I just can’t wait any longer. I have to show you our living room now that the wall is out. After this, I promise to be in thankful Thanksgiving mode for the rest of the week. First, let’s take it back to the original before photos.
Here is the front living room when we first considered buying the house. And just behind that wall on the right is the crematorium back living room.
I think dark paneling must have been the law in 1964. And wood burning stoves that get to be ten million degrees. Here is the room now.
Let’s see that again, shall we?
The room the night before construction…
…And the room now. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. And Amen.
**For anyone who is under the false impression that The Man and I did this ourselves, let me give you a hearty laugh and a firm never-in-a-million-years. They are called Billy and Walon and they work magic.
Holy cow! That is awesome! I am so excited for you
No more empty front living room…and it looks like it’s always been there.
Wow!! That makes an amazing difference! And how fun to have it all done just in time for the holidays, and holiday decorations
oh, that leaves me speechless…..FABULOUS and it will be perfect for your large meetings! It is simply gorgeous!
Suzanne
That looks fabulous … and is giving me all sorts of ideas for our place. Oh dear. I’m sure that’s not what my husband wanted to know. : ) Lovely!!!
that is just incredible! i love it. i can’t wait to see the furniture in it. wonderful, beautiful, functional!!!
Wow. Gorgeous.
Gorgeous! I can’t even believe it’s the same room.
That is JUST fabulous! Doesn’t this remodel need to be shown on HGTV?? Call the press!
Are you not just pleased as punch??
Woooohooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So excited for you. It looks amazing!
I love it! I am green with envy! I love big open rooms!!! The kind that say…everyone is welcome! Also…You have a great eye; I am not sure I could have seen past that crazy wood paneling.
It looks great, Emily! Can’t wait to see pictures after you add furniture and decorate! How exciting! Enjoy your Thanksgiving!!!
I was hoping to see a picture soon, Emily. It looks more than fabulous. Worth the hassle! You have just opened up (pun intended) so many possibilities!! Enjoy!
WOW! It looks wonderful! It looks so much bigger now that it is open. And I love the columns. I can’t wait to see how you arrange your furniture in the new space.
Oh, Emily! It’s lovely! Seriously, it’s fabulous. I can’t wait to see it when you’ve got it all decorated. And what do you mean BACK to thankful? This is something to be thankful for! It’s finished and beautiful.
Lol everyone had the same thought I did – it’s gorgeous!!
I love the pillar details. It balances the space, kind of divides it without actually cutting it in half, and stops it looking like a meeting hall. I love it!
That is some major magic! Way to go Billy & Walen, it looks amazing! So glad you get to enjoy Thanksgiving with a pretty new room.
Amen, indeed!!! What a wonderful thing to be thankful for!!! It is fabulous. I love all the light shining through. This must totally make your heart happy!!! LOVE it. It is like you have a new home in time for the holidays. Blessings!!
I’ve been waiting for the pictures and it’s beautiful!!!! So happy for you!
this is absolutely beautiful. gorgeous. and i think it is perfectly appropriate to be thankful for it!
Wow. Just… WOW!
It’s gorgeous. You will love that so much.
Absolutely fantastic. Stunning. Perfect. I can’t wait to see how you doll it up.
I can’t see all the pictures for some reason. BUT I can see the last two and it’s amazing!! Beautiful. I know you’ll have all sorts of Christmas decorating going on in that huge space now. Happy Thanksgiving!
All I can say is Wow!!
Wow Emily! I love it and I think it’s going to be perfect for all the youngens that come to your youth gatherings. FABULOUS!!
BTW, could you post another pic when you’re done putting all your furniture/decor back?
You are SO right when you say dark paneling must have been the law!!! LOL, Kind of like aluminum siding (at least out west here) in the late 80′s.
I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can’t wait to see it and way to go Lee!!!
I honestly and truly gasped out loud when I saw the after pictures. My goodness that space is so beautifully open. And just in time for the holidays. What a delightful change. I love it!
Oh, my goodness, it is beautiful!!! Now you can have all the youth group girls over in one humongous sleepover!
Love it.
That looks amazing! You have so much space now – it is just fabulous.
Oh my Goodness….that’s amazing…i am blown away by the pictures…it’s gorgeous!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Wow! You are so lucky to have such a large space! Get decorating! : )
I just LOVE it! So beautiful!
It’s stunning! I love it and I’m sure you’ll enjoy more space for the holidays! Enjoy your new living room!
