{Living Room Built-ins} Kottong Homestead

Our living room built-in was probably the first interior design plan I drew up when working on the inside of our home. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted so it didn’t take me long to put it on paper!

| The Fireplace |

A Fireplace was a must-have and I knew I wanted it centered in the space. Unfortunately, our dream of having a wood burning fireplace did not coincide with our budget, so we went with an electric insert and built a faux chimney all the way up the wall to give it a more realist look. I also added a hearth that would serve for additional seating and side table for my leather chairs. My husband wanted to do a stacked stone this time around (our last house had mosaic tile and MDF trim and neither of us loved it enough to repeat it), so we found a nice gray-brown stone that really complimented the greige wall color and had a more timeless look.

For the Mantel I went with a faux distressed-wood beam from Wayfair. I love how thick it is and all the character the distressed look adds.

| The Built-Ins |

We are not huge TV people (and have a den downstairs with a large TV for movie entertainment) so I knew I did not want the TV to be the focal point- I decided to tuck it on the left side (with a tv mount that allows us to pull it out and swivel when necessary). Then the right side would house my decorations and books. Storage is always something I try to think about when designing spaces – more specifically closed storage. As neat as I try to be… I have 5 other people in my household that do not share my obsession (or desire) for a clean house. So closed cabinet storage was decided for the lower portions. We went with the same cabinets we used for the kitchen (https://jandkcabinetry.com/cabinets/) to keep a cohesive look but opted out of the drawer (like in my drawing) to make it look less “kitchen-y” and installed 6” Bar Cabinet Pulls (from build.com). The tops of both sets of cabinets were covered in cedar boards and stained to match the faux beams in the ceiling.

Originally, I wanted to do a bookcase ladder on the right side – which would actually be used as a blanket ladder. So when we built the shelves we reinforced the top one to be strong enough to support it – but in the end I felt it was too much for the space. One day if I change my mind (or need a new project!) I may go back and add the ladder hardware – but for now I like the look as is!

| The Lighting |

I am a huge, huge fan of lighting – it is one of those things that some people overlook when designing a space but it is one of the first thing I think of! I am pretty sure I had every one of our house light fixtures picked out (most purchased) before we even broke ground on this house!! I particularly like the look of gooseneck task lighting – so I placed two on each side of the built-ins. These complimented the large iron chandelier centered in the room and I LOVED the contrast of the black fixtures against the white built-in.

| The Execution |

When it came time for the execution I was beyond excited!!

The cabinets were installed by the construction crew and then my husband and I went to work building the upper portions. We only had the weekend to build them because the masonry crew was coming in on Monday to face the fireplace… luckily I had been planning this for months, so it was a quick,  well organized project! (I am also lucky that my husband is so talented and dives into these projects with me – we rocked them!). The next week the tile crew came in and installed the stone, then painters put the final coat of white on (when they painted the rest of the interior trim), and lastly the electrician came in and installed the lights.

| The Final Look |

When we moved in, I could not wait to add all the finishing touches. I am not sure we even unpacked all our clothing before the shelves were decorated! I am so happy with how everything turned out. This room is definitely my favorite spaces in our home!

| Links |