Amy’s Design Dilemma: Solved
When Amy sent us pictures of her living room a few short weeks after we whipped up a custom mood board for her space, we couldn’t wait to share the goods! Here’s her letter:
I’m so excited to share my “after” pictures with you! I absolutely LOVE my new room and so does everyone else. I had a party Friday evening and the changes were a big hit. Funniest comment was “now that you’ve changed it, I just have to tell you that the brick was horrendous!” That cracked me up because I had to agree! And using your inspiration I was even able to save money and repurpose some things that we already had. We already owned round coffee & end tables, so I used them. And I used some advice from your ‘How To’ section to spray-paint the existing fan using Rustoleum for a whole new look. I love the wall color you picked so much (BM Sepia Tan 1116) that I painted the entryway the same color and am about to paint the hallway walls the same color too. We also loved your idea of a darker accent wall near the kitchen, and went one shade darker (BM Classic Caramel 1118). I haven’t hung up any artwork yet, but I plan to frame some of my photography soon. The makeover was a LOT of work (especially the brick!) but so worth it! I’m actually on the sofa emailing this to you while watching a movie. We never hung out in here before because it didn’t feel cozy or welcoming. Now we want to be in here and my husband keeps saying how awesome it looks and he didn’t even want the brick painted at first! Thanks again SO much! You’ll be hearing from me soon in regards to my kitchen! -Amy
To refresh everyone’s memory, here’s Amy’s living room before the overhaul:
And here’s the same space after our custom mood board makeover:
Didn’t Amy do an amazing job?! We love everything from the freshened fireplace to the cozy patterned rug, and of course the golden wheat tones in the curtains and on the wall (especially that accent wall near the kitchen) really add a lot of warmth and ambiance to the space. And you know we’re loving that Amy got all DIY on us and spray painted the existing fan to make it work. Love that!
So what do you guys think? Any favorite parts or kind words to pass along to Amy in return for sending her fabulous after photos our way? Let’s give the girl a round of virtual applause!
Update: We sadly can no longer find the time to take on client commissioned mood boards (we now whip up general inspiration boards instead) but if we ever reinstate them we’ll make a big announcement!
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I love it! Especially that they were able to reuse some of the furniture they already had and change the fan with spraypaint! Fantastic!
Super sweet! It’s awesome to see a finished product! So glad that the brick was painted. My opinion — red brick belongs outside or in industrial lofts — not in living rooms! The creamy tone on the brick still gives it a lot of texture without being so dark and overpowering. And getting rid of some of the extra furniture was definitely a win-move! Congrats Amy! :)
Great job, Amy! The room is so much cozier and more welcoming. Painting over that brick and rearranging the furniture made a huge difference!
As I remember a lot of people originally were skeptical on this mood board because Amy wanted to keep the couches…. come on people, have some faith in Sherry! :P Didn’t she do a great job as usual?!!?? It turned out lovely.
Fantastic job Amy! Thanks so much for sharing the after pics. Looks like a brand new space. Great job Youngsters.
Great job!
Is there any way we can get a before and after close up of the spray-painted fan? I’d love to do that to 2 awful fans in my new house.
The painted brick looks *fabulous* and now wall the nice built-in isn’t lost anymore. Everything about this room says warm, happy (love the rug), cozy, right down to the pillows. I love what you did with the furniture placement, particularly moving the TV to where it is now. Well done!
Yea Amy!
You did a great job! All that hard work really paid off.
Oh, the couches are gorgeous! I really do like the old world, distressed look Amy has throughout her furniture, so cozy! And the rug is really great looking!
I love seing the “after” photos because somehow I have a problem when visualising the mood boards. (It happens when I shop for my own house too) Wish there could be more “after” photos!!!
I believe this room turned out great! So cosy and welcoming, the rug and the painted brick have done the biggest job I think. It seems they brought everything together.
Love it! I love seeing the before, mood boards and than the afters bring it all together. Great Job Amy and Youngsters. Love how warm and cozy the room is now. Enjoy!
This just makes me even more excited to finish our living room redo. Eeek!!!
