Sitting Room Makeover

      The Sitting Room in our home is at the rear of the home separated from the Master Bedroom by a wide arched opening.  It offers access to the lanai and a terrific view of the lake behind our home.  We often felt it would wind up being a little used room and it has been largely wasted space since we moved in.  The image at the above left shows the room as it was when we moved into the home. The top right floor plan offers a perspective of how it is integrated into the Owner's Suite.

This view at right is of the Sitting Room is essentially while standing in the arched opening to the Master Bedroom.  Although it is nice to have a sliding glass door to the lanai, the odd angle of that wall makes it difficult to plan room design and improvements.

Never feeling that the sitting room was a destination room, it has been poorly decorated and furnished.  The table and chairs were acquired as we moved into the home, but never really fit with any of the decors we ultimately settled on.

      A feature that we missed from our previous homes is a cozy fireplace.   It is not practical to add one to our home in Osprey Lakes.  Inside the catalogs we receive from Home Decorator's Collection (http://www.homedecorators.com) we found a selection of elegant real fireplaces that burn an odorless and smokeless gel for an authentic fireside experience.  At some point I mentioned to Lynn that the Sitting Room might become a cozy destination in our home if it had such a fireplace in it.

      Whenever we place orders on the Internet, we do a search for online coupons and discounts first.  We discovered that Shop.com (http://www.shop.com) offered a $30 rebate on qualified purchases if Home Decorator's Collection orders were placed through them.  We split up the items into two qualified orders and eventually received a $60 credit back on our credit card.  We felt it was a little risky to place an order in this way, but it turns out that both Shop.com and Home Decorator's Collection have excellent

customer service.  It was like having a two tiered team to make sure we were completely satisfied.                Eventually the fireplace arrived.  It required some assembly, but the payoff is well worth it.  It looks beautiful.                         But now, we are faced with the reality that we have no comfortable seating in the Sitting Room.  A willingness to invest in a couple of LA-Z-Boys (http://www.lazboy.com) fixed the seating problem.  We selected two traditional plush reclining chairs with the fabric shown at left.                    The six to eight week wait for the chairs became ample time to think about other changes we might like to consider.

      Having made two noteworthy investments, Lynn suggested that we paint the wall in back of the fireplace and add some decorative trim.  I suggested a more ambitious project to redo the entire room with paint, trim, wallpaper, chair rail and crown molding.  Lynn reluctantly agreed knowing all that change would take a lot of time.

      We took a photo of the fabric sample to Lowe's and we found a beautiful metallic pattern in a Lowe's branded book titled Satin Encyclopedia.  We ordered an adequate supply to be shipped to our home and then borrowed the book to visit the paint department.

      Choosing paint color was difficult.  We applied what we had learned from HGTV's Designing for the Sexes.  I had a palette of colors in mind and Lynn had other choices.  When one of us found a color, either the color did not match our wallpaper or chair fabric or the color was not what we both liked.

      The first color we selected was a light pale white, but when we began to apply it to the walls, we found why we liked it so much.  It virtually matched the custom wall color already on the walls of our home.  We agreed that we wanted an end result looking more dramatic, so we went back to Lowe's, borrowed the wallpaper book once again and selected a different color.

      Eventually we settled on a brown.  Lynn likes to avoid browns, but we wound up selecting a chocolate brown as a mutual compromise over all the other color choices.  The idea was to find a color from within the colors in the

patterns we already selected, not saturate the room in just one color.                   We had ideas in mind for trim, chair rail and crown molding.  After a lot of shopping, we found trim that we liked at Home Depot and chair rail and crown molding from Balmer Architectural Mouldings (http://www.balmer.com).  Balmer Architectural Mouldings is a Canadian firm and we actually had the chair rail and crown molding delivered to our home in a carton (shown at right).  In the meantime, we measured three feet up from the floor and used a level to tape off a paint line for the upper portion of the room.

The paint applied nicely and we removed the tape.  Lynn applied a wall prep material called Prepz and made by Zinsser Company, Inc.  (http://www.zinsser.com) to the wall beneath the painted areas so that the wallpaper would adhere better and it could be more easily removed if we ever thought we wanted to.

      The next step was to plan for exact placements of the trim.  Lynn and I had similar, but differing opinions as to how far trim should be from corners, chair rail and crown molding.

To help find a compromise that might appeal to both of us, we used blue tape to mark possible placements of the frame.  It helped a great deal to appreciate perspective.  When we decided to build out three frames on the longest wall, I was inspired to suggest installing a pair of sconces.  Lynn agreed that it would be a dramatic improvement.

Using a miter saw, we cut the sides of the frames in pairs to ensure exact lengths.  In retrospect, we would have cut all the lengths except the tops in advance.  In an imperfect world, walls are not all square and leveling isn't as exact as we would like them to be, but we made it work.  The strips were glued using Nail Power

(http://www.nailpower.com) by OSI Sealants Inc. (http://www.osisealants.com) and nailed to the drywall with an pneumatic nailer.  The corners and nail holes were then filled with wood putty, lightly sanded and painted for a professional looking end result.

