Have you ever read the book, “If you give a Mouse a Cookie?”
THAT is my life. I start one little project, and everything just snowballs into total mayhem.
This is our gameroom:
We pretty much haven’t used this room the entire year we’ve lived here. Huge room just sitting there untouched and unloved.
Why? Well, honestly, I don’t know. Hmmm, well, the kids aren’t use to playing alone upstairs. They like to be downstairs. The wall color reminds me of poop, so I stay away. We don’t have a good TV situation. I hate the couch.
So, I’m trying to keep all these excuses brief in fear of boring you to death, but finally, we decided that since our 2nd TV has sat in our room untouched & unplugged for a YEAR (we are not huge TV watchers, especially in our bedroom), we might as well put it in the gameroom.
Here’s where we gave a cookie to the mouse… It’s all downhill from here. This gets crazy kids. You are now forewarned.
So we brought the TV up and I convinced Ben that ALL the gaming stuff (wii, PS3, etc) just had to be moved upstairs. {I want our downstairs TV area less cluttery and I want the kids to play upstairs and keep my living room clean!}. So, we moved all the gaming stuff up last week.
Well, this couch is a thorn in my side.
It is too huge, too dark, sucks all the energy out of the room, and is the completely wrong configuration for the room. It worked perfectly in our last home, but for our new house, it just was not cutting it.
So we listed in on Craigslist for $300. Probably way too cheap, but it was only in okay condition and part of it was broken. Within 10 minutes we had a buyer on their way over. Yes!
Well, now we had nothing to sit on. So with $300 cash in our pocket, we hit the road and headed to IKEA.
After sitting on every.single.chair.and.couch. in Ikea, we finally decided to splurge and spend $400 ($100 more than we sold the sectional for) on the Karlstad Sofa.
We figure, when we decide 100% how we actually want to decorate this huge room, we can either add pieces to this couch to create a sectional situation, or we can move it to our bedroom ’cause we want a couch in there anyway eventually.
Finally the couch was assembled. It’s so random that you have to actually assemble your couch when you buy it at IKEA, but hey, if it makes it cheaper, I’ll assemble every piece of furniture!
The kids were so eager to try it out.
Yes, we got white. I know! We are cra-zy. The kids! The dog! It’s W-H-I-T-E!! A) it’s washable. B) food is not allowed upstairs, nor are shoes, markers, crayons, or anything else that is sticky or messy. {I will not insert any Michael Scott jokes here}.
Of course, Ben had to drag over our ottoman from our family room couch to go with it. Lovely.
Isn’t the couch lovely? I especially love my blue pillows I found on CLEARANCE at Target last month for $6 each. They feel like down. So squishy and cuddly.
And here are two shots of the whole room just to give you an idea of how much bigger the room feels now that we ditched the huge beast of a sectional.
So I’m sittin’ on the new sofa, and I’m totally digging that it fits the room and feels so much more open in there, and I just can’t get my eye to stop twitching over the poopy color on the walls, as well as the bagillion holes from the previous owners. I think they must have hung at least 10 shelves, and owned a dart board.
How are we expected to sit on our new couch and play video games when we are forced to stare at those horrible holes in the wall. Plus I felt like I was inside a poopy toilet. That color is awful. Plus, it’s GLOSS! I need sunglasses from the shine.
Can you understand why I just avoid this room and pretend like it doesn’t exist?
So now it’s become my life’s mission to paint the gameroom. I swear, this room (and the connecting hallway) is like 1000 sq ft. Painting is no easy task. But, remember, I’m the mouse, and when we moved the tv upstairs you basically gave me a cookie.
Of course, because nothing is ever simple for me, I first have to remove all the screws, nails, and anchors in all the walls, then patch all the holes before I can even think about painting.
Yes, this is for real. I pulled out TWENTY EIGHT nails, screws, and anchors from the walls of the gameroom. And I found two more today. So we are now at THIRTY.
After I was done cursing the previous owners {and then equally thanking them for getting evicted so I could purchase the home for a steal from the bank}, I started in on filling all 30 holes in the wall. Except it was more like 100 because one wall looked like it had been hit with darts repeatedly.
Finally! My gawd. It took half a day just to fill all those holes. But still I must forge on!
(If this furniture situation causes any of you to start having eye twitches and hives, I am really sorry. Trust me, I hate this furniture more than you do! One day at a time, peeps.)
Now, finally, FINALLY, I can paint. This project is killing me.
The paint color is Martha Stewart’s Bedford Gray. I painted our family room with this color, and I had a gallon and a half leftover, so the gameroom gets it because it’s free!
I wish I had a happy ending, but not yet. The room now looks like this:
The cutting is done, but the rolling hasn’t even started yet. It’s going to be a long week.
