The existing brick colored stone fireplace was cracked in several places and the old hearth was fashioned from patterned 1970's tile mounted on piece of plywood affixed to the wood floor. We removed all of the tiles, including those serving as the landing at the front door, the glue and nails holding the old tiles in place.

Primed and faux stone painted out the dark brick. We wanted a minimal effect, for low cost; we filled the cracks and underpainted the fireplace with a medium grey-brown acrylic paint, and we used a lovely paperbag wall paint to lend depth, and give more of a feeling of stone.

The elements to complete this room include ceiling to floor curtains (from Ikea, with added details) for added softness and flow, a Japanese sideboard / entertainment center for storing CDs, DVDs, magazines and books, and a screen to secure privacy, and filter the bright southern light which flows in from the very large windows.

Fine and poster art, an entry rug, and a large water sculpture will be added as soothing elements for Peggy -- an avid mediator who loves the environment and is accomplished gardener.

The next room we will renovate is the second bedroom which will become her study and additional closet space, in a modern style - we expect to make use of a light coral color.

Because Lynne loves texture we are focusing on bringing lots of textures into the living room nook, so we began with neutral browns to build the base on. Lynne selected new custom matching love seats, a great new Tibetan - Afganistani carpet, created using New Zealand wool, and a glass and metal table with Gothic supports. Her favorite colors are various shades of green so we will be introducing many lively and fresh green elements to this room, as our next step.

The sofas and carpet are both very comfortable and easy on the eyes - attracting attention to the people in the room due to their refined earthy colors. Even in bright daylight the couple's cats (not pictured) seem to blend right in, as well the furniture should allow.

We will be adding drapes and wood blinds, trading out the art, sculptural elements, a vase, and completing the library shelves. A new dutch door will change the entry to the living room from the West so the top part of the door can remain open during the summer.

Lynn and her husband's continuation of this renovation includes replacing their kitchen and hallway floors, re-doing the kitchen, hallway and small library. Once complete we will clean out their basement and make it over completely, including adding bedrooms. They also plan to build a garage to store more than just their cars.