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Our Family Room Farmhouse Facelift

It’s been quite the project, but we’ve finally finished our family room! Have you seen our kitchen makeover? That project was super fast because we hired a professional for the cabinets, and it was done in a week. This project on the other hand… forever. Or at least it felt like forever! Our family room was in desperate need of a facelift, and I wanted to add a little farmhouse charm, to make it more cohesive with the kitchen and entire first floor. Before I share all of the details, here are a few messy, real life before photos for you…

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

Chaos right? Our family room had become this toddler proofed area – combined with a toddler safe play area. It was total chaos and nothing was working. Once we wrapped up the kitchen, I decided it needed to be done right away! I’m not going to lie, these pictures are borderline embarrassing because you don’t notice how out of hand a space is getting until you photograph it! Gah!

Here’s what we did…

  • Stone veneer over the brick fireplace (tutorial here!)
  • New paint on the walls (Sherwin Williams Alabaster White)
  • New paint on the trim and baseboards (we went from pine to white to match the kitchen)
  • New plugs and switches (from cream to white to match the kitchen, this is an ongoing project for the entire house, blah!)
  • New light fixture
  • New rug
  • New wall decor/gallery wall (see the spool clock tutorial here)
  • New play area/toy storage

It seems like a lot, because it was! But the best part about this project was that it didn’t cost a fortune. We already owned the stone veneer for the fireplace, since Mr. Kirk grabbed it on clearance a few (or 7) years ago and stored it in the garage when we bought the house. We also already owned the sofa table, and most of the wall art and frames for my gallery wall, and we didn’t replace the furniture (though I’d love to, ha!) Everything else that I bought was on clearance, bonus! Here are some after photos, I’ll link to the stuff after you take a look at our new space!

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

What do you think? I’m absolutely in love with our new space, it’s bright and open, and most importantly, it’s functional. We left the coffee table out because it’s more of a pain with Vinnie (the tiny toddler tyrant) who climbs it! We’ll at it back in eventually, but the colors is, meh, so it’ll need a facelift first 😉 The end table in the corner was only put there because it was absolutely necessary – I’m not in love with the color and think I’m going to change it to a white/walnut brown when we do the coffee table over – stay tuned for that!

You may (or may not) be thinking that our furniture arrangement is a little funky. You see, I really wanted the love seat adjacent to the couch, but it eliminated SO much space because of the room size. We settled on this layout because both myself and Mr. Kirk had one couch the way we wanted it, and we were able to add a little play nook for Vinnie. The buckets under the window are full of race cars and other toys for him. It makes for easy cleanup, and he’s never out of eyesight, even from the kitchen. 

Here are some more detail photos…

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

One day when our kiddos are grown, we’ll get around to refinishing the wide pine floors and get some new furniture, but until then, I’m keeping what we’ve got! I’m not an interior designer, but I like to watch Fixer Upper (hahaaa) and I pick up on some things JoJo does in her spaces. I like to take bits and pieces of what I learn and translate them in my own way, into my own space. Personally, I don’t think there is a right or wrong when it comes to design, it’s all about what’s functional for you and your family. 

Now I’m going to answer your burning questions! “But where did you get that….” I’ve linked as much as I could find online, some links are affiliate links, but not all. I appreciate your support, it makes all the time I spend on this worthwhile! Ready?! Let’s start with the gallery wall

  • The letter ‘K‘ and the ‘&’ sign are both from Michaels. I couldn’t find the ‘&’ sign online! Did you see my kitchen gallery wall? I have a thing for & signs, I don’t know why – I just do!
  • The Adventure Awaits sign is from Urban Alpine. I LOVE this sign, and what’s even better is that it’s handmade by a fellow momma. We’re going to give you a chance to win one for yourself on Instagram, so keep an eye out for that! Visit her Etsy shop here.
  • The “do what makes you oh so happy” wood sign is from Target. 
  • The gather sign I made, Mr. Kirk had some extra wood laying around and I’m pretty good at calligraphy, so there it is, haha!
  • The framed pictures are from our vow renewal ceremony last year, and the quote prints I made! All the frames I had on hand already (bonus) but the bigger two are from Target (here).

