A TWO STORY LIVING ROOM

Look up! Well…Maybe don’t there may or may not be a concealed disaster

When we first walked into this house, we were in awe of the soaring ceilings and endless possibilities. But with that height came a list of challenges: poor lighting, off-white walls covered in a million holes from the previous owners, and an overall feeling that the space needed warmth and character.

At the time, we had a much smaller renovation list—it didn’t seem as daunting back then. The first things on the chopping block? The outdated foyer light and the stair railing. I distinctly remember walking in and saying, “That’s got to go!” Right after that, we set our sights on the floors. Then, as we moved deeper into the house… “Oh boy, this kitchen is first on the list.”

Well, if you’ve been following along, you already know that’s not how things played out. The kitchen wasn’t our first project—neither was the railing or the floors. Instead, we tackled this house bit by bit, slowly but surely, with a whole lot of love (and plenty of hard work). And honestly, I’m glad we didn’t rush things. Taking our time meant we could rethink our designs over and over (and over) again getting the designs perfect to our likings rather than rushing through.

The Living Room Transformation Begins

Let’s start with the ceilings—because, wow. Imagine popcorn ceilings that high up. Yep, we bought scaffolding. By the time we got to this room, we had some experience scraping ceilings, and thankfully, it had gone smoothly every time. Well… except for the time I tried to help and put a gouge in the ceiling. Luke fired me from that job real quick. Honestly? I didn’t mind—I was more than happy to sit that one out. 

This room gets the most incredible natural light. On rare occasions when we actually sit down to watch TV in the middle of the day, we find ourselves hopping from seat to seat, trying to escape the blinding sun. It may feel big because of the ceiling height, but when it comes to furniture? She’s tall but tiny.

When we first moved in, we tried to make our oversized sectional work, but there was just no good way to place it. We lived with it for three years before finally making a change. The new furniture is smaller than your typical, but it fits the space and our family—and as always, I had champagne taste, and Luke had to bring me back down to earth. The layout for the furniture was probably one of the more difficult things for us to figure out. Nothing was working until we found the not so typical sized pieces. 

Making a Tall Space Feel Cozy

Whenever I see a two-story wall, I immediately want to bring it down—not in height, but in coziness. The best way to do that? Texture.

We added vertically installed shiplap, wrapping it around the corner to our bathroom. The catwalk above the bathroom hallway helped us determine the stopping point for the height, making the installation feel intentional.

Then, there was the brick fireplace. Good grief, this has been a design dilemma. When we moved in, it was all brick—tall hearth, polished brass folding glass doors, and a mantle that looked out of place. It is not far off now but the mantle we added looks significantly better (in my biased opinion). We originally planned to cover all of the brick, I know I know, how dare we…but here’s the thing, it wasn’t the pretty, character-filled brick you see in historic homes. It is flat, and orange. Eventually this will evolve more but for now, we like it how it is.

Well in true Jenny and Luke fashion - this project was done the same week of our wedding…Luke’s contribution to the wedding planning I guess you could say! We are talking the year 2023, in March. We loved the look of a cement or plastered fireplace - so Luke created that wall with 2x4’s from the girls bunkbeds that he once built and we no longer had a use for. So basically the new mantle was built with leftover wood from the girls bunk bed and covered in drywall. He added mudding for drywall on top but didn’t sand it down to give us the textured look we wanted! The brass glass doors, not our favorite but we haven’t come up with the solution for that just yet. This part is still ongoing - it is now April of 2025 as I am writing this - great things take time, right?!

Another thing I didn’t love? The arched windows. At first, I thought they looked outdated, but over time, I grew to like them. The muntin’s, however, had to go. They created a starburst pattern that made them feel even more dated. Once we removed those and painted the trim white, the whole room felt bigger and brighter I found myself liking the arched windows.

Did I climb up on the scaffolding to paint those window trims? Yes. Did my knees shake the entire time? Also yes. And when I wimped out, Luke had to take over. Not because I’m afraid of heights, but because I am a klutz, and I could already see another injury coming my way. Once again, I was fired (lol).

Hiring Help & Last-Minute Chaos

This was the first time Luke admitted we needed to hire out a project. Popcorn removal and painting the double-height walls + ceiling? We weren’t about to tackle that on our own. And because we love to cut it close (major sarcasm), we scheduled all of this right before hosting Thanksgiving. Our entire house draped in plastic and drop cloths, while simultaneously working on the office. It was chaos, but at least we had our dining room ready in time.

Since we had scaffolding in place, Luke took advantage and swapped out the foyer light fixture and living room fan. Now, don’t get me started on the fan—I wanted a chandelier. That was one battle I lost.

