Before, During, After … Snowberry’s Family Room Renovation

 

“Renovating not only restores the house, but restores the story of the home and the neighborhood.” ~ Ty McBride

I’m excited to (finally) share Snowberry’s family room renovation!

Before, During, After

I’ve shown bits and pieces of the room on Instagram, but today it’s the whole enchilada.

You’ll find all the material sources at the end of the post.

BEFORE

Family Room Before Renovation

Monica Vargas Photography

When we took on Snowberry’s renovation the idea was not to create a new house … or to return the old house to its former glory. It was to allow the house to achieve the full potential of its original intent. And to create modern functionality while retaining the vintage charm.

Snowberry had undergone two prior renovations … in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. The scope of that work connected the detached garage to the main house, adding a laundry room and small breakfast area and extending the main bedroom to incorporate a new bathroom and walk-in closet. After a lot of discussion and debate, we opted to work within the existing footprint. This meant not gaining a powder room or increasing the size of the main suite’s closet. I went into more detail about our decision process here.

The wall to the left, just beyond the cased opening, is a laundry/mud room carved out of a corner of the family room. This situation had us scratching our heads. Taking a chunk out of an otherwise large, square room created an awkward situation for furniture placement and TV viewing. And let’s face it, TV viewing is the primary purpose of this space.

You can see how dark and claustrophobic the room feels. The ceilings were low and the dark paneling accentuates it. The floor was in decent shape and our first thought was to salvage and refinish it. Unfortunately it slopped dramatically and had to be removed in order to properly level. Mary Anne of Classic Casual Home pointed out that the windows were low and suggested we raise them as much as space allowed.

DURING

Demo ‘Day’ (for the entire house) lasted three weeks!

Halfway through demo my youngest niece came over to offer her opinion on the plans.

She has good taste and lots of ideas.

In this photo, the room is stripped but the laundry room framing remains.

The floor joists still need to come up in order to level the extremely sloped floor.

Removing the low ceiling makes all the difference.

Look at that pitch!

Now we’re getting somewhere.

The laundry room is gone, the new sub-floor joists are in and the windows have been raised about a foot.

The electrical panel is still on the back wall … soon be relocated to the center of the house.

The room measures 23 x 23.

It’s a good day when drywall arrives and signals the rebuilding process will soon be underway.

 

After drywall, Trevor – our millwork wizard – began laying out the bead board design.

All the walls in the family room, dining area and kitchen are bead board and the ceilings are paneled with v-groove boards.

Bead board is underway and faux beams added to the newly pitched and paneled ceiling.

As soon as the subfloor was finished, fire season began. After several years of devastating fires, our power company decided to start shutting off power during particularly dangerous periods (dry, hot, windy).

During September and October we had power taken down on three separate occasions each lasting one to three days.

Realizing this to be our new normal we made a last minute decision to install a stand-by generator. In order to do that a new gas line had to be run the length of the house.

The new sub-floor had to be opened up to run the line.

When cabinetry arrives things get real … real exciting.

The fireplace is flanked by window seats, lower cabinets with upper shelves.

The fireplace mantle, surround and recessed TV cabinet were built onsite.

Built In Bookshelf Drawings

The beverage bar is in the back of the room where the oddly placed laundry room used to be.

Family room Beverage Bar Cabinet DrawingAfter the cabinetry is installed, painting gets underway.

We used Benjamin Moore White Opulence for the millwork, moulding and trim throughout the house.

Flooring is going down. Yay! We’re on the home stretch.

We chose a wide plank, European Oak engineered wood floor.

Trevor lays out the brick fireplace surround.

Did someone say home stretch?!!!

As is always the case with any sort of renovation or new build, deadlines get extended. Snowberry was no exception.

That said, our furniture was arriving, our lease was up and we were moving in.

It’s not ideal to move into a house that’s still in process and I did everything in my power to avoid it … yet here we are.

AFTER

Before I ordered our sectional sofa, Mary Ann of Classic Casual Home created a floor plan incorporating the pieces I hoped to purchase.

Miraculously it all fit … on paper.

The layout also helped determine the right sized area rug.

I like a rug that floats all of the furniture with plenty of room to spare.

This proposed layout shows a 12 x 15 area rug which is perfect.

Family Room Floor Plan

Classic Casual Home

To da … the finished room after some of the new furniture arrived.

Monica Vargas Photography

 

 

The console table behind the sofa is the first piece of furniture I bought for Snowberry.

