Work in Progress: Living Room Cabinets

Last summer, I decided the time had come to finish the living room. Or perhaps I should say, to start the living room. I don't have any good "before" pictures, but this will give you an idea. When this was taken, we had replaced the window on the side, but not the three on the front. Even the new window wasn't completely framed in, and it didn't have a window sill. You can see some damage on the right wall. When we bought the house, the damage was cleverly hidden behind the ugliest dark-dark brown panelling you'd ever want to see. Picture the remaining walls and ceiling in dingy white, with no overhead lighting, and you've got the idea.


It also turns out that there was virtually no insulation. The military contractor had used the loose, fluffy variety, which had long since settled to a depth of about 2' above floor level. The remaining space was devoid of any insulation whatsoever. We ripped out drywall, re-insulated to code, and replaced the drywall shortly after we moved in. We even framed in some cabinetry in the corners. However, work eventually ceased, the drywall remained unmudded, and the cabinets were just bare bones. Last summer, I decided enough was enough. Or not enough, as the case may be.

In the photo below, you can see that the cabinetry in the two corners is just barely framed in. The plan is to have open shelving above, and storage cabinets with doors below. I went ahead and painted the back walls of the cabinets because I was impatient to see what my chosen colors would look like. I didn't expect it to come out so mustardy. I wasn't sure I liked the effect. The family thought I'd lost my mind when they saw those colors. But I'm trusting my plan.


Did I mention that I don't work very neatly?

We finished the ceiling and installed overhead lighting. The ceiling was a challenge--it had begun to sag because the drywall was attached with nails instead of screws. After we screwed it back in, it caused the old nails to protrude slightly, so they had to be pounded back down. In all, we were left with at least 300 nail & screw holes to patch and sand. Sanding overhead is an odious job! The angle feels awkard for your arm and shoulder, plus the dust settles on your goggles to the point you can't see what you're doing. Priming and painting were a real bear, too. But what a difference! I'd thought of the old ceiling as "dirty white", but when I started putting the primer on, the old paint actually looked tan by comparison. What a relief to finish that part of the project.

This fall, we finally framed in the arches for the open shelving. Now I'm mudding that section of the room, and that's where it stands.


Here's a chair I found for $10 at a thrift shop. It needs a bit of refinishing, but hey, a bargain is a bargain. I love the carving. It'll fit in well with the semi-Old World theme I'm planning.