The TV Dilemma & Final Touches

Hanging a TV over a fireplace? Not my favorite design choice. But in this case, it made the most sense. Placing the couch on any other wall was either too big, covered a floor vent, or would’ve made for awkward furniture placement. So, we rolled with it.

As for the final 5% of this room that isn’t complete… don’t look too close. When we removed the crown molding from the fireplace, it left a gap between the drywall and brick, and, well, that gap is still there. And don’t get me started on the floors, oh and a couple of outlets that still need to be swapped. What I would give for a gorgeous olive green area rug over some hardwoods! One day! For now, we’re living in a world of beige-on-tan-on-beige-on-white.

One thing’s for sure—this space has come a long way.

Let’s call this an Encore - I bet you didn’t see this coming…

DIY isn’t always pretty — sometimes it’s sweaty, stressful, and occasionally a little dangerous. We’ve made our share of mistakes along the way, but this one? This one takes the cake.

While it didn’t happen right when we finished the living room, it’s 100% relevant — especially when you look up at the ceiling.

At the time, our upstairs layout included the primary bedroom, a guest room, a playroom, and the girls sharing a bunk-bed room. We were ready to give them their own spaces. The playroom, honestly, was more chaos than cool — always messy, nothing could ever be found, and the shared bedroom situation just wasn’t working. Splitting them up ended up being a reward for everyone.

As with most rooms in this house, there was no overhead lighting upstairs. We all sleep with fans, so Luke — by this point basically a self-taught electrician — was installing one in the new bedroom. To do that, he had to run wiring from the attic.

You see where this is going, right?

Luke called me up to help “speed things up.” I climbed into the attic (my first time ever, by the way), and Luke was all the way on the other side, past a massive HVAC duct. “I need you over here,” he said. And then, as I started moving: “Just don’t—”

I’m 5'2". Getting over that duct wasn’t graceful. One leg swung over… and the next thing I knew, I was falling.

Not just a little — a lot.

I gasped in shock as I went down, insulation flying everywhere — and into my mouth. I landed hard, on my knees, on the catwalk that runs above the two-story space between our foyer and living room.

I had fallen through the ceiling.

Now, in my defense, I’d never been in an unfinished attic. I knew how attics worked — but I’d never been allowed in one growing up, and by the time I was older, my parents had finished theirs into a bedroom. So… this was a learning moment.

Luke panicked. I went silent — not on purpose, but because I was mentally scanning my body: “Is everything… where it’s supposed to be?”

Of course, the hallway that’s usually empty was packed with toys and furniture since the playroom was mid-prep for paint. I landed on a TV, broke a lampshade, and somehow filled every Barbie and LEGO bin with insulation. (Did I mention it was also in my mouth?)

I looked up through the gaping hole and saw Luke’s head pop into view. He raced down and hugged me tight — his eyes watery, mine wide with shock. I kept apologizing. We were both shaking.

I was supposed to help move things along. Instead, I wrecked the one project we actually hired out — our freshly painted two-story ceiling.

To be fair, Luke did try to warn me as he started to say “Just don’t…step where you see insulation.” But I moved too fast. One leg over the duct, the other trailing behind… and that was that.

That same night, we patched the ceiling with leftover drywall. Luke squared up the hole and I got on a ladder to help hold the drywall in place. He was worried about the heat escaping into the attic…

“Push it a little higher,” he said.
“I CAN’T. THIS IS AS FAR AS IT GOES.”

My heel was throbbing (not sure how since I landed on my knees…I think), my whole body was getting stiffer by the minute. But we got the patch up, somehow. I climbed down the ladder, somehow. And Luke still loves me — somehow.

The next morning, I was sore all over. Of course I was supposed to be going to work since it was a Monday, but this seemed like an OKAY reason to call out. Urgent care basically laughed and sent me to the hospital instead — apparently any fall from that height counts as trauma.

The doctors told me to list everything that hurt, even a little. After hours of scans and waiting, I called Luke to come get me. When I walked into the waiting room, the kids’ faces were full of concern. I burst out laughing because I am wearing a cast in one of the places I never mentioned was hurting to Luke.

“Guess what I broke?”

My wrist.
Yup. I broke my wrist.
Then held drywall over my head with said wrist. Classic.

The heel pain I went in for? That came later. Two weeks later, I finally got a second opinion — turns out I did injure my foot and ended up in a boot. I don’t even remember what the official injury was, but just picture me in a cast on one arm, boot on one leg.

Very cute.

I had to explain to family, friends and coworkers — yes, it was all from the same incident. Just a delayed diagnosis. So please, no comments.

What a time.

According to the ER doctor, this type of fall is actually… weirdly common? So rest assured — if you’ve ever been tempted to help your partner in the attic… maybe just say no.

Now, when we turn the hallway light on, it highlights the giant square that was patched…a permanent memory.

-Jenny Corbett