Is it a Home Office? Library? Study?

There is a wonderful room off of the foyer, which I originally wanted to turn into a primary suite.  But once I got into the design and saw how small it would be with a full bath and closet (although it could be a great guest room with a sofa bed!)  I rethought that plan and decided it would be a great home office.

Our starting point - the 'Before' room

Of course once we got into it, I got a bit carried away and decided we should include a wall of bookshelves.  

And then a wonderful Facebook follower asked me if I'd like to buy these amazing wavy glass, antique doors.  Of course the answer was yes!  So they got incorporated into the design

Look at that hardware-

These doors are so unique!

Kyle created this gorgeous, 9 1/2 foot tall bookcase with the glass doors incorporated.  The bottom will have custom doors, to provide a bit of storage space for things that might not look glamorous enough to put on a bookshelf.  

All of this led my husband to say we should call this room the Library.  Hmmmm......that sounds a bit fancy to me.  The guys think we should call in the Study.  And of course I was thinking Office.

What's your vote? 

Pin It

It's All About the Closets

Several years ago I did a very unscientific survey and asked folks what's the most important element in a Primary Suite.  Bedroom space?  Big bathroom?  Closet space??

The winner - by a landslide - was CLOSETS!!!  Storage space was paramount for folks and that's probably more important in an old house (where closets are notably small or non-existent).  

This suite started as two separate bedrooms with a small closet in each.

By taking the smaller bedroom and turning it into a closet and bathroom, this room gained a lot more storage.  And as an added benefit, we added the 'nook' - a small room on the front of the house to the primary suite.

We paid lots of attention to closet space.  In the 'nook' area of the primary suite, we installed a wall of IKEA storage units, that provide lots of drawers and shelves, as well as a full length mirror. 

Lots of drawers and shelves

For comparison, this is the nook wall before we opened it into the suite.  It still had storage - but it wasn't quite as fancy and the room wasn't heated!

On the other side of the suite (in the original Bedroom 2), we have added a spacious walk in closet, complete with more drawers, shelves and lots of hanging clothes space.

It's such a huge change from our starting point!!! 

Pin It

The Classic Hall Bath

The hall bathroom is getting a major makeover.  At first glance, it probably doesn't look like it's changing a lot.  But it is!  The tub and vanity location stay the same, but the toilet is moving near the window and a stackable washer/dryer will go in that space.   We've also replaced all the electrical and plumbing, and added insulation to keep it cozy in the winter. 

From a design perspective, I want the hall bathroom to be classic, without trendy finishes.  So for example, tile is a long term commitment and I don't want to install anything that will go out of style in a couple of years.  So I decided to install a Carrara marble 'rug' on the floor.  Tile with fancy borders were very popular near the turn of the last century. And marble is always classic.  But it's not an easy project! Step 1 is to lay out the border mosaic tile. 

Once that's set up, I installed the surrounding field tile and then the hex tiles in the center. 

Total install time - 3 days.  And that doesn't include grouting!  I often question my sanity when I embark on these complex projects - but when I see the finished product it's totally worth it.  I love this floor!

The shower/tub wall tile will be very simple, white subway with black accent strips.  That's next on my list of tiling projects! 

I'm so thrilled the new owners won't need to carry their laundry baskets up and down the stairs to the basement.  This spot for a stackable washer/dryer will also have room for a narrow, custom cabinet to store detergent, toilet paper and more.

In many ways, this bathroom mimics the primary bath in my own home.  I even ordered the same vanity - I love the Carrara marble top with the sculpted backsplash.  It has that old world styling that I was looking for.

With the black and white color scheme, I spent months searching for a shower curtain that I liked, with no success.  And then I came across this remnant from Ballard Designs and knew it was perfect for the space!!!  (it was also $10.60 a yard!)  I made a valance for the window and need to make the shower curtain next!  I love the green with the black and white motif.

I'll share more updates as we make progress!

Pin It

Dining Room Upgrades!

 As we start the pretty stuff, the dining room is the first room to get all of its finish carpentry.

The window looks out to the sunporch

Doorway to kitchen and living room

It was a pretty simple room, with doorways to the living room and kitchen and two windows - one exterior window and one that went to the sunporch (our guess is it was originally an exterior window).  Oh, and LOTS of wallpaper! 😂

That all changed when we eliminated the wall between the kitchen and dining room.  We also moved the door from the kitchen into the dining room space, to make the kitchen a bit bigger. We also removed 3 (THREE) ceilings to gain almost 18 inches of ceiling height! 

This room had 3 ceilings - look how much removing them has changed the space!

But one of the biggest changes was swapping out the old double window for something much more charming.  I found this window at Old House Parts and it's a great way to bring light into the dining room, with a bit of architectural interest.  The door is from a former project - it was in fabulous shape and I've been hoarding it in my storage facility for years!

We've recreated the antique trim to match the rest of the house

The dining room originally had a closet - but it was really shallow and didn't provide a lot of storage. We needed to use some of the space for the gas fireplace in the living room.  But there was still space that I didn't want to waste.  So Kyle is creating a custom china cabinet in place of the closet.  

This will be such a great addition once the doors are on and it's painted!

Of course there is more to do - paint, staging, etc - but this space has already changed dramatically since our starting point!

It's obviously doubling as a storage area right now!

Pin It