House Update: Den & Kitchen

Happy Thursday everyone!  So glad that tomorrow is Friday... things have been busy around here.  We are definitely still doing lots of work on the house and although I would not say we are "done" - there are definitely a couple of rooms that I feel like have progressed enough to show you :).  

The first room is our den - I think this is definitely the most dramatic before and after room that we have so far... The room has original pine paneling that had not been touched since it was built/installed in 1970.  As soon as we saw this room... we knew it had a ton of potential.  We loved the character in the architectural detailing and the larger than life fire place.  

DEN: BEFORE

Upon moving in, we decided that this room would be used as our family room or living room and would contain our media cabinet with TV and large comfy sectional.  It is in the perfect location since it is right off of the kitchen and would be convenient to watch kids play/hang out while I am in the kitchen cooking.  We immediately decided to paint the wood paneling and trim/door but leave the wood beams in the ceiling as is... We changed out the window treatments and overhead lighting.

DEN: AFTER

We absolutely love the end result.  Painting the walls a grey/blue color has lightened up the space tremendously.  The room feels very comfortable and much more like home :).  We still have lots of plans for this space... some of which include: Clean up the fireplace/add accessories to the mantel (since it is such a focal point, I am taking my time to find just the right items...), add window panels on the windows to soften the hard edges and find an end table/lamp for the sofa end of the sectional.

The next room that we worked on was the kitchen.  Again, we love the character of our kitchen and simply thought that a fresh paint job would lighten up the space.  The paint in the kitchen when we moved in was a dark red color... Now, don't get me wrong, I love red - just not on the walls.  

KITCHEN: BEFORE

We immediately painted the walls a light french blue, changed out the light fixture on the working/cooking side from gold to oil rubbed bronze and changed out the faucet on the sink to an oil rubbed bronze finish to match the existing hardware on the cabinets.  

KITCHEN: AFTER

We love our kitchen - again, the improvements we have made so far make it really feel more like home.  There is a ton of storage/work space which makes making meals together much easier!  

That is all of the improvements I have to share for now... stay tuned for more to come.  I am hoping to post a few PROGRESS pics of the nursery since I am getting so anxious to show everyone!