living-room-paintedThe guys finished off the new opening from the living room to the family room and just in time to paint! (remember how it looked before, much improved.)

living room - paintedAhhh white paint. It makes everything look better (you can still see that yellow mocking me from the hallway but don’t worry I will fix him soon). I may be bringing in some other colors down the road and maybe some wallpaper, but for now I’m loving the blank slate.

More after the jump…

With the renovations in the living and family rooms basically complete, now I can start moving in some furniture! Hooray. Of course that means I need to go up against the mighty pile of our belongings in the garage, which makes me tired just thinking about. It looks like our new rug that Pikku is modeling (probably should have named her Vanna White) and my Hardoy chair will accompany us for the moment while I take a quick nap (I wish).

living room - khotan rugfamily room - paintedWhat is left for the living & family room is: Swap out the windows in the back for patio doors, close up the side door, swap out the front door (I know a bunch of you were liking it but I assure you, it is hideous in real life), address the non-existed lighting situation, build some shelving and furnish!

To see all of the home renovations so far, check here.
To see these rooms “before”, check here.

shopping guide: Paint is Snowfall by Behr, Khotan Rug from The Rug Warehouse, Hardoy Chair (vintage) from Surfing Cowboys, White furry pillow from Target (they only have it in brown now), Aztec Pillow from West Elm by Alyson Fox (old )

Images by Sarah Sherman Samuel

  • It looks fabulous!!! Great job!!! I love the contrast of stark white and dark wood floors, it’s my dream home style!!

  • It looks amazing. I love white walls and those floors are gorgeous!

  • Esther

    Fabulous! It like like a completely different home already. The white really brightened it up, and the floors are absolutely gorgeous!

  • OMG ( I only use that sparingly in life) ! it looks soooo good! This home is going to end up being a dream home of mine, I just know it.

  • What a difference white makes!! Looking good!

  • Wow!! Love seeing your visions come to life, very inspiring!

  • I gasped when this post/page loaded!!! WELL DONE! WOW!! What a difference. It looks AWESOME, Sarah. Love the opening to the kitchen, the new floors and of course the white looks fresh and like you said, a blank slate and ready for whatever.

  • Justine

    Looks amazing! I love the white walls/ceiling and plan on painting my baby girls nursery white but I have a question…did you use the same sheen for the walls and woodwork, I plan on using eggshell for the walls but always wondered if I should go with a gloss for the wood work to create some sort of separation. Any advice would be appreciated…thanks!

    • Aw thanks guys! Opening up those two walls really made such a big difference.

    • Hi Justine,
      Yes, I usually eggshell or flat for the walls and then a semi-gloss for the trim and doors. The trim and doors are the most touched places too so it helps being glossier for easier clean-up. Especially if its a little ones that like to get their hands dirty. 🙂

  • Omg, this doesn’t even look like the same space! SOOOOO good.

  • avital

    I really like where this is going…looking great already

  • it looks really beautiful. Love a good turning point like this in a reno project. Can I ask if you are doing the work yourselves? or do you have a contractor? Things are going speedy! 🙂

    • Hi Anna,
      Of course! For this renovation we have been hiring help quite a bit. My husband and I both work, so the renovation would take FOREVER if we were to do it all ourselves on nights and weekends. In the cabin we didn’t mind it taking forever, but since we live here full-time we need things to move a bit faster, so we have been hiring a lot of work out to sub-contractors. We had someone for the flooring, for the electrical (except when my dad was in town, he helps with that too), and finishing the drywall etc.

  • it looks great! i love dark floors and white walls.

  • Oy my! You are making great progress and it looks beautiful!! I’m loving all the house updates you share.

  • Looks incredible, I love the paint color and the floors look amazing. I’m loving the progress pictures, keep up the great work.

  • Moira Smith

    You are amazing. I love following your blog and your beautiful life Sarah! You are one talented woman!

  • oh my gosh sarah, it looks incredible! you guys are too good. and that rug is to die for.

  • Looks amazing! I’m about to re-finish my wood floors soon and was wondering if you wouldn’t mind sharing the colour and brand of the stain? Thanks

  • Jessie

    This looks amazing! Where are the floors from or the brand/color? I’ve been looking for some fabulous dark floors and these look like they could be it! Thanks!

  • Absolutely love the colour of the floors!

  • carrie

    Did you use the same color in flat on the walls and ceiling, and the semi-gloss on the trim? Thanks!

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