“Create with the heart; build with the mind.”
― Criss Jami
I’m meeting with the fireplace man this week, and I am crossing my fingers my plan to build out our fireplace will work! See how it’s flat against the wall in the (before) photo below?
In order to create a fireplace/built-in cabinet set up like the one in the inspiration I put together, (where the built-in cabinets sit back further than the fireplace)…
…I need to find out if it’s possible to add depth to our existing firebox. Have you ever seen a really deep firebox like that? I can’t find anything on Google, and ours would need to be 32″ deep in order for it to sit out in front of the built-ins. Obviously, we’d still burn things at the back of the firebox (directly below the chimney flue), I’m just not sure if that’s a “thing” or if it would look right, ya know what I mean?
I’ve been thinking a lot about how I can make the first floor feel more like a cottage lately too. (#nesting) The outside of our house is very traditional in style, but inside our front door, you’ll find our kitchen, dining, and living room are all one big (tall) open room:
I’m definitely more drawn to a layout that has several, separate, cozy spaces. (#TheLetteredCottage) That kind of floor plan takes me right back to the farmhouse I grew up in, and I have so much fun dreaming up ways to create that kind of feel. 🙂
Kevin and I both like the idea of building one massive (planked wall) “doorway wall”that opens to the living room. Like this:
We both love the doorway in this next photo, too:
Obviously, the transom window is stunning, but I’m not sure enough we could do something like that because (I think) our opening would be too wide.
I added a few things to my previous Photoshop photo-drawing this past weekend to give Kevin an idea of what I’ve got going on inside my head at the moment:
I threw in a coffered ceiling (and a bowl of lemons- ha!) just to see what that would look like too. Why not, right? 😀 #FunWithPhotoshop
I like the “doorway wall” on e-paper, but I’m going to show it to some people that know more about designing & building these kinds of things, to see if they think it’ll look right in real life.
I also came across this photo today, that shows a longer version of what I have in mind:
Who knows? We may be able to work in a little entry bench like that too! #SomebodyStopMe
PS- Interested in learning how to modify pictures of your place? Check out my Room Makeover class over at ShootFlyShoot.com!
Nancy
Yes, yes and yes! I like all of your ideas for this space. I think having a transom will keep the space open and create a lot of character, yet still keep the areas distinct. Could a transom be added to the sunroom doorway for consistency? One thing that I would be cognizant of is making sure that the dining area and the foyer area don’t feel crammed into that end of the space, especially if you want to incorporate a bench into the foyer. Have you considered converting your wood fireplace to a gas fireplace? It would be one solution if you really have your heart set on bringing the firebox further out into the room. There are some realistic gas ones on the market these days.
Don’t stop now! Get as much done as you can before Little P joins you, as you will be much busier then. Keep us posted on what you decide.
Samantha
I LOVE your ideas! I’m partial, considering my house has similar doorways with transoms, but it really has such a cozy yet still airy feel. Love! About the fireplace, have you seen Thrifty Decor Chick’s new fireplace? It is built out like you’re talking about with built ins on either side. Check it out:
Shttp://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2014/09/13-planked-wall-finished-fireplace.html
Toni
Hi Layla! Good luck with your makeover. Your ideas are good ones. I love Crisp Architects work. Maybe Mr. Crisp would partner with you! Wouldn’t that be fun?
I am going to treat myself to your makeover course but I have to finish up something else first.
sharon hermens
I love that last picture. Anything you do will look fab♡u♡lus!
Michelle
no one ever talks about cozying up a two story great room…. Is that cause it’s impossible? :(. So LOST- not even inspiration on Pinterest-
Joy Jenkins
Great idea! I can see the struggle with all that space being open when you walk in the front door. Building a “hallway/foyer” like that is the perfect southern solution. Can’t wait to see what you come up with.
Dawn
Layla,
I love all of your cozy cottage ideas. I hope they all work for you and help to give you guys the feeling that you are looking for. Good luck and keep us posted! (#nesting 101)
Lorie
I love that last picture. I can just see Sweet P running through that door, tossing his
things on the bench. Home.
Christy Keyton
I love that last photo! And the doorway with the transom is incredible. I am so glad that you like cozier spaces too. I considered opening up my whole first floor when we renovated, but I kept my kitchen separate and I love the coziness of it. I say, go for it!
Jenny B.
