In a few months we will be celebrating our second anniversary of buying this house. Maybe it’s mom’s brain, maybe it’s the pandemic, but it’s completely blurred. Unlike our first home purchase, we had to deal with supply chain issues, more expensive materials and the fact that we had a toddler. All the things that make renovating a home more challenging. That said, we’re slowly but surely cutting back on house projects, and we finally have a living room that feels like the space we want to spend our time in. This is how we created the Vermont living room.
Where do we start (before)
These are pictures from the day we got the keys to the house. Looking at this made me realize how much we actually do in this space. The living room has popcorn ceilings (as does the hallway and kitchen). Floors have old poly stains, trim, paint and fixtures are outdated and in need of repair. Here’s how we approached the transformation of this space (in the following order):
living room decoration
- Refinishing Hardwood Floors: Sanding and Finishing with Hard Wax Oil (look here For the same process we follow in the RI house)
- Remove and replace all trim (install new trim after beadboard)
- Removing and Replacing an Old Bar Sink
- Remove the top of the built-in around the fireplace and replace with open shelving, replace the countertop with a meat block
- Install Beadboard Ceilings to Cover Popcorn
- Install Beadboard Fireplace Surrounds and Hooks
- Install beadboard along entry walls and hooks
- Prime and paint ceilings, walls and trim
- Replace the door handle
- Replace fireplace lighting
living room design
You may have heard me mention the term “Nordic New England” when describing the overall design style of this house. Ranch houses usually have very basic construction and architectural details. The layout of the house is actually very similar to the Rhode Island house, only slightly smaller and with a less open floor plan. This poses some challenges, but we’ve been able to get it to work for us and hope to eventually add to it in the future. The living room is small and the front door also leads to the space, so we also had to create an artificial entrance. While it’s not a huge room, we’ve managed to maximize the space to make it comfortable and comfortable. With a mix of antiques, some modern furniture, wood trim, white and beige paint colors, and lots of art, this is what we wanted a mix of Scandinavian and New England styles.
Fireplaces and Built-Ins
The original fireplace had a tile surround with outdated lighting and was flanked by two built-in cabinets. We wanted to cover the tiles with beadboard and simplify the space. The stove is gas, which allows us to do that (if it was a wood burning fireplace, we wouldn’t be able to do wood trimming so close to the stove).Craig removed the old lighting, we replaced it with two black candlesticks. Under the mantle, Craig uses These maple peg stands from the Container Store Cut off the ends to join them together without seams. He removed the cabinets and installed beadboard on the upper part of the wall.Then we use meat Cut shelves (12″ deep) for both sides.We also use a Matte black sink and faucet and installed the new Meat countertop. The base cabinet has new knob and paint. Finally, we’ll cover the tiles at the base of the fireplace with plaster.
Furniture and Layout
When we came to visit the house, the layout of the room was completely different, with the sofa facing the fireplace and the kitchen with a smaller opening. We tried it for the first few months but felt it made the space feel smaller. We would love to have some different seating options and really like the idea of two deep, comfortable chairs facing the sofa.
I’m a big fan of sixpence really want gabriel chair for space.The original sofa we bought for the living room (Elias) ended up looking too big, so we moved it to our finished basement (which looked great there) and got Black Pepper Gabriel Sofa Matches the chairs in the living room.I really like how it looks with Lulu & Georgia Aerwyna wool rug (8×10) and antique coffee table. It’s comfortable and inviting, but doesn’t take up too much space and makes the room feel larger.
We found this great bench at a nearby unfinished furniture store that doubles as a side table. We haven’t decided how to finish it yet, but we will use hard wax oil or paint. The marble top side table was a piece we had in Rhode Island and I decided to bring it to Vermont. For all trim and furniture details, scroll to the bottom of the post.
man-made entryway
This winter, Craig converted a basement room into a mudroom and it looks great. I will share the details soon. But we still need a place to put our coats and accessories when we walk in. This Pottery Barn bench and hook is a great solution. Craig used the same Container Store maple peg stand, cut off the ends to join them, no seams, and used some caulk to smooth out any gaps. He used beadboard paneling on the walls, caulked the gaps, and then primed. The paint color here is Beige Claire Paint.pruning is Claire paints in eternity.
Ceiling, trim and beading panels
The ceilings in the hallway, kitchen and living room are covered with popcorn finish. Instead of trying to delete it, we decided to go straight to it. Craig used 5/16″ x 4 x 8′ pine planks for the living room ceiling and walls (fireplace and entryway).On the ceiling he used a white semi-gloss paint, on the walls he used Beige Claire Paint (finishing paint). He installed 1×4 trim on the ceiling and baseboards.
living room decoration
We take the time to decorate the space and I am sure we will continue to change and add. This is one of the reasons I like to create a space you like, the design is flexible. Most of the art comes from antique and thrift stores. Some we purchased through local artists, received as gifts or printed our own photos. Many of the decorations come from antique and thrift stores, some are items that Craig has found over the years in dumpsters or various work sites in the basement that are being cleaned out. I love farmhouse pottery and the store is close to our house (dangerous to my bank account lol). On our mantle, I have their candle holders, a vase and wooden decorations that I love to keep year round. I use baskets to store extra blankets and dog toys (furniture is usually covered with blankets).
As I said last week, Turning a house into a home takes time! Craig started working on the house in September 2020, and we’re only now getting to a place where the living room feels “complete”. We still have a lot of work to do in this house, but it’s nice to take a step back and celebrate your accomplishments and hard work.
I’ve tried my best to link to everything in the space below, but if you can’t find anything or have questions, let me know in the comments! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
living room details
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