Our family room has never been “just right” to me and it’s all because of this wall behind the couch:
It’s not bad, but it was a little blah to me. While we were doing the kitchen makeover, I had a little idea:
Did I just blow your mind? I turned them on the edge. I'm such a forward thinker.
You may remember back in the day, John made these mirrors from some spare mirrors we had and a piece of ceiling tile I bought from a antique store (if not, you can read the post HERE). I kept the square cutouts because I felt like I should be able to do something with them. Turns out, I could. The perfectly fill the space once the mirrors were turned into diamonds.
Then, while we were doing the kitchen makeover, I got another idea. We have a breakfast bar that is half the width of the other countertops:
So we had to rip that board down the middle to make it fit. That was also the cut that fell on John’s toe causing the nasty injury.
Rabbit Trail Update on the toe: John thinks that it’s healed enough to go without any bandages. Putting aside the small detail that it still bleeds regularly, it also still looks like a mangled toe. For everyone else’s sake at least, I’m making him continue to wrap it up. Why are guys so opposed to letting things heal?
Anyway…
So we had half of a countertop and nothing to do with it
Didn’t think I was going to let that go to waste, did you?
Add 3 L brackets and voila… perfect place for a couple of lamps behind the sofa. The lamps really help brighten up the space and make it feel cozier in here. Plus they help fill out that wall and make it look complete.
Two bonus benefits:
- It makes the grasscloth on the wall really stand out. You can see the texture much better than you could before.
- Our air return is right behind the sofa and we’re getting much better circulation now that the sofa is pulled away from the wall a few inches.
I bought the lamps for $30 each and the shades for $13 each at Target. Then, I covered the shades in ivory burlap for some texture. I forgot to take a close up picture of the shades, but I’m sure you can imagine a burlap shade.
I’m loving that this room finally feels complete to me and it was such a simple project! The only thing we had to buy were the L-brackets and the lamps. That’s my kinda project
Linking to:
So smart to use the half-width countertop wood for a sofa table. And yes, somehow the table really does help accent the texture of the grass cloth. Between the additional display space the table offers behind the sofa and the extra tiles on the wall, the wall is filling up nicely to balance the scale of the sofa. The mirrors on a diagonal brings nice movement and energy to the wall. Isn't it great that it doesn't always have to be a major overhaul to update a space?
ReplyDeletelove both changes. Sometimes you just have to wait for the genius to strike! And for you, it always seems to! bravo.
ReplyDeleteNice work. Looks all warm and cozy!
ReplyDeleteThat's actually pretty genius. It looks so good!
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's the little things! Hooray for easy fixes and husbands who make pretty sweet mirrors. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, that look so great! Crazy how such inexpensive changes made such a huge difference! Amazing!
ReplyDeleteWow!! I am in the love with the switch to the diamond look. Seriously in love ... I didn't even really notice the mirrors in the first pic. But that might say more about me. lol
ReplyDeleteLove the counter to sofa table, too!!
That looks so great! And I love your countertop... so sorry it cause so much pain!
ReplyDeleteit looks so good! the lamps look great there!
ReplyDeleteThat looks awesome! I'm always so impressed with what you are able to do. Just a side note, where did you get your couch? And is it comfy?
ReplyDeleteHi Meredith! Thanks so much. I would have emailed you back about this but you're a no-reply commenter :-(. I love our couch. It was by far our biggest splurge when we moved into this house, but worth every penny. We bought it on sale at Bassett. It doesn't show any dirt (and we have a dog with dirty feet and I've dropped spaghetti on it) and it's super comfy.
DeleteI love what you've done. Great idea to make use of the countertop.
ReplyDeleteMaury,
ReplyDeleteI had pinned this idea to do it under the chalkboard in the living room.....and you beat me to it! What a great solution!
blessings,
karianne
You are a ver cleaver girl! It made all the difference in the world in that room. I also like the way you used the left-over countertop as a "sofa table" behind your sofa. S~W~E~E~T!
ReplyDeleteYES! I love it pulled out. I've been toying with that same idea in our living room, but we don't have that much space in front...sigh
ReplyDeletethat is good thinking! it looks great!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! It looks absolutely fantastic! And I love the mirrors flipped like diamonds, so pretty! :)
ReplyDeletePopping over to your great blog from Home Stories A2Z. Your "sofa table" idea is pretty clever. It looks really nice.
ReplyDeleteWarmly, Michelle
Love your tile mirrors - I have one of those! They really do make a big difference turned on their edges! The sofa table is perfect there - what a great after for so little money!
ReplyDeleteKelly
It looks so good, Maury! Isn't it amazing what a huge difference the tiniest changes can make-and after you're done you have that "Why haven't I thought of that before?" moment? I've been wanting to do something similar behind the sofa in our office. It's scooted out from the wall so in doesn't cover the only air vent in the room, and I'm hunting for a super skinny table to put behind it. I may end up going the way you did and using a long board. Great job using what you have and making it beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI have done this before and I love it! It is the perfect place to put a glass out of reach of little ones you will soon be having run around... Always amazing!
ReplyDeletePerfect solution! Still in love with that wood. I love that you were able to reuse some of it in the living room.
ReplyDeleteLove the mirrors on their side...love messing with stuff like that! Your "little" changes made such a huge difference! I love your counter too!
ReplyDeleteWow! What a difference! Thank you for sharing this at Project Queen's Link Party. I'll be featuring it Monday night! Love it.
ReplyDeleteIt looks just great. Isn't it amazing how those special tweaks to a room really just set the room off.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and becoming a follower.
Hope you had a great trip.
Chrissy
I am a part time interior designer. I can say you are a great designer as well. You have think something out of the box. This is a good exemplar for every one. By doing tiny changes you can bring out a new look to your home. Some think they need to throw old stuff and buy new ones. But you don’t have to spend money just by doing small changes you can get what you want. Here, I should say something about lighting as well. They are amazing. Well matched. Right now I can feel the worm of your home. Very nice. No words.
ReplyDelete