The mess had no where to go. So it lived on every shelf.

Living Spaces

Jun 16

The problem: Cords, wires, games, the chaos of a busy family — all of it visible, all of the time. Open shelves that held everything and organized nothing. A fireplace wall that had potential but no identity. A room that never quite felt like ours.

Before renovation: a living room with a navy accent wall, built-in open shelves, a TV over a fireplace, and white sofas

A living room mid-renovation with the built-ins primed white, a checkerboard rug going down, and furniture pushed aside.

The decisions: Built-ins with doors took care of the clutter first. Everything that belonged out of sight went behind closed doors. The shelving above became intentional display space — not overflow storage.

The fireplace wall got a full rethink. New tile, a deep charcoal accent wall to contrast the white everywhere else, and a chandelier that grounds the space and gives it a scale that makes the room feel larger rather than smaller. The furniture arrangement was planned around the finished wall — framing it rather than ignoring it.

The result: A room that works for teenagers on a Friday night and adults on a Saturday. When friends gather in the space now there's room to relax, connect, and actually be in the room rather than just passing through it.

A finished living room with white walls, dark grey built-ins flanking the fireplace, a tan leather sofa, and a checkerboard rug.

Tricia Caldwell and her labradoodle on a tan leather sofa in a finished living room with dark built-in shelving.

A finished living room with built-in shelving, a tan leather sofa, a round table, and a black ring chandelier.

Tricia Caldwell https://mavenmadehome.com

The mess had no where to go. So it lived on every shelf.

One wall changed the whole room.

The kitchen was big. It still couldn’t hold us.