House Update – The Lower Level

As I’ve mentioned before, this house is what’s called “dual living” with nearly full accommodations in each level. Mom has the upstairs and I’m in the lower level.

This isn’t to say we don’t hang out together. We do. And also eat together. But my dream of having a large studio workspace and being able to work whenever and however long I want has finally come true at long last.

Of course, there’s still loads to do down here and I don’t have pretty furniture like Mom does, but I’m good with that. It’s pretty much a blank slate, which I like. I’d rather create and decorate it and put my ‘stamp’ on it gradually.

So here’s where I’m at after moving in two months ago . . .

My Office/Studio

This is the largest room downstairs and I originally thought it’d be a dedicated office. Not that I do that much office-y stuff. