We Call It The Den

There is a room in our place that we don't know what to call. So we call it the den because that's an east coast-y term and we like to infuse a little NY into our CA lives.

Although the bedroom technically isn't done yet (we still have to caulk the molding, touch up the paint job, and hang artwork), we decided to move on to this so-called den. Here's the best we have for a "before" shot (we really need to get better at taking the before shots!). This is where the hideous floor-to-ceiling mirror and brass closet doors used to be. Not only were they ugly, but they were constantly falling off their tracks, getting stuck, and causing other problems that caused profane language to come out our generally mild-mannered mouths. Plus, the incredibly inefficient use of space pained us. So, when the new floors came, the closet left.
First, we had to cover the tracks of, well, of the tracks from the old closet doors. I have watched enough home improvement shows to know that this takes really hot water, a scraper, and a ton of patience.
Meanwhile, Seth battled the 40-year-old screws. And won.
Sometimes it really amazes me that I'm going to school for policy instead of spackling.
Or spray texturing.
Moving on to the rest of the walls, I *swear* we went into this endeavor with the intent of doing a bold color. We tried 10 different colors, including dark reds and bright blues (a shred of evidence is in the top photo). But we got scared. And then proceeded to obsess over which shade of tan we liked best. We are who we are. (The award goes to Leone for picking the winning shade!)
We may pick boring colors, but you can't argue with the great results.
Our fans may be getting sick of me showcasing Seth's crown molding prowess, but I just can't help myself. The boy's got mad skills. (Thank you, Frank, for the gift certificate that got us the brad nailer!)
I'm guessing that I am the only person in my grad program who spent the last night of spring break caulking molding and touching up paint.
And, finally, the happy family on our new couch. (Admittedly, Seymour looks more surprised than happy, but trust us, he's happy.) This is our very first couch from an actual store and not off of craigslist, purchased with an inheritance gift received from the sale of Grandma Bea's house. We would be remiss if we didn't tell the world how much joy it bring us to have such a lovely -- and pragmatic -- reminder of Grandma in our home.