The Study Lounge

Our home is a 2 story colonial with the bedrooms all on the second floor. One of the bedrooms is pretty small at 9' x 9 1/2'. It has always served as a home office. We had a pretty large desk/wall unit in there that 3 people could easily work at. Instead it was a dumping room with piles of books and supplies on the desk...always a mess. And where did the kids (all 4 of them) end up doing their homework? They would work on the couch, kitchen table, dining room table or their bed! Which meant more backpacks and schoolwork spread all over the house. So, I had an idea to put the small couch from the playroom in the office and relocate the desk....creating a study lounge. They love it!
Come on in!

Since the room is so small I will rotate the photos around the room.  A lounge is not complete without a TV...only for when HW is done:)

I will show you inside the closet in a minute. I think my honey did a great job on the window molding! We may get around to changing the door molding too, but the window was new so we were working from scratch.  One of my favorite vintage folding chairs is a perfect extra seat. Also LOVE the color of the blinds. I will share all resources at the end of this post.

We went with a rustic theme in this room. There are tons of tutorials for plank walls. We used 1/4" plywood ripped into varying widths and lengths and just nailed them up. We did paint the wall behind the planks a much darker grey so any spaces between the boards would not be so visible. I used a combination of stains and paint to achieve the weathered finish.

Planning on a large clock for this blank wall on the right. It's on my long to-do list:)

Not enough room on either side of couch for an end table so we built a small shelf on each side made of pallet wood.

 Perfect for the phone, remote or a drink. And pumpkins too!

I had fun with the gallery wall. A combination of favorite vacation photos, and inspirational words (it is a "study" lounge).  But I also wanted it to be a room the kids could relax in. What's nice about it is that they can come up here, close the door and get their work done without being in the middle of the house during dinner prep and all the rest of the chaos going on downstairs. And for the ones working late at night, we can go to bed and feel better about the kids being upstairs while they finish up their work.

It took a while but we found the perfect picture for over the couch. There was a fine art photographer next to me at a recent art show I participated in. We had a view of this photo the entire weekend and couldn't stop looking at it. The one we saw was about 4ft x 4ft and $3600. We were happy to find a much smaller print of this peaceful shot of a crab farmer in China. My husband made the perfect frame for it and I think it helps to give that relaxed feeling in the study lounge.

I still felt it necessary to have a small desktop for when the kids wanted to work on a computer. The closet was a perfect spot for this and to store all of the supplies needed for getting homework done.

 Shelves above hold baskets of extra supplies and textbooks and study guides. The shelf below the desk holds each of their laptops. Everything has a place...yay!

A charging station is on the left...I never knew these USB outlets existed!

And a custom made shelf/pencil cup holder is perfect for keeping the desktop free of clutter.

This room has been amazing. We finished it just before school began and they've been enjoying it ever since! The couch also opens up to a bed so this room also serves as a guest room. Couldn't do that with the big desk in here before!


Resource list:

Wall and ceiling color: Sherwin Williams Light French Gray

Trim: Benjamin Moore Linen White

Sofa: Ikea

Throw pillows: H&M and Michael's

Gallery wall: Inspirational signs-Hydrangea Home, Industrial Metal number 6-Country Living Fair, Galvanized M-Michael's Craft Store

Photo over couch: John Deng Fine Art Photography

Baskets in closet: Michael's Craft Store

Lighting: Lowes Outdoor lighting department - Portfolio Ellicott Galvanized Outdoor Wall light

Blinds: Home Depot - Home Decorators Collection - Driftwood Flatweave Bamboo Roman Shade

See more of our home improvement projects HERE.

Top Project of 2011

Rhoda from Southern Hospitality is having a link-up party sharing our favorite projects of 2011. This was an easy one for me to choose. It took much of our time to complete and I am still enjoying every bit of this room.
Our Laundry Room Makeover:

This is also the time of year many of us want to work on organizing our homes - so I hope you get some inspiration from some of my ideas. Enjoy!

Click HERE for Part I of my post ~ the room tour.

Click HERE for Part II of my post ~ the resources.

Make sure you visit Rhoda's party link for more bloggers' top projects!

Laundry Room Details for all of my DIY Friends

I'm still overwhelmed by the response I have received from this makeover. You've blogged, facebooked and tweeted about my laundry room. I know I love it, but I'm so happy to hear so many of you love it too!

So, I have had many questions about sources, materials, colors, etc. First off, the room dimensions are about 8 1/2' x 9 1/2' with one window and one door to the patio, one door to the mud room/back entrance.