A friend of mine has an interior doorway with a transom above like the one in the Southern Living photo, and I love it! Hers has no glass since she and her boys like to play ball in the house. 🙂 The fireplace might be tricky. Usually, when the firebox sticks out into the living room that far it’s because the flue is inside the frame of the house, rather than outside in a chase. This is actually a much better setup because having the flue/chimney on the outside (with little or no insulation) means that the air inside the chimney is colder than the air inside the house. When you start a fire in those conditions, you’ll often get a face full of smoke as the cold air is coming down the chimney rather than venting up and out. 🙂 You probably can’t change the placement of your flue, though. If it doesn’t work out, I’ve seen some very nice built-ins around flush fireplaces. I think it would still look nice to have the cabinets flanking the fireplace with the fireplace recessed. Maybe you could just extend the hearth? Whatever you end up doing, I know it will be beautiful! 🙂
Lori Barre
Hi Jenny 🙂 I was told a tip about starting a fire in a fireplace that has the flue on the outside of the house. He said to put a wad of crinkled newspaper up an arm’s length in the chimney and light it before lighting a fire in the box.
It draws the moisture out of the chimney. It has worked wonders for mine. 🙂
Lori
nancy
This is really interesting. We have a traditional fireplace with I assume the flue on the outside because the bricks extend up the outside of the house. We’ve never had a problem (and we live in a cold climate.) Is this because we use fake logs and gas (which I love as it’s easy and clean in our formal living room?)
Julia G.
Love your ideas, can’t wait to see what you end up with.
Katherine @ Grass Stains
Sarah at TDC built her fireplace out into her den, but it was because her gas insert required it. Still, it has a similar look to what you’re talking about, with built-ins on either side. You can see it here: http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2014/10/family-room-reveal.html . I love the ideas you’re looking at now!
Mindy
I love your dreaming scheming wonderfully creative ways – you always inspire me 🙂
Kelley
Love these ideas! I read another blog, thrifty decor chick, who built something similar this year with a deep fire place and built ins next to it. Here’s the link to the reveal http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2014/10/family-room-reveal.html?m=1
And if you look back in her other posts, she has some great inspiration photos. Just to help you visualize
Can’t wait to see what you come up with!!
Anne P.
The “Sandleaia” photo inspiration is my favorite, especially with the walls of windows. Happy New Year and wishing you speedy completion of your adoption process. Love & prayers coming your way.
Alli
Now I want to change up my entry/entire great room. They are all beautiful. Looking forward to seeing the end results.
donna @anangloinquebec
I love your idea and I totally get it. We walk right into our open concept floor plan and I am always struggling with ways to create a foyer. The thing that always hits me is the fact that I will lose a lot of space with most ideas that I come up with. My biggest worry for you would be that you are seemingly going to lose in your dining area. I am not sure what is going on in your sun room, will have to check but have you considered making that the dining room so that you gain the space for your entry without getting a “crammed-in” feeling?
We have a chimney that comes out 29 inches from the wall due to the fact that it is an indoor chimney. I am guessing yours is an outdoor chimney given the fact that it is flat to the wall so I think as another commenter mentioned it might be a problem. Obviously your fireplace “guy” is going to tell you what works and what doesn’t. I know that in our part of the world there are really strict regulations around chimneys due to fire regulations.
I love the idea of the transoms. Do you have the ceiling height to work that in?
Lots of great ideas, fun projects in your future. 🙂
Mary D.
Absolutely love ALL your ideas and often try to use them in my tiny home. Just wondering if you changed your living room furniture placement, if that might create more of an entry concept. If you put those two gorgeous gray chairs next to the fireplace, angled facing the kitchen…..then turned the couch to face the fireplace. You could back the couch with a sofa table ( another table to decorate…(-;). I think that might give you a cozy conversation grouping….just thoughts. Really hoping the New Year brings your Sweet Pea home soon to you and Kevin! Love how you brighten life!
Rebecca
Layla, if you are able to build it out and have the built-in on the sides, will the built-ins be flushed with the fireplace wall? Or recessed?
Layla
I’m hoping the built-ins can come out off the wall, but will sit a little further back than the fireplace. 🙂
Rebecca
We plan to bring out our wall that is now recessed about 2 1/2 feet on each side of the fireplace. We want it flushed with the fp. Why? Because it’s been wasted space for us. Mine are open bookcases with drawers halfway through in the middle and then closed cabinets below those. Not good for things you need every day or every other day as extra seating is normally parked in the front. If we try to keep supplies from or cabinets, we have to squeeze behind the chairs to get to them.
