Thursday, June 16, 2011

Parade of Homes: Current Family Room

Slowly but surely I'm going to work my way through this house to finish off the Parade of Homes that I started over two years ago.  So far I've done the living room, and today I'll move to the family room.



Moving from the living room toward the back of the house, opposite the stairway, is a small hallway with the coat closet and the powder room.



Just beyond the little hallway is the family room.  The back of the house gets full western sun, which makes it very warm in the afternoons.  In the summer I keep the blinds closed in the pm, and we went ahead and installed a ceiling fan this year, despite the fact that it's a decorating no-no.  Sometimes practicality wins out (and I don't think it looks too bad anyway).

I have once again used my mad photo-splicing skillz to give you a broader view of the room.

I'm not sure why there is a flag stuck in the vent in the top right of the photo.


We have a gas fireplace; gas doesn't have quite the same ambiance as a crackling wood fire, but you can't beat the convenience of it.  Just flip the switch...no dirty wood on the hearth, no ash to clean out.

As an aside, my family has never been able to figure out which room I'm talking about when I say "family room" or "living room".  I'm not sure why...I've been calling them the same thing since we moved in three years ago, and it just doesn't seem that complicated.  A couple of weeks ago Craig said he figured out how he could remember it:  Family room/Fireplace.  This from a man with a doctorate degree!  Don't worry, he thinks it's funny too.


Almost everything in this room came from either a thrift store, garage sale, or craigslist.  It's funny how looking at things in a new way can give you a new perspective.  I've been kind of dissatisfied with this room for a little while; I guess I was just starting to get bored with it.  But looking at these photos makes me realize that it's not so bad after all!

8 comments:

Kristin @ Yellow Bliss Road said...

Beautiful room, Holly. Love the plates over the sofa. I have ceiling fans in every room in my home. We have no A/C and in Southern Cali it can get quite warm in the afternoons esp. I just try to choose fans that blend in. All I need to replace now is the wood/gold one in my bedroom. Yuck!

Paula@SweetPea said...

I think your family room looks quite nice! Ceiling fans don't bother me if they are nice looking ones like the one you picked. I really like the Coke tray that you have on your coffee table and I also love how you jazzed up your powder room sink with the antique mirror top.

Ruth said...

It's a beautiful room. Love how you were able to purchase everything in a thrifty way but still have a gorgeous outcome.

Ruth

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

I think it's a great room! The Family room/Fireplace thing made me laugh. We still call the addition the "new room" and it's like 2 1/2 years old!!

Rustown Mom said...

I like it - everything looks neat and clean and tasteful - and the fact that it was all done frugally makes it even better! I like the shot of red mixed with neutrals. Very pretty!

Richella Parham said...

I like your family room, Holly! And I wouldn't have a bit of trouble remembering which room is the family room. :)

It occurs to me that you have a wonderful neutral palette. If you wanted to swap out those touches of red for another color, you'd have a completely different look in no time! You could easily have a different look for each season of the year if you wanted, all for just a few dollars and a tiny bit of time. I'd say you've created a great space!

Anonymous said...

So pretty. I like the plates above the couch. :)

Thanks for your sweet comment on my blog!

Jessica said...

That's so funny about the room names confusion! My husband is exactly the same way! Haha
I think ceiling fans look fine, too, by the way. :-)