On the end table…

  • I have dark brown placemats on top of our end table, because, kids. These are the ones I had on hand already. 
  • I also have a couple of old glass pieces that were in storage and I thought would look good – up and out of reach that is! You can find similar ones here and here
  • In the galvanized vase (that I scored from a yard sale, see a similar one here) I put my bouquet of EcoFlowers! I seriously love these, they’re made from recycled paper and wood, and they last forever! The folks over there gave me 25% off coupon for you! Simply use code Gina25 at checkout. 

On and behind the sofa you’ll find…

  • This Threshold 3 arm arc lamp is from Target. I knew I needed something bigger to makeup the space behind the sofa, and after 2 returns, this one won! I love the look, and also that you can have one, two, or three bulbs on at a time.
  • The branches are something I’ve had for years, and they were a gift so I have no idea where they’re from! They’re in tall white ceramic vases, and I thought they were perfect to fill in the space. 
  • The couch pillows I got on Amazon, it’s much more cost effective to get the inserts and covers than the whole pillows (which are like $20 a piece!) You can find the inserts here, and the covers I got are here, here, and here.
  • The toy bins are from Target, and I had them previously, you can find them here. (If you’re a storage bin lover like me, you’ll love this round up I did a while back)
  • The area rug is from Target as well, and finding the right one has been nothing short of exhausting. I originally ordered this one when they were 25% off (plus 5% with my red card debit card) but they shipped me the wrong one, and the gray was out of stock! The one pictured was sent as a replacement, and although it’s got more white than I would normally want, it’s grown on me, and been surprisingly simple to keep clean. If I find one that’ll fit better in this space, I’m going to put this one in our bedroom.

In the sofa/side table area…

  • The sofa table was something we already owned, it’s a dark brown and I’ve had it for about ten years! It was being barely used in our entryway, and I’m so happy it has a better home in our family room now! It originally came from Pier 1 Imports. Here’s a similar one from Target, you can find a bunch there. 
  • The Wall clock was a DIY! Here’s the tutorial. 
  • The glass vases and bottles were all old ones Mr. Kirk found throughout the years. I love that I can display them and that they’re out of reach!
  • The galvanized bucket was something I had on hand, and was collecting dust in the garage. It made the perfect flower vase addition! (See more galvanized items I love here)
  • The lantern was also an item we had on hand, more from Mr. Kirk’s antique collection, ha! If we didn’t have this, I’d probably pick up one similar to this one.
  • The bins on the bottom are full of Vinnie’s books! I got the white ones in store at Target (this brand) and the jute one at Michaels for 60% off! I couldn’t find it online either, but it was in store with all the baskets!

I think that pretty much covers it, if I left an item out, leave me a comment and I’ll try to find a link for you! If you have yet to see our kitchen makeover, head there next – it’s amazing!

If you loved something in this post, feel free to pin the image below to save it for later, don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram for my latest projects!

Family Room Farmhouse Facelift! | Check out this living room / family room makeover - a touch of charm and a whole lot of character and fixer upper design in this cape style family room space. GinaKirk.com @ginaekirk

Fixer upper style/design inspired DIY farmhouse family room/space facelift! Loved adding more charm to our home with decor, paint and furniture. Simple reno idea and rustic modern gallery wall from GinaKirk.com

 

 

Pretty Pintastic Party

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31 Comments

  • Reply
    Stacy
    April 27, 2016 at 8:03 pm

    Beautiful Gina! I love the pallet up-cycle!!! Isn’t such a good feeling to check a room off the list? Although rooms never really get finished do they, lol?!

    • Reply
      Gina
      April 27, 2016 at 10:57 pm

      It’s the BEST! I feel like I just finished a marathon haha!

  • Reply
    Andy
    April 27, 2016 at 11:06 pm

    Lush, such a calm and nice space

    • Reply
      Gina
      April 27, 2016 at 11:41 pm

      Thanks so much Andy!

