Last month I painted a little alcove in my living room and made it into a little sitting area. I painted the walls a risky shade of green and absolutely loved it. The walls change colours all day long, depending on the light. It can be lime green in the afternoon, and then granny smith apple green, and then darken down to a sage green at night. I love it.. It was my little “happy place” to go and relax and rejuvenate.
(sorry, no “before” pictures)
Then, we decided that we should get a fireplace/stove to help heat the living room and I had to do some reorganizing. Since the TV was sitting in the spot where the stove will go, it had to be moved and there was no place else for it to go except in the wall of my sitting area. Bye-bye green room and hello big old ugly black TV.
So last weekend we made the hole in the wall and made a casing to hold the TV. (the back of the tv is housed in a cupboard we made in the bathroom and we will make a storage unit underneath to make it all look like it belongs.)
Anyway,.. this weekend we put the trim around the hole in the wall. We used the old barnboards from my great-grandfather’s old shed and I love it.
(Tom/Douglas—if you look closely at the trunk between the two couches you might see something special sitting there)
And here is the conversation piece of the unit:
But now, I’m stuck. What goes underneath it all?
I had purchased an old headboard at a second hand store, with the plan of using the sides as pillars. I thought they would be perfect for under my “mantle” that we created. But, alas, they aren’t working. Too dainty for the big monstrosity in the wall.
Any ideas?
I had thought of painting inbetween the pillars to make it look like a fireplace… but then I lose even more green.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

















20 comments so far
Douglas Bordner
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3907 posts in 2260 days
#1 posted 2025 days ago
What is it, huh? What is it, huh? What is it, huh? What is it, huh?
Oh and I like your walls. ;^D
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.
MsDebbieP
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18334 posts in 2357 days
#2 posted 2025 days ago
left: a special little bowl
right: a beautiful little pen box
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Douglas Bordner
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3907 posts in 2260 days
#3 posted 2025 days ago
Deb, just pulling your leg. But you did end up with Mot’s bowl. Cool!
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.
MsDebbieP
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18334 posts in 2357 days
#4 posted 2025 days ago
:D
I’m a lucky lady, that’s for sure!!!
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
TreeBones
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1799 posts in 2220 days
#5 posted 2024 days ago
Love that wood!
-- Ron, Twain Harte, Ca. Portable on site Sawmill Service http://westcoastlands.net/Sawmill.html http://westcoastlands.net/SawBucks2/phpBB3 http://www.portablesawmill.info
Douglas Bordner
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3907 posts in 2260 days
#6 posted 2024 days ago
For a bit I thought it was the one that ended up in the trash. Now it looks like the one from the CSS bowl turning episode.
Lucky and deserving, that would be you, Ms. Executive Director of the Inspections (and so much more) at Lumberjocks.
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.
miles125
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2175 posts in 2202 days
#7 posted 2024 days ago
I like ya green room Debbie :-)
Why not just leave the legs off? Maybe make a matching sofa table at some point to fit there?
-- "The way to make a small fortune in woodworking- start with a large one"
dustynewt
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628 posts in 2059 days
#8 posted 2024 days ago
Great project Miss Debbie. I love it. The green paint works really well. Maybe underneath the TV, a small round wooden doorway for hobbitses.
-- Peace in Wood ~ http://www.etsy.com/shop/DustyNewt
MsDebbieP
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18334 posts in 2357 days
#9 posted 2024 days ago
Douglas, yes, that’s the one!! It is SO much more beautiful than in the pictures.
Miles: I’ve thought about the “no legs” and leave the big hole hanging in the middle…. it might be better.. I’ll have to try it both ways and really think about it.
Dusty: ah yes a doorway. I thought about painting a fireplace in the space but a hidden doorway.. that’s a great idea! ha.
Actually, as we were sitting there this evening, the washing machine on the other side of the wall started spinning and squeaking and it sounded exactly like a sound effect from an alien movie.. Freaky…
The green love it; love it love it.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
MsDebbieP
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18334 posts in 2357 days
#10 posted 2021 days ago
so far everything is staying “as is” although I think the legs might come down if I can find another great purpose for them.
And now I’m painting the rest of the room before our propane stove arrives on Tuesday. Yippee. I feel warmer already. Or maybe that’s because of the painting…
So.. here is the wall as of Monday.

Then I painted the wall brown.
but we hated the colour—cat poop.
And so today I paint again.

I have to say that although I like the ‘leather look” it’s a lot more work than just using the roller. I would have been done by now!! Is it worth it? Well, I’m not looking at cat poop any longer and the dark brown isn’t as dark this way as if I had painted it completely dark… so..
well….. I’ll have to think about that after I finish. Right now: 1 wall down (the short wall) and 2 walls to go.. doh.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
MsDebbieP
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18334 posts in 2357 days
#11 posted 2020 days ago
the walls are gorgeous. The cat-poop brown is no longer looking like cat poop as it’s affected by the top coat of dark brown schmushed on with a plastic bag.
all that is left is the wall that old upright piano sits against—can’t do that one on my own no matter how much umph I put into it. The piano just won’t budge.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Thos. Angle
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4400 posts in 2159 days
#12 posted 2020 days ago
This is a lot of fun, Debbie.
-- Thos. Angle, Jordan Valley, Oregon
MsDebbieP
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18334 posts in 2357 days
#13 posted 2020 days ago
my arms don’t think so! lol
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Dick, & Barb Cain
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8682 posts in 2496 days
#14 posted 2020 days ago
That’s a neat looking hole in the wall. You did a great job with the barn boards.
That’s a great way to hide an ugly TV. Also a great paint job.
I used to help moving pianos, to bad you live so far.
-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1
MsDebbieP
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18334 posts in 2357 days
#15 posted 2020 days ago
drats!!
Do you fix them as well??? :)
the poor old gal has seen better days.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
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