before and after: katy’s living room

As a little recap… My husband and I bought an old cabin below market value that had not been touched since 1960. Our goal was to transform it into a 21st century getaway that we and our family would enjoy.  

I love a challenge, so we took the house down to the studs and remodeled the entire space. My main take away from our living room renovation is WE ALL NEED LIGHT! The original space was dark and dingy, so we added windows on the east wall (they flank the new fireplace), and giant transoms above the front doors. Voilà, the room was transformed and suddenly felt spacious. 

We also took down most of the pecky cedar siding and painted the walls a warm white. The one remaining wood wall instantly became a beautiful feature to the space. Then, we opened up the railing to the basement staircase. Yep, the solid wood wall definitely had to go!

But the major pièces de résistance, at least for my husband, was the wine cabinet. Before, it was an awkward nook tucked away in the corner, but we transformed it into cool storage where vino reigns supreme! Honestly, this space was much more expensive to renovate than the guest bath (my prior before and after); however, the return on the investment was well worth the effort and the expense.