The point of this entire diatribe?
We got a new couch for our gameroom!
And we LURVE it.
Unlike my usual empty promises, I swear on my stack of Twilight books I will show you the room the second it’s completely painted. And if I forget, may Edward bite me in the neck.
It’s so cool that you got someone to come & buy the sectional that fast! I <3 the new Ikea sofa. I wish I had the balls to buy a new couch! My sectional is beige microfiber and my daughter has done a magnificent job of staining the longest part of it with saliva, pee, water, milk and whatever other liquid she can find… oh yeah I forgot about tears. :\
I like the game room, but its soooo big I think I would of made it into a bedroom for myself lol.
The holie shit (LOL) walls do need to be put down to a rest, I love the new color you are covering them with. And OMFG@30 nails/anchors, etc, wtf were they thinking!!!
Good luck w/that room and think of it this way, at least its not the BARNEY ROOM!!! LOL
I’m naturally a worry wart, and Scott was always more laid back. Whenever I would get to planning, he would always start with “If you give a mouse a cookie…” to remind me that I needed to take one step at a time. Sometimes it was helpful, and sometimes it was mocking my overactive brain. But I can’t deny that I get like that too!
Lol, this is awesome. Glad i am not the only one this happens too….. I have one small idea and then…. I gave the moose the muffin. Love the couch, love the new color. Can’t wait to see the finished room.
Love the new couch and the price too! We totally have the mouse cookie syndrome too, but that makes it fun, right? At least that is what I tell my husband!
I have that give-a-mouse-a-cookie syndrome too, and a room just like this where we need to get the ball rolling. For now, I’m kinda glad I don’t have a cookie. 🙂
Gah… we currently still have the exact same brown sectional as you… and it’s been a thorn in our side too! Way too big for our much smaller than your room is, the cushions have been replaced 4 times because they keep losing their shape (and of course the warranty is up), it creeks and squeeks… blah, I could go on and on… but I’ll stop there. We do feel the same way about ours that you apparently felt about yours.
Love the new one! Wish our closest Ikea wasn’t 2 hours away. And love it when there is enough, or any decent amount of paint left over from previous projects! I have no doubt it will look fab.
I’ve been following for a few months, but this is officially my 1st comment =)
And we are very fond of the “If you give a (insert animal here) (insert food here) books!
Hahaha. I know the feeling. I bought a couple prints 10 days ago for my powder room. Now I need a new vanity, the room needs a paint job…
Story of my DIY life. Give me a cookie/muffin/pancake. Take me to school. Throw me a party. 🙂
I loved the old sectional but you’re right, the configuration and size change really opens up the room – looking forward to the new paint!!
I am loving what you are accomplishing with your game room but I just shed quite a few tears that I missed out on your sectional when we’ve been looking for one and I live maybe 20 minutes away from you.
I swear I didn’t even see your listing and I’ve been stalking craigslist like crazy!!
I can’t wait to see the finished result of your room! Love your room makeovers
We have a couch very similar to that but b/c it’s DH’s and he’s the one that picked it out, it stays. He only gets to use it every other year…! Hahaha!
I had a plan all summer to repaint the rooms but vacation (and I’ll admit, shear laziness) got in the way. So I applaud you with all that painting. GOOD LUCK!
LOL!! You make me laugh because this is so the way things go!! It can never just be a simple change!
Oh i LOVE this post more than you know. The couch is beautiful…and I LOVE seeing a room that is less than magazine-worthy…it makes me feel like you’re actually a human 🙂
Thanks for sharing!!!
LOVE the paint color you chose! Can’t wait to see the finished product.
Lady! you crack me up! Love the new couch and that paint color is going to be great! Could you also share what vitamins you take because you’re motivation and energy level amaze me!!
I’m so excited for your new adventure! Since I am trapped in a two bedroom DC apartment I have to decorate vicariously through home owners. Thanks for living it up for me! You could also think of that room as the color of Dr. Pepper!!
Love this project. I think this is what is happening in our home office / guest room right now. I just wanted to reorganize a bit but it’s turning into a full-scale redo I think.
Love the grey paint color.
good work…big job to paint all the walls. you are a brave , brave woman..and I wish I had your energy Loved reading your post today…your very funny too
KAT
LOL! If You Give A Mouse A Cookie? Poopy Brown? Unfinished projects? You are sooooo my people. 🙂 Love that you have such a great big space. (Super jealous of that. I’d make all the kids go up there!) Looking forward to seeing the finished room. 🙂
haha! I can so relate with that “one innocent change” that snowballs into a total make-over..but first, a total mess!
You are very BRAVE WITH THE WHITE COUCH….
I can’t wait to see the rest. I’s sure it is going to be awesome.
