Living Room Fireplace Reveal

So tickled to finally get to share our finished fireplace with you all today! It is an absolute dream; I can’t believe this is the same house we moved into 9+ years ago! A few weeks ago I shared our plan and inspiration here, and now that it’s finished it’s even better than I had expected. As with most projects, some of the details evolved as the build came together, but I think it’s worth sharing the plan I had laid out last January. So almost a year ago!

And here’s where we ended up:

We could not be more grateful to our dear friend, Bill, who spent the better part of 3 weekends coming over to help us with this. To say he is incredibly skilled is a massive understatement, but beyond that even is his generosity. We were so blessed by his knowledge and willingness to help - and all I did was send him home with bacon! Listen, there’s more where that came from for anyone out there who wants to help the Biebers with home projects. Lol!

At the last minute we decided to paint the shelves and bench seat white to let the mantle really stand out. The mantle was removed from our dear friends’ 1960-something fireplace when they started their home renovation. They decided to replace it during their own home reno process, so we lucked out big time - it is SUCH a gorgeous, chunky piece of wood. The years of use have banged it up and faded it’s color and that kind of character is just what our new structure needed.

Funny, we moved the sofa to this side of the room, (it was previously against the windows), just to get it out of the way during the construction. It didn’t take long for us to love it this way! The kids said they prefer it here, facing the fireplace, so I think we’ll leave it! Plus, we’ve got to make space for the Christmas tree this weekend. No idea where it’ll go. Send any suggestions my way because I am stumped! Hah!

Adding a bench to the side was one of my favorite ideas that helped the whole thing come together for me, visually. We didn’t know whether to add shelves to this side, cabinets, or what. It was really tricky to figure this side out! When the thought of a bench with storage inside came into play it was just perfect. Bill created a lid that comes up like a piano bench, and it’s the easiest access to our new hidden storage.

I think I mentioned this in my last post, but link to our actual insert is here, and we are really pleased with the unit. It warms our large open space up very well and is completely safe for little ones, (the glass doesn’t get hot because the warm air is pushed out of a vent only at the top of the unit). The insert itself does not heat up, making it completely safe inside its frame of drywall and 2x4s. The unit is plugged into an outlet accessed inside the storage bench, and we can slide the unit out of the frame anytime we need.

That’s it! Hard to measure what a difference this has made to our home. With such an open floor plan I have already been enjoying having the fireplace on while in the kitchen, during homework time, dinner; it’s just been wonderfully cozy.

Speaking of, here’s a sneak peek at our Christmas mantle…

More Christmas coming soon!

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Design Reveal: Charming Living Room in Alexandria

I told my family I was only going to be at this newly completed client home for an hour - hour and a half tops! It was relatively close in nearby Alexandria, and just a small living room. But as it goes, I just had the most fun getting to talk to my sweet client, Annie, in person for the first time since we started working together a few months ago! Five hours later, I did eventually get home. ;)

As we have proven here over and over again, remote interior design, (aka eDesign), is every bit as personal as in-person. We communicate very closely with each and every client regarding every decision on the space. And even though we develop a unique and individualized communication flow with each person, the months of FaceTiming, texting, calling and emailing always come to the same end result: a space that person truly feels is theirs and lucky to call home. As people who love people, this line of work is right up our alley! We adore getting to connect with others and put our heads together to create the very best home that suits their style and needs.

Today’s reveal is really fun because Annie’s style is very eclectic and she had the COOLEST stuff to start with! She has spent time immersed in so many cultures around the world, her collection of artifacts and photography is seriously impressive. So fun for a designer to play with! Want to see what the space started out as?

Lots of stuff going on here, but also some really cool stuff. Our aim was to highlight the beautiful pieces Annie already had, add pieces that complimented those, and find a visually pleasing, inexpensive way to hide the rest! Take a look!

One of our design concepts sent along the way. We had yet to decide on the coffee table and exact pillow placement, but that’s what a concept is - a check on the visual feel of the space. These are meant to help us know if we are heading in the right direction and what adjustments, if any, we need to make moving forward!

Before you say anything I am fully aware that this is maybe the 4th or 5th time we used the IKEA Ivar cabinets. But you guys, at $70/unit, completely customizable, and only 12” deep, these babies are a small space small budget best friend. Not to mention ideal hidden storage for a small apartment with (almost) no closets. We hiked these Ivars up on black stainless steel legs which set them at a much more versatile height, and gave them a much needed layer of visual interest for this small space.

Big fan of this chair in this space! It’s modern but rustic enough to pair well with the English roll arm sofa.

This home wears the glow of Summer well. I may have to book some time here come February!

That’s a wrap! Happy to say we are already locked in to work with Annie on her bedroom next! But before we start on any new projects I’ve got a few more weeks of Summer to maximize with the kids. Taking this season off has resulted in the best time with my kids. I love this age so much and have thoroughly soaked in this time together practically distraction free.

I hope you all enjoy these last weeks of Summer and amidst whatever your responsibilities are can find moments of joy and rest. Thank you so much for taking the time to come by today!

