Phase 1:
The picture from the brochure advertising the house. (Hence the poor quality and the furniture that is not ours.) Take note of the very bossy red brick color, the tiny fireplace, and the awkward oak built-ins on the sides.
Phase 2:
We really 'made the room our own' by gluing a strip of soft rubber stuff to the hearth to keep the kids from cracking their heads open on it. We also filled in the fireplace opening with styrofoam insulation because it was so freakin drafty. Then to top it off wee threw in a whack-load of brightly colored kid toys with absolutely nowhere to store them other than on the floor. Awesome.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, every proper family room needs a slide, right??? And check out the area rug... it's the one that became my painted chevron rug!
Phase 3:
We finally moved the kid toys downstairs, and I tried a couple of minor updates to the room. I painted the walls charcoal grey and moved the tv above the fireplace. That tv is now in our basement because the screen got hit with a flying megablock, and now has a permanent pattern of rainbow colored lines through the picture.
Phase 4:
Still not happy with the result, we decided to tear down the brick wall and start fresh. Great idea! The low point of the process was when the contractor that we hired hit us with a crazy lien. (Full story here.) After that, my Dad agreed to finish the job for us! (AWESOME!!!) Here's where we are at now:
The new fireplace is in, the wall is repaired, and my Dad has pretty much finished the built-in cabinets for each side of the fireplace. I am going to start priming them today! Can't wait to see them in place!