Ok, disclaimer – the living and dining room are not 100% done. From a construction standpoint they are finished, but we still have lots of smaller things to complete. For the dining room, this means new chairs (we now have our hearts set on Eames fiberglass shell chairs in mustard with maple dowel and chrome legs – I’m sure we could find that on Craigslist…) and possibly a new DIY table. For the living room, we’re hunting for a large rug to go under the new couch and coffee table and one (or two!) Eames LCW chairs. Then there’s the media cabinet that needs to be built and art to be put on the wall (some we own, some we have ideas about). Of course the barn doors and loft ladder are still MIA, but one of those projects is in progress and the other is next in line.
Point being, it’s going to be a while before the spaces are truly done, but we figured we’d at least show you where we’re at now and then continue to update photos as things progress. (I’ve also been trying out my new camera lens. It’s a huge improvement over the old one, but I still have a ton to learn.)
We designed the dining room and pendant location so the table could work in its long position (as shown) or be shortened or turned 90 degrees. In the event that we have a big dinner party, we can scoot the couch down and add our fancy card table extension (hey, nobody knows when there’s a tablecloth on top!).
The couch and coffee table are from BoConcept. It was our first time purchasing something from them and we had a really great experience. Both the sales team and delivery crew were fantastic. The reason we went with a BoConcept couch is that they are highly customizable but not as expensive as other options we looked at. For our piece, we chose the configuration, size, fabric, legs and arm rest width (there is a lead time, for us it was about 3 months). We chose a sectional to provide a bit more seating space and help define the living area from the dining area. The fabric is a dark brown felt. We are trying to teach Bailey to stay off the new couch and while he is good about it when we’re at home, simple forensics show that he’s not so innocent when we’re not at home.
We still have our old dining chairs. Blah. I looked into buying new gray slip covers as a temporary fix a while back, but IKEA has changed the seat size of this chair so the new covers were too big. Oh well, the slip covers were also $40 a piece so I was glad not to spend $160 for a temporary solution.
By varying the ceiling shapes, we provided definition between the different spaces. The vaulted ceiling and skylights create a more open-feeling, brighter space, while the lower ceiling and exposed dark joists in the living room lend a cozier feeling to the living space.
After demo, we found the word “Carkeek” written on one of the living room joists. After a little research we discovered that there used to be a Carkeek lumber mill north of our neighborhood. Fun fact.
Our new coffee table is also from BoConcept. This is actually the first coffee table we’ve owned so we’re pretty excited about it, let alone its magical properties. Behold!
Extra storage plus couch-dining capabilities (which I think is funny considering the dining table is a few feet away). It’s still mostly empty but we’re planning on stashing magazines, coasters, and other odds and ends in its cubbies. It would also be an excellent place for remotes…if the TV was in this room. Instead, the pile of remotes sit on a chair in the flex room. Oh well.
Bailey kept forcing his way into shots, such a prima donna.
The flex room/bedroom is serving as a TV room for the time being. We moved our old couch in there and did our best to hide the college-era TV stand. Actually, of all the places we’ve lived this is the first time we’ve ever had a second bedroom and it’s a luxury we’re still getting used to.
Lots to do still but it feels great to finally be at a point where we can think about the little details and finishing touches. You never know…I might even get crafty.