When Erin and her husband Ben sent their before and after pictures our way we couldn’t wait to share the eye candy. Here’s their letter:
I read your blog every day and love your style, your thriftiness, and your wit! My husband and I have lived in a 1925 Arts & Crafts bungalow for almost two years, and have been making it our own one room at a time. After three and a half long months of our entire first floor in total disarray, we’ve finally finished our family room project, and I wanted to share some before and after photos. We are really proud of our handiwork, and are thrilled to finally relax in our new space – we’re taking a bit of a break before our next big project! It was long and hard but we managed to remove the old built-ins and build new ones, strip all of the original oak woodwork, and tile the entire fireplace with ledgestone veneer over the course of about 70-80 hours (we lost count after a while). Thanks so much for letting us show it off! Sincerely, Erin & Ben
Here’s the room before their makeover magic:
And here it is now in all its gorgeous after glory:
And for all you Curious Georges (or Georginas) out there, here’s a source list– fireplace ledgestone veneer: Dutch Quality Natural Blend Ledgestone from a local dealer, paint: Valspar Martha Stewart Signature Barn Door Red & Valspar Churchill Hotel Wheat, new blinds: Levolar Real Wood Blinds from Lowe’s, floral curtains: Pier 1, leaning media center: Crate & Barrel, overhead lighting: Two-Tier Round Chandelier from Restoration Hardware, bookshelf lighting: IKEA, sofa: Crate & Barrel, chairs: IKEA, coffee table: Crate & Barrel, red side table: Target, rug: carpet remnant from local warehouse sale, pillows: all from Crate & Barrel.
Is that not a seriously amazing transoformation? And the fact that they did most of it with their own two hands (especially that breathtaking stone fireplace) is seriously inspiring. Thanks so much for sending the unbelievable before and after pictures our way Erin and Ben! We hope you find some time to relax in that lovely new room… before you move on to making over the next one.
TERRIFIC job!! I especially dig the curtains–SO perfect in the arts and crafts room! I also am happy to see so much return to the room after the makeover. Way to make what you have work in your new design!!
Wow, what a difference! The fireplace looks amazing!
Wow!! This is so inspiring! I love the mix of natural colors and textures, with the bold graphic curtains. Please share more rooms when you have them finished!
I love it! Great job Erin and Ben!
Oh man, I read “removed the old built-ins” and almost had a heart attack, until I scrolled down and saw the beautiful work they did with them! I especially love the stone fireplace – much more lovely than brick. The new light fixture makes a huge difference as well.
Agree with Richard in that I’m glad to see so much return after the really amazing make-over – and that they did this almost all themselves!
And even happier to see carpet remnants mentioned… I’ve heard a lot about getting inexpensive rugs this way but have no idea how to go about it. Can anyone (Erin and Ben? the youngsters?) tell me more about where to find remnants and just explain the process?
Wow! That room is fantastic! I absolutely love the fireplace, all the colors compliment eachother so well(way to go using a great red color like that in a room). I hope you share more before and after shots as you continue working on your house – very inspirational!
That is seriously beautiful! Love all the textures!
Beautiful transformation!
Beautiful room. The fireplace is really the focal point in the room now. What a great job. Love that you brough back most of the stuff you already had. Great way to be Green. and thos bookcases (built-ins) just goregous!
Ok, this makeover is freaking me out a bit, because I’m almost positive this is the house I lived in in high school! I wish I could be certain – they did a beautiful job.
WOW! Stunning. I love how the transformation is so warm and inviting. Nice work!
I totally love seeing pictures of houses with non-white woodwork. My house is 1914 and has all the original woodwork. I don’t want to paint it. Raised by an architect, all hear in my head is “Let the house tell you how to wants to look. Don’t fight it.” My house is old and warm and begs a darker pallet than the more modern white woodwork. Love the pics! Love them. Thanks for the inspiration!
Those curtains are beautiful. What an awesome transformation!!
This is a great makeover! My first instinct would have been to paint the trim, but this is a great example of how wooden accents CAN work in a room if they’re pulled together properly!
Beautiful!!!! It looked good before but now it’s breathtaking. Do you know where the fern print is from? I’ve been looking for something like it!
What an adorable room! I just love those little windows and built-in shelving that flank the fireplace. And have those exact same curtains and love love love them. Great job!
What a warm and inviting space “now”! It’s lovely! Great job on the fireplace!
Love it! I’d like to hear the carpet remnant details as well.
Wow! The room looks amazing! I really appreciate that they included a source list, especially of paint colors, etc. It makes it a lot easier to find the pieces that I like on my own.