Lighting of My Dreams || 2019 Flip List Item No.3

I have a secret weapon when it comes to introducing Caleb to new items in our home. See, my husband isn’t what I would call a fan of sudden changes. When I want to try something new in our home I follow a strict regimen of 1) casually mention the item in conversation 1-15months in advance 2) install it when he’s not home 3) call to warn him about it 4) tell him is just for a trial period if he hates it and 5) never disclose that the “trial period” is indefinite.

This method works to a point but it does not prevent him from griping along the way. So I have a secret weapon for that. The secret is to out-vote him 2-to-1. See, the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down is getting the dog to love it as much as I do. Think a living room rug is a waste of money? It’s totally worth it when the dog loves to roll around on it. Think a “decorative” old army cot is pointless? Not if the dog starts taking his afternoon naps on it. Think the old coffee table was just fine? Well now the dog can curl up at your feet under this one. Yeah, whatever I manage to drag in usually stays.

Now I have been campaigning for a better dining room light fixture for a year now but I’ve hit a bit of a snag. See, our current rental came with a mal-placed ceiling fan:

To me - this would be the perfect place for the diy chandelier from our last rental. But how do you spin a chandelier as a dog-friendly addition? Needless to say I’ve come up empty.

And then we had a little swing vote this spring.

Somehow Caleb has managed to beat me at my own game. If Caleb hadn’t married me, he probably would have married a ceiling fan… and apparently like father like daughter. Huntleigh’s developing eyesight is really into high contrast these days. And a spinning fan is the equivalent of a high school quarterback. One minute she’ll be playing quietly and the next she’ll be giggling at it from across the room. The longer this flirtation goes on, the stronger Caleb’s position in the matter gets.

Well played Caleb. Well played.

So how do you get a cool dining room light without replacing the ceiling fan? You install this bad boy:

I have actually admired this France & Son light fixture for a long time (did you catch that Chelsea used it in her latest eDesign reveal??). I used to sit in our last apartment and try to justify where I would use it but the scale just didn’t make sense in the bitty living room. When it became clear that this fan had to stay, I went back to imagining it in our new space and resolved to put it on my 2019 Furniture Flip Bucket List.

Now I wouldn’t call my style traditional in any sense, but I do have an appreciation for an old-fashioned look with a twist. We embraced the “traditional” moulding in our rental by painting it (and the walls) in a creamy flat paint and kept it fresh with our unconventional art positioning and eclectic dining set. Then juxtapose a light with odd modern shapes and our cool take on a traditional dining space is complete.

Caleb and I often disagree over form vs function. I always seem to fall in love with pretty things that aren’t always… practical. And Caleb will fight tooth and nail to keep something butt ugly… as long as it’s comfortable. Ha! God knew what He was doing when He paired us together. A marriage of opposing forces sometimes means conflict, but mostly it means compromise. Sometimes Caleb lets me do something he has deemed crazy (like two coffee tables) and other times I try to find an option that is both beautiful (for me) and functional (for him).

This wall-mount light is fully articulating so I can swing it over the dining room table when I want to pretend I have a real chandelier…

And Caleb’s precious ceiling fan can stay.

The oversized wall sconce also adds light to the adjoining living room.

This space is where we spend the majority of our time - which means I can stare and giggle at this light fixture as much as I want (like daughter, like mother). Let me give you a quick tour:

Even though our landlord let us paint the whole space, we didn’t want to wager that he’d be ok with us hardwiring a bunch of things into the wall. The swing arm sconce is a plug-in that we can take with us when we leave. And the TV is surface mounted above the fireplace with a hidden cable box. Can you spot it?

We used a HIDEit Mount to conceal the cable box behind the TV so we wouldn’t have to live with this electrical eyesore:

If you’re renting or don’t want to hassle with running wires through your wall, I highly recommend giving their affordable gadgets a try.

Across from the TV is a lucky $10 find - a mid-century arm chair with mustard vinyl cushions.

He’s guarded by a 20-year-old rubber plant I found on Facebook Marketplace. I knew I’d never be able to grow something this mature from seed so I’m hoping his age means he’ll mostly take care of himself. Maybe just do a load of laundry every now-and-then or need to be let in if he forgets his key?

Baby and dog abstained from voting on the plant, so I resorted to bribing Caleb in order to keep him. Now Caleb has the plant naming rights - and he’s been torturing me with some hilarious (and obscene) titles but mostly we just call him BAP (Big Ass Plant).

Behind BAP are the stairs to the top level and a pair of cabinets from the US Patent Office. I bought them off a retired employee who even had the original patent paperwork for the uniquely designed drawers!

Beyond the dining room, you can see the stairs to the lower level and our sunny kitchen.

And that concludes our main level tour! Like I said before - if he hadn’t married me, Caleb probably would’ve married a ceiling fan. But if I hadn’t married him, I probably would’ve married this light.

That’s a wrap on this year’s bucket list - with 6 months to spare! I can’t promise I’ll be that efficient next year, but I’m already dreaming up some new goals to meet and challenges to tackle.

Five down and that’s a wrap! Catch up on the 2019 Furniture Flip Bucket List.