Friday, September 28, 2012

"Rec Room" Re-do




 After our son moved out last fall, 
the basement Rec Room was left a bit "unfurnished".  
The couch, the Giant TV and a few other items went with him.
Trust me, they were no loss.  Well, maybe the Giant TV.  

 And then we noticed that our Darling Daughter 
and her friends were rarely seen at our house any more. 
We decided that maybe she needed a place to bring her friends,
maybe not sharing the couch in the Family Room with Mr. Grand and me.   
Imagine that.
A Rec Room Re-do was in order.

 I will post the "Before" pictures later, so I don't scare everyone away....



The first item we purchased was a new sectional sofa from Ikea.  
Well, that's not exactly true.  
The first item I purchased was a sectional sofa from Carsons.
After the big, strong delivery men from Carsons 
(Bless their hearts, they really tried) were unable to squeeze 
the sectional sofa down the basement stairs and around a corner, 
I took Darling Daughter's advice and went to Ikea.  
Their sectional sofas come in three units 
and were no problem at all to get down the stairs.
I bought the sectional in the morning and Ikea delivered it that same evening!
Set up was a breeze and the slipcovers are washable
so I could actually go with a light color.

Here's the new Ikea sectional in the Rec Room:



Next, Darling Daughter and I set off for Home Goods to see what we could find.
 We picked up some fun throw pillows and some colorful art work to hang on the walls.
We also bought this rustic white cabinet to hold DVDs and cards and games.





I love the colors in these prints- they work well with the pillows and sofa.







 



 


  A new rug from Ballard Designs...




I couldn't resist this green lantern and added the white lights for a sparkly effect.
Not that I want to encourage any romance down there, but it is pretty.... 
Any ideas for what else to put in it?  It has so much potential.

 



 As promised, here's the "Before" picture, 
taken before the arrival of the Ikea sectional.




 Here's the new sectional in place,
but before we changed the art work, pillow, area rug and accessories.




 And the After...


Easy, casual and comfortable.

As you can see, I didn't sell the giant birdhouse 
from the family room entertainment unit makeover.  
You can read about that little project here.



Here's a corner in the Rec Room with some of the old sports themed stuff:

 
And the same corner, with the new cabinet and art work:



A new, "smart" TV was added too and we've had a lot of fun with that.
We (meaning our "smart" son) hooked a wireless keyboard up to it 
and we were able to plan our entire trip to Italy, sitting on the new sectional together
and surfing the internet together on the new TV.   
We browsed hotel rooms and tourist sites 
and took votes on what to do and where to go, together.
And I have to say, looking at Google Earth on a big TV is really something.
Amazing.  Gotta love technology.


 (Media console cabinetry made for us by none other than Ed Dolan.  
You can see some of his other masterpieces here and here and here and here.)

I'm happy to report that Darling Daughter and her adorable friends 
spent countless hours in the re-done room, watching movies and playing games.

 I sure miss those sweet girls-
 the laughter, the energy and the pure youthful delight 
that swept into the house with them.

They are all college Freshmen this Fall, 
spread out all over the country,
delighting all new people with their smiles and their charms.
Exactly where they should be.

Alas, for me, a little bittersweet...




Thanks for keeping me company!






Linking to:
My 1929 Charmer Linky Par.tay
DIY Home Sweet Home MMM#76
Make The Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill
Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative
Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Under The Table and Dreaming Sunday Showcase Party
Sunday's Best at My 1929 Charmer
DIY Project Parade at DIY Show Off
Uncommonly Yours Link Party at Uncommon Designs
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed
Fabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer Rizzo
Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors
Weekend Bloggy Reading Party at Serenity Now
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29 comments:

  1. What a cute room! I absolutely love the pops of color! I had my baby go away to college 4 years ago and it was definitely bittersweet. He graduated last May and is back at home. LOL. He has a job ... he's saving to buy a home, which is why he moved back in with us. Your room is beautiful.

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  2. Erin,

    Loving this space! And I am all over those pillows ... seriously ... in love!

    Oh, and can't wait to meet you in person tomorrow morning in Naperville!

