Vaulted Ceilings

Of all of the open houses I went to last weekend with my mom, there was only one that I'm keeping on the list. Unfortunately, it needs a lot of work. J's dream of course....and lately, I'm really warming up to the idea. The possibility of updating a space to exactly what I want is very, very tempting. The downside, home improvements aren't cheap. The upside, houses that need a lot of work can be much cheaper to buy.

One idea I have on the brain lately is vaulted ceilings. The one house I currently can't stop thinking about is a 4 bed/2 bath ranch. But the basement is HUGE. And has a whole separate storage area. So, why keep the low ceilings in the living room? The attic space just doesn't seem necessary. 

If you don't currently read House*Tweaking, you should. Dana is a genius when it comes to home design and updating a space. This is definitely where my interest in vaulted ceilings stems from. Look at how much bigger a rooms looks/feels.

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Traditional Living Room design by New York Architect Austin Patterson Disston Architects

This is what I'm currently loving, a vaulted ceiling over the living room but leaving the dining/kitchen space alone. You still maintain the open concept, but seem to separate the rooms by the varying ceiling heights.

Traditional Family Room design by Cincinnati Architect RTA Studio

And if you're raising the ceiling in the living room, why not the master bedroom too? I am in love with this. And when I showed it to J, his response was, "I don't see why we couldn't do this." Whaaat. Happy, happy, happy wife. He is so on board with me lately when it comes to what I want in the next home, it's a little scary.

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What do you think? Would you go through the hassle of raising ceiling height if you could? Do you think I'm just plain old crazy?

Happy Monday!


xoxo,
T

DIY: Glass Coffee Table

First off - did you watch Downton Abbey last night?! I cannot wait to see what happens this season. The 2-hour season premiere on a Sunday night is making this Monday morning a bit sleepy but how could I not watch? I won't say anything else in case you've taped it or haven't caught up yet. And if you haven't watched it yet, you definitely should. The accents, the wardrobe, the storyline - so captivating.

If you've been reading this blog since I first started it last year, you may have seen me looking into some new coffee tables. Our living room is small, and the chunky coffee table we had was taking up way too much visual space.

The great thing about glass or lucite tables is that they tend to disappear from your vision. They don't take up visual space. 

Here is a great example. I fell in love with this living room from the minute I saw it and have pinned it to my "Future Living Spaces" board for the someday home. There's so much I love about this room, from the black doors and cream walls, to the hide rug, greenery and sunburst mirror. Did you even notice the coffee table at first? 

Here's another view. 

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So while I really loved the coffee tables I discussed here and here, there was something off about them. They both had a black finish. And maybe that wouldn't have been a big deal, but I really wanted something in oil rubbed bronze. That's the finish on the ceiling light above the coffee table, and we also have a dark brown leather storage ottoman not too far from it. So if I was going to spend the money on a new coffee table, I wanted it to be perfect.

Thank you craigslist for saving the day! After our kitchen table project, I was confident I could clean up a coffee table if need be. I'd casually search from time to time, and keep my eyes open for something with a glass top and metal legs. Well, she finally showed up. And for a whopping $30, it was worth a try.

Originally, the base of the table was a strange green color. So we left her in my car until we could make a trip home to give her a makeover. One can of metallic brown later, and I have to say, she looks like a million bucks.

Here's a close-up of the before and after. Crazy, right?!

Although it certainly takes up some visual space, it looks way better than what we were working with before. And is a great addition to our living room.