I haven’t been happy with the balance in our family room ever since we moved in. For the last year and a half, I’ve been trying to figure out how to get it right. Here’s a very old before picture (taken soon after the cabinets were put in over a year ago) so it doesn’t show our “new” blue chair, but you can understand why it felt off balance. The window seat along the left side of the room was making furniture placement difficult (I didn’t want to block it since the kids love hanging out there), and the lack of furniture on that side made the couch on the other side of the room feel very heavy.
A few weeks ago, it was after midnight and everyone else was in bed and I was just deep in thought. . . about the room. I was SO close to jumping off the couch and moving around all the furniture by myself. I decided to go to bed instead, but a couple nights later, I had some friends over and I asked my friend Gina (the house whisperer!) for some advice in my family room. The first thing she did was tell me we needed to move the couch. With her help, we did exactly what I almost did a few nights prior. And I love it! The room feels much more balanced. I guess I just needed someone else to assure me I wasn’t crazy for floating the couch there.
Now I’m on the hunt for a couple pieces of furniture. I need a different coffee table and that way-too-small black table behind the couch is just a place holder for a long console table until I find one that I like. Last week, Gina texted me with a picture of that chevron pouf (since I told her I was looking for one) and asked what I thought. I told her to snatch it up and I love it in the room. It adds to the fun and casual feel that I wanted and the kids love lounging on it (it feels just like a beanbag). It’s easy to move around as needed and low so it doesn’t block the TV.
A month or so ago, I finally got around to working on that wall of frames. I wanted it to be all about family since this is the FAMILY room. The big frame in the middle is a pedigree chart.
It starts in the center with my girls’ names and fans out seven generations. My sister-in-law Paige spent a very long time writing in all those names and mailed it me a LONG time ago. I found it when cleaning out a closet a while ago and it was postmarked in September 2007 (I had to add Emery’s name to it—that’s how old it was)! So, yeah… it was about time I gave it its proper place in our home! It’s the perfect center for our family wall.
Then of course there are family pictures and the Provo Temple, which is where Patrick and I were married, and a couple frames I haven’t found pictures for yet!
I think part of the reason I’ve been working on the family room so much lately is because it has to look EXTRA good to balance out what’s going on on the other side of that space:
Complete scariness. I’m just trying to balance good and evil over here.
Yep, the kitchen remodel has begun!
(The stairs still need touch-ups, which is why I haven’t shown those final pictures yet!)
8 comments:
the layout looks much better without the couch against the wall. i think that is a design rule (or secret?) to get furniture off the walls.
i love the yellow chevron floor cushion! I have a yellow chevron throw pillow that I made. maybe I should make a floor pillow too!
i am excited for your kitchen reno!!
Oh, my gosh! Your kitchen! You are brave--it's got to be hard to function without such an important room. Hope it doesn't take too long to finish!
And I agree, the room does look better with the couch in a new spot.
Aww, Meredith, hearing about your furniture rearranging reminded me of the good old days when we shared the bedroom with the purple carpet. Do you remember how we would just get the urge to rearrange our furniture and we always thought it looked so much better afterwards. It seems like your home decorating tendencies run deep--you've always had it in ya.
And I can't believe the state of your kitchen!! Why did you have to redo the ceiling?!!? Yikes, leakage from upstairs or something? Is that mildew on the walls where the corner cabinets used to be or just dirt? Yuck. Seeing the destruction is making me pretty curious!
I feel like you are always remodeling and I am so jealous! By the way, yes it is a Roku that I got for Mother's Day:)
Holy cow...your house is going to look NOTHING like it did when you bought it, when you are through with it. Will you ever be through with it? Or will you always have the "itch"?
You really do have a gift for home decorating and improvement. Lookin good...
Whew - going through a kitchen remodel.... very brave.
I'm not sure you remember me - we were in Cambridge together several years ago....
I've been meaning to talk to you about Colorado. There is a chance we are moving there at the end of the summer and I'd like to get your input on schools/neighborhoods, etc. And since you've been on my google reader all this time! I can tell you've got a great neighborhood.
Email me when you get the chance!!
Thanks!
Rachel Barton (rachelcarmella@gmail.com)
Go Mer!
Your house is darling. I mean except for the construction mess. You have been working hard. The stairs are going to look awesome! Where the heck do you live?
NICE!!! I can't wait to own a home again and be able to play with it and make it how I want....until then, I will live vicariously through you and your exciting improvements!!! LOVE that yellow beanbaggy thing!!! I know you used a different word, but I'm not cool enough to recognize it, so I'll just improvise ;)
Post a Comment