Our House: New Library & Living Room

 Posted on Details Squared |  26 April 2015

New Library/Living Room

---

We've been working hard on the house and the downstairs is finally looking like a home.   It's been two years since we moved in and our running joke still is, "There's not a lot to renovate...just the ceilings, walls and floors.".

This is how the room looked when we first walked through the house.  The floors had the most horrible carpet that was stained with what we could only guess was pet "accidents'.

Originally, it was very closed off.  The first thing we did was remove the bad bookcases.  It was just a wall that was painted white with painted construction wood.  The room was also painted a putrid kind of apple green.

To mirror the smaller French doors that lead to the front door, we added large French double doors that now lead to the family room. There is now a lot better flow throughout the entire home.

We then turned our attention to ripping up that nasty carpet.  I didn't want any thresholds in any of the rooms.  So we ran 53 feet from this room to the laundry room (see above in the far window).  The flooring runs uninterrupted throughout the entire first floor, including the kitchen.  The wood is just a wonderful, rich, glossy brown.

Our contractor, Bob, had us poly it with the old fashioned polyurethane instead of the water based one.  It smelled to high heckle for days, but it's so long lasting.  There's absolutely no peeling and cleaning is as easy as a damp microfiber mop.

Once the flooring was installed, I could get to the fun part of decorating.  I chose Sherwin Williams 'Dorian Gray' for the walls. It's proven to be a terrific, neutral backdrop for our eccentric furnishings and collection of vintage tube radios.

The sofa is 8 feet long from the 1970s and is so very comfortable.  We had it reupholstered with Mulberry Velvet on the inside and Nurata Mulberry Suzani fabric on the outside.  The vintage chrome and glass table is a great Restore - Habitat for Humanity find for $20. My favorite pieces are the carved Indonesian Hand Chairs and the reclining Buddha.  They've moved with me from house to house.  I've had them for over 15 years and procured them at one of my favorite Atlanta stores...Gado Gado.

The room is always filled with light during the day and is a great place for relaxing and reading.

Being able to complete one room feels like a major accomplishment and we're so happy.