Monday, March 14, 2011

{Home Improvements} Family Room = Complete


My husband and I finished up our family room a few days before our son's first birthday party in February. The plan was a simple makeover -- fresh, airy, light and most importantly, we wanted to create more space for our growing family. I know these pics aren't the greatest, {they are "action" shots from Dean's party} but you can get the general idea of the look of the room.

Above is the storage bench we added in place of our old love seat. This is my favorite part of our updated space. I love how it opens up the entire area, let's in tons of afternoon light, provides a great seating area when we entertain, and Bo loves relaxing there on weekends when Dean is napping. And how could I forget Ginger?! She's our little watch dog that sits on guard and stares out those windows for any glimpse of a squirrel she can get ;-]

I had my go-to girl, Cheryldine, make me a fabric cushion with piping for the bench. She does excellent work and is fairly reasonable. I also liked how I was able to choose the fabric and didn't have to purchase something pre-made. She also made me a Christmas tree skirt from my wedding aisle runner and Dean's dedication outfit from my wedding gown.


The new sectional is perfect for this room. It's not huge, but it's plenty big for us. I picked up the light turquoisey blue in the window bench cushion by adding pillows in the same color. Most of this room is neutral, so the subtle pop of color is a welcome addition.

I intended to add shelving above the couch and do leaning photos but IKEA stopped selling their longest RIBBA shelf, so I nixed the idea and just used the frames. They're simple and I love how they each holds a close-up pic of my baby boy from his first birthday photo shoot with Karen Carpenter Photography. There is also a fourth pic that is not shown in this picture.

**The poor guys were a little caught off guard when I snapped this picture -- that's why they all have the deer-in-headlights look going on - ha!


Lastly, we purchased a four cubby shelving unit to hide some of Dean's puzzles, books, etc. I couldn't hide all the toys though -- you can see the start of a long row of toys along one wall in my family room. Oh well -- those are the breaks when you have a one-year-old and live in a modest home. It's all about being practical and creating a space that is functional these days!

**We definitely made this room over on a budget. We sold all of our old furniture, tv cabinet, end tables, lamps, etc on Craigs list, so that helped balance out the new purchases.

SHOPPING GUIDE:
Built-in Bench -- Made by my father-in-law
Custom cushion -- Cheryldine Cantagallo
Cushion fabric -- Joann Fabric
Sectional couch -- Raymour & Flanigan
Pillows -- Kohls
Leather ottoman -- Overstock
4 cubby shelving unit & 12x12 wall frames -- IKEA
Lamps -- TJ Maxx
Curtains -- Bed, Bath & Beyond
Rug -- Pottery Barn outlet
Corner cabinet tv stand {not pictured} -- Costco
Pedestal end table {not pictured} -- Target

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