Apartment Room Make-over

This was the view of the office in our daughter's apartment as seen from the kitchen.  The room also doubles as a spare bedroom.  Our goal was to make the room more inviting for when she had guests -- to use the room as extra entertaining space -- overflow, if you will.

Our first step was to move the futon so it was the focal point and to downplay the desk with all the computer cords.  

• We swapped out locations of the desk and futon.
• Shopped the house apartment -- and found the blue chair in her attic storage room.
• Moved the wrought iron table from the end of the couch made it the coffee table.

This was a good start.  But the room still needed more attention.

Our girl loves to have photos of family and friends around, so we bought a few very inexpensive frames to add to her already large collection of frames.  We also spray painted a few frames black to match the others -- then we arranged the photos to wrap around the wall in the corner of the room, in place of the narrow bookshelf, in such a way that more photos could easily be added.

On a trip to IKEA, we found inexpensive curtain panels to add some warmth to the room.  Her daddy, Mr. DIY Guy was happy to hang them for his girl.

Ever the bargain hunter (I trained her well), our girl found another (larger) 'Billy' shelf in the clearance section at IKEA to match the narrow Billy shelf she already had in the room.  It was a steal for $35!


We moved the two shelves next to each other making a wall unit of sorts.  She's planning to keep her eye out for another discounted narrow shelf for the other side of the larger shelf.  
Moving the two shelves together created a focal point for the room -- something interesting for people to look at while sitting on the futon.

We arranged items on the shelves so that "like items" were together.  Collections look better when they are grouped together.  The box on the bottom left shelf is a linen look box with a black lid.  It holds her important papers and files.

 

The container on the right (above) is a glass rectangle bowl/dish that we used for loose photos.  We put her cute high heel with the book "How to Walk in High Heels".

The desk was moved to the corner -- behind the door.  Behind the door you don't see the paper clutter that desks tend to accumulate.

A desk lamp was brought in from another room for her....desk. 

the pretty tan lamp was moved to the make-do-til-ya-save-for-new end table.

Future purchases (as she saves for them):

• Some piece of art for the wall the above the television.

• An area rug?  I see a creamy shag area rug for here --- look at TJ Maxx sweetie! 

The room isn't quite finished -- but it sure has come a long way!

Mouseover photo for "after

Also purchased were some inexpensive throw pillows from IKEA.

New use for a Hoosier cabinet

I am a Hoosier.

That is, I was born and raised in the great state of Indiana.

This is also a Hoosier

An antique cupboard made in Indiana

used for storage in kitchens -- particularly baking supplies

In our first home back in Upstate New York

I used this Hoosier for it's intended use -- storing my baking supplies

and additional storage in my tiny kitchen.

Here at The Cottage I have plenty of kitchen storage

so I am using our Hoosier for our little "bar".

It works swell

plenty of room for glassware on top

and bottles in the middle, and below.

Drawers hold candles & wine stoppers & cork screws

DIY Counter

It's done!

It's reveal day....and I'm SO excited!

Roll your mouse over this picture to see the transformation

From the kitchen side

from the side

I love, love, love it --- thanks for your hard and persistent work on this for me

Projects completed are my favorite kind of gift

Amen.

Kitchen

I'm still at it --- painting that is.

This time, I've moved upstairs -- giving the kitchen a splash of color!

The "before" is white Formica - you heard me - on the wall - OVER beautiful knotty-pine.  I'm not a fan of Formica on my kitchen walls, even if it IS practical.  Practical is not always pretty.   

It was time to take action -- and since the time wasn't right to rip the Formica off the wall, I took an easier approach.  I painted the Formica -- yes m'aam, I did.  The entire project was done in an evening.  

Roll your mouse over the picture below to see the before photo of the kitchen.

Sherwin Williams Color #6348 Reynard.

There's still a bit of tweaking needed in the kitchen ....but it's coming along.

Tomorrow....more color!

It's starting to look like a new place around here!

Building an eat at counter

DIY Guy has been working diligently on a project for me  --

and I KNOW there are SO many other things he'd like to be doing -- or wants to do with his time...

but this week, he's doing something for 

ME

and I am so THANKFUL and excited.

He is very particular about his work -- he takes great pride in it -- and so do I.

This board is as smooth as a baby's behind

  and DIY Guy has taken great measures to give it a polished, professional look

filling cracks, routing edges . . .

A work of art that will provide an eat-at-counter for us

one of our inspiration photos

which will make this space so much more usable and open

Tomorrow the plan is to "cut down" this half wall so it will be the height we need for the eat-at counter -- (and remove the round table -- a potential garage sale item).

See the brackets on the counter?  They're the supports.  I'll have to get more supports -- we need one more for support -- and a few more for another project I have up my sleeve!

Shelves

Slowly, ever so slowly, I'm putting items back in the house -- from the garage.

I'm being very careful...and sometimes items come in - and go out quickly.

What I'm sayin' is ... don't get too attached to the look you see in these pictures -

It has already been changed.  Except for the paint --- I kept the orange!

and the mantle -- it's a work in progress too -- and getting closer to my plan . . .

and yes, this is a tad bit different now too --- I'm working on painting a black tray white - to add to the "mantlescape".  

More later.

DIY Guy cut through the wall tonight!  And we brought up the wood counter he made to "see how it will look" --- and let me just say this --- WOW.  

Master Bedroom Paint

This weekend I treated myself to a bedroom make over -- a Mother's Day gift to me ... 

The walls were a dark tan and light brown until Saturday afternoon when the painting commenced.

Now our bedroom is all one color -- Summer White, by Sherwin Williams. 

I suppose using the flash gives a better idea of the color

I've removed my antique dressing table -- and will probably be taking it to a consignment shop -- or selling in the garage sale.  

It's part of the declutter and simplify the cottage project going on here.  It feels good.  SO much work yet to be done though.  Uffda.