was flush with the walls due to some additions on the walls over the years. We also installed a door in place of the window to allow easy access to a deck.

The room was getting painted, tile had been installed behind the wood stove, and we were preparing to paint the wood floors.

The floors had been repainted, the wood stove put back in place and we were ready to start bringing furniture pieces inside.

This is how the room appears as of today. The room is a bit awkward to arrange because of the stove, but we didn't want to remove it because it will help with heating bills in the cold months. We knew we didn't want a full-sized sofa, so we ended up getting two loveseats to use for the main seating. The stove itself is still in need of some clean up, there's nothing on the walls, still a bit of accessory furniture to bring in, and just a general need to give it our touch, but we are so excited to actually have a place to sit.

We opted to keep the ceilings, even though we know that there is lapboard underneath. Part of me wishes that we had exposed the wood, but we also know that doing so would've potentially exposed us to asbestos and/or lead paint, so I am happy to accept it and know that it adds a layer of insulation too.

The dining room was the second room we've been primarily focused on for the last few weeks. When we closed on the house, this is how the room appeared. As with the living room, it looks much better in the photos than it did in person.

  

The carpet was the first thing to go, so on the first day, the padding was exposed and we were able to start working on removing all of the many, many staples (of which I'm certain there are still some because it seems to be impossible to find them all).

The floors in this room are very, very rough. We're still not sure what was done to them over the years, but it's almost as though something was stuck to the wood and the residue from that substance remains.

Admittedly, I was not always great about taking photos of the progress in this room, but at this point, we had painted the upper portion of the walls (we would be adding some paneling on the lower portion), and added the trim around the wall (unseen) and the window (just barely peeking through) in the photo below.

It was super exciting to be able to get this room painted and it felt like it had a bit more of an impact with the deeper color on the walls.

As with the living room, there's nothing on the walls, details that need to be addressed, and pieces that still need to be brought in, but we have somewhere to sit and eat, which makes us both happy (eating on folding camping chairs with plates on our laps hasn't been the most fun).

If you recall our dining table (which can be seen at the end of this post) was red and we had found chairs that we recovered and used with it. Unfortunately, with the move we were able to bring the table, but lost our chairs, so we decided to repaint the table and take our newly found free chairs and paint them to match. It's more subdued than the former red finish, but there will be a lot of color in these two spaces, so I don't think we'll miss it.

So, the work is coming together, but we'll continue on to other spaces so that we keep moving forward. Once we have the majority of the main level close to done, we can start bringing in hanging artwork and other display pieces, but for now, this is how the spaces will sit. As with our former house, the style will be on the eclectic side with a mix of patterns and colors, simply because it is what makes us happy -- to have pieces that we like in a space that feels like home. Ultimately, I think that's what really matters - that a space feels like home, whatever that is for the individual or family.