Our Family Room Makeover

Tada! We finished our family room makeover.  The last piece to add was the mantel.  Here's a closer view of this gorgeous piece of oak.  Don't you love the saw marks?

If you examine closely, I'm sure you could pick out all kinds of imperfections on this makeover, but we are sure proud of it,  It's hard to believe that we did most everything ourselves and could bring a room from this sad mess:

to this cozy updated gathering place: 

The washed (with tan/white paint + water) brick is such an improvement over the dated red brick.  I think the mantel is so gorgeous!  We had wanted an old beam, but decided to go with an oak beam wrap (budget friendly and much easier to install and handle).  We purchased our beam wrap from Cochran's Lumber in Berryville, VA.  They sawed and put together the white oak so well you really cannot even see the seam on the edges.  We also had them "antique" the wood with the saw marks and other distressing.  As soon as we applied stain, all those character marks and the natural beauty of the wood really stood out.  I love the rich wood against the fresh white.

 The white cabinets, purchased unfinished from Good Wood in Fredericksburg, VA, fit perfectly over the brick and the cupboards provide awesome extra storage.  Media wires are also hidden behind the trim and inside the cupboards. I love how the brick shows through behind the shelving and as soon as we added the trim over the top and wrapped the room in crown, it looked like expensive built-ins.  We pulled the brass insert out of the fireplace and opted for a black screen instead.  It's hard to tell in the photo, but we removed the old nasty carpet and replaced it with light colored hardwood to match the other flooring on our main level.

Here's a few more views of the room and some of the diy projects I made.

My painted striped drop cloth curtains, my family subway art, and my chicken wire photo frame. 

Our gallery wall featuring a set of paintings my husband has had since he was a boy, my monogram canvas, antlers from a deer we harvested, burlap circle frames, my gorgeous canvas family photo.

We are so pleased with how everything came together and can't wait to have friends and family over, decorate for the seasons, and enjoy a weekend without a list of renovation "to-do's".