      By now, about a month has passed since beginning the project.  We came to realize that Lowe's was being less than accommodating with any effort to follow up with our wallpaper order.  Being first advised it would take a couple of weeks, we later were told it might take a month.  We called for an update and found that we had to create a fuss that there was a lack of information.  We finally learned that "the supplier" had created a new "tentative" guess as to when the overseas manufacturer would fill the order.

Looking for alternative solutions, we located Internet references to Poe's Wallpaper For Less in Orlando ( 2212 E Colonial Dr).  They have an expansive showroom and offer wallpaper distributed by Brewster Wallcovering Co. (brewsterwallpaper.com).  Brewster was the company that supplied the pattern we ordered from Lowe's.  Our hope was to find a local supplier with our chosen pattern in stock.                     The staff at Poe's Wallcoverings did a great job helping us find a match for the wallpaper we were looking for.  Although they located something comparable in a

Brewster's Wallpaper book, they have a lot of wallpaper readily available in stock.  We found one that was perfect plus found borders ideal for other rooms as well.  It was actually a pleasure at this point to have great wallpaper in our possession and to cancel the order from Lowe's.

The image at left shows the white trim on the east wall of the Sitting Room where we will eventually position the fireplace.  We plan to put a large family portrait within the framing and above the fireplace.  The wallpaper is shown in this image prior to installing the chair rail.  The wallpaper had to be trimmed along the existing baseboards, but will be nicely tucked behind the chair rail for a perfect edge when we are finished.

To the right is the same wall as above after the chair rail was installed.  Note that the wall with the sliding glass doors is at an odd angle with the room.  This creates two unusual corners and a challenge for mitered corners.  Wrestling with chair rail was bad enough, but the intricate details of the crown molding was yet ahead.

      Lynn and I visited a number of stores looking for a sconce that appealed to the both of us.  We wanted something of quality, somewhat unique, but not colonial or contemporary.  We examined the selection at Home Depot and Lowe's as well as a prominent lighting retailer in South Orlando.  Eventually we found the perfect sconce at Expo Design Center, but we felt we might do a lot better on price by looking for the same sconce that we found there on the Internet.  Expo wanted $199 each for the sconce we picked up.

At LightingShowPlace.com (lightingshowplace.com) we found a price for the same item of $119.00.  In addition, we received free shipping and I found an online coupon granting us an additional discount of $23.80.  Since the order was being delivered from out of state, we also had no tax to pay.  As a result, we saved more than 50% and had the

convenience of having the lighting delivered to our home.

      Before risking misaligned or shaped holes in the wall, we waited for the sconces to arrive.  When they did, we were please to discover that they included multiple brackets for a variety of installations.

We found shallow metal electrical boxes at Lowe's.  We traced them on cardboard, drew an X on the cardboard to determine the center point, then matched the hole with a nail to a pilot hole we placed in the wall.  With the cardboard held by the nail, we used a level and traced the outline on the wall.  We then used an 18 volt cutout tool to cut

the hole.  We anchored the metal boxes to the exposed cinder block with anchor screws.

Since we were planning to install crown molding, we were able to avoid any awkward attic wiring by drilling holes at the top of the walls directly above the sconces.  We then fished wire from the sconces through the top holes and ran them along the tops of the wall.  The sconce farthest from the light switch was wired first to the the sconce closest to the switch.  Then the second switch was wired to the switch.  As it happened, the existing switch plate had an blank in it since we previously combined a fan and light switch.            The photo at right shows the wires through

the hole for the rightmost sconce.

The photo at left shows the wires that were dropped to the rightmost sconce on the left and down to the switch on the right.  We used a dimmer switch to be able to adjust for the lighting we liked most at any given time.

A closer look of the hole above the rightmost sconce shows the two wires that were dropped down to it.  We used metal clips to hold the wire in place as I worked around it while installing the crown molding.  We also patched all three holes just to make sure any pest that may find its way into the attic wouldn't be able to make a home behind our crown molding. The patch also helped hold the wires in place.

In the photo at right the leftmost sconce has been installed and the final look of the room finally begins to emerge.

Voila!  The sconces are installed, tested and work properly.  Yes, mom, we turned off the power before making the final connections!  Geesh!

The crown molding from Balmer Architectural Mouldings (http://www.balmer.com) is made of an interesting foam core type material; not wood.  It was easy to cut and easy to carve.  The company recommends using special blocks in corners and in mid sections of walls, but we could not find a block they might have that would fit nicely in the odd

angled corners that we have on either side of the sliding doors to the lanai.  We wrote to the company for suggestions and was disappointed that they never bothered to reply.  We guess they didn't really have any suggestions.