As much as we all love extra storage, I have decided to not use that space for practical/functional purposes at all anymore. I want the type of cabinets you have there, the shorter ones, Just for decorative items that peek through the glass. I can place chairs there and not feel I have to get behind them all the time.
The other reason we want the wall and cabinets flushed with fireplace, is because as it is now, sticking out by about 2 1/2 feet deep, it looks like a big giant box to me that consumes my room. I hate how much it sticks out. I don’t mind the height, I just hate how much is on the sides. OK, I’ve stopped venting.
Debpraj
Love how you want to create separate spaces. I have never been a fan of “open” floor plans. You’re constantly having to worry about every space being clean and organized for company when every “room” is open to all the others. I think that is one fad that is slowly dying a much needed death.
In looking at your floor plan, two options come to mind. I, too, live in an old farmhouse with the hallway down the middle. I love the separation of rooms, both for intimacy and ease of decorating different spaces.
The first option would be to move your kitchen to the sunroom, which provides a separation of work spaces, privacy, and you would still be able to keep your powder room and turn your closet into a pantry. Your kitchen would then become your dining room.
The second option would be to make the sunroom the kitchen, removing the closet and powder room, and placing the kitchen in that area, creating a space for a breakfast area that would be visible from the hallway. You would have a hallway from the front door to the kitchen, leaving openings for your living room and dining room, which at present is your kitchen. Your powder room could be relocated to the closed that is just out side the sunroom that is facing the living room. The hallway could have two sections: the main section from the front door, and then a smaller section that would house the powder room and a closet on the other side. You could then add transoms to the hallway leading into the living room, dining room, and at the end of the hallway leading to the powder room and closet area, tying it all together.
The third option would be to leave everything as is, still adding the hallway, with transoms into the living, and sunroom. If it was me, and finances allowed, I would switch the kitchen into the sunroom. It just seems to flow better.
As far as the chimney and cabinets on either side, your windows on that wall are reminiscent of Craftsman homes where there were bookcases or built in cupboards under windows on each side of the fireplace. One option would be to build the cupboards “outside” the exterior wall so that you would not have to build your chimney out into the room. Finances and practicality would dictate that decision.
Good luck with whatever you choose. I’m sure it will look beautiful.
Krystle@ColorTransformedFamily
I love the thought of breaking up the spaces but not closing any of them off. I also like that in your photoshop rendering your ceiling seems to accentuate the linear aspect of your house. That will definitely help keep the space looking big.
Emma Walker
It won’t look great, but you may try hanging a few curtains or something where you think you want the walls to go and keep them there for just a couple days to see if you like the feeling of the two rooms being divided or if it makes the space feel too small or anything. I always like to try something temporarily before I commit!
Sara
I love a bit of seperation between rooms yet still having an open feel. I LOVE this idea!!! Great job!
Lisa w.
Hi layla,
All your ideas are breathtaking, I’m glad im not the only one that can stare at a room and just think of ALL the possibilities!!!!!
And I’ve always been drawn to the open floor plan for sure, but I am “feeling ” the idea of more coziness for sure!!
I can’t wait to see what you do, it truly always makes my day;)
Under tragic circumstances I had to sell my home, working on buying a new one, your blog gives me major inspiration, thank you for that!!!
Praying that call comes real soon!!!
Lisa
Kaz
I live in 200 year old cottage in Ireland and we recently installed a deep stove (with hotplate for teapot!) in our sitting room. Lots of heat, suits the decor and looks fantastic!
Lauren
I LOVE your style and ideas! I love an open floor plan, but I get why your closing it off and creating a cozy inviting atmosphere. I love the fire place idea and planked walls are my favorite! There are so many possibilities, it can go on forever, that front hall bench is to die for and would give so much storage!
Can’t wait for updated pictures and ideas and the finished product!
Lauren
Lisa
Hi Layla! I’ve been kind of lurking on your site for a long time. I am a long time renovator and designer and love your ideas and your positive, spiritual outlook. Right now I live in a Cape Cod shingle style home that was lacking in architectural interest in our open concept kitchen/dining room. It just seemed “off” and not cozy at all, but I have an amazing water view from the kitchen through the dining room and I didn’t want to impose on it. I ended up doing exactly what you propose with the “doorway wall,” creating a visual, but not physical separation between the two spaces. The “wall” is actually a wide cased opening that makes the two spaces cozier. The trick was making sure that the casing was identical to the other casings in the house (which were quite lovely). People who have seen it before and after actually think I’ve added on square footage in some way. In other words both spaces feel bigger. It took what seemed like a long, narrow room and turned it into two spaces with much nicer proportions. And it was quite inexpensive. So you’ve got my vote! I think it will turn out great!