I am impressed, amazed, and jealous, all at once!!
Love the colors!!! The gold is TR, right?
What is the trim color, brand and sheen that you use?
It. is. amazing.
By the way, love your writing, too.
Worth every penny. So beautiful! What a transformation!
What a beautiful open airy space! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it – can’t wait to see how you fill it up!
I think you should do an after photo with all the furniture moved in… I’m so curious to see how you’re going to arrange everything! Looks great!
Wow, that’s all I have to say, WOOOOOOOOOW!!! Love the tobacco road!
Oh my gawsh! That looks awesome! LOVE the moulding and the columns! Now, I wanta see how you arrange your furniture. Cuz I’m nosey. What a gorgeous room!
Oh girl!!! It looks amazing! Doncha want the original owners to have a look at it now? They wouldn’t believe it! It is so beautiful! Enjoy this week… you have much to be thankful for!
Gasp! I bet you and your sister will be getting your decorating groove on in that room FOR SURE! That is amazing. Absolutely beautiful. Here’s to knocking down walls!
The two columns?! Brilliant and beautiful! LOVE IT!! Can’t wait to see it all decorated for Christmas and on the Tour of Homes for your sis.
Stunning! Happy Thanksgiving to you!
The room is absolutely gorgeous!
oh my goodness it’s wonderful! I bet your house is sooo happy feeling all fresh and young and up to date. I cannot wait to see it in person!
Miss you!
Beautiful and so much more practical. Makes me want to tear out a couple of our walls…
love it!…and love your thankfulness for beauty (no need to “get in Thanksgiving mode – you are already there!)
aaaaahhhh!!! Gorgeous!!! Oh I love it. What a fantastic looking room. Awesome awesome awesome.
They did that SO FAST!! I can’t believe it…what….a week? LOVE IT! The the columns. Just perfect!
Beautiful!!!
Beautiful!!! That turned out amazingly well!
I love billy and waylon
Oh, my goodness! Wowza!
Okay, get yourself in full-bore thankfulness mode now, but please pause long enough to take some photos of the rooms all furnished and show us how things look.
It’s fun to celebrate with you!
I kid you not, I totally gasped when I saw the “after” pic. I LOVE IT!
Wow… what a beautiful home!
Emily, you should think about submitting this post to http://betterafter.blogspot.com/
that room is so fresh and beautiful! what a wonderful re-do!
It’s absolutely lovely and looks like it has always been exactly as it is right now! Congratulations! I love how you’ve made this house work for you and suit your needs and taste! I didn’t think it could get better after painting the brick, but there it is!
Unbelievable – truly amazing and incredible. Your friend, Lee, is a genius!
Some of the “before” pics didn’t show up for me, but from all I can see, that is a wonderful transformation. I know you’re proud of it. Must feel like a whole new house.
it is LOVELY!!! it turned out just the way i imagined it when you first posted. gorgeous, gorgeous, GORGEOUS!!!
Okay, so this looks amazing!!! I am envious! Now I am anxious as to how you will arrange furniture in that big ole’ space… the only other predicament (okay, maybe not the only one) I have with opening up our two living rooms. Can’t wait to see!!! GREAT JOB!!
Whoa! That is amazing! I love the transformation!
OH
MY
GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! L-O-V-E it!!!
i need to see it with furniture.
i liked the two rooms, so now i need to be sold on the one great room.
the new non-wall does look nice.
Emily, it is beautiful! I might start coveting that open space:)
wowsers! that is awesome! you didn’t even participate in the demo? come on…surely you did.
Awesome! That’s WAY more conducive to large group gatherings! Way to GO!
Beautiful!!!
-FringeGirl
That is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!
Stunning!!
That is beautiful — love the pillars! I can’t believe how fast tha that all came together (or maybe it’s just me — probably didn’t feel nearly as fast for you!).
Wow… it looks fantastic! What a transformation it is!
It looks really great and I can’t wait to see the room w/ the furniture and all!
Wow, Emily, that is one big honkin’ great room now! I love, love it and the columns are the perfect touch. I know you are doing the happy dance, I would be too. It’s wowza!
Now…..before you put the furniture back…..turn on some Frank Sinatra and dance with your man!
It looks FABULOUS!!!! Enjoy!
G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S.
Oh my goodness, Emily! When we were talking about what you should do in there, I never dreamed it could look so amazing! Wow~what a perfect space to have your friends and youth groups over to. Love the columns!!
