Having a family room that’s open to our kitchen was a MUST on our checklist when searching for a new home. Our last home didn’t have a sight line between the two rooms so we were really happy when we saw that this house has the layout we were looking for. When I saw that the family room also had two beautiful french doors flanking a two story fireplace I was pretty much sold.
The family room has a cozy feel but there’s also a grand 20 foot ceiling. We definitely had some concerns about how we’d reach the ceiling, the walls and the second story windows ourselves but we didn’t let that stop us from making an offer on the house.
This is what we saw on the day we viewed the house:
We gave ourselves a little over 2 months to complete as much work as possible in the house before moving in but because the work in the kitchen took a lot longer than we expected we got a late start on the family room. The pressure was on. The guys had a 20 foot ceiling to contend with as well as a bunch of woodwork that needed prep work before painting.
We were running so short on time that we considered hiring a painter but in the end J and his Dad decided to complete the work in the family room like we had originally planned. J called around to get some quotes for a 12 foot scaffolding and a few days later he picked one up from Sunbelt Rentals.
Watching J and my father-in-law assemble the scaffolding was scary but once they got it together I felt better about them using it. Sorta.
The family room has 2 windows and 2 french doors that needed sanding, priming and painting. Everything was sanded down using medium grit sanding blocks and/or a palm sander. All of the woodwork was cleaned with Krud Kutter Degreaser followed by Krud Kuttler Gloss Off prior to priming with Kilz Premium No Voc Primer. After two coats of primer and a good caulking the woodwork was painted with Benjamin Moore’s Natura in the color Simply White/Semi Gloss. We have an entire house full of dark wood trim and this is the process we’ve been successfully using on all of it.
There was also a painted border that needed priming before the walls could be painted and the ceiling needed two coats of fresh white paint (we’ve been using Benjamin Moore’s Natura in the color Simply White/Flat Finish for all of the ceilings in the house). Once all of the woodwork was painted and the ceiling and priming were complete the guys were finally able to start painting the walls. We chose the same color as our kitchen – Benjamin Moore’s Natura in the color Overcast/Flat Finish.
There’s no way this job could have been completed without the scaffolding.
J also used the scaffolding to put up a new ceiling fan. I originally wanted to put up a pretty light fixture but having a ceiling fan in the family room seems to be more practical for Florida living. The fan we chose does not have a light kit so J installed 2 extra recessed light fixtures opposite the existing ones above the fireplace. Adding the 2 extra recessed lights (with a dimmer) in the room gives us the perfect amount of light at night.
We purchased the family room ceiling fan at Home Depot. It’s the Altura Oil Rubbed Bronze 68 inch Ceiling Fan from the Home Decorators Collection. We chose to hang our fan on a 6 foot pole.
I really love how the windows look now that they are painted white. The room feels so much brighter. I’m also loving the paint color we chose – it’s a really soft color and I love how it changes throughout the day. Overcast is part of Benjamin Moore’s Off White Collection and at first I was afraid it might be too light but it’s perfect. The color will also continue into our foyer and loft and I can’t wait to see how it looks when we get around to working on the stairs and railings.
Other things to help spruce up the room before move in were 7 inch baseboards and new hardware on the french doors. We purchased new hardware for all of our interior and exterior doors from Build.com We chose Kwikset’s Ashfield Collection in the color Venetian Bronze.
J spray painted the brass fireplace doors with Rustoleum’s High Heat Ultra Spray Paint for a quick update. We’re still undecided on what we want to do with the fireplace and mantle so we’re leaving them be for now.
We’re also feeling indecisive about the family room couches. We aren’t exactly sure what we want long term for the space so for now we chose to bring in a set that we had in the upstairs loft of our old house. The couches are actually from our very first apartment together which makes them 10 years old! I still can’t believe that we’ve been living together for that long!
We also had a newer sectional but since its configuration didn’t fit the space well we decided to sell it. The couches we kept are in pretty good condition and should feel like new once I give the back cushions a good re-stuffing. I’m even thinking about changing out the legs. We figured it was better for us to keep the old couches until we know exactly what we want for the space instead of rushing into buying something new. The thought of “new” scares me now anyway since we have a dog, toddler and another baby on the way! I’m thinking that with a little bit of work and accessorizing we can bring the old couches back to life.
Luckily our Little Duck doesn’t seem to mind them the way they are for now :)
The family room still has a long way to go but we’re really enjoying living in our new space. The layout has been perfect for the way our family likes to function and I especially love that we’re able to cook and clean in the kitchen while still being a part of the action. Eventually we’ll start personalizing the space but for now we’re just glad to have the bones of the room complete!
DIY Ducklings 