Masculine French Den

Our den has been a work in progress since we moved into our home last year. Originally, it had bright red walls, white carpet and lacked character. I know you all love before photos so as much as it pains me to share, here you go :)

Before we moved in, we completed as much demo as possible which included ripping out the old carpet.

Even after we moved in, we left this space bare and used as storage. It was the last room to get new flooring and new paint, but those details alone made such a difference! 

Until now, we just hadn't taken the time to design or redecorate this room. If I'm honest, for the longest time I have had no idea what to do with it. It is a bit awkward because it used to be the garage. Previous owners transformed it years ago into a dwelling space, but it is large and difficult to style. Recently my husband suggested making the space a true "den" since most of his instruments and books are in there. While the rest of our home is pretty feminine and bright, he wanted make this space more masculine and reflect more of his style. Luckily for me, we both love all things French so I showed him a few inspiration images (which we quickly agreed on) and we got to work. 

Everything came together pretty quickly.  

I started by chalk painting some of the smaller pieces of furniture and Mat put up the vintage chandelier we found in Florida over the summer. We added a new rug (that my husband picked out) and a vintage trunk we found on Facebook Marketplace. A lot of our inspiration was French inspired and we also tried to tie in a look similar to Arhaus (but for a lot less). 

Many of our design decisions were centered around a vintage painting that belonged to my grandmother. 

Our piano had already been painted by the previous owners, but I chalk painted it a lighter color and added dark touches to our faux fireplace. Eventually, we would love build out a new surround and add a gas fireplace. 

I've had the vintage mirrors for some time and to style the mantel for fall, I added some of our French books, amber bottles and brass candlesticks. 

Overall, we are so happy with how this space is coming together. We plan to add a bookcase and later this year we would like to add some wood beams (from Mat's families old horse barn) to the ceiling. We've considered painting the walls a more neutral color (they are Sea Salt), but for now we like the subtle contrast. 

We spend a lot of time in here as a family listening to my husband play music and I'm glad he finally has a space that reflects his style. He has loved 19th C. French club style furniture since forever! I had to do quite a bit of research, but finally found the perfect furniture set for us.

In the coming weeks, I'll post another update once we add the bookcase and new lamps from Purple Rose Home. As always, thanks for following along on our renovation journey.

Xx,

Amy 

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