This is what the den looked like when we bought the house. Pink carpet and beautiful wood paneling. We would have left the wood, because it’s solid oak and in beautiful shape. However, in order to build up the floor we had to remove it. Not a single piece was broken during removal. You will be seeing it again!

Here is another view of the fireplace in the room. Notice the glass mantel. What? Glass and dark chunky rocks, my favorite! Notice the sarcasm.

You can see on the bottom, there are a couple of test rock paintings going on. My plan was to fill in the mortar to update the rocks. I planned to paint each rock one of five colors and then stain them. They actually looked really cool, and we liked the ones on the left. Since we did that, we’ve voted to just remove all the rock in the house. I feel so liberated saying goodbye to it. At least I tried to make it work. You can also see the mantel is gone and so is the tile. We save everything that can in anyway, be used again.

Primer on the floors. I’m lucky to have a brother who is a contractor, and he tells me things to do along the way that just make things a little nicer. This was a big dog pee room so now the floors are sealed, never to see, hear, or smell the dog pee again. I used an oil based primer.

This is what the room looks like right now. The sub-floor is complete and the room is finally level with the rest of the house. It’s basically ready to be put back together, just as soon as we remove the rock, that’ll be done this month. PS The wall paper refused to leave, that’s when I learned that the drywall guy can texture over it. This is what happens when people wall paper directly against the sheetrock.

I’m looking at a pallet similar to this.
http://www.welke.nl/photo/Arielle/Mooi-kleuren-als-basis-voor-je-interieur.1388170330

Or maybe this with a deep turquoise blue, one of Steve’s favorite colors. http://decoritdarling.info/?p=3933

Right along the same lines as the other two. So soft and comforting.
http://blogs.babycenter.com/products_and_prizes/11-beautiful-paint-palettes-inspired-by-winter/

I’m really into the look of these brick tiles and may cover the fire place wall in them.
http://www.decoratingyoursmallspace.com/stone-and-brick-accent-wall-projects/

I saved this image because I really like the feel of the room, warm browns and leather are always nice in a man’s space. http://www.potterybarn.com/shop/furniture-upholstery/living-room-ideas/living-room-seven/?cm_src=room_ideas

Feeling the mood of this space and really think Steve should have a darker space than the rest of the house. I feel like it looks more masculine. What do you think?     http://diyready.com/man-cave-ideas-for-real-men/

Then again, maybe I should go light and accent with dark wood trim. http://www.thistlewoodfarms.com/the-tour-of-the-house-that-photographed-itself

I am seriously considering covering the main wall of the den with paneling, but I would paint it in a darker gray shade. http://www.houzz.com/photos/3367542/Spring-Lane-traditional-salt-lake-city

I’m planning on replacing the old glass mantel with a large piece of rustic wood. There are several on the property, or I may get one from my favorite salvage yard in the area. Hey, what do you think about replacing the fireplace with a stove? 
http://decoholic.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/fireplace_mantels_4.jpg

The wood mantel, right? I love it. http://www.normerica.com/Timber-Frame-Interior-Design

I am in love with this window seat. The plan is to install/build a seat that spans the length of the front windows. This will give Steve a place for a couple of filing cabinets and extra storage. Plus, he and I have a lot of really great conversations in his office. I miss that so much! I can hardly wait to curl up on his bench seat and chat away and solve all the worlds problems together! http://www.cocokelley.com/2015/03/room-of-the-week-3-27-2/