Our Den Remodel And Reveal, Finally

After what feels like a bazillion years in the making, I finally have our den remodel and reveal. Don’t you love a before and after? Let’s Go!

There’s good reason why we gutted and remodeled our den twice. It was about seven or eight winters ago when the pipes in the den started bursting like bubbles. We were calling plumbers in the middle of the night to come over and patch the pipes; we were cleaning the carpet daily and walking on a constant rug of towels, and above all else, we were cold in there because the heat was down to mediocre. Later that spring a print that was hanging on the wall fell for no reason; or at least we thought. After checking it out, turns out the drywall was damp and behind it lived black mold. The den was wicked dark and there was no window looking out at our beautiful backyard. All of this lead to the total den gut and remodel project number 1.

It was back when shiplap was the total craze (probably still is), and I got this idea in my head that the den could ride that trend. So, we set out to install our own DIY shiplap, ripping boards down to shiplap size and nailing them in with, like, 6-inch nails. Whatever, they were unnecessarily long.

We kinda ran outta steam. The shiplap install was poor at best. The den was kinda passable, but all in all, meh.

Have you ever set out to do a project and the end result wasn’t at all what you had thought it would be? This is what happened to me and our den project. Until this past summer when I had reached my threshold, and was like “Enough of this. I’m over it. It’s time to gut and redo again.”

The truth about me is that I’m not good at following trends. After my asymmetrical hair cut and bought of acid wash jeans, I decided that classic and traditional was my style in dress and decor. And because of this, I should have known better than to try to be a part of the shiplap trend. Although I think it’s really beautiful, it’s not me.

So, rather than give Sean the time to “mull things over” I started ripping out that faux shiplap stuff off the walls before he could talk me out of it. I started moving all of the furniture out piece by piece. And all that tile that we had for those years that we kept moving around in various spots on our back porch, finally needed to be installed, drywall on the walls, too.

I guess this brings us to this past September when RTB came over to start the tile installation. He cranked the tile job out in a couple days, and then started installing the drywall. He got that done way quicker than we could have (hello Captain Obvious), and I was finally in business to paint and decorate. And that brings us to present day.

Are you ready for an epic room reveal?

Me too!

Let’s GO!

From the time I ripped out the faux shiplap to present day, this project took us right around 4 months. Out with the old, in with the new-ish. The books and the two bamboo lamps are the only things brought back into the den. Everything else I either bought, or shopped the house.

From the moment we refurbished and installed that huge window, I had wanted bookcases flanking either side. Well now, my vision has come to life, displaying part of my cookbook collection in one, and various other books in the other.

Displaying the signed Broadway show posters from the shows Sean has worked on was a must, and what better way to display them than in the room where we watch television and movies. Each poster carefully curated and paired with like colors and / or timeframes.

For me, shopping for a couch meant that it needed to not only have classic lines, but it needed to be just the right size to enjoy a good afternoon nap. Done and done. To help absorb noise and warm the place up, I found an aged vegetable dyed rug that also brings in color, and cozies up the room.

A leather winged back chair in front of the window proves to be a perfect spot to watch a show, and to watch what’s going on outside. We’ve also been known to doze off in this chair as well.

This antique piece is from my parent’s home. I brought it here at the end of last summer when my sister and I were moving them out of their house and into an apartment. It fits right in here in the den. Ruth is hosting her 10th or 11th plant, and I’m hoping I finally planted one that I won’t kill. To give her some whimsy and to keep her from looking too serious, I wrapped a silk scarf around her neck.

After what feels like a bazillion years, I can honestly say that this den remodel is the final one, for a long, long time. Sure, I’ll tweak the decor a bit here and there, but after everything this room (and we) have been through, it looks like a million bucks.

Thank God I didn’t spend near that.

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