This weekend is Office/Studio weekend, but I've also gotten some good ideas about the rest of the house as well, and how things will be when Bekah and Ethan move out.
I even wrote a five page 'how this will work' manifesto yesterday evening. Here's a bit of it:
Entry room--will be the giant mudroom/thoroughfare. I will keep my bikes in here, against one wall, and retain a place for mail to gather until I go through it once a week and discard what is junk. Mabel's crate will remain in this room; eventually, I want to have a built-in storage cabinet/closet/hall tree in that corner, since there are no closets downstairs. The only rug on the floor will be the one in front of the door. I will keep the old linoleum floor, and when I replace the kitchen floor, extend the kitchen floor out to cover the burned spot that a rug currently covers. There won't be a lot of furniture in this room. I'm thinking the two white cabinets can go in my office/music room for storage.
The current Formal Dining Room: will become my office/music room. I have no issues about combining an office/music room; my office stuff takes up very little room, and I can close off the room to the cats so they don't bother my harps. There is already a phone jack in that room, so I won't have to add one for the internet. (Yes, I'm on dial-up.) That's the room with the bay window that is currently where I house the plants I overwinter; this will change and one of the empty bedrooms upstairs will become the 'conservatory.' I'm going to see if making a windowseat is possible for the bay window. I've always wanted one, so we'll see. That means the organ can stay in that room (although I'm thinking I'll move it to the opposite wall) and since it's also the warmest room in the wintertime, it will be nice to write in. There is also the potential to put a small window air conditioner in one window, if necessary. All furniture (the dining room table, both china cabinets) will not be in that room any longer.
This will also be the room where Etsy and Ebay stuff is stored. I am envisioning the oak coutertop I bought at the auction last year with two oak filing cabinets as its base against the long wall. My desk would be where the organ is; the organ would be beside the countertop/desk, and the china cabinet would be in the library.
Moving my computer downstairs also means it won't be as hot in the summertime. At least, conceivably. I am planning to put cafe-style curtains in the windows; that way, I can still get plenty of light and show off my lovely woodwork.
This is also the room with the fireplace, so I'm sure I'll have one or two nice chairs around it as well. Mmmmm. Sounds good to me.
The current dining room rug will go into the library; it's actually easy to clean cat hair from (it must be the quality of it) so that's going to be my 'library' rug. There won't be a rug in the office/music room. It will help with the acoustics, I think. I am planning to figure out a way to hang my favorite antique quilt on the wall in the office/music room. It doesn't get direct sunlight on that wall, and I think it would look fabulous.
The current Living Room: will become the library. I am planning to build floor-to-ceiling bookcases on either side of the picture window (stained glass.) The dining room table will go in here--with the four chairs and no leaves, the table will be a perfect library table. And if I do ever entertain anyone for a nice dinner, it will be fine for that as well. There will be room for two or three chairs--reading chairs, of course. I am debating whether or not to close both pocket doors or leave one open like they are now. I'll probably just continue to leave one open. I might switch the chandelier back into this room, though; it would make more sense than to leave it in the office/music room.
I like my oak desk/table in front of the picture window. If I can keep that there, I will, but we'll see. It fits so perfectly that it would be a shame not to keep it there.
The trunk could stay in place; the TV will go, of course, into the next room...
The current Green Room (toyroom): will become the living room/cat room. This is where the floor-to-ceiling cat tree/s will end up going once I make them. I plan to get a couch, and have my TV in an unobtrusive place that can be closed off, because I don't need to look at it if I hardly ever watch it. I say cat room, because that's where they will be fed (unless I change that, which I might) and that's where their toys will be. There will also be a pillow for Mabel.
There will be no rugs in this room, unless I use the blue one for under the coffee table. I'm debating, but there will be room for another quilt on the wall in here, too, if I want to put one up. This room may stay green; I haven't decided yet. I might just do a colorwash over the existing green to tone it down a bit, but we'll see. I want this room to be bright and cheerful. (probably a decent floral couch from Goodwill. That way, if the cats use it to sharpen their claws, who really cares?)
Obviously, the biggest change at the moment is the elimination of the formal dining room. As I've said before, I don't entertain, and I'm unlikely to ever entertain. For those few times I might have people over, we can use the library and put leaves in the table. Not a big deal at all.
I'm actually rather excited to think that my office will be downstairs in the dining room. And that I might get my window seat (if I can figure out how to do it with the radiator in place.)
Obviously, this is going to be a massive effort to get all the rooms perfect, and I certainly don't expect to have everything perfect right away. What I'm planning to do is move things around as rooms empty out--right now, I couldn't fit another chair in the dining room, much less two harps, a desk, file cabinets, etc., etc.
It finally feels right in my mind.
