family room re-do

So there is really only one room in our new house that we have done much of anything to and that is our family room (or TV room as Jimmy usually calls it). It is the only room in our house that isn't original. It used to be the garage and the craftsmanship of the remodel is not quite up to the standards of the rest of the house. So we may just have to deal with the fact the two "matching" windows on the far wall are different sizes and the walls are all made of cheap wood paneling, but fortunately a little paint can do a lot. We did this project back in January, but I am just a little behind. Basically, it was the first thing I wanted to do in the house because I don't think I could have lived in it the way it was. Here it is on the day we moved in:

The picture doesn't quite do justice to how gross it was. The carpet was sort of a light pink shag with lots of stains and in general very dirty. And the walls (along with many in other rooms of our house) were a lovely fleshy tone. I don't know why so many people decide to paint things an ugly "neutral" color instead of just painting things a nice clean white. I love colored walls and plan on painting every other room in our house a fun color, but I just decided this old wood paneled room was just going to stay simple and bright. Of course it was a big project, but my family helped us out some and of course Jimmy wanted to paint as well. The nice thing about painting a room where you are getting new carpet is that you can make a big mess and you can even let your kids help.

(Unfortunately, he thinks he gets to paint his room green now too)

We decided on a dark grey patterned Stainmaster Carpet so that it will last a long time and hide all the spills and dirt. As much as I love the stained concrete in the rest of our house, it is nice to have on carpeted room for kids to roll around. Jimmy had lots of fun in this room when there was no furniture in it.

I was excited when it was finally time to put the furniture in this room because it meant I could unpack my books that had been packed away for over a year. However unpacking into our new house really made me realize how much stuff I have. Sheesh! I am a freakin' pack rat. At least it feels good to have it all in one place now.

I actually kind of take pride in the fact that almost all the furniture in our house was given to us (with a few exceptions that we bought at Ikea). While it makes for a rather eclectic mix sometimes, it a fun challenge to mix and match with what you have and attempt to still design your house. Also, being the cheapskate that I am, it makes me very happy when I think about how much money we have saved.