Basic Bungalow: Before & After, Living and Dining Room

The Living Room and Dining Room both got some major updates.  Some are easy to see, like the beautiful refinished birch floors, instead of old wall-to-wall carpeting.  And we removed all the old ceiling tiles, installed recessed lighting and new ceilings for a seamless look.  But some changes aren't so obvious, like blown in dense-pack cellulose insulation and new structural posts that hold up the new second floor living space.

What are some of the highlights?  Well, we replaced the colonial style front door (which looked so odd in a bungalow!!!) with a new glass door to bring a lot more light into the room and highlight the sweet front porch.  And the custom made radiator cover really adds style to the room.

The odd closet (that everyone thought was a staircase, because it looks like it has a step up) became a 'dry bar', with cabinetry at the bottom and glass shelves above.

But the biggest change was installing a fireplace.  The mantle started as a jumble of antique parts that I found at Old House Parts and thanks to the creative carving of Oak & Laurel Workshop, it's now a gorgeous focal point in the room. Oh, and the fireplace is electric, so it didn't require any fuel or flue - but it does have a lovely ambiance on a cold winter night. (you can read all about the 'Every Old House Needs a Fireplace' project here ).

See the closet door on the right in the 'before' photo?  We switched it around, so now it opens into the bedroom.  You don't want to lose one inch of a closet in an old house!  Take a look at the fireplace below.  Can you guess which parts are original and which are new?  The left 'leg' of the mantle and the plinth blocks are all new.  After the carving was done, I painstakingly stained the wood to achieve a uniform color and finish on old and new wood. 

The dining room also saw a transformation.  Opening up the wall to the staircase was a huge change, but there were other changes as well. 

Dining Room - Before

Dining Room - After

But creating the wainscoting with a plate rail also gave the room some vintage styling.  I complemented that with a very muted wallpaper.  

And of course the Morris & Co chandelier is a stunner!

Next up:  The kitchen!  

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