I also had some ideas about the living room today as well; I have to do some measuring, but I might have a bookcase in place sooner than I think, if it fits. We'll see.
I even wrote a five page 'how this will work' manifesto yesterday evening. Here's a bit of it:
Entry room--will be the giant mudroom/thoroughfare. I will keep my bikes in here, against one wall, and retain a place for mail to gather until I go through it once a week and discard what is junk. Mabel's crate will remain in this room; eventually, I want to have a built-in storage cabinet/closet/hall tree in that corner, since there are no closets downstairs. The only rug on the floor will be the one in front of the door. I will keep the old linoleum floor, and when I replace the kitchen floor, extend the kitchen floor out to cover the burned spot that a rug currently covers. There won't be a lot of furniture in this room. I'm thinking the two white cabinets can go in my office/music room for storage.
The current Formal Dining Room: will become my office/music room. I have no issues about combining an office/music room; my office stuff takes up very little room, and I can close off the room to the cats so they don't bother my harps. There is already a phone jack in that room, so I won't have to add one for the internet. (Yes, I'm on dial-up.) That's the room with the bay window that is currently where I house the plants I overwinter; this will change and one of the empty bedrooms upstairs will become the 'conservatory.' I'm going to see if making a windowseat is possible for the bay window. I've always wanted one, so we'll see. That means the organ can stay in that room (although I'm thinking I'll move it to the opposite wall) and since it's also the warmest room in the wintertime, it will be nice to write in. There is also the potential to put a small window air conditioner in one window, if necessary. All furniture (the dining room table, both china cabinets) will not be in that room any longer.
This will also be the room where Etsy and Ebay stuff is stored. I am envisioning the oak coutertop I bought at the auction last year with two oak filing cabinets as its base against the long wall. My desk would be where the organ is; the organ would be beside the countertop/desk, and the china cabinet would be in the library.
Moving my computer downstairs also means it won't be as hot in the summertime. At least, conceivably. I am planning to put cafe-style curtains in the windows; that way, I can still get plenty of light and show off my lovely woodwork.
This is also the room with the fireplace, so I'm sure I'll have one or two nice chairs around it as well. Mmmmm. Sounds good to me.
The current dining room rug will go into the library; it's actually easy to clean cat hair from (it must be the quality of it) so that's going to be my 'library' rug. There won't be a rug in the office/music room. It will help with the acoustics, I think. I am planning to figure out a way to hang my favorite antique quilt on the wall in the office/music room. It doesn't get direct sunlight on that wall, and I think it would look fabulous.
The current Living Room: will become the library. I am planning to build floor-to-ceiling bookcases on either side of the picture window (stained glass.) The dining room table will go in here--with the four chairs and no leaves, the table will be a perfect library table. And if I do ever entertain anyone for a nice dinner, it will be fine for that as well. There will be room for two or three chairs--reading chairs, of course. I am debating whether or not to close both pocket doors or leave one open like they are now. I'll probably just continue to leave one open. I might switch the chandelier back into this room, though; it would make more sense than to leave it in the office/music room.
I like my oak desk/table in front of the picture window. If I can keep that there, I will, but we'll see. It fits so perfectly that it would be a shame not to keep it there.
The trunk could stay in place; the TV will go, of course, into the next room...
The current Green Room (toyroom): will become the living room/cat room. This is where the floor-to-ceiling cat tree/s will end up going once I make them. I plan to get a couch, and have my TV in an unobtrusive place that can be closed off, because I don't need to look at it if I hardly ever watch it. I say cat room, because that's where they will be fed (unless I change that, which I might) and that's where their toys will be. There will also be a pillow for Mabel.
There will be no rugs in this room, unless I use the blue one for under the coffee table. I'm debating, but there will be room for another quilt on the wall in here, too, if I want to put one up. This room may stay green; I haven't decided yet. I might just do a colorwash over the existing green to tone it down a bit, but we'll see. I want this room to be bright and cheerful. (probably a decent floral couch from Goodwill. That way, if the cats use it to sharpen their claws, who really cares?)
Obviously, the biggest change at the moment is the elimination of the formal dining room. As I've said before, I don't entertain, and I'm unlikely to ever entertain. For those few times I might have people over, we can use the library and put leaves in the table. Not a big deal at all.
I'm actually rather excited to think that my office will be downstairs in the dining room. And that I might get my window seat (if I can figure out how to do it with the radiator in place.)
Obviously, this is going to be a massive effort to get all the rooms perfect, and I certainly don't expect to have everything perfect right away. What I'm planning to do is move things around as rooms empty out--right now, I couldn't fit another chair in the dining room, much less two harps, a desk, file cabinets, etc., etc.
It finally feels right in my mind.
I also had some ideas about the living room today as well; I have to do some measuring, but I might have a bookcase in place sooner than I think, if it fits. We'll see.
Comments