Lighting and Walls in the Living Room

I feel like a record on repeat, but we are so freakin’ close to finishing the renovations in the main living area.

It’s weird to think that after four years of constant projects we can actually see the finish line.

How cool is that?!?

Before we dive into the living room updates, let’s back up to our view when we first moved in and knocked down that main divider wall:

And here is where we are today:

Quite the difference, huh?

While it still looks like a renovation zone, only a few more steps stand between us and a completed living room.

The biggest change in here is that we now have sheetrock up. It’s all sanded and ready for paint. However, we’re going to finish mudding the corners and hopefully do the linen closet as well so we can get everything sanded in one fell swoop.

And apparently I use sayings now like, “One Fell Swoop.” 😛

In addition to having the wall studs covered by sheetrock, we also have overhead lights AND a fan.

Fancy, I know. It’s like we aren’t even the same people anymore!

We decided on a three-way light switch with one set of lights over the couch – those bad boys are on a dimmer.

Then we have one to control the fan.

And last but not least, we have a switch that controls lights over the fireplace.

In other random updates – we pulled out the carpet last fall and now we all congregate over an old area rug. It’s seen better days and I have already been daydreaming about the new one.

Because of the new kitchen peninsula, we’ve rearranged the furniture a bit. The jury is still out on whether or not we’ll be keeping the couch and chair upstairs. We’re debating about getting a sectional but are also not looking forward to couch shopping again. We’ll see what happens – the furniture works for now so there’s not a huge rush.

After rearranging the couch and chair, we realized the DIY side tables had to go. Thankfully, the guest bedroom nightstands were the perfect size. Another benefit of being a light furniture hoarder is that it’s easy to rearrange pieces without having to buy anything new 🙂

So, now that we’re basking in overhead lighting and a real wall, what’s next?

Well, because Minnesota has basically shut down for the next two weeks, we’ve been talking about using this time to get started on the flooring.

I know. A real floor.

Guys, I can hardly contain my excitement.

We’re currently discussing the best plan of attack and are debating whether or not to keep the plywood flooring in the guest bedroom and office. On one hand, I love it. On the other, it’s not holding up to the dog’s nails. So, should we make the extra effort now and rip everything up? Or, leave it and wait a few years and do it later?

We’re also trying to figure out where to start. We’re doing wood tile in the living room, down the hallways and in the guest bedroom (and possibly the other guest bedroom and office). It would be great to get it all done in one day and then stay over at my parent’s to let it dry. But, the other option is to split it up and maneuver around.