      We looked for alternative ideas because the intricacies of crown molding made it very difficult to plan good looking corners and butt joints.  The photograph above shows how the crown molding nicely hides the wires for the sconce that I ran along the top of the wall.

At left is a completed corner of crown molding with the wire completely behind it.  To form each corner, we created a short right and a short left template.  The template was used to fit up against a piece of crown molding already in place.  We methodically and painstakingly used the template to decide what parts of the adjacent corner to carve away at it so that it

would fit better and better as we worked.  This process continued over and over until what we were doing began to look worse rather than better.  Then we removed the template, cut a permanent piece to size and glued and nailed it in place.  Above is a sample of the end result before we used filler to mend the seams.  The image above does not show that the seams are still quite visible, but it does show that we got to fit it all together rather well.  Each corner took approximately two hours to form together satisfactorily and it will take additional time to blend the seams together with patching material.

      Above is the before and after of one of the five corners in the sitting room.  We were able to get most of the corners to fit closer together than the example above, but the non-standard corners and the complexity in the crown molding design made it very difficult to match.

After getting the crown molding ends as close together as possible, we used Fast 'N Final from DAP to fill the gaps.  We basically filled the holes and used a caulk applicator and my fingers to sculpt the material to match adjacent angles and cuts.

      The Patch-N-Paint shown above is the same type of lightweight spackling material sold by other retailers.

      It took multiple applications to fill larger gaps properly.  After lightly sanding patched corners and seams, we used a flat white paint acquired from Color Wheel to cover nicks and scrapes in the crown molding.  Color Wheel was the paint supplier of choice by the builder.  We selected them in this instance simply because we also wanted to purchase some additional wall paint for the other rooms.  The back-up can the builder supplied had been used earlier in the year.

Nearing the end of the most difficult and messy aspects of this room makeover, we contacted the local LA-Z-Boy showroom and scheduled a delivery of the two chairs on Thursday, July 14.  With that in mind, we had a goal to get all of the remaining paint projects completed when they arrived.                       We used blue contractor's tape to mask off trim or crown molding to visually re-smooth edges that the application of caulk roughed up a bit.

On Thursday, July 14, LA-Z-Boy arrived to deliver the chairs.                  We expected the chairs to be a little difficult to maneuver into the home.

Actually, each chair was brought in as two sections.  At right is an image of the two chair backs.  One man easily carried each of these into the room from the truck.  The chair bottoms were managed by two persons each.  Within seconds, the backs were slid into rails and a lever was used to keep them snugly in place.  No tools were ever used.

Ahh, almost done.  At left, a stained glass is leaning against the fireplace.  It will be used as a decorative screen as soon as some small Victorian brackets arrive that we purchased on eBay.  A large family photo will be mounted above the fireplace as soon as we select an appropriate frame for it.                           We reattached Bali vertical blinds in the sliders and our horizontal blinds in the window.  We are about to place an order with American Blinds, Wallpaper & More to acquire white panels to use instead of the gray ones we now have.

At right shows the room almost completed on the west wall.  We may place a small assortment of photos in the center frame.  At this point, we are actively deciding on drapery treatments for the room.                     On Friday, July 22, 2005, we acquired 1/4" glass to protect the fireplace mantel from being marred by items we place upon it.  After calling an Orlando glass company that

advertised glass cut while-u-wait and getting a quote over $45 (and no fast turnaround), we visited Oviedo Glass at 30 E Broadway St [(407) 359-1328].  Oviedo Glass had the glass ready within a couple of days for about 2/3 the

price quoted elsewhere.                   On Tuesday, July 26, we approved a quote from Calico Corners located at 1102 East Altamonte Drive in Altamonte Springs [(407) 767-0789] to produce a

pair of cornices for this room using a fabric we found in their showroom during the prior week.  They also put us in touch with Stitching Flock [(407) 656-8645] to finish the four 98-inch panels that we will need for the drapes.                          On Saturday, July 30, 2005, we completed a project to convert a stained glass window into a fireplace

screen for this room.  Click HERE to see that project.

      In mid-September, we completed a project to build a hearth for the fireplace (shown below).  Click HERE to see that project.

By Sunday, September 18, we had finally gotten the curtains and cornices and we got up the nerve to install them.  We discovered that there are a few tricks to get all the components in place properly, but we feel we discovered them and got everything in place without too many extra holes to fill in and paint.

      The mirror in the photo above was acquired from Michaels.  We felt that a framed mirror would not

only look great, but also help  "expand" the look of the room.  The mirror has a beveled edge and a stylish, yet antiqued frame.  The size was perfect for placement over our fireplace and the price was only $37.77.                            A family portrait is centered on the west wall of the sitting room.  We think we may position a few smaller framed photos on either side of it in the future.

Click HERE for DIY Projects Menu

Click HERE to Print This Page

Click HERE to Return to Main Menu

photos ©2003-2006 Donald A. Thomas, Jr.