Amazing What a Little Bit of Paint Can Do

When we bought our current home there were 2 areas that I wanted to change.  The first was in our living room.  Our fireplace and our built in entertainment center were really dated.  I am confused that a home that is just over a decade old would look like something straight out of the 80's.  Really, oak cabinetry (that also clashed with the hardwood floors)?  Really, gold trim on the fireplace screen?  And what was going on with the mantel?  It didn't match anything...kinda had a Santa Fe vibe!

Here are some pics taken before we moved in:

 

(Oh, yeah, and the second thing I would like to change is our white tile countertops in the kitchen...someday)

My parents came to visit about 3 months after we moved in and I put my woodworking Dad to task.  Yes, he was on vacation, but like me, working on projects is relaxing to him (at least that's what I told myself).

Here's what the living room looked like shortly after moving in (my decorating attempts could not help the situation!):

 

Another view:

I showed my Dad some pics of mantels that I liked on Pinterest (after explaining to him what Pinterest was) and after some measuring we headed to our local Home Depot.

It took a couple trips to the hardware store and lots of just standing and staring at wood.  My dad thinks for a long time before sharing what he's thinking.  He does a lot of hmmmmms.

He was able to frame around the existing mantel and added molding to beef it up.  He hid some of the marble which was also great.  I was so happy with what he came up with!

Here is what it looked like before being painted:

I painted it all after he left...I didn't sand it down as well as he would have.  Maybe next time he comes he can make it perfect!  I also added black high heat paint to the gold area. 

For the entertainment center I decided to just take most of the doors off and paint it all white. I was nervous to tell my dad my plan.  You see, my dad loves natural wood and basically thinks it is a crime to paint over it.  But this time, he actually agreed!

Here all the doors are removed:

 

After a coat of primer:

Painting the entertainment center was ridiculous.  It took forever and was really difficult to get in all the different corners.  It was totally worth it though!  I added some pulls to the fake drawers (actually pulls out for cd storage) to finish it off. 

Here's what the fireplace and entertainment area look like now:

I think it's a huge improvement.  I still would like my dad to someday smooth out the wood around the fireplace since I lack the ability or patience to get it right.

 
I also need help removing the pieces of wood in the top section of the entertainment center (seen in top four corners...they supported the doors' hinges before).

 
I am so thankful that my dad helped me out so much.  Plus it's nice to have his touch in our home since he and my mom live so far away.

One other piece he did for me before we moved from Ohio was this wood sign with the perfect verse for our dining area:

It is made from a leaf out of an old table.  I love it!  (I change the message on my chalkboard sign frequently...this was from a craft night I hosted recently which I will blog about soon)


Thanks, Dad for making our home extra special!  (Mom, make sure Dad sees this!)