Our downstairs family room has been getting a lot of use this past year. While spending lots of time together at home, it’s been so nice to have this cozy room for the kids to play and for Adam and I to relax. A change of scenery from different spaces in our home is very much welcome these days! Thanks Covid.
Originally when we designed this space we wanted it to be functional and practical with our young family, it’s a space that I expect will get a lot of use (and abuse) from my kids – but a space we wanted to enjoy being in together to read a book or watch the kids play in their play area while enjoying a coffee in our Family Room.
This space has been basically the same for almost two years. Which is kind of unlike me. We achieved a point where I became content, but it could still use a little more finishing details. Funny thing is – I love helping to guide other people through their design decisions and selections but often I will struggle with some of the most simple design decisions in my own home. For instance I’m STILL trying to pick out blinds for this space LOL!
To add to my design dilemma, we are considering some type of built in cabinets + desk situation for this back corner and now I am playing musical rugs… As you can see there is a lot happening in our basement family room.
Ultimately we wanted to create an even more cozy family room, without getting into a bigger project so we decided to make our fireplace a focal point in the room.
Since our space is mostly white and neutrals and I wanted to add more warm tones to the room. We always found our fire place + TV situation was falling a little flat. A little back story… The only reason we have our TV above the fireplace is due to the fact that it was already wired when we moved in and we had a spare TV. The TV is actually too big for that wall but we decided to hang it anyway. We’ve been debating taking it down and hanging art or a mirror and then adding some sconces along side of the mirror. I’m always reminding myself – one thing at a time. Lots of ideas!
If you look carefully, you may notice that the bulkhead intersects with the fireplace wall, meaning everything isn’t perfectly symmetrical. So we are working with what we have!
We always loved the idea of a simple floating mantle so we decided to go for it.
I’ve come across Shelfology many times on Instagram, they have custom shelves and mantles which made for a custom size and an easy install. We went with the Glenn Ash floating mantel from Shelfology. We were able to customize to our exact measurements. They have several different types of wood and finishes to choose from. To give more of a perspective, or mantle is 52” long by 6″ deep and we went with a clear finish. Before ordering we taped it off with painters tape to see how it would look to give us a better visual of how long it should be.
We didn’t follow any rules, or guidelines per se – we just went with what looked good from our perspective. The colour compliments the other wood accents in the space so nicely! It all worked out beautifully. We really love how it all came together. And I should also mention the installation of the mantle was very easy. The Glenn Ash floating mantel from Shelfology comes with the bracket and mantle. Once the bracket is in place, the mantle just slides right on.
We installed the mantle in the fall and since then it seems that we’ve spent more time down here with the fireplace going. Funny how somewhat of a small change has given us more of an appreciation for this space. It now feels like a little retreat away from our main living room.
Thank you to Shelfology for partnering with me on this post. As always all opinions are my own.
Any questions leave them below
xo Amy
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