I had researched cabinets but the costs were about $2000 and they weren't the style or height that I wanted (42" high). So, my husband built the boxes. And we purchased the doors. My husband is working on a technical how-to post for his blog, The Honey-do Chronicles.

• Wood for cabinets and trim - $250
• Stain-grade wood panels (find them here) for countertops and wood for legs - $188
• Stain for countertop - Minwax English Chestnut
• Tile floor, glue and grout $150
• All of the above from Lowe's Home Improvement 
• Electric radiant heat for tile floor from Electric Supplier $238 (but sooo worth it!)
• Cabinet paint color - Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray HC-170
• Wall paint color Benjamin Moore White Dove 
• MDF Cabinet Doors (including european hinges and shipping costs) -                                                                                                      Naked Kitchen Cabinet Doors - $266 
• Light fixture - home made for under $10 - see this post
• Sink and faucet from Lowe's $200
• Cast Iron Handles from my shop $3.50 each

• Bird tub for holding cleaning rags from Christmas Tree Shop $5.99
• Basket on shelf from Joann's $12.00

My favorite trick - concealing the "dirty laundry". I have 6 tall laundry bins from Target for all of my sorting under the long counter. And to hide everything - a simple painter's drop cloth curtain for about $20!

I put in a tension rod with a support in the middle to prevent sagging. Then, I bought a couple of packages of ring clips. Here is a closer pic (sorry it's a little blurry). The rings are great because they just slide so easy. I didn't do any sewing for this - just folded over the top till I got the length I wanted. Although there is a raw edge (which I know I will have to sew before it goes in the wash) at one end because I did cut off a piece to make a separate curtain under the sink.

We didn't replace the window (although I wanted to!) but we did purchase a new door painted in a fun new color.

• Door and hardware from Lowes - $200
• Paint color Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue HC-144

Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue HC-144

I was so happy to get the huge calendar off the fridge and out of my kitchen! Notice the dish of lavender (keeps me calm while I look at the crazy schedule).

• Mammoth Grid Calendar (necessary for a family of 6) from Calendars.com $15.99
• Burlap lampshade from Target $9.99
• Bird Box for mail from Michaels Craft Stores $11.99
• Rusty Enamel clips holding up the calendar from my shop $3.50 each

• Stone Flower Pot holding pens - from my shop - $7.50
• Cast Iron dish from my shop $13.00

My dog food pail was a big hit. I purchased the pail at Ikea for $25. Lettering is vinyl and was cut from one of those craft cutters by a friend of mine. You can find custom letters on Etsy if you don't know anyone with one of those machines. Or if you don't want to make it yourself - Ballard has the dog and cat food pails here.

• File basket from TJ Maxx $14.99

The machines are what triggered this project. My old ones died, boohoo, I swear I never overstuffed them! So, we had to shop for new ones and had to wait 4 weeks for delivery. We though this was the perfect time to start gutting the room.

• LG washer and dryer from Sears $1,254
• Nestled in the Branches Ironing Board Cover from this shop on Etsy $24
• Dog Treat jar from Homegoods $5.99
• Embossed planter from my shop $23.00
• Bird plate from Christmas Tree Shops $1.99
• Drying rack over ironing board from Ikea $30

Leftover drop cloth from another project made the perfect swag curtain.

• Iron grill over window from an Antique Shop in Cape May, NJ $20
• French Ticking ribbon tie back from my etsy shop $3/yard

Ok, so I think I covered just about everything. We have spent about $3,000 total on this whole room renovation, not bad. Of course that's doing all of the labor ourselves. So, if you have any other questions just let me know and I will do my best to answer them. Many of you told me you want to or have already begun a laundry room renovation. I hope you will let us know when you are ready to share it!

Good luck and have fun!

See PART 1 of the laundry room.

Mud Room

This is a repost from my husband's blog.  I don't think I've ever shared our mud room project here.

We had a major problem. Four school children with backpacks, lunch bags and coats all piled up by the back door. Add to this mess everyone else's shoes, flip flops, and my size elevens made that the disaster area. Oh yeah, at the first sign of snow it was the desperate search for hats, gloves and scarfs.

I had to do something, but the space was extremely limited. As you walk through our back door, there is a six foot wide pantry to your left. Then comes the laundry room where Dawn usually throws everything into and shuts the door before company arrives with explicit directions to NOT open this door. To the right is the garage door and then two side by side closets that were used by the previous owner as a broom closet and kitchen storage. Not much room, but this was our main entrance, being right off the driveway.