Really great to see after pics – thanks Amy! I really like the darker accent wall – makes the whole room feel cosy. Nice job!
The couches really look great now! I love the warmth of the room, especially in the walls and curtains.
:-) I was looking forward to seeing this moodboard come to life as I thought it was an especially difficult one. I love how the couches are an important part of the room now instead of ???? Feels very open and spacious now too.
It looks wonderful! I love that rug. I am so tempted to order it myself!
It looks so comfy!! I love the rug and the wall color :O) I wish I had a brick wall that I could paint too!! Now if I am ever looking to buy a house that has brick I won’t be scared, I will just buy some paint!!
I remember this one SO well because the couches were not that pretty – but they look fab in the ‘after’ shots! I think they did a fab job!
Amy–GREAT job! Thanks so much for sharing your after pics! Seems like you really pumped this room out in record time too! OH how I wish we could get some more after pics from all the mood board folks!
Maybe you could share some of the challenges/pitfalls along the way in this project? Maybe with a timeline?
Enjoy your room in good health! And of course, Kudos aplenty to Sherry and John for their fab designs!!
We’re so glad you guys are digging Amy’s amazing living room makeover! Thanks so much for cheering her on and telling her what a truly fabulous job she’s done.
xo,
s (& j)
Sorry this is off topic but I saw this this morning and couldn’t resist sharing it with the youngsters. I was going to post it on the blog entry with Sherry’s winking jeans, but I was having a hard time finding it. Sherry’s handpainted jeans with the winking eyes on the back pockets were classic, but what about these jeans? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyYhdY-A_Hs
That’s so funny! Someone actually Twittered about that link (saying it reminded them of my crazy airbrushed jeans) and we posted that very video on our Facebook page where a spirited discussion began. We definitely invite you guys to follow us on Twitter & Facebook (just click the little icons under the search bar in the top right corner of our site) to get in on the fun! Those winking pants are so insane, we can’t not talk about them!
xo,
s
That painted brick wall does so much to open up the room! Its not a drastic change in their overall style, but the arrangement of the space really does wonders for this makeover! Great job.
Painting the fireplace made a giant difference! I also love what rearranging the furniture did for the feel of the room. Thanks to Amy for sharing the “afters.”
I love it. It feels a lot more warm and inviting. Nice job Amy!
love the painted brick and the new rug – great job!
Great job to Amy and the Youngsters!! I especially love the new furniture arrangement. It seems so much more to scale now that the big TV is on a big wall. Bravo! :)
Gorgeous! So much hard work and definitely a generous pay off!
It looks great! The room seems so much bigger now. The only thing I wish they’d done was paint the bookcase the same color as the brick wall to make it blend in more.
Great job Amy and you youngsters! What a awesome room. Love those before and afters!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the changes you’ve made, Amy! The room looks very cozy and welcoming now. I hope you spend a lot of time relaxing in there now that it’s all done.
One question: the rug looks similar to the one on the mood board, but is it the same one? I think it’s different. If it is, can you give us any details on where you got it, etc.? I love it!
Thanks for the great after pics – so nice to see those!
Hey Julie,
It’s actually the very same rug we linked to in our mood board (Amy just took better photos than overstock.com did, which capture the pretty colors and the intricate pattern more accurately). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Amy, thank you so much for sending in the AFTER photos! Its like torture not getting to see Sherry and John’s moodboards brought to life, so its people like you who make people like me very happy! Your room looks wonderful and I’m so glad your family is getting to enjoy your fab new space.
Love seeing the before and after photos! The fireplace in the before photo was so distracting; I love how it looks painted with the Sepia Tan. Furniture choices are now so much nicer and better situated for conversation and anchored with the rug. And look what a difference painting the fan made! It went from looking like a distraction to looking like a styish plus! Fabulous. Another wonderful job by YoungHouseLove and the owners as well.