Haha! Love it! I’m SOOOO guilty of the same thing!
Even the hole filler and the paint edging looks better than it was before! It really is no wonder why your family avoided that room. So are you going to put in an arcade because there is room. If you do you must get skee ball!
Love the new sofa and the wall color is going to be a huge improvement! We just moved our old sofa to our downstairs rec room last night (it is brown…LOL ) and now I’m contemplating wall colors. Right now it is yellow and I’m so not a yellow wall person. And I curse the previous owners of our house a lot too. That is a ridiculous amount of wall holes!
Ahh…it will look great when all is said and done.
BTW, my hubby and I call what happened here “pulling a thread…”
As in when you move one teeny tiny piece of furniture/art/plant/etc, it’s just like pulling a thread on a sweater-it just goes ON and ON and ON 😛
Have I told you yet how fun you are? Seriously, you’re hilarious and completely entertaining. Anywho, I LOVE the couch. My sister has it (and has had it for 10 years, so it’s worth the 400 bucks!) and it is so perfect for any room. PLUS, you can buy slipcovers in any color to change it up! BONUS! Well, thanks for being so great and your space is going to look so slick! Can’t wait to see it.
I wonder if women are just genetically programmed to have everything snowball? Good for you for getting it done. I can’t wait to see the finished product. I am sure it will be fabulous!
I am currently debating between the EKTROP and the KARLSTAD. Looks great in your space!
I’ve gotta say that I actually preferred the other couch. 🙁 It’s rare to have a room where a big couch like that works and you had it. It was big enough for everyone to sprawl out and watch a movie and it didn’t look like it overcrowded the room (especially since it’s pretty empty anyway). And with painting the walls, the color of the couch would’ve been great.
I know you said it felt more open in there, but from the pictures, the new couch looks tiny and well…kinda empty. Maybe it’s just the pictures (namely this one: http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6017/5980408918_24406400a9_o.jpg).Or maybe it’s just because the new couch looks more formal instead of comfy “gameroomy”? I do like the couch….I just think the other one seemed more fitting.
Regardless, great upgrade with the paint color. I bet it’ll look fantastic once you finish up, hehe.
I know I know! I hate painting so I feel your pain. I love the new couch:) And yes I agree the color is very reminiscent of poop. I can’t wait to see the finished project and all the things you do to the great big ole space:) Oh yeah, major score on those pillows…picked 2 up from Tarjay last month myself;)
Happy room redo! I hope that you get it painted soon, for your own sanity of nothing else! 🙂 And lovely couch! :d
eww that brown is so…poopy!!! I’ve had to patch a billion holes in a wall from a previous owner, too. haven’t they ever heard of spackle? LOL
my gosh was this hilarious! great job!
I am so glad to hear I am not the only one that has the mouse/cookie syndrome. My last adventure started with a bargain comforter I found for our bedroom and ended up with a complete change of everything in the bedroom, which led to a change of several things in the family room (right off the bedroom) which in turn led to a complete change of colors and accessories in the kitchen because it is an open kitchen family room home. I think it has almost reached a stopping point. I know my family is praying it has, but then again the upstairs guest room need new pillows…………..
I loved reading this post! You make me laugh. I do exactly the same thing, thinking of more and more to do…It is nice to know someone else does that too. I really like your couch, and I think it will look really great with the gray walls. I can’t wait to see it finished!
I feel your pain….I do this to myself ALL.THE.TIME….and I hate it EVERYTIME I do it….and yet, I continue to do it….LOL
Incidentally, isn’t that the definition for INSANITY??!!
Looks great and please show us the finished project soon!
You are totally too funny! I LOVE it! You make my day every time I read one of your posts! Thank you for the laughs…and for hosting a link party!
Have a great day!
Kirsten
Allison, you crack me up! I love the new couch and the paint color- can’t wait to see it finished (prolly not as much as you though). Love your blog- thanks for sharing your amazing ideas 🙂
Ok I know that everything in Texas is big, but your family room and hallway is almost as big as my itty bitty California house. My house is 1160 square feet and it seemed huge after my even ittier and bittier apartment. I bet it’s going to look great, as usual, when you are done. I guess you were itching to do something after your long family vacation (which I’ll admit I read and committed to almost every post). Ok talk about living life vicariously. lol I haven’t blogged about my vacation yet.
We’re looking at getting that same sofa from ikea but in gray. Is yours holding up well? Do you have any complaints? That is our only concern and there are pretty much no quality reviews on Ikea furniture out there, everyone just talks about the style!
This is sort of random.. but we bought the sectional you sold used and we REALLY need the opposite chase for the room to work. Do you remember where you bought that brown sectional? Sorry if its listed somewhere and I am missing it. Thanks!!