I saw this picture in a magazine that I really liked and thought it would solve our problem. It was a simple bench seat that would store shoes below and a shelf unit with hooks for coats and bags and storage above. Only problem, I had no space by the back door to put this. The two side by side closets became very inefficient after I had central air conditioning installed. The air ducts occupied much of those closets. I decided to lose both closets altogether and set back the wall which created an alcove that I would build a bench seat and have storage above for winter wear.

We were very pleased with the final product. I backed up the beadboard with 1/2" plywood so the hardware, Dawn found at Lowes, would be strong enough to handle the weight of the loaded backpacks. I found the four baskets AFTER I built the shelf - not too bright. The neat part is the finish - of course, not my idea. After the paint job, I would have been done - admiring my work with a beer in one hand while patting myself on the back with the other. Dawn stopped me on the way to the fridge. "Now, it needs to be antiqued." That's when you make something brand new, look old! I would have never thought of this. I always tried to keep old things looking new! Anyway, it doesn't matter what I think. Before I knew it I was rubbing sandpaper on my brand new paint job, then came the stain and then a couple of coats of varnish. I think she wanted me to put on three coats but had mercy.

Visit The Lettered Cottage for more Mud Room ideas!

Make Mine Pink Friday "Getting Organized"

Getting Organized has taken on a new look! From being strictly functional to being functional and stylish has become the latest and greatest way of getting and staying organized. Pretty and stylish organization means that you no longer have to hide everything away in back room closets and filing cabinets. Instead, old locker baskets painted pink and stylishly chic organizers help you get organized in creative ways.
By using decorative boxes, vintage baskets and embellished magazine organizers, you can carry your decorating theme throughout your home, office, and even your laundry room.

Storage boxes filled with odds and ends, office supplies or ribbons and trims can fit into the décor in any room. A repurposed basket or box can beautifully organize your odds and ends while keeping them out of the way. A vintage metal file box hand painted with pink roses keeps your papers safe while adding romantic charm. Elegant wooden boxes painted with flowers store photos, CDs and letters in plain view.A vintage china plate might hold a stack of favorite napkins on a table or open shelf. A pretty pink basket can store clean dishtowels by the kitchen sink. A white wicker basket keeps guest towels or magazines, or perhaps organizes your craft space. Vintage nursery jars can hold cotton balls and other necessities while a refinished side table can keep your address book and notepaper handy.

When you need to organize, forget about boring boxes and folders that will keep everything out of sight. Instead, look around you for creative ways to accent your décor and store everything you need within arm's reach.


Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

Click HERE on Friday August 28th to see our choices for "Getting Organized"
And don't forget to visit the shops HERE at Make Mine Pink for more beautiful organization products.

Also, check out THIS post (DIY creative storage) and THIS post for more creative organization - (an old entertainment center turned craft studio storage cabinet).

Creative Studio...storage project

I've seen these done before and finally just found a way to have them for myself.  My kids wanted to earn some money and they're too young to get a job, so I put them to work....

I bought these unassembled, unfinished storage drawers at IKEA. 

My son got to work putting them together (way too many nails for my patience).

My daughter did the sanding, priming, painting and decoupaging. She used heavy stock scrapbook paper. 

I just love them!

My daughter enjoyed the project, however, thought the wages of $20 for all her hard work was unfair.....

I'm participating in Kimba's DIY day. Click on the graphic below to visit more projects.

Furniture Makeover

This week I worked on setting up a piece of furniture for my creative space (more about that in an upcoming post). It's a piece that we got from a friend of a friend many years ago. It was going to be put to the curb and we rescued it. It's probably one of my favorites. We have many pieces in our home that we picked up curbside and gave new life to. So, in its former life, this one was an Entertainment Center (I think there will be many of those at the curb or second hand shops). We removed the top set of doors and cut back the shelf to open things up. The cast iron scrolls add a pretty detail to the corners. The bottom set of doors had these dated raised panels, so we removed them and replaced them with fabric and painted it in a light sagey green and cream. It's a great piece of furniture by Drexel Heritage that's perfect for my supplies.

Melissa at the Inspired Room has posted about finding beauty where you are right now. This week, I have accomplished a little piece of my goal, My Creative Space. It's where I find beauty each time I walk in this room. Even more when my little ones comment on how "beautiful it is in here mommy".

Make sure you stop by Sanctuary Arts at Home to see more Before and After projects!

I am also participating in Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After party. Check it out!

This post is also participating in Funky Junk's Saturday Night Special. Click below to check it out!



Also, visit this new site I just found called Reinvented for more great projects!