Behind The Design - Living Room (Sarah Off The Grid, S2)

Hey , I'm Sarah .

This is behind the design and I'm sharing my top three favorite design features in each room from Sarah off the grid .

Season two .

This is behind the design for the living room .

You know , I'm here to tell you about my three favorite elements and not surprisingly , sometimes my favorite elements are a great deal .

First , let's talk about the coffee table .

This coffee table , I bought the base , it was brass and I have had it stored in the basement for at least three years .

Why ?

Because it was always in great shape .

But for some reason , the brass finish was never quite right .

So you know what I decided to do ?

I decided to get out a can of trim clad spray paint .

We sprayed this table in matte black .

We are talking about a simple and easy diy .

Then I called my marble supplier and I said I'm looking for a table top that's 44 inches round .

Do you happen to have anything in a gray marble and presto ?

Magic voila ?

Please admire this coffee table next .

Great deal that I love in this room .

It's the built in benches .

Why ?

Because they are made with refrigerator cabinets .

What refrigerator cabinets ?

I know this is not a new idea for me .

I've done this numerous times in numerous houses , but I've never used them flanking a fireplace and I will definitely be doing this again .

This is a super easy project .

So what I did was I got four refrigerator cabinet units .

Here's a tip for you .

They come in two different depths .

You can get them shallow , just 15 inches deep or you can get them 24 inches deep .

I got the 24 inch deep version because you know what this means ?

Awesome storage .

Then I sprayed the door fronts and then the trick to make them really look custom and great .

I prop them up .

These are just two by fours turned on their side .

So I gave them a kick to elevate them off the ground and make them float .

I recessed the kick way back in .

So you don't see it .

So it looks like these cabinets are actually floating and wall hung .

Now , if you want a bench , you want some softness , right ?

So , you know what's topping these ?

These are crib mattresses .

How good is that ?

They were $60 ?

Ok .

Final ingredient is the fireplace .

And I need to tell you quickly , a few reasons why I love this fireplace so much .

It's made by a company called Enviro and it is the Q three model thing .

Number one , I love about it .

Is look how streamlined the profile is .

It is not all messy on the face with vents .

It is designed to be crisp and modern and so that you can lay your facing material , whether it's tile or whether it's natural stone like I've used , you can bring it right up to the edge .

So this is about as crisp and clean and contemporary as it gets .

But the coolest and best feature of this fireplace is it doesn't need a chimney .

This is a direct vent gas unit that can run off natural gas or propane .

And literally as long as you have enough clearance from the house beside you , I think it's about 3 ft , then you can knock a hole in the wall .

It direct vents outside .

You don't have a big messy chimney going up that you have to clad around .

You literally have this gorgeous box .

It cranks out the heat .

I actually opted for the smaller of the two units available .

And I'm really glad that I did because let me tell you it can heat up a room which may not be what we're all looking for right now as we head into summer .

But I want you thinking ahead because in winter , this thing rocks .

So when it comes to contemporary , when it comes to actually also creating heat with a beautiful look , an affordable price point , an easy installation and direct vent .

This is the unit I love