Chestnuts Roasting
It’s been about 2.5 years since Brent embarked on this DIY project that would completely transform our family room! When we originally bought our home 9.5 years ago, it was in terrible cosmetic shape. But, the house had good bones. We saw so much potential, but we didn’t readily have the money to do exactly what we wanted. For 7 years, our family room wasn’t really a place we enjoyed gathering. We had nice leather couches from when we got married, but they weren’t cushy and inviting. And the wall for the TV…it was awkwardly offset in the room and our entertainment center didn’t cover the entire wall. Here’s a look at the listing for the family room:
We spent a ton of time trying to figure out what to put in that awkward little corner, and the following eventually spent some time there: a ficus tree, a baby swing, an additional piece of furniture. At one point, I thought we needed to just buy a bigger entertainment center that would take up most of the wall.
That’s when my Carolina girl desire to have a fireplace lit my soul on fire. I’ve had a real fireplace in just about every home I lived in growing up, but in Florida, they aren’t really necessary. Plus, I had no desire for the upkeep and all that would be involved structurally in our house to make that dream become a reality. What do I love about the fire? The ambiance. An electric fireplace (that actually has a heat setting) seemed like the perfect path. The problem? I wanted it to still have a real fireplace “look” and my husband is not a carpenter/builder. He’s a computer guy. However, Brent likes a challenge and seriously believes he can do anything he puts his mind to, so I knew I had a shot.
I looked around online for pictures of inspiration, but couldn’t find exactly what I wanted, so I sat in front of the awkward wall and sketched a crude idea of what I envisioned there. When I showed it to Brent, he only seemed halfway interested in embarking on this journey. Since he would have to figure everything out from scratch, he knew it would be quite a process. But, he agreed.
And so our journey began:
He probably would have finished it sooner than he did if we didn’t have small children at home and he was able to give the project his sole attention for hours a day for a few weeks. Nevertheless, it took quite some time for it to all come together. He technically completed it in a year and a half, but I count the extra year because that’s how long it took him to finish the doors to the cabinets and hang them. Ha!
Of course, when it’s time to put in the pool, we have to decide if we are going to do just that, or move to a home that already has a pool. If the latter wins out, Brent better gear himself up to recreate this space, because I just don’t know that I can live without it!