At the Serena & Lily outlet.

And the lamp is one of the few pieces that came with us from our Fidalgo Island house.

 

 

 

 

In the back of the room (where the weird laundry/mud room used to loom) is our beverage bar.

Instead of a full size wine refrigerator, we chose one with refrigerator and freezer drawers.

The upper section holds 86 wine bottles and also includes a humidor.

You can glimpse our casual dining area between the bar and kitchen.

There’s a story here, but I’ll save that for another day.

The cabinetry is inset with flat front drawers and a bead detail on the lower drawers and upper doors.

In this photo the wine fridge toe kick plate is missing.

So there you have it … Snowberry’s family room renovation before, during and after.

This is, of course, before the finishing touches.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Next up I’ll share the finished room including all the furniture sources.

The jumping off point is Thibault’s colorful Mitford linen fabric.

Mary Ann of Classic Casual Home took me to the San Francisco Design Center to source the fabrics and trims for the window coverings, pillows and chairs and I’m excited to share all of it with you.

Want to learn more about Snowberry’s renovation …

Where it started

Before Tour

Demo Day

Design Inspiration

Exterior Design

Interior Color Palette, Part One & Part Two

Blue & White Bathroom Reveal

Kitchen Reveal

PIN THE POST ~

Family Room Renovation Pin Collage

As always, I appreciate your visit and welcome your thoughts in the comments below.

Cheers from Snowberry!

 

Material Sources:

Windows: Pella Architect double hung windows

Floors: Duchateau, Chateau Collection in Basal

Walls: 3-3/8″ beaded paneling

Ceiling: 8″-wide v-groove board

Fireplace insert: Regency Fireplace, Bellavista gas 36″ fireplace w/vignette trim in black

Fireplace brick surround: McNear’s Balmoral clay brick and Bostik grout in Linen H163

Cabinetry: Cabinet Masters, Concord, California

Cabinet hardware: Classic Brass Hutter pulls & knobs in oil rubbed bronze

Bar faucet: Newport Brass Jacobean bar faucet in oil rubbed bronze

Bar sink: Thompson Traders, Tamayo bar sink in hammered copper

Bar counter: Walnut butcher block

Wine refrigerator: Subzero 30” Integrated Wine Storage (panel ready)

Wall, ceiling, built-in and trim paint: Benjamin Moore, Chantilly Lace OC-65

Bar cabinetry paint:  Farrow & Ball, Green Smoke No. 47 (color matched by Benjamin Moore)

General Contractor: C Cubed Construction, Danville, California

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  • Wow…..that is a stunning reno. Thank you for taking the time to show us the process and planning involved.
    Mary Anne was a valuable asset for you. The room is fantastic. I especially like the contrast of the color for the wet bar, it adds an interesting element. You will look back on this, years later, and be glad you took the difficult choice to leave your home for this remodel. So worth it! Lovely room!

    • Hi Patricia … and thank you. Mary Ann certainly was (and is) a valuable asset. I consult with her regularly and she sets me on the right path. I originally thought I’d paint the bar cabinetry the same color as the kitchen, then decided to go darker and more dramatic. I’m so happy you like it!!! xo

  • This is a beautiful renovations! I am particularly interested in the lamp on your sirena&Lily console behind the sofa. You said you brought it from your previous home. Do you remember where it was purchased? I have a definite place for it in my foyer. Thank you in advance for sharing the information.

  • Wow, this is a beautiful outcome. It’ fun taking the tour of th beginning, in between and end. I love the cabinets you chose. I can’t wait to see the pretty details when finished. That’s when it becomes even more fun, I think!

  • Just beautiful! I’m a new follower of your blog and loving the chance to see all you have done. Thank you for sharing it with us.

    • Hi Janet, and welcome! So nice to have you here. I’m must getting started with the room reveals so hold onto your hat! xo

  • The pitch of the roof is such a great feature You really brightened up the space and gave it a whole new life. . I never realized the beverage bar is in this room! Love that.

    • Isn’t it funny when you see bits and pieces of things on social media … and then see them again in context. Not everything is as it seems, right?!!! Pitching the roof made this room … we got really lucky. xo

    • Thanks, Cindy … I appreciate it. Our project leader, Trevor, worked his magic with the millwork and the bar backsplash is a prime example. We were so lucky to have a talented group working on the project. xo

  • Beautiful room! … You have a great eye for design! The colors blend so well together. I love how you did the cabinetry and the built in wine fridge. The countertop fits so well with you space! Thank you for sharing!