    :)

    Linda

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  3. ADORE - love the sectional, love the artwork, love the cushions, love that birdhouse, LOVE that cabinet!!! actually both the media cabinet AND the DVD cabinet are so lovely. GREAT job.

    xox

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  4. Hi Erin,

    This is a lovely re-do!! I especially love the green lantern, the throw pillows, and your basket of Zinnias. This is perfect for a girls' rec room. So I guess you're an empty nester now, huh? It definitely takes a little getting used to. I think it's neat that you and your daughter worked on the room together. :)

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    Denise

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  5. Erin, what a sweet and lovely post. Did the son, the smart one that helped you hook up the new TV, survey the newly redone rec room hoping to take any other treasures along with him :). The new space is so bright and cheery and I ADORE that you did it to give your daughter space to entertain. You are one good mom! Maybe you aren't so good at measuring to see if furniture will fit down your stairs but you are a good mom :)

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  6. What a pretty family space I love the pillows!

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  7. I love what you've done with the Rec room. As for me, I'd have grabbed it for a bigger sewing room!!!

    Sure wish I had a Mr. Ed to call on for building projects!!! He does lovely work.

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  8. Erin it was a pleasure to meet you today!! Great transformation!Sectional looks great! Love that artwork too! Looks like the perfect hangout spot!
    xx
    Anne

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  9. Love the art work, pillows and especially the white cabinet. Simplicity equals comfort with ease. The room is charming. Nice work.

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  10. Wow, Erin! GREAT job! It truly looks so much more welcoming and cozy! Love it! :)

    xoxo laurie

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  11. What a lovely room! So cozy and comfy. Thank you for sharing. Visiting from DIY Home Sweet Home. Would love it if you would share this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House which goes live at 8am CST on Monday. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com Hope to see you at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  12. I absolutely love those flower pillows. They are from Home Goods?

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  13. Hello Erin! Found you at the Make the Scene Monday Blog Hop ^^ What a prett blog you have, liked it a lot so I'm following : ) Hope you get a chance to visit my blog too xx
    NOIREDAME

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  14. I was tickled to meet you and the other IL bloggers. What a pretty blog you have and what a nice re-do you did. Love your "2nd" couch. I could so relate to something not fitting since that has happened with usu too. Love the artwork, pillows, cabinet, everything. A very lovely room. Now following you on GFC and Pinterest. Thanks for sharing your inspiration with Sunday’s Best – you helped make the party a success!

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  15. Hi Erin! The basement makeover looks fab! What a difference. Love the cabinet Ed made too. K

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  16. this looks great! so clean and crisp. love the color palette.

    party going on at my place if you'd like to link up!
    http://jedandivy.blogspot.com/

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  17. Hi Erin, you turned this room into such a beautiful retreat! I love it. My favorite is the lantern with the lights! Great idea! It was so nice meeting you this past weekend - I am still working on my new name... I will keep you posted!!!
    Monika

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  18. Love the transformation! The 'new' room is so colorful and cheery. Must be lonely and way too quiet with your daughter off to college.

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  19. Such a pretty room. You did a great job.

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  20. Aww, Erin that bittersweet part of them growing up - not looking forward to it! Your room looks fabulous, so bright and playful yet sophisticated!

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  21. Erin, I love this room and the bold colors of the art and pillows. So cute. Would you please ad my party link. Thanks and thanks for sharing.

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  22. that looks amazing! i love the colors in there now, it's such a warmer and definitely girl friendly space!

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  23. Spectacular re-do. Great job!
    xoxo,
    Kim

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  24. What a beautiful space! I am crazy jealous over the sectional and I love, love, love the artwork over the table... so pretty! Thanks for sharing with us this week!

    Take care,

    Trish

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  25. Fabulous remodel. I especially love the white 9 drawer cabinet, the colorful art and the pillows! I know what you mean about bittersweet - I had a hard time when both kids went off to college {don't tell anybody, but I'm a grandmother 2 soon to be 3 times and I'm still not totally over Emtpy-Nest}. Don't worry, your daughter will come back for holidays and bring all their friends to this beautiful space you created.

    P.S. I found you thru Savy Southern Style Linky party.

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  26. What an amazing transformation! It looks so relaxing and inviting :) (Found you via Miss Mustard Seed Friday Link Up.)

    Next weekend we're taking our high school junior to the Chicago Art Institute for an "art college" convention they're having....60 art schools from across the country will be passing out information about their art programs. Not sure where she'll end up....but I know that no matter where she chooses, all of it will be too far away for my liking!

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  27. Erin, This is marvelous! You have the best makeovers! Thank you for joining me at HSH!
    Sherry

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  28. Fantastic makeover! You have a great sense of style. And thanks for the Google Earth tip... we're going to have to try that! New follower...

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