In accordance with Day 7 of The Nester’s 31 Days to a Better Dressed Nest series, I am coming to my peeps for house advice. See that wall with the picture?
We want to knock it down. Because on the other side of that wall is this.
Two living rooms back to back.
When we have people over (have I mention my husband is a youth pastor? With a youth group of nearly 300?) this is kind of what it looks like.
Crowded. And the front living room is empty with crickets chirping. This living room is where we live. The front living room is where the Barbies live in the forts that are made by our kids. It is a big, non-used formal play room.
We’ve already had several men look at it to determine the load-bearingness of the wall (it bears a lot of load, evidently), but are told it can be done. I’m not concerned about that part.
But I need girl eyes to tell me how to divide this wall. See where the fireplace mantle and hearth ends?
How should we transition the ending of that for maximum best-ness?
Once the wall is gone, the fireplace will be way over there. Should we put some type of column next to the fireplace so it doesn’t just end? Would it look weird to have the wall jut out a foot until the hearth ends? I think there will still have to be a header across the room, so it will sort of look like a big 20 foot long framed out doorway. That makes no sense, does it? If you have any words, please advise. I’ll be hanging out in the comments.
Hello my fellow wall knocking down friend! I know you have seen this in real life, but I will email you a pic of the column type thing my trim guy(my hubby)created to solve our dilemma..which I see is the same as your current dilemma.
ooo! Yes! Email me a picture…can’t wait to remember what I’ve already seen.
I was just thinking that a big chuncky square column would be perfect at the end of the bookcase & I’d also add on in the middle of the room somewhere (so the ceiling doesn’t cave in – hate it when that happens). You’re on your way to a beautiful (bigger) family room.
Now I need your help – hop on over & give me some paint advice – please?
I think it’d probably still look great if you just round off the corners of the hearth. Placing the furniture and decorations around it just right will make it superb! Looking forward to seeing the results sometime.
I agree with the others. Put a column near the hearth and also at the other end where the current doorway is. These will hold up your header, or at least look like it. You could also continue the header look past this if you’re taking down the other small part of the wall too. Can’t wait to see the process and final product!!
What if you added some sort of built-in that would take up the space in the middle, provide storage and balance the room?
This is going to be hard without being able to draw it but here goes:
See how your bookcases are on either side of the fireplace? Couldn’t you extend those bookcases further with one taller (reaching up to the ceiling) to make it look like one space? I have a couple of rooms that have very wide “doorways” and they look great and allow for easy traffic flow. Or,… Could you make the “doorway” arched? so that there would still be a little bit of a wall between them but it would be mostly open? Gosh! I wish I had a pencil and paper here.
I think you should a do a little curved corner built in. Then you’d have one more little pot to decorate or store on and it would blend in like it’s supposed to be there.
Ew Ew, my mom has the room with the off centered fire place. I feel your pain. How bout this. Take the wall down (definite Yes!) and add a fake (halfway jutted out) square column at the end of the fireplace section. Almost like its partly in the wall and part out. Then you could have someone do some built in on the other part of the wall behind your antique piece (hey, you could even include that) so that both ends of the wall have an anchored feel and not heavy on one end and bare on the other.
Post pics, post pics. What a great space to work with . Hey, at least you have some sectionals for all those teenagers. Gotta love it.
i actually don’t think it will look bad. i know it seems weird because you didn’t do it that way in the first place, but i have seen off center fire places before and you will just have two seating areas with one centered around the fireplace and the other, well, on the other end.
my friend has a huge room, huge, open room that includes her kitchen and dining room and two sitting areas. the fireplace is on one end and she has a sitting area there and then a dining table next to it (where your room with no fireplace would be). you could do something like that with a game table, or another sitting area if that’s what you need.
it’s going to be great!
i have 2 living areas as well. recently, i transformed the “formal” into a more casual living space. i have my own work space there and a second tv with the wii hooked up. you could down play the “formal”.
or… knock out the wall and create an arch between the 2 rooms. add 2 columns… rock, brick, or trimmed out for support and aesthetics. you have a beautiful home!
well i have a couple thoughts, but maybe not the whole shbang. can you get rid of the platform/hearth of your fireplace/bookcase? if that space could go all the way down to the floor,then you would have common ground from one space to the next that might seam it together a lil bit better. i know its possible to hide the beams very creatively.you might be able to make the support on the side that the fireplace is on to just look like part of the wall. which may mean moving the wall in on the new lr side. i love this kind of stuff. if you this doesn’t make sense and you want to know more email me and i will try and explain better. very exciting stuff!!!
As i was reading I was thinking columns and then you mentioned them
You may want to do 2 columns to give the rooms a seperate but open feel or… when the open the wall have them arch the opening between two columns. That is how my house was planned but we actually closed off the arch to have 2 seperate rooms (one for our homeschool classroom)
Hope that helps
I have the same thing…two living areas back to back and we are currently redoing flooring and painting in both of them as well as in kitchen/dining and laundry room. We have alot on our hands right now.
Anyway, I think knocking down the wall would be great! I think a stained (old looking) column at the left end of your fireplace mantle area would look great w/ another matching column somewhere in the middle where wall was/is for loadbearing purposes. Or maybe a wood beam that load bears across the ceiling.
Emily, I am going to be NO help because it’s a dream of mine to have a living room AND family room. I grew up in a house with both and we used BOTH rooms. I LOVED it. We only have one room now and what I wouldn’t give to sneak off to my living room to read a magazine or have a chai while my kiddos play, make messes, and break stuff in the other room. LOL!
However, having said that… I will step back and let the people who clearly know what they’re talking about continue to chime in!!!
No great ideas on how/what to do, but I love the idea of taking out that wall.
Loving the little bike inside your beautiful house! : )
Emily, I’ve got a call in to HGTV for you, but in the meantime, I’m dying to know what color is on your walls. Love it!
I vote for adding built in storage to balance it out.
What if you don’t know out the entire wall, but just from the door opening to where the end table near the fireplace is? You could arch the opening a little and then you have 2 balanced rooms that can be used as a big room when the kids come over.
how hot would it be if you got Carter from HGTV to come do it for you?
I have no additional suggestions from what has already been said. I’m just glad to see that same tricyle lives inside someone else’s house too. I actually had to say to my son recently “no riding your tricycle in the bathroom”
See? you need help? i’m your girl. look how helpful i was!
You got a lot of great advice! Go with your gut…you have great taste!
I love the coffee cup and the Bible in that last pic. That says so much!
Blessings!!
Shilo
YAY!
When we bought our house {over the INTERNET I might add} I had these GRAND PLANS for knocking down a wall between two family rooms.
When we got there I soon realized it wasn’t going to happen…unless we sunk a ton of money into the project and since we are not staying in the home we are in for more than a couple of years, it got the axe.
ANYWAY…
I WANTED to cut a HUGE hole between the two rooms with sliders {like this: http://www.slidingdoorco.com/products/home/home_room_dividers.html } to open the space…or close it off if we wanted to.
I don’t know how you are planning to set up furniture and such, but having doors could be sweet.
Otherwise I think a SWEET wood column is a great option.
I don’t think I would touch that book case…it is wonderful!
sandy toe
Emily ~
I don’t come bearing suggestions, but I DO come bearing encouragement. These ladies have offered some great tips and I think they all can offer you and your family what you’re looking for. Like you sis would say, JUST DO IT! Who cares?! Take the plunge and try it out!
And I can’t agree more. I’m excited to see what you guys decide! WOO HOO
Gussy
OH Emily…if only that was the only problem I had with my house…LOL!!! Can I purchase your home with problems and all…LOL!!!
It’s so beautiful!
I would make a large arch way s,o there is still some wall to define the spaces. But, open enough to combine the spaces. That is just me suggestion.
Blessings to you!
Susan
you know I have no decorating sense or fashion abilities, but, here’s my .5 cents.
I say, just to be different, you should knock the wall down for sure and continue a bookcase the length of the front room the same style and size as the fireplace and have a built in book case the length of that wall. Then, there’s no need to end the hearth, you’ll just have room for all the man’s books, and all the kids books, and a built in place for the barbies to live. 
As for the header in the ceiling, add more faux headers and paint them white to look like you have those pretty log beams on your ceiling. Told you I was bad a home decorating stuff, but I do think you should knock it down. That would give you guys so much more hang out room!!!
a vertical pony wall….about one or two feet wide, floor to ceiling….or even just to the mantle heighth… …Or make it a bookcase, same height and depth (width)
Hi Emily~ I think how you arrange the furniture will be the key. If you make a main seating area in the now “formal” living room, and then a cozy separate seating area around the fire, it will look more natural. I love the idea of having a little built in on the end (side) where it will stick out. Can’t wait to see what you do!
I have absolutely no advice for you, but I can’t wait to see the after pics. Having a large room will be so great.
How about just creating a giant ARCHWAY in the wall instead of completely taking it out? That would kind of create an open flow between the 2 rooms while still dividing the long wall [that fireplace is on].
I also like the idea of an extended 2-foot wall from bookshelf but then I think you should do the same thing on the other side of the wall you are taking out and perhaps insert built-ins on either side of it.
Good luck!
Hi,
Beautiful home. I ventured to your blog via of your sisters blog.
Two different avenues to explore, in regards to your planning stage
of incorporating accommodating more room for guests into your home.
Any chance that you would please post some more photos of the other side of you more formal living room? The area that is along the wall of your front door. Curious to see if their is a hallway off the formal living room.
Some things to think about before you make any changes.
The ceilings are different in the two rooms, one is smooth and formal while the other has recessed lights. The family room has bead board
along the upper 1/3 of the lovely fireplace wall. I would consider talking with a Realtor, have them come through and ask them what impact in your home would your remodeling change your resale appeal
in regards to your neighborhood. Some folks like a separate family room and living room. If it were me I’m not so sure I would make it one large space. I think you can incorporate the two space to intermingle but still be stand alone rooms.
1) I think to have a more seamless transition I would start by closing off the existing door. I would make the new opening between
15 and 19 ft. I would not start the new opening at the hearth of the fireplace. What I would do is I have a 3/4 wall come about 8 ft out
from the end wall, just next to the bookshelf. This will give you
a spot for a padded bench or small settee. The 3/4 wall would be the same exact height as your mantle. Have a squared off column as part of the 3/4 wall and have another squared off column on the end of the other opening. Anywhere you have created a large opening will become the natural egress area so no furniture placement in that area. I would try to have the opening be straight across from you french door
to the back.
2) You could either french door or pocket door a portion of the wall
and open them when you have your gatherings. You could extend the length of the back wall to have a media area, where your husband
would stand to speak and show power point slide shows. I just think
that with the orientation of your front door and the plan to open the wall then you back wall will be the focal point what will the length
of that wall be 22 to 26 ft?
I would get out your photos and some paper and trace the rooms now side by side and then make changes on paper (if you have software to do this that would be easier) and play around with the different possibilities that other posters and you have come up with.
Good luck to you.
Kind regards,
CJF
First of all… why are you asking us and not your sister?!? (I am sure you have consulted her!) My first reaction was built-ins all the way along that formal living room wall. Because you have the hearth sticking out, you could have deep, storage drawers on the bottom, and less-deep shelves on top, to the ceiling. Keeping the same scale/rhythm of the other room, those drawer/shelf units could be on either side of the old living room, as wide as the shelves in the family room. Because they bump out, you could do an inset area in the middle… maybe with a “window seat” and art above… Or, a less-deep shelf unit with wall above, or a less-deep unit to the ceiling. Lots of possibilities! I love the richness of built-ins! Blessings!
wow- what a ton of great ideas! i had fun reading… but i am like lisa… wishing for two spaces instead of one! well, i guess i have one and a half, but i would enjoy another separate area for the kiddos when we have friends here. good luck deciding! i know igt will be beautiful no matter what you decide!
I’m no expert, but I like the half-column at the end of the mantle idea with another column/pillar somewhere else toward the middle–since you’ll probably have to have one to bear weight (have you seen Jennifer P.’s home remodeling blog?). I also really like the idea of a very big archway–maybe this is my favorite idea.
I know whatever you do will be genius though–the rest of your house looks so good and you did such an ice job on your kitchen rearranging.
this is my first time reading your blog and i have to say, your house is gorgeous! can you decorate mine?
I knew you guys would have great ideas!
Chris pointed out that that the walls are different in both rooms: YES! I’ve thought of this. One has paneling, the other doesn’t. I haven’t cared so much about that just b/c I figured it will just add interest and they will still be 2 separate-ish seating areas.
Great idea to have a realtor look at it…I have a friend who could do that for us. Course, if I love it, I’m not as inclined to care what the next people love because I’m mean like that.
And I hear you about having 2 living rooms being a plus. If our rooms weren’t BACK TO BACK that would be different. But if I ‘retreat’ into one room, it isn’t much of a retreat. And the sunroom is also a living-ish room with a couch and a door, so that means we actually have THREE living spaces back to back.
keep those good ideas coming!
I have no advice as I was not born with a problem-solving brain. I can only make things pretty in ways that are superficial {like paint and hanging pictures.} But girl, you have got some real experts here! I just have to say that I simply cannot wait to see the “after.” Thanks for sharing your house with us.
Bet you never thought you’d hear decorating advice from me, did you? My parents live in a new home that has the living room and family room open to one another. Their rooms have a portion about as large as what is over your doorway that goes over the opening between the two rooms and on both sides of the opening. Think about 1-2 feet all the way around the opening.
