Before and After: Family Room Reveal
Welcome to another round of Before and After! I’m really excited to finally let this space out of the proverbial design bag because it was a huge challenge for me. In many ways, it’s easier to completely gut a space and start from scratch like we have in the past but in our Charlotte house we didn’t have the time (or the energy) for major changes. Thankfully, most of this house just needed a little love, and the spaces that need major attention are ones we can work with for the time being….with the exception of our Family Room. 
Once we decided to turn the formal living room into a play room, I knew that the Family Room would become the space where we spend the most time. The space is attached to the kitchen and has a door that we use to access our back porch and yard, so it’s also a major traffic zone. On top of the high usage and visibility factors, the Family Room is incredibly narrow, long and thin, almost shotgun style and featured a large, brick hearth that was designed to be off center, complete with outdated built in cabinetry, meant to be used as TV storage.
I took one look at that fireplace and told Justin that we had to rip the entire thing out and just start over. He reminded me we didn’t have that kind of time and I needed to figure something out that would burn less money, time and man power.
Luckily, I do my best work under pressure and our newly revamped fireplace wall is symmetrical, classic and neutral – plus I managed to squeeze in a bit of function as well!  
Wanna see what it looked like?
Before, as staged by previous owners on inspection day:
Before and After: Family Room Reveal

Before and After: Family Room Reveal

Before and After: Family Room Reveal
Before and After: Family Room Reveal
Above is a head on view of the fireplace – the mantle was way too small, the trim around the brick work emphasized it’s odd dimensions, the hight of the brickwork was out of scale to the wall and the hearth was off center. The hearth also bumps out from the wall, taking up quite a bit of space in probably the highest area for foot traffic in the entire house. 
Before and After: Family Room Reveal
The built in cabinets were well constructed but we don’t have the type of TV the cabinets were designed for in the ’90’s and the shelf spacing was really off in order to accommodate a television. 
The room is so long and narrow that I couldn’t get the entire fireplace wall into the frame of my iPhone shot so here’s a little mock up so you can see what we were working with 
Before and After: Family Room Reveal

Before and After: Family Room Reveal
Here’s what we did:
Painted every inch of the space White Dove by Benjamin Moore
Ripped out the bookcase on the window wall, repairing the plaster behind
Created a new “shape” to the brickwork on the fireplace wall by adding drywall over the brick in a symmetrical shape
Lowered the line of the brick work under the mantle by adding drywall
Commissioned a custom mantle in a better size and shape for the space 
Enclosed the right side of the hearth in wood to create a bench and give the appearance of built in drawers
Changed the depth of the built in shelving to make them more shallow/modern
Added new shelves to create a more balanced unit (eliminating the large TV nook)
Changed all light fixtures and added sconces on the TV wall 
Wanna see what it looks like now?
All after photos by Courtney Malone Photography 
Before and After: Family Room Reveal

Before and After: Family Room Reveal
Original art by Marquin Campbell of Marquin Designs
Before and After: Family Room Reveal

Before and After: Family Room Reveal
Room sources listed here, and at the bottom of this post

Before and After: Family Room Reveal
Before and After: Family Room Reveal

Before and After: Family Room Reveal
Ah, look at that fireplace wall! No longer an eye sore and a space that we use daily to drop bags and to put on shoes. 

Before and After: Family Room Reveal

Before and After: Family Room Reveal

Before and After: Family Room Reveal
Before and After: Family Room Reveal

Before and After: Family Room Reveal

Before and After: Family Room Reveal

Before and After: Family Room Reveal
Before and After: Family Room Reveal
Before and After: Family Room Reveal

Before and After: Family Room Reveal

Before and After: Family Room Reveal
Since the room has been photographed a few weeks ago, I’ve added a new piece, a butterfly stool from InMod to ensure everyone has plenty of places to park it when Peppa Pig comes on. 
Before and After: Family Room Reveal

Before and After: Family Room Reveal
How pretty is that little guy!? InMod is an amazing source for modern furniture at a price point that won’t make your tummy turn. I snagged both this little butterfly stool and a pair of molded chairs from the Origins by Inmod Collection. And of course I have my eye on a set of dining room chairs, but don’t tell Justin. 
So, what do ya’ll think of the space? 
Sources:
Paint color on wall, trim, ceilings, brick, shelving, cabinetry and doors: 
Benjamin Moore White Dove 

All items featured in the space, including the kitchen nook, or similar options if older:
Ceiling pendant
Large art piece by Marquin Campbell