Family Room Progress

We have made lots of progress on the family room since the beginning of the year!  So far this is what we have accomplished from our original list:

 

...decided to do the gallery wall instead of the fake fireplace for now.

We got two of this gray couch from Ashley furniture (just a little over $800 for both couches!).  I also want to get two of the armchairs from that set.  I think that will be my next big furniture purchase.  We also bought this coffee table, which I am in love with 1. because I love the look and 2. because I don't worry about using coasters on it since it's already "distressed".  We also got a matching (cheaper) console table for behind the couch and an end table from a thrift store.

I have completed/am in the process of completing several DIY projects for the room.  The gallery wall was my first project.  I also made some art for behind the sofa, but I think I want to add something more to that, so I won't count it as complete just yet.  I am in the process of making curtains and curtain rods right now... that's almost finished so I'll be sharing pictures soon!  I also have plans to refinish an old dresser from my grandmother, which I started sanding about 4 months ago, realized how annoying sanding is, and haven't touched it since :).  It will really look nice in the room, so I need to get a move on, but sheesh, sanding furniture is a pain in the rear!

We have also gotten a lot of painting done!  Two of the walls in the family room we did in Martha Stewart Potters Clay and we did an accent wall in Martha Stewart Slate.  We painted our kitchen and hallway in Sharkey Gray and the morning room will be this color as well.  The only room I did not use Martha Stewart on so far was the powder room, which I just finished painting in Behr Harbor.  For all of the paint, we used the Glidden Duo (paint + primer) base in eggshell and I could not be happier with the quality of the paint.  We chose this because it ranked very high in Consumer Reports and it is one of the cheapest paints out there (about $27 per gallon).  Another painters tip... spend the extra few dollars on Frog Tape... it really is so much better than the regular blue stuff.  Oh and we did a small chalkboard wall between our kitchen and family room.  So much fun!

 

So the main things we have left for the family room are crown molding (which my dad informs me is a "winter-time project"), a mail/message center, and the dresser.  I will be honest, I did not expect myself to get nearly this much stuff done by now!  {...patting myself on the back...}.  And painting some more rooms and essentially finishing the deck are added bonuses. 

 

The next room I plan to finish is the powder room, which should be an easy one.  I'll be back with the plans on that and pictures of the completed family room shortly!