I wonder – do you feel that you have enough space to create another such cased opening between your kitchen and dining/foyer space. One that would create symmetry and exactly mirror the open wall between dining/foyer and living room?
Pamela
What I don’t see, if you create the foyer, is where the dining area goes. Do you enter into the dining room? Does the dining area shift into the living room space? Do you eliminate a formal dining space and only set one up when needed in the sunroom? …in the living room? …in the foyer?
Layla
Oh, the dining area would stay put- and the foyer wouldn’t really be a “foyer”, more like a coat rack (ha!). Until, that is, one day, when we can skooch the dining table into the sunroom and move the kitchen in to a (currently nonexistent) space just off the (current) back door…and move the piano over by the staircase…which will become an open staircase, of course. 😉 #SomebodyStopMe
Dottie Dees
I so love all your ideas! Your wants and desires are so in line with mine…I have a small one bedroom on a small lake that I would like to give that cottage feel. I am retired so have to do things as I can…I just last month got my kitchen started and will be painting the cabinets this next month. My living room, dining room and kitchen are one “L” shaped room with solid windows on the 3 sides of living, dining room facing the lake. I have a very high ceiling in both of those rooms. I wish it would be possible for you to give me some ideas to complete these rooms. If possible how could I send you a pic to give you and idea of what it looks like? Thank you for all your inspirations and fingers crossed for your new year with your little boy!
Dottie
cindy jones
I get the feel you’re going for but I think I’d rather see you move the ‘dining room’ into the sunroom to give yourself a real foyer. Your sunroom would make a gorgeous dining room and give it a great “in the woods” feel. It would make the table a focal point rather than something to walk around to get to the rest of the areas. And it’s still really close to the kitchen.
So excited to see when God will open the door in Haiti for Sweet Pea to come home!
Layla
Hi Cindy!
We’ve actually got a grand piano sitting in the middle of our sunroom, so that room can’t become our dining room right now. One day, though, we look forward to adding on to the back of the house, and then our kitchen will move, so that our piano can move, so that our dining room can move. LOL! 😀
Ashlea
I love this idea! I think you will really find once sweet P is home, the necessity of a “drop zone” when coming in the door. Snack bags, coats, more little shoes… This looks like a wonderful solution! I also find with kids (and their buddies) running around, its nice to have some separation of spaces… not fully open concept. Life has been so busy for us lately, but we are working on a fireplace, and it looks like you inspiration drawings… we also put a transom in above our bathroom and I love it! When I get a post up I’ll share… Happy dreaming 🙂
Suzanne
Your creativity just amazes me! Our kitchen and living room are very open and now I’m dreaming of added walls to cozy things up in our house. Thank you for sharing your ideas! 🙂
Hally
Love the colours! Maybe bring the couches closer together? …or make an L with those couches and put chairs where one couch is now?
Melissa
I love these inspiration pictures. I want to move into the living room and take a nap immediatly! I think all houses should be this cozy feeling.
Sunny
Hi Layla,
We had a plumbing leak about 2 or more years ago in our living room, and it was a popcorn ceiling on top of that..after much deliberation and a quote from a very kind man in my church, who plasters..it was still too expensive for us to fix and smooth it all out. My husband thought we could hire Noel ( the kind man) to tear down the old drywall, put up new, and avoid plastering by covering the seams with boards. I didn’t want a cheap looking wanna be, and in the end, it took us 9 more months for my husband to build the boxes for the ceiling, cut crown molding and we lived in chaos..it is lovely now..everyone likes it, and it adds so much character..but I think I would get the fake look like wood beams, because it still ended up costing just as much as plastering or more..oh well..live and learn..and keep looking up..at that coffered ceiling ..giggle.
We had a small entry way..so we took out the fake wood sliding closet doors, and put in a lift up bench with room underneath for boots. It is backed with bead board and an oak chair rail with hooks, and a shelf above that. It filled in the space nicely, and looks as if it was always there..will send a photo one of these days of both.
Mary
I think you need to bring your furniture in closer to the center of the room. Instead of the sofas lining the wall, bring them closer together. That will create a cozier vibe.
Layla
Oh, yes, Mary- I agree. That’s actually just a Photoshopped drawing in my post. The sofas will sit at least a foot away from the wall in real life. 😉
Sharon Supalla
Can you tell me where you purchased your Living Room shades? Thank You – I love your blog and your decorating! And praying for your little gift from God comes home soon!