Quick and Easy Sofa Shelf

Why is it, no matter where the builder puts floor vents they’re inevitably in the way?  This upstairs family room has two vents.  One is behind the loveseat in front of the large window, and one is right below the large sofa.   Our previous sofa had a little room underneath, enough to slip an extended vent deflector to direct the heat out the front.   This sofa is much lower to the ground and has to be moved away from the vent to allow for heat and a/c to get through.  A simple shelf was created to remedy this problem since it made no sense to spend money for a sofa table you wouldn’t see anyway.

This will be the quickest tutorial you’ll ever read.

Ugly Mantle Fix & Look, No Wires!

I know I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again.   I hate wires & cords.  What is a Cord Free Mantle? Just you wait and see…

In redoing the upstairs family room I knew when all was said and done, I didn’t want to see cable boxes, DVD players, Wii Consoles or cords. 

That being said, here is a look at what we started with.   Ever show a ‘before’ picture and be totally embarrassed about it?  Yup.

I present to you….. “Ugly Mantle”.

That missing piece of trim was ripped off about 4 months before we actually did this project.  I’m still not sure why.  The brass fireplace insert is still ugly I’m sorry to say…. but that will be a post for another day.

The Sad Family Room–Part 1–Cabinets

This house has been busy.  There’s always something going on, inside and out. 

Our house has a lovey second floor family room.  Well… it should be lovely, but it didn’t start out that way. What you see in the picture below is a step up from it’s original ugliness.  Not much better, I know.

The chair and tree aren’t usually in the middle of the room but these photos were taken (of course) just as I was moving things around to paint.  I didn’t mind the creamy yellow paint, but it needed a change for something a little warmer.

Family Room Transformation

In a previous post you saw how a new wall was constructed in my hallway.  Well now you can see what’s on the other side of that wall and why there was a need for that construction.

Here is my pathetic little room in all it’s previous glory.

This is the room from the hallway angle before the wall went up.

Here is a peek of what is NOW on the other side of the wall.

CONTINUED... (click link below)

Let’s go a section at a time. 

This was BEFORE. Yes I still had one of those big suckers.

This is AFTER

 

The wall behind the TV is painted a fabulous green, Martha Stewarts Sultana. Here is what it REALLY looks like, because I couldn’t seem to capture the color in the photos.

The rest of the room was painted a while ago in Benjamin Moore’s Almond Bisque.

The wall art is simply $2 matted picture frames and selected scrapbook paper.

This room is mostly used by my kids and their friends, mainly for watching movies, sports and playing Wii.  It’s pretty contemporary for me… although I managed put some my flea market touches here and there. I think it has a nice balance of old and new.

This flea market apple boxes hold extra blankets and pillows…oh and yes, the Flea Market Style Magazine.

  

Because this room is used for game playing and movie watching, I assembled 4 boxes on the bottom shelf specifically to hide all the Wii gear.  Games, controllers, and the Wii itself are all kept hidden.

I have to bring this light fixture to your attention. Have you ever seen the inside of the lamp shade decorated? 

When you have no choice but to look up inside a hanging light fixture, why not see something worth while ?

You’ve probably noticed the furniture around the TV is Ikea. Although most of my furniture consists of revived older pieces, I do admit you can get some great deals there.

The TV Stand itself was bought in the AS IS section for $60. The cubes on either side, a mere $39 ea.  I also bought a spare flat piece (in the As Is section) that you see behind the TV.  This piece was mounted on the wall to conceal all the wires. Cost =  $10.

 

So perhaps now you can see why the windowed wall was needed. With this wall I am able to push the furniture back from the middle of the room.

And with the few orange colored accessories, it really adds some punch.

The kids just love this space now.  As for me… I have to say, I find myself walking by just to take another peek.  That’s a far cry from wincing and turning my head from the room I formally hated.

(Of course a new couch never hurts)

So I guess that’s the end of the story. I no longer have a place in my house that I hate.

Ahhh…time to sit and relax for a bit.

Thanks for reading

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