When we added the great room onto our home, it was essentially two solid walls and one wall of glass bifold doors. Grand, yes—but also bare and a bit boring. After years of staring at it (and even moving away for a while), I returned with a fresh perspective. I knew the space needed a built-in media center, and I really wanted to incorporate some kind of fire feature.
The challenge? We already had a well-loved wet bar in this room. It was a must-keep, but it definitely complicated the layout. I had to find a way to blend it seamlessly into the new design.
After months of sketching plans, gathering inspiration, and refining ideas, I finally landed on the perfect layout. Here’s how everything came together…
One of the smartest things I did before starting was using painter’s tape to map out the design at full scale. It made a huge difference—especially since I planned to use prefab cabinets and needed every measurement to be precise.
With the framing for the TV and fireplace complete, it was finally time to hang the drywall. I already knew the final finish would be Portola Paints’ Roman Clay in Washi, so the next steps were clear: tape the seams, apply a thin skim coat of all-purpose joint compound, sand everything down to a smooth level-5 finish, and top it with primer before adding the Roman Clay.
And let me just say—I’m not partnered with Portola Paints, but their Roman Clay is truly incredible. I’ve used it many times, both in my own home and for clients, and it never disappoints. It’s so good!
Next, we built and secured the base for the cabinets, and then the prefab units went in. I had already painted them beforehand. All of the cabinetry was purchased from Home Depot: the bench is made from two 30×12×15 wall cabinets, and the taller units on the right consist of two 30×12×36 cabinets. The floating shelves are from Home Depot as well.
The cabinets were topped with butcher block—also from HD. We bought a single 6’ × 39” piece and cut it down to size, and it worked out perfectly for the layout.
To pull everything together, I painted the existing wet bar cabinets to match the new ones. The cabinet color is Sherwin-Williams 7022 Alpaca, and the wall color is SW 7004 Snowbound.
It’s honestly amazing how much this transformation has added to our living space. The room now feels cozy, relaxed, and so much more functional. The extra cabinet storage is a huge upgrade from what used to be a completely bare wall, and the fireplace has become a favorite feature—beautiful and useful all year round!
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