    • Thanks, Mary Anne … the dark green cabinets and butcher block counters is one of my favorite things in the house. I’d wanted to use butcher block forever but my husband was opposed to it. Now he loves it and thinks it was his idea! xo

  • What a huge job. Your renovation is very like ours – uneven floors here too which meant flooring needed to be ripped up and replaced. Our house was also dark wooden walls which were painted white. what a difference that makes. I love your room. It looks amazing. I especially love the seating around the fireplace. We are in the process of deciding how we can fit a fireplace into our tiny living room. Thank you so much for sharing this process. It’s great inspiration. You have amazing taste.

    • Thanks, Carol. It’s amazing what white paint can do. Uneven floors are an entirely different matter … a big job and eats into the budget. We feel very fortunate to have such a large room to work with. Our last two houses had very small living spaces and severything was a challenge. That said, it can be done. And, I knows yours will work out beautifully fireplace or not. xo

  • What a gorgeous transformation!! I love those floors and the overall style of the space. Great choice of fabrics too! You must be so excited!
    Cheers!
    Shelley

  • HiHi, I just got a round finally reading your blog that I have been wanting to read! WeWe were both doing a renovation at the exact same time and very similar styles! I certainly love how yours turned out it’s very beautiful! WhWhere did you end up getting your cabinetry? I would’ve loved to of gone with the inset cabinetry but everywhere I could find out the cost was very prohibitive. I l

    • Thanks, Martha … so we were in the trenches at the same time! We moved into the house just before lockdown … we were so lucky with the timing. How about you? Cabinet Masters in Concord did our cabinetry. Inset cabinets were something I’ve wanted for a long time and I budged the additional cost into our overall plan. In our Fidalgo Island house I had a miscommunication with the cabinet maker and thought I was getting inset cabinetry. The house was two states away and my visits were infrequent. When I saw the first photos of cabinet installed I freaked out … they were not inset. What a disaster. Anyway, I was on a mission to make it happen at Snowberry! xo

  • Beautiful Home!
    Love the ceilings and millwork most of all! Did you use the same paneling as your Fidalgo Island home? Furniture and fabrics GORGEOUS!

    • Hi Sandy, yes, it’s the same bead board treatment we used in Anacortes. It’s a little fancier this time, but there were fewer walls to cover! xo

  • What a beautiful renovation. Your attention to detail, your ability to see the big picture – especially when standing in a dark paneled room with low ceiling — your color selection, everything is so tasteful and inviting. I’ve been reading your blog since day 1 and I love everything you share and the way you tell the story of Snowberry and how it came to be. Thank ou for sharing with us.

    • Annemarie … you are the sweetest and you’ve made my day. Thank you so much for being here I’m so appreciative of the kindness of so many who take the time to read my little blog and take an interest in Snowberry. You’re the best. Happy weekend! xo

  • WOW!!! JUST WOW! this is a stunning transformation; you must be loving the beautiful new space!

  • Outstanding! What a fabulous makeover. We live in an old 1920’s beach cottage and have added and renovated to make it livable and functional for modern family living, while trying to respect the integrity of the original structure. I love that you have done the same. Enjoy the space, it really is gorgeous!

    • 1920’s beach cottage?!!! I love the sound of that … there’s nothing like living near the water. Glorious! xo

    • I know, right? It was a stroke of luck that the room was the old garage and had a pitched roofline. Thanks for stopping by and for your kind comment. xo

    • Thanks, Leslie … what a difference that made. Right? We got lucky with the roof line … and of course, white paint never fails to transform. xo

  • Juliet!!! This renovation is just stunning! I enjoy all these details so very much, and loved reading this post. Thank you for sharing, so fun to see the before, during and after! Look forward to the next phase, the design plans are gorgeous and I LOVE your cabinetry color and furniture that’s already in place!!

    • Lisa … thank you so much! I love seeing before and afters … and when they’re your own you truly realize how far you’ve come. Thanks for stopping by … next week it’s the final room reveal. Ta Da!!! xo

  • This is absolutely stunning!!!! Thank you so much for sharing the process as well as the result. The flooring in gorgeous and the cabinet color is the jewel of the room.
    Love love love your choices!

  • Hi, I’m Juliet … welcome to Make Mine a Spritzer where we talk about all things home décor, classic style and more! I’m so happy you’re here!

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