Wow, I love how that fireplace came out. It really stand out now where before it looked a little lost. Amazing work.
The fireplace is gorgeous and I LOVE those curtains! Great remodel!
Absolutely breathtaking!!! Favorite makeover ever, nothing else even comes close. Ok, so I admit that Craftsman houses are my favorite in the world, but the way they modernized it (lamp, curtains, etc) and kept the beautiful, warm woodwork, and added the stunning fieldstone is only a little shy of genius! I’m trying not to be jealous . . .
Just beautiful! I LOVE the new two-tier round chandelier – if I could, I would decorate my entire house in Restoration Hardware lighting!
Gorgeous!!! LOVE the Pier 1 curtains! This is going in my inspiration file!
The fireplace and built ins look incredible! Thank you for sharing this wonderful transformation.
Erin and Ben…wow. Your room looks indcredible. Thanks for sharing it with the Youngsters so that we could all admire it. Your choices were right ON.
WOW! That fireplace combined with the accent color on the right and bold curtains on the left certainly change up the space a LOT. How beautiful!
Ooooh I love the Pier 1 curtains!
I absolutely LOVE how they transformed the room without buying new furniture! I’m glad they took the time to strip and refinish the woodwork. It’s beautiful!!!
oh my, WANT the light fixture…and the curtains are adorable and perfect too…Love it!
So cozy! And I’m so ready to buy a Crate and Barrel sofa — they look so comfy!
Those are great curtains. And bravo on removing the ceiling fan.
What a beautiful room! I especially love the blinds and curtains. Ben & Erin: can the stone veneer go right over the brick or is there more involved??
Love the ferns flanking the fireplace! i have been dwelling over what to do with our stone fireplace and think i might have a solution! ;) where did you find those great pedastals? and what material are they???
Huge difference! A pro couldn’t do it better!
Amazing! This is almost exactly what my living room looks like! (The before, not the after.) I love the new fireplace!
Wow, what a stunning transformation! I absolutely love the fireplace, and it looks gorgeous with the big ferns. The light fixture makes a big difference as well. Great job guys!
Wow! Like others, I read “removed the built-ins” and almost had a heart attack…it’s a Craftsman! But when I saw the end product I couldn’t believe what an amazing job they did. They completely kept with the “feel” of the house, but made it cozier and more modern at the same time. I wouldn’t change a single thing about this room – I think it’s perfect!
Erin and Ben, thanks for sharing the pics so we can all admire your room (and use it as inspiration!). Would love to know the answers to some of the questions that have been asked here, especially about the stone veneer, so hopefully y’all will have time to respond.
Thanks!
Hey guys,
We just emailed Erin and Ben about their published pics so here’s hoping that they drop in soon to answer questions!
xo,
s
I love the curtains and the chairs? Where are the chairs from?
the source list says the chairs are from IKEA. great use of budget friendlty and splurg-y iteams! i adore the restoration hardware chandelier!!
Hi Everyone!
Sorry – we’ve literally just emerged from 7 days in the California wilderness! But of course the first thing I checked once the Crackberry found service – The Youngsters!
To answer a few questions:
– I know I know, tearing out the built-ins would have been a sin. Trust us – we’re preservationists! They weren’t original – probably added in the 50s, and they were beyond repair!
– I painted the fern painting myself
– The fern pots are from plantcontainers.com – they are plastic with inserts but they look like metal
– The rug we bought at a warehouse sale and they did the binding in a half hour while we waited. I think most carpet sellers sell remnants and offer this service
– The chairs are Maso from IKEA
– The stone veneer went up over a layer of metal lath which was nailed directly to the brick, and scratch coat of mortar. You’d of course want to follow the manufactuer’s insructions. Fair Warning: Hardest thing we’ve ever done!
Thanks so much for all of the kind comments!
Let me know if you have further questions!
Erin
I really like the change of the brick in the room. Looks amazing.
What a transformation! Especially the fireplace. I have a question – was the Ledgestone applied over the existing brick or did it have to be removed?
Good Job!
Wow, those ferns made all the difference! Love the new ‘natural’ fireplace too!
As a bungalow-phile, I tend to get nervous about makeovers of these older homes. They sometimes turn into ‘remuddlings’ instead…but this one is really nice and tasteful and respectful of the period. LOVE those window treatments, too! Great job!!
I am so proud! Way to go Ben and Erin! You worked so hard on this project. It was a joy to tend to your home while you were gone…and D and Pid too!
PS Readers, You should see the gardens too!