One area has the fireplace, TV, and grouping of furniture while the other area has the piano and another grouping of furniture. My mother is Martha Stewart minus the jail term and she does a lot of entertaining and this arrangement works well. Small groups can cluster in either room or if the whole gang is talking together they can still all see one another and communicate easily. You don’t really notice the few feet of wall around the opening and the fireplace doesn’t look off kilter.
I would love to see the wall removed so that it looked like a large opening/doorway, (either arched or un-arched),between the two rooms instead one giant room (Maybe 1.5-2 feet of wall on each end of the opening). That way, you’d still have the cozier feeling of a smaller space when you were in one or the other, but the openness of a great room. It would create fewer “residual” projects, too, because then you would only have to have the floor patched and finished and not have to worry about trying to build something out along the wall to balance the fireplace, (which would save you money). And, it would make dividing the area into two seating areas more natural. You could simply flip the sectional in your front living room to the opposite wall, and replace it with your arm chairs. Then when you use the room for large groups, it would be easy to turn the chairs to face the television cabinet for the evening. That being said, another option would be to put in some type of dividing doorway. I love these folding accordian doors, http://www.nanawallsystems.com/, but they are probably a kajillion dollars, since I’ve generally seen them in homes featured in magazines like Architectural Digest. A big double sliding barn-door would be awesome, but again, the sliding tracks for those are $$$$. Whew! This is a long comment! Good luck with your decision, and especially with the process. Whatever you do will be lovely.
My advice? Extend the bookcase down the entire finished wall! It will tie it all in and even though the fireplace is at one end, there will be balance. Can’t wait to see what you pick!
God Bless!
i’m a hardcore fan of extending those beautiful bookcases. i think it’ll bring a sense of comradery to the two rooms. if you’re still looking to distinguish two separate spaces, i would certainly agree that a column would serve that purpose and look fantastic.
I have no architechural advice but I love the idea of making one big room!
Also didn’t know you were a YouthPW! So am I!
Totally can’t spell- **architectural**
ahhhh, well, it’s been said….so, i don’t know that there’s much left to say…except…knock it out…it’s not that hard, and i know a guy who could help you out with it.
it’s gonna be even more beautiful!
I’m wondering if you could continue your bookcases, but with a bit of a twist. . . like, perhaps a built-in bench included? Kind of like a window seat without the window. Perhaps that could be part of the bookcase wall in the left-hand part of the room, occupying the same position in that part of the room as the fireplace does in the right-hand part.
Can’t wait to see what you come up with! What does Nester say?
ok, I didn’t have time to read all the responses, so this may be a dud, but we have similar rooms although our other room is much smaller than your living room. But they are back to back like yours. What we did was put two french doors between them, but then also added long transoms on either side of the french doors. That way, when you want an open area, you just open the doors and it feels fairly open. Either way, people can see. That way you don’t have to change the fireplace or wall arrangement.
Also, thinking ahead for when the kids are older, you may want the option to close those doors and escape..although you do have the sun room…hmmm
Just a thought…
Oh, and when you do knock out that wall, you’ll have an extra sofa. Do I get first dibs at the yard sale?
I don’t have any helpful comments, but I LOVE your house. BEAUTIFUL!
-FringeGirl
My mother-in-law had this same dilemma. She ended up making a huge cased opening between the rooms, leaving about two feet of wall on each side of the opening and about a foot between the top of the opening and the ceiling. It allows both rooms to be used together but without losing the ‘corners’ which helped with furniture placement. Also, it saved a bundle of money doing it this way.
I would knock out 3/4 of the wall (in the middle) and put in “pocket doors”. You are probably going to have to keep some of that wall for support…and the great thing about “pocket doors” is you can have the room opened up or closed off – depending on the type of entertaining you are doing. A friend just had some “pocket doors” put in that look like french doors. Beautiful.
totally did not occur to me that my parents basically have the same thing but they have french doors with transom above and next to and it looks fantastic. thought of that with jen’s comment.
it’ll be awesome no matter what you do. your home is beautiful.
hopefully that was slightly more useful
It will look great! And I have the perfect picture for you. I saw it on his website (linked from your sister’s website) ages ago, and I saved the pic for inspiration for myself when I was dreaming of knocking some walls down.
Look at this post – the lead picture would be perfect!
http://www.remodelingguy.net/2009/01/trims-and-moldings-the-difference-is-in-the-details/
The way the column ends by a bookcase looks very similar to your bookcase. And it may give you an idea of what to do on the other side of the room. I’ve even seen columns like this have storage inside (like a broom closet or something), so maybe you could incorporate something like that, too.
A few options come to mind…
1. Like you said, put a significant column at the end of the fireplace built-in. Maybe add another one near the doorway so you don’t have one lone column?