  • Reply
    Annie
    April 28, 2016 at 1:39 am

    Ummm LOVE IT! Come do my house! I cannot wait for that clock DIY!!!

    • Reply
      Gina
      April 28, 2016 at 11:28 am

      Thank you Annie! It was so super easy, I’m going to get it up soon!

  • Reply
    Abbie
    April 28, 2016 at 4:37 am

    Wow! Fantastic job and I love that it’s functional and works for you. Also, your blog is GORGEOUS.

    • Reply
      Gina
      April 28, 2016 at 11:27 am

      Thank you so much Miss Abbie!! <3

  • Reply
    Meredith
    April 28, 2016 at 2:18 pm

    I LOVE the fireplace, what a huge improvement! We had those couches forever, and they are SO comfy! One of ours got a huge stain on it, so we had to get rid of that one but the other one sits happily in our play room! Love the wall of pics too, how fun!

    • Reply
      Gina
      April 29, 2016 at 1:39 am

      They are so comfy! And didn’t cost a fortune, so I don’t feel bad about keeping them through the toddler years and beyond. Thank you Meredith!

  • Reply
    Brittany
    April 28, 2016 at 2:23 pm

    I LOOOOOVE that rug and art wall!! great job!

    • Reply
      Gina
      April 29, 2016 at 1:38 am

      Thanks so much Brittany!

  • Reply
    Andrea
    April 28, 2016 at 4:48 pm

    It looks really great!! I am loving that giant clock! A great statement piece 🙂

    • Reply
      Gina
      April 29, 2016 at 1:38 am

      Thank you Andrea!

  • Reply
    JeeYoung
    April 28, 2016 at 7:08 pm

    Beautiful! Can you come over and redo our rooms? 🙂

    • Reply
      Gina
      April 29, 2016 at 1:37 am

      haha, anytime! 😉

  • Reply
    Sarah Clouser
    April 28, 2016 at 7:18 pm

    Looks great! Love that wall clock! And your gallery wall looks great. Now, I’m getting the itch to re-do my family room … 🙂

    • Reply
      Gina
      April 29, 2016 at 1:39 am

      Thats how it starts, haha! Thanks so much Sarah!

  • Reply
    tineke - workingmommyabroad
    April 28, 2016 at 8:33 pm

    This is so awesome Gina, love it! Especially love love love the wall where the tv is at and the wooden huge clock. Great make-over!

    • Reply
      Gina
      April 29, 2016 at 1:37 am

      Thanks so much Tineke!!

  • Reply
    Annie @ Mommajeans.com
    April 28, 2016 at 9:36 pm

    I absolutely love that clock! I can’t wait until my hubs and I build so we can have a house like this! It makes such a difference to even update a space! Looks really great!

    • Reply
      Gina
      April 29, 2016 at 1:36 am

      Thank you, it’s made all the difference! It was so easy to make too, I am in love with it!

  • Reply
    Donna
    April 28, 2016 at 11:41 pm

    Nice job Gina! Looks great!!

    • Reply
      Gina
      April 29, 2016 at 1:36 am

      Thanks so much Donna! <3

  • Reply
    Starr
    April 29, 2016 at 12:22 am

    The difference in your Before and After is awesome! The couches don’t even look the same! I really love the look of the makeover. Beautiful!

    • Reply
      Gina
      April 29, 2016 at 1:35 am

      Thank you so much!

  • Reply
    patricia ross
    April 29, 2016 at 1:46 am

    The room is amazing! But I have to say I absolutely love that clock! Fantastic!

  • Reply
    Maintaining Me
    April 29, 2016 at 1:42 pm

    OMG I love this transformation!

    • Reply
      Gina
      May 2, 2016 at 10:51 pm

      Thanks so much!

  • Reply
    Jessica Buckley
    August 27, 2016 at 5:29 am

    Where did you get the accent pillows ?

    • Reply
      Gina
      August 31, 2016 at 2:36 am

      Amazon! There should be links at the bottom of the post, but if they aren’t working let me know I will find them for you 🙂

    Leave a Reply to JeeYoung Cancel Reply