Although kitchens and bathrooms are often the focus of renovations, the living room is where your family spends most of their time and the area your guests use when you entertain company. Although you may not think about remodeling the living room, there are ways to upgrade it and make the space more inviting. New paint and trim carpentry can change the feel of the room to a style which suits you, or to make a bigger change custom building projects can add focal points and help define the use of the space.

Mantles

The fireplace and accompanying mantle is typically the first thing people notice when they enter the living room and as such should reflect your personality. A formal house can benefit from the elegance of a tall mantle with fluted legs and interesting layers of trim with carvings. For a more rustic appeal, a single board slab can bring the beauty of natural wood grain to the room while maintaining a simple and unassuming grace. The idea is to discuss with a contractor what your preferences are and what options are available to suit your home.

Bookshelves and Entertainment Centers

Whether accenting the mantle or built independently bookcases can add a functional aesthetic to the room. By providing organized storage bookcases allow for not just books, but games and hobby materials to be easily accessible yet out of the way and organized when not in use. Furthermore, bookshelves can be turned into a built in entertainment center with a designated space for the television and stereo. To take it to the next level, permanent speakers can be wired and placed in the walls to provide a movie theater experience or music throughout the house.

Like most custom carpentry building projects, remodeling the living room is only limited by your imagination and creativity. When you discuss the project with your contractor, he’ll probably bring some ideas to the table you may not have considered as he has experience with other projects which have worked well for other families. The general idea is to keep your mind open to suggestions and let your contractor do his job, then you can sit back and enjoy your new living room.