A long lost living room

The main living room in this big ol' house was lacking warmth and style. The built-ins were the wrong scale for the room and didn't provide enough storage or function.  The color was too mauve and the carpet had speed bumps.  It was hard to arrange this room since the fireplace and tv were on opposite walls but both were used regularly.
Before:

During:  The carpet came up, the old fireplace came out, we installed a vent free unit and a new paint color went on the walls. 

During:  The custom cabinetry went in.  This was a test in my self-confidence for sure!  I designed the cabinetry and gave the design to a very talented carpenter.  After he looked it over he kept saying, "I've never  seen anything like this...are you sure this is what you want?"  I stuck to my guns and think it turned out very well.

The mantle doubles as component storage and hidden hinges hide the fact that the front is actually two doors

 The area under the stairs now has TONS of storage for movies, cds, books and photo boxes.

After:  Gorgeous flooring, custom cabinetry, lots of storage and lots of style.  What more could a living room want?

Before: We even took out the wall of the dining room to open it up to the rest of the house.

After: