Family room/kitchen renovation

I wanted to create a room to which I would gravitate.

before                                                                  

I wanted to create a room full of sun and air.

The room felt closed in and claustrophobic to me, but I was too close to it emotionally, so I didn't see any obvious solutions. I went into designer mode, and just did to it what I would have done if it was for a client, which is rip the @#$ out of it. Since there was no construction over it, I wondered "what in the world is ABOVE this space???? I don't see nothin'!!!! Then I'm going to rip it open!!!

I love crow bars!!! They are a designer's best friend. The room had a really nice roof line; which made a great ceiling profile. It also provided another surface to cut into for windows. So I had three skylights added.

Since the fireplace was a metal box, and not masonry, I was able to move it around (sort of). I had always wanted a fireplace with bookshelves on either side ( I grew up in a house with them). I was renovating this house just when thin TVs were coming on the market, so I was really excited about placing one in a bookshelf only 10" deep. I had the wall built forward 10", and pulled the fireplace forward, placing recessed bookshelves on either side, redesigning the look of the wall by using mat black slate as the fireplace surround and hearth and cladding the wall in V-groove paneling.

I covered the ceiling with bead board for a total country feel, becoming deadened to the increasing bills the contractor was handing me.

One of the aspects of the room that made me feel closed in was the height of the window sill. It was 34" high. I am used to a 30" high sill, it doesn't cut your site line to the outside as much, making a room feel more open. So, since the windows were old, and would have to be replaced in the near future, and I wanted to get all the construction over before I moved into my new home, while I was replacing the windows, I lengthened them by 4", to have a lower sill line. It transformed the space (for me) (and that's all that counts, since I don't see anyone else living here).

I'm going to end this here, I will try to finish tomorrow, but as you can see, I hadn't posted in a week, and I was getting yelled at (you know who you are), So I figured I better get something up before I loose the few followers I have.

Linking to:  wow us wednesdays

                  Mod Mix Monday