That looks fabulous. I like the molding the best. I wish we had a Billy and Walon out here to work magic, except I would have to pay them in canned beans. Somehow we have a lot, all of the sudden. Or maybe they could remind me how I change my picture up there–since that baby is a boy now. Anyway, good job–you have good taste and that will be so nice when the masses gather at your house.
Oh man that is SO beautiful and will be much more useful to you and your family (and friends…and youth group kids). I bet you guys are really loving it. You’ll have to come by and see my kitchen redo, it has been overwhelming with so many people working around in our home and it’s almost all done. Come see come see!!
Man! I can’t believe the change it made in the room. It is beautiful.
That is super cool!!!!! Looks great!
holy cow – I missed this… Emily – it’s GORGEOUS! *wipes away tears of self-pity* I so seriously wish we had our own home… Look at that light!
Ohhh! Fill it up and post more picture please! Just in time for the tree and trimmings. We know one of the things you are grateful for sister!
Thanksgiving blessings to you and yours.
WoW, Emily! I can’t wait to see it decorated. You have such vision and can see beyond the obvious. Love it!
NCJill
PS Painted my kitchen Emily-black! Come see!
Holy smokes! I am so impressed! I recently redid my mantle decor and based it off yours. I LOVE it! The giant room looks great!
I would love to see it with furniture. We are thinking about taking out a wall between our living room and “sitting room”. Curious about how the furniture will work in the space. Thanks. It looks beautiful.
Absolutely stunning!
Ok, late to the celebration. This is FABULOUS. OH.MY.WORD. Love it.
beautiful! and super exciting! Kelly
that is absolutely gorgeous!! My favorite thing is your attention to the architectural detail!! the molding, the trim, the columns! love love love it! You have to post more pictures of this room when it is all “lived in” and stuff with furniture and traces that little girls have been in there! how pretty! good job!!
WoW. Thats amazing. You must never want to leave your home. It looks wonderful. WoNdErFuL!!!!
Emily, that is an amazing transformation! And I’m sure it was a smart move for the resale value of your house. Gorgeous!
WOW! This is so amazing! We have been in discussions about cutting out a wall between our “formal living room” and “den”. This gives me a GREAT visual on what my rooms would look like. THANKS A BUNCH!:)
Emily,
This is my first visit to your blog and I’ve loved every minute of it! Your home remodel pictures are fantastic! What color did you use on your walls in the living room?
Looking forward to reading more
Would you mind sharing that lovely wall color?
Ok, so I’m a little late on the other comment from before; you did post pictures and the new room is beautiful and a much better use of the space than before. You can really have large groups now and people can mingle better.
Looking back at your lovely redo…and I have a flooring question. How did you handle the gap in the hardwood between the two rooms after you took the wall down?
Laryssa @ Heaven In The Home´s last [type] ..Cooking With Kids- Kim Chi
Wow, wow, WOW! What a beautiful transformation! We also recently renovated & moved into a house built in 1964 and, YES, I do believe that you are correct on the dark brown paneling being the LAW that year…our house was full of it, too! We also opened up the wall between the family room & what was the formal living room & it makes ALL the difference. Hooray for renovations that make spaces beautiful, unique & useful!
So, I have been reading your book and cannot tell you how much it feels like you are inside my brain! It is rather scary, but that being said, it is really speaking to my heart. The Lord is really working on this perfectionism/people-pleasing stronghold in me. I have been telling everyone about your wonderful book (which I “randomly” stumbled upon on Amazon). In telling one of my friends the other day, she recognized you as sister of “The Nester”. Well, of course I had to check out her blog (LOVE), which led me to your blog… Wouldn’t you know it, we have been contemplating knocking down a wall in our house. We are involved with Young Life and have had many a party of 100+ crammed into our front room. I love having people in our home and want it to be a comfortable place for people to be. People think I am nuts and aren’t really getting it. I got so excited when I saw your pictures! I love that you were doing it for the same reasons. I keep asking the Lord if this is Him or me, because I can and don’t want to get obsessed about the house and decorating. Anyway, I love how you did it. My biggest question is how you positioned the furniture. I would really like to make it a bigger living space rather than two divided spaces that are open, but having trouble reconciling the “beam” that has to be there to support the wall upstairs! Do you have pics of the room with furniture in it? I am very visual and need pictures!
I have so much more to say about your book. Thank you so much for writing. I know so many good girls who are stuck in this place and don’t even see it. You are a wise young woman with a great gift, thank you for sharing. Can’t wait for the next book!