2. Have the built-in shelves continue into the front room, so they are continuous along that wall. I don’t think the fireplace would look out of place, even if it isn’t centered, if you have built ins that run that whole length of wall. You could even go floor to ceiling in the front room.
3. Where the current built-ins end, you could have a couple of feet of built in bookshelves come out in an L shape, and have the column at the end of those. It will still give the feel of one big room, but have a little visual separation of space with some added character that deals with the end of the current built-ins around the fireplace.
I look forward to seeing what you decide!
Hi Emily!
I like the idea of putting in BIG (maybe glass paned) pocket doors. That way you could have one big gathering place if you had a bunch of people over, but still had the option of two rooms down the road. As families grow needs change…. you might want that room back one day! Good Luck – whatever you do will be fabulous and I can’t wait to see it!! =)
Hi Emily – We just did something similar in an old house with teeny, tiny separate living areas. If you can use columns instead of headers it looks better visually – I’ll try to figure out how to send you some pics – i’m a little embarrassed to because we’re just moving in, and there is stuff EVERYWHERE! We had the same guy that did all our cabinets make the columns. You can save money by having them done in MDF, because if you’re gonna paint them, it’s not a big deal – typically painted & stained run $500/column (installed) and the plain are $240 (installed) We took out a LONG wall between the kitchen, breakfast room & family room and put up an island with two columns bearing the weight. We used LVL for the beams. You are going to LOVE the open space. I know this might sound overly-spiritual (trust me, we’re not
) – but when we hit re-design roadblocks we really prayed for God to give us vision for the space, because we were re-doing for our family, homeschooling, ministry, etc. and wanted to create an environment where relationships would be forged, wonderful extended family times would be had, where youth group parties would happen, etc., etc. And we knew He cares about those things, too. I cannot wait to see the end result!
I just stumbled upon your site and had to add my 2 cents! What if you build a half wall with book shelves that is about 3 or feet long?
What if you did a wall of built-ins? You can never have too much storage and then the mantle, fireplace and hearth will just blend right in. If the beam by the ceiling has something other than empty wall to make contact with it might look more like it belongs. Does that make any sense? I think I just confused myself a little
I have no advice on the endingness of the wall/ mantle. But, we took out a load bearing wall in our kitchen to what was the old 3 seasons room. We made it into one big kitchen and dining and I love love love love love love x 1000 it. Worth all the work I tell you!
Your house is so pretty I could stalk it all day.
<3 Good luck!
Rachelle
What if you extended the mantle across the entire wall and built in bookcases below? You could put doors on some oft hem (maybe with glass fronts and lit from within)
By matching the mantle and carrying it across, it will unify the wall. If it’s in your budet you could even mount a flat panel television and create a second focal point or just a great piece of art.
What if you left a mini-wall? It would make an L shape off your mantel. It could just be four fee high and be open shelving or glass doors. Great for storage and a little snuggly chair maybe? For reading? When you come up with a great idea, please let me know. We have the same ordeal. Two living rooms, back to back, and only one ever gets used. Argh. Could you post some of the better suggestions — as well as what you decide to do? Thanks!
I didn’t ready through all the comments – and I am late commenting to boot – but I just did the same sort of thing in my office/gallery and solved the same problem by just cutting a wide archway. That way the existing wall can act like a “column”.
I just stumbled across your blog and I must say that I love it! There were a lot of comments for this post, so I’m not sure if anybody already mentioned this, but here is my idea…. Why don’t you continue the bookshelves all the way across that way? It will give you extra storage and will make the two rooms automatically look like one. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Oops… when I said “continue the bookshelves all the way across that way” I really meant “all the way across that wall.” Oops, sorry for the typo!
I just now came across this and the project might be finished. But I agree with the bookshelves all across the wall – if you continue the shelves all across and finish out the Mantel (top of the shelf) in the same style, then you have continuity. You may still need a column between the fireplace and the rest of the shelves for support, but it could definitely work. I hope you post pictures of the finished room. Love your blog.
Just wanted to thank you for posting about your cabinets. With your encouragement and that of the Nester I went for it and painted my cabinets black. Our house was built in 1947 and it made a world of difference in the look of our kitchen. If I wouldn’t have read your blog and looked at your pictures I never would’ve been brave enough to attempt this. Thanks for making me more brave and a woman who now loves my kitchen. Thanks! Your blog and stories are awesome.
Hi Emily, I love your taste in decorating and your blog! I stumbled on it after searching for painting your kitchen cabinets black! Love your kitchen! Anyway, I was admiring the 6 photos on your wall and would love to know (step by step please, I’m a little slow
) how you did them. I have a bare wall in our family room and I am looking for ideas! Thanks!