Fireplace Built Ins

I finally finished my fireplace built in's and never got around to taking a picture to share.
I can't even begin to tell you how much I love them and they were worth all the hard work!

I was trying to find a couple of pictures of before~honestly I don't have hardly any because I hated this room.  It had an awkward feel with no light and a fireplace that was ho hum.  So, we never took pictures in there.
About 1 1/2 years ago my hubby and his friend installed the windows....which was a chore since the whole wall was actually 12" thick.  It had the original wall, then a wall of solid pinkish brown brick and then a faux wall over the brick to hide it's ugliness from the unsuspecting new home buyer.....me.

This room was dark and dreary.  It made the golden tan paint I loved look olive green at night.  Not the good olive green either.

So I thought about ideas for a while, begged my contractor brother-in-law for ideas and finally settled on the one I liked best after searching endlessly on Pinterest for ideas.

I found stock cabinets at Home Depot on sale that I got for my birthday.  I had to use upper cabinets because I had only about 16" to work with before I hit the sliding glass door.
I built a base from 2x4's to sit the cabinets on.  That's when I realized the original mantel for the fireplace wouldn't work either and had to rebuilt it from 3/4" MDF.  It actually wasn't too bad since they are basically boxes put together.  The key to making them look professionally done was investing in the right router bit for the edges.

The best part was the top piece of the mantel.  I couldn't find anything that was thick enough without buying a huge big board to cut a 6" wide mantel.....so......I took two pieces of 3/4" MDF and using a lot of Gorilla Wood Glue, glued them together and clamped them overnight for a snug fit.  The next morning I was then able to run it through my table saw for a perfect clean cut and then run the router along the edge for a custom look.  It turned out better than I could have hoped!

 My Dad helped me to put together the basic shelves that sat upon the cabinets that I then trimmed them out with 1 1/2" MDF molding.  I spent a whole day filling in with wood strips and then caulking all the nooks and crannies from my old home which was very evidently not level.  The base boards went back in and covered the bases perfectly.

Dad also gave me a great lesson in electrical work as we moved the electrical outlet for easy access for the DVD player and HDMI cords to run up behind the TV which my hubby and I installed without any swearing if you can believe that.:)

I then painted the whole thing with Behr self-priming Interior Semi-Gloss Enamel which was delicious to paint with. I painted the room as well with Kilim Beige, a Sherman Williams color that you can't go wrong with.  It is the perfect warm neutral beige.

 I found the perfect rug at Home Depot in their random return section located in the back of the store that tied in the black fireplace and brown brick for only $100.  We installed a ceiling fan that makes all the difference in the summer.  Yes, I still need to tackle the popcorn ceiling.....eventually.

I'm just so happy with the result!  I have so much light in my family room now, it's my favorite room in the house!
Cost Breakdown:
Cabinets $150
MDF boards $72
New Router Bit $20
New Outlets $10
Paint $30
Caulk $5
Misc. $10
Grand Total: $297

Not bad for about $300 right?

Next project.....where do I start?  Have a great weekend friends!