We live in a townhouse. We have a very awkward and long living room. It’s 204” long and 8 ft wide. It opens up to our kitchen. Since moving in, we had left this small living room with no design because it was such an awkward shape room. It had no artwork, character or focal point. I had a hard time thinking of long living room ideas. It’s not something you commonly see on Pintrest or Instagram. I wish we had a large living room, but hopefully you feel inspired to create a cozy space after seeing my home design.
Tutorials for this space:
– DIY Fireplace tutorial
– Accent wall: Phase 1 – Box Trim molding
– Accent wall: Phase 2 – Picture frame molding
My vision for this space
I really wanted to have a fireplace. I grew up with a fireplace and loved all the memories we created around it. Living in freezing cold Toronto, I remember coming inside after shovelling or playing in the snow and warming up around the fireplace. I wanted my kids to have this memory as well. I also really love accent walls and I wanted to bring some grace and sophistication into the space. I felt like this room really did not reflect my style and it wasn’t very inviting to guess who came over.
How long did it take to execute my long living room ideas?
We did this project in two phases:
Phase 1 – DIY Faux Brick Fireplace
The first phase was the fireplace. That took approximately 3 weeks while I was 9 months pregnant. I literally finished when we were 38 weeks pregnant, just days before I gave birth. I’m sure that anyone could do this a lot faster than a pregnant lady.
My favourite feature is the brick faux bricking. It costs only $50!!! It goes so well with pantry door
The fireplace has become the favourite spot for our kids. We spent so much time hanging out in front of the fireplace. It truly has become a living room where we can create so many memories.
Phase 2 – Picture frame Accent wall
The second phase was the accent wall. This one I did over two weeks, approximately 12 hours with a newborn baby. I broke this down into 2 phases. In phase 1, I did a simple box molding. You could even leave the accent wall here for a simple, more casual look. But I have 0 chill and wanted to go the whole 9 yards. Next, I tackled the interior trim molding which was a bit more time consuming.
My best tip for the accent wall is to plan it out and draw out the measurements in advance. Then use a stop block to cut all your pieces. Instead of having to measure every single piece, a stop block allows you to do all your cuts in about one hour. I go over all the shortcuts in my wainscoting tutorial.
How much did this living room makeover cost?
The fireplace project cost about $450. I was really lucky that I got the fireplace insert on sale for $210. The accent wall cost $250. The trim is beautiful and I always recommend splurging on primed trim to save time and get a better finish.
I’m really proud that I was able to have a long living room with a fireplace and accent wall under $1000!! I completed DIY fireplace while I was 9 months pregnant and then the accent wall with having a newborn baby. This goes to show you that anyone can take on this type of project. We created some wonderful memories as well. I even got my kids involved in both of these projects to help with the painting.
I’d love to see you try out this project. If you do, share it with me on instagram.
Update!!! We got new couches and I think this space is even more beautiful now! Photo dump!
I think they look so good with my cozy rug! What do you think!?
Amazing! You are such an inspiration!
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