Monday, February 9, 2015

Den Manufactured Home Redo

The Den
Our little sanctuary


Before I married John, I'd never had a den and never thought much about it.. But he had a den in his home, and he loved it.. I soon understood why.. It was just kind of tucked away, felt very private, cozy and was a great place to relax and watch tv or read..

So having a den in this house was great.. It sure was plain to look at, but it did have pretty french doors and a built in desk, which was nice...I decided to try and recreate the den he had loved so much. 


I started by pulling off those little strips between the sheets of drywall.. I suppose they use those because it's faster and easier than mudding the seams, but boy do I dislike those things.. I took down all the crown molding and marked it on the back so I'd know where it went, then after mudding and sanding the seams, I painted 3 walls a really dark hunter green.. On the tallest wall, I added tongue and groove in the opposite direction as I'd used it in the livingroom. 




John has hung on to many things from his childhood that mean a lot to him, so this wall became a place to put some of those things.. 


I hung tongue and groove on the wall leading into the den, which was an odd shape and took some maneuvering. 

I wanted to decorate it in a fishing theme, since that's what John's old den had been.. I looked for wallpaper borders and found a neat one with a hat, fishing basket and fishing box that matched items John had. I ordered it, and when it came, we were shocked that it also included a little calendar for the month of January, 1944.
John's birthday is in January, and he was born in 1944. 


Needless to say, this border will never be replaced by us. 



Not a lot has changed in this room today. We've added a few things, removed a few things, but it pretty much stays the same. This is John's favorite room and where we spend a lot of time together, just me, John and the furry kids.
The den doors after the latest redo.



One of the knobs on the doors came loose and we weren't able to tighten it again. I never really liked them that much to begin with, so I was happy to replace them.. I found these neat looking knobs and back plates at hobby lobby, at 40% off.. 
This summer we will be tearing out the ugly green carpet and replacing it with the same flooring as the rest of the house. Other than that, I doubt we'll ever change anything else in this room..

With just a little elbow grease, imagination and not that much money, a manufactured home can truly be transformed into a cozy, warm, affordable home.

2 comments:

  1. You have some really lovely ideas. I love the wood paneling and colors. My husband and I both like a similar theme to a house. Country Chic I call it. :D We have a manufactured home and I am trying to convince my husband to just spend money upgrading and redecorating instead of moving. I really love my home. The layout is perfect for me.

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    1. I feel the same way.. Manufactured homes give home owners space you can't find in most affordable stick built homes these days. It's a great way to own an affordable home while being able to turn it into whatever you want it to be... Country Chic is a great name for this style of decorating!! I think I'll borrow that from you :o)

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