(btw, I’m a big fan of Benjamin Moore Sepia Tan. After I moved into a condo with off-white walls in the living room and adjoining den/office, I experimented with more than a dozen little sample sizes of greens and darker earth tones before going lighter and lighter, finally concluding with Sepia Tan. I really like it. By itself, folks may think it too pale and neutral at first, but it adapts well to the changing light during the day/night and from lamplight– looking warmer or more golden in certain lights — and it makes a great soft base color for color accents from wall art and accessories, and also looks wonderful against my white ceiling molding and against the white “interior” of my curved doorways.)
I like the rug a lot. I also like how the round thing above the fireplace echoes the round table.
Wow how pretty!! I love that wall color it looks so inviting :) Great job
What a difference a little paint, rearranginging the furniture and changing out the rug can make. The after looks so great, like a totally different room. Great job!
Amy (John & Sherry too) – it’s beautiful! Great job!
Love-love-love it! The wall color and new rug really complement the sofas how. Your hard work paid off!
The painted fireplace/brick wall looks great! My mom and dad have a wall very similar to that in their house. Maybe seeing this pictures will give them the inspiration to just go ahead and paint it!
Great advice in everything, but particularly the rug!
It ties all Amy’s stuff together so beautifully. It really softens the whole room.
I’m so glad she went with it!
Ooh La-La! How inspiring!
Amy, your room looks great! I love that cream chair, where did you get it? I’ve been looking for a chair that is big, comfy and neutral, and it is perfect!
I LOVE that rug – I thought it was one I saw at Pottery Barn! Gorgeous!
Hi Everyone! I’m so happy you all like my ‘new’ room, I’ve loved reading all of the comments!
Heather S., I am hoping to paint the wood built-in too, but still need to convince my husband. Although, he is just as happy as I am with the smaller tv and painted brick, so I’m hoping he’ll come around soon.
Richard, I’d say the most difficult part about the makeover was the brick. It had cracks that needed repairing and making sure I had paint in all of the crevices (of which brick has millions) took me a while. Taping off the room also took me a while. I made a set on Flickr that includes more photos of the process, you can see it here http://www.flickr.com/photos/aimlyss/sets/72157622134345598/.
Again, thanks for the comments. Amy :)
Love what you’ve done so far! What if you painted the bookshelf to match the fireplace and walls? I think it would expand that corner of the room or help that whole wall feel more joined or connected. Just a thought.
Amy, thank you for sending “after” photos so quickly. I am always disappointed when there are mood boards posted and then no follow up “after” pics. The ceiling fan and the painted brick are my favorite parts – well done.
We recently bought a house with a huge pizza oven fireplace wall just like this! (If only the rest of the house looked as lovely as yours…) Thank you for taking the leap and painting your wall (and sharing not just your pics here but your whole slideshow). You have truly inspired me to seriously consider doing the same thing to my brick wall.
Love the makeover!!!! Am I blind, I can’t seem to find the How TO on painting an existing fan, would LOVE to do that to a few fans I have. GREAT JOB!!!
Hey Kim,
There isn’t a specific fan painting tutorial, but the link that says “paint almost any piece of furniture” will show you the way (you can also take the fan apart and spray paint the blades outside on a drop cloth). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Looks really good – well done Amy.
Sherry, can I ask what software you use to put together your moodboards? I want to make a few myself to show my new decor.
We use Photoshop but it’s a pretty pricey program. The good news is that we have heard great things about polyvore.com and it’s free. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
great job, amy! i just love your makeover!
Love this room make over! Did you install blinds? I can’t tell from the photo. My other question is about the TV stand, I don’t see it on the mood board but love it. We have one of these oversized TVs and we are struggling to find an inexpensive stand that is stylish and can hold the weight of a 42” flat screen TV.
To paint both the celling fan base and blades which tutorial would you suggest; “spray paint almost anything” or “paint almost any piece of furniture tutorial” or one for the base and the other for the blades. Please advise. Thanks,
Cassie
Hey Cassie,
Either method should work swimmingly. Home improvement is definitely full of different solutions! You could spray paint the fan like Amy did (first taping off or removing the parts that you don’t want to get spray on) or use a paint brush which is a lot more controlled (you could do that while the fan is in place, just throw a drop cloth on the floor and get to work). Hope it helps!
xo,
s