PROJECT MAISON: THE LIVING ROOM

You never really completely understand the value of a great apartment superintendent or landlord until you own a home.  Since Project Maison began last August, we've grown to completely and utterly love our home, but at the same time realize how much like a living creature needing constant care and attention a home really is.  Our house was in decent shape when we bought it, but it definitely needed some upgrades one of the biggest being to rip up the dated soft pink house-wide carpeting and refinish the red oak hardwoods hidden beneath. This is the start of a mid-reno progress report of where the house stands now.  We have plenty more projects on the horizon, but I feel like we've come along way and wanted to share.  See the after photos below.
The carpet/wood refinishing was the first project we tackled... literally, we went to the house after our closing and started ripping up carpeting that afternoon.  It was also truly a team project as all members of the family got involved.  Although, the biggest props go to the Boy, his father, and my father, who sanded, feathered in new wood in stained areas, and completely refinished the floors to the shining beauties you see in these pictures below. 

Another big project was to remove the house-wide 70s-80s ish blinds.  The were just too dated, heavy, and cumbersome to open and close.  I decided to mimic the natural elements in the house with bamboo blinds.  I added wispy white curtains to soften the blinds and add high to the room by placing them at the top of the ceiling. 

The one thing that we did want to stay was the exposed wood beams as they were a major selling point for us when we bought the place.  I did paint the trim around the beams white to make them recede into the ceiling more and give the room height.  I still would like to lighten the room some more possibly by whitewashing the brick wall, redoing the tiling near the fireplace, and updating some of our starter furniture. Our living room is the heart of our house where we entertain, watch movies, eat dinner, and relax together.  As such, the decor needs to be resilient, cozy, flexible, and yet still intriguing.  We have some additional updates and I'd love to eventually get ride of the Expedit, despite how much of a workhorse it has been for us over the years.  See below for how to get the look and some of my favorite pieces for a cozy living room.