The very first thing I did in the townhouse was to change the wall colors. I knew from my HGTV watching habits that I absolutely HAD to have gray walls. If I didn’t, it would be a travesty. Now, let’s just talk about one thing — gray is gray. I had never in my life been in the paint section of any home improvement store.

Important Note: I am not handy. In fact, I put together 95% of the furniture in my house now, and Matt has had to tighten and fix 95% of the furniture in the house.  

In any case, I didn’t realize how many shades of gray there were, nor did I realize how many shades of gray I would hate. But I got my samples, painted different rooms in the house, and finally settled on Behr’s Silver Bullet. It was a cooler gray, not too light but not too dark.

Before and After the Paint

This was the moment I realized the magic of paint. As you will see with future projects, a paint monster was created. I would also like to point out that I’m really not the best painter. I get by, and it looks alright. But the ceiling in my master bedroom looks like it has gray zits after I almost fell off a ladder trying to paint and accidentally brushed the ceiling. Back to the living room — the Behr Silver Bullet was an absolute upgrade in my opinion.

The Flooring

This is where things began to get a little more difficult. I knew two things: I wanted wood-look laminate, and I didn’t want it to be a gray wash of any sort. Originally, I had picked out a lighter wood-look. However, after browsing Home Depot, I came across TrafficMASTER’s Saratoga Hickory Laminate on sale for $0.79/square foot  (currently $0.89/square foot), and I was sold. I couldn’t beat the price, and frankly, I thought the floors looked great. They were easy to install, although I definitely had help — peep the picture of me working a saw for the first time in my life.

The floors have held up to two dogs, two cats, and nieces and nephews. There are a few scratch marks in the dining room from a chair, but those have been touched up with a touch up pen and look fine. 

Once we had those down, it was an entirely different room (excuse the mess and the zebra chair).

The Decor

Throughout the years, the design of the room has been pretty much the same with a few tweaks. I wanted white, and there was nothing stopping me from getting white. So the room started off as predominantly gray and white. Two white couches have been in this living room, one destroyed by a guest and the current one from IKEA with washable covers (I learned my lesson). I've also purchased that rug twice (the first one had a few too many pet stains from Buttercup, who sadly passed last year).

But as time passed, the all white began to feel a little sterile. I really wanted to start to warm up the space. When people come into my home, I want them to feel like they can grab a blanket, plop down on the couch, and drink a glass of wine.

So I swapped out my white coffee table for a wood topped table, added a few plants that I've managed to not kill, and got a blanket basket. I also added a new roommate, and that transformed what used to be my entertainment table into a fish tank table. So I needed something to put below the television.

At this time, we were remarkably close to Christmas (maybe two months out), and I absolutely got it into my head that you needed a fireplace for Christmas. So yes, as Matt tells most people, the only reason we got the fireplace was because I wanted to hang stockings for Christmas.

As an aside, I also really, really love Christmas, and look how cozy it all looks! 

I’m looking forward to decorating that fireplace throughout all the seasons. We purchased it from Wayfair. It took both of us and some creative drilling to piece it together after some of the holes didn’t line up. But it’s held together remarkably well and without scratches, which is a feat considering Pancake jumps on it four to five times a day.