Living Room Renovation

When Mr. Cob and I bought our house we overlooked many of its "flaws."  I rationalized them by saying the house had character and potential.  Let's face it, parts of it were just unkempt and in need of some love.  So after a year I finally got down to business and started beautifying our house, starting with the first room you walk into when you enter the front door - the living room.

Here are some BEFORE pictures:

Take note of the stain on the fireplace...not exactly pretty.  I'd told myself it had the "antique" look...um, that would just be run down and kind of falling apart.

And the trim.  Oh the trim.  Unsightly, to say the least.

Blah white walls.  Very sterile feeling.

It's just screaming for help.

After 3 and a half tubes of caulk; almost a gallon of "Inviting Ivory" Sherwin Williams paint in the eggshell finish; atleast half a gallon of white paint on the trim; and a quart of "Coconut Husk" paint (for the mantel), we were finished.  The room looks amazing, if I do say so myself.  Thanks mom for all your help!  And thanks to Mr. Cob and Wrigley for cheering us on!

And the AFTER pictures speak for themselves:

We also refurbished an old coffee table we had in the basement.  3 cans of brown textured spray paint later and it was lookin great!

The only thing I would like to change/fix is to somehow find a way to get the old paint off the brick on the fireplace.  We tried mineral spirits, but had no luck.  Any ideas?

I'm really loving our new and improved living room!  Next on "the list" is our dining room, kitchen and breakfast nook.  I already bought the paint so I just need to recruit some help and get busy!