Friday, November 14, 2008

Hermitage Drive - Entry and Living Room



I decided to faux finish the brick wall in the Entry to match the exterior of the house. I used a specially formulated brick-colored paint that had sand mixed in it. I also painted the grout the same color as the grout on the exterior of the house...can you say time consuming? Here's a photo of when I was working on it:



This is the wall opposite the brick wall in the Entry:




Just past the brick wall in the Entry, if you took a right, you were in the Living Room. The 24 foot span of floor-to-ceiling glass windows (that faced South, I might add) is really what sold us on the house. It was always SO bright. Perfect for an artist and musician that wanted to arise and be inspired every day. :-)
This is what it looked like right after we moved in:


The span of windows looked out onto a huge courtyard. It was so beautiful and private.






The ceilings throughout the entire house were cedar, and it smelled INCREDIBLE. We'll never forget that smell.









We ripped the carpet out and repainted shortly after we moved in:





Check out the original floor tiles:



Apparently there used to be some sort of pod-shaped fireplace that hung down from the ceiling here:



Pictures of Kevin and Jason installing the new flooring:









The room behind the double doors in this photo led to my Studio. I'll feature that tomorrow! I loved how the wall that separated the two rooms didn't go all the way up to the ceiling. The previous owner said there was no wall there at all when they moved in, but they needed the room as another bedroom, so they put up the wall.



This is one Phase the Living Room went through. Keep in mind, this was almost six years ago, and we were broke newlyweds that had to work with what we had. :-)











Then, one day, I had a "bright idea" and decided to repaint and add some trimwork to the "sofa alcove":







It always bothered me that the two sconces in this area were not centered, so I removed them and covered the holes with mirrors. Then I put two "touch lights" on the little shelf I built, and ran the cords down each corner of the alcove.





Eventually I bought a new couch for $300, new curtains from IKEA, and found a carpet remnant at GCO. I had them bind the edges for me to create a custom-sized area rug:



THEN, I repainted the WHOLE room a light beige color, switched out the rug for an IKEA rug, and bought some more furniture:





I also painted the wall in the Entry way a sage green color:



And that's it for this area! If you're curious about my studio space, check back tomorrow. :-)

Layla

14 comments:

Allison aka Half of VAMH said...

Stunning. First of all I love to watch a room evolve, and personal style too. It's funny how the first time you paint something or buy decor/furniture is hardly ever the last time. I love seeing that your style truly hasn't changed much over the years!

Secondly, holybeautifulhouse batman! The brick wall, the cove, the ceilings, the windows. Wow.

Chris said...

I could NOT get enough! I kept going back and forth among the pictures, scrolling up and down, and smiling the whole time! I love how much detail you showed! You did an awesome job! Did I miss why you moved?

Diane said...

You did a wonderful job... I love the modern structure combined with the comfortable furniture.... Fabulous

Anonymous said...

You might have been in a modern house but you were cottage even back then!! LOL

Anonymous said...

i'm wondering what you think about a mirror above a fireplace? can you post on this, or what your ideas of above fireplace decor should be. thank you so much! i love your style!

DESIGN BY CATHLEEN said...

Brilliant idea with the trim work around the sofa alcove! Great Details... :-)

Screaming Meme said...

It is sweet...I can see the development of your style from then to now...I love to see the journey from the beginning until now...You have come along way...though I bet your greatest memories are in the first house...as ours...The kids still talk about our first house...Though it was not nearly as great...The memories are...Thank you for sharing...I loved it! Did you sell every pieceof furniture with your new house? I didnt see anything that you have now....

Jules from "The Roost" said...

Love it all! Beautiful.....Can't wait to see the rest.

Naturegirl said...

Loved the look of the trim to the sofa alcove! What a difference a little bit of wood makes! You are good!!
You posted your kitchen and the beadboard backsplash..I am inspired to do my kitchen that way!I love stopping by!

"Create Beauty" said...

It was so much fun seeing the before and afters!

Karin Katherine said...

Its so much fun watching the rooms evolve. What a great job you are doing---including to preserve the memory. I wish you the best in your interior business!

Nancy Hood said...

I love the way this area evolved!! looking forward to more!

leah said...

Wow you are so talented! Everything you did in your place is awesome! Great job!!

girllovesclothes said...

lovely!!