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Jon & Jean’s Family Room

For some reason, I really slacked off last year on showing y’all completed rooms that I decorated. So I’ll start off today by showing you the updated room of one of my most stubborn clients ever!!  You can read more about this stubborn client here and here.

It’s been a year since I last told you about her, so you may have forgotten. Here’s a quick recap.

When I first tried to convince her that her house needed updating, her family room (and breakfast room/kitchen) looked like this…

Straight out of the 80’s, right? So after dragging her along kicking and screaming, we made some pretty dramatic changes…

But there was always the issue of that carpet. I tried for a year (or more) to convince this stubborn client that she needed hardwood floors, but she resisted. Finally, one day out of the blue, she e-mailed me and said she wanted to look at the possibility of hardwood flooring. I couldn’t believe it! She had finally come around. We selected a gorgeous mahogany wide plank (real wood) floor, and what a difference it made!

So the last remaining item on the list seemed to be area rugs. We searched…and searched…and searched. The search lasted several months, and at last, we found a rug that we both loved.

But along the way, other changes were made as well. She decided that she wanted to replace the sofa (which was showing terrible wear after only three years–not really sure what went wrong there!), and she wanted to eliminate the leather recliner, which had developed horrible dark spots in certain areas like the head rest area. So along with our search for the perfect area rug, we also had to find new furniture.

It all finally came together, and here is the result…

I just love how warm and cozy it feels now.  The chairs were actually Craigslist finds that we had reupholstered.  Gotta love Craigslist!!

We still have a “to do” list.  We want to replace the coffee table with an upholstered ottoman.  And I’m still praying that the huge bohemoth t.v. will die, so that we can rework that whole wall with something more streamlined, like a pretty credenza with a flat screen t.v. mounted above on the wall.  But that’s probably wishful thinking.  That bohemoth t.v. has been through the fire (literally) and it just won’t die.  But I’m holding out hope!!  🙂

So that’s the saga of the ever-changing family room.  It’s been an adventure!  Oh, and my very stubborn client has actually become really open to my ideas over the last four years.  It took some smooth-talking and feet-dragging, but she’s finally come around!!

(Thanks, Mom, for being such a good sport about your home!!)

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28 Comments

  1. Too bad you don't have any BEFORE the before pics with the pea green and blue shag carpet-that was a really classy look! It is, and has always been, one of my favorite places in this world and you have done a fabulous job decorating it tastefully 🙂

    -Shelley

  2. OH Kristi! I just had that conversation with my mom about painting her floor to ceiling pinkish brick fireplace! She doesn't like that she can't undo it… WHY WOULD SHE WANT TO UNDO IT??? And yes can change it, you can always paint it a different color. I am so showing her this room! 🙂

  3. SG, you can also change the brick dramatically and in such a way that it CAN be "undone." I wrote a blog about one method last month here: http://roomscapesdecor.blogspot.com/2010/11/detour-ahead.html

    And Kristi, your "most stubborn client" reminds me so much of my own, right down to the difficulty in convincing her to rip up the carpet and (in her case) refinish the hardwood floors beneath. Mothers!

  4. AMAZING!! Looks great ( come do mine???? ) I have wanted that EXACT floor for years! Quick ? – is the rug too long to go on a diagonal? Think it would look ood that way but of course I am a lil ocd when it comes too to that- lol!!

  5. "Your stubborn client…"
    You got a good smile out of me for that.
    Your Mom must be soooo proud of you. I can tell you, me looking at those pictures and what you made out of that room left me speechless.
    Although I'm a big fan of carpet (maybe I'm old fashioned, but I just love the softness of a carpet) I also need to say, the hardwood floor looks just gorgeous.
    Great Job!
    Paula Jo

  6. Yes, I'm VERY proud of Kristi. And I love what she has done to our house. She is absolutely right though when she says I have been her most stubborn client. 🙂 I also love helping her occasionally on other client projects. I will say though that from the very beginning Kristi was always very independent. I think her first "sentence" was, "Me do it meself." 🙂 I still tease her about that. She is a real blessing. Love you, Kristi.

  7. Kristi,
    It is absolutely beautiful!! Painting the fire place was a huge-no-going-back, wonderful change!! Your mom must be very proud of you.
    I love it . You did a great job!!
    Tammy

  8. Hey great job changing the living room from simply beautiful to extravagance! Thank you for sharing this!

  9. Great work Kristi! I love that your work leaves such a relaxed feel! The perfect finishing touch would be to add some Genuine Mahogany wood vents and cold air returns to match that beautiful hardwood (if your client had heat/cooling returns in the floor.)  Check out http://www.realwoodvents.com for this and any future decorating projects.

  10. This is a fun website.  I added it to my favorites.  I'm going from a big house to a small condo and the tips are great.  I have no idea how I am going to keep from having the cluttered look.
      I will keep watching the site for the great ideas.

  11. I had to scroll back and forth for awhile because I just could not believe how beautiful the room had become. WOW. Talent is flowing over.. send some my way!

  12. I love this room! I would love to know is there rules for hanging large clocks like that above a fireplace
    Size wise. I have the exact fireplace top to bottom in size and color, but I have a white mantel. I just recently removed a large mirror and placed a 24 inch clock there, now it seems to small? Not sure if it will take time to adjust. Any thoughts? Pic help?

  13. Oh PLEASE come do my house! Our bedroom is ripped apart (a little project hubs thought he’d start while I was away for the weekend!)…rug ripped out and furniture sitting in our living room. I’m agonizing over wall colours and can’t seem to settle on that. Then there’s the issue of flooring and minimizing furniture…Ughhh, I’m not gifted in this area at all.
    I fear we’ll be living out of two messed up rooms for a while!

  14. Love t he family room. The TV will never die. I have been waiting on ours, but it works and there is always something else to buy, right? I cannot paint brick, glad someone can!

  15. I’m reading old posts today, and these rooms have to be my all time/anywhere favorites!!! This is absolutely beautiful!! I understand about the TV. The woodworker has a big TV, and it drives me bonkers…. Oh well, ya’ gotta’ love ’em!!
    Congratulations to both of you for a lovely room in a warm and inviting home.
    Mom, just tell her that you are not stubborn, you just have better ideas ;^)
    Blessings,
    J

  16. Amazing! Everything….style and color….. in this family room is everything I have on my wish list for my own family room (one of these years).
    This room just speaks: Come in. Make yourself comfy.
    Not stuffy, not Frilly or over-fancy……Just perfect!
    I am so loving your web site. So many similarities with colors and style.
    I was once a DIYer. A disability has rendered me a bit useless but that doesn’t mean I don’t love looking at beautiful, artistic creations such as yours.
    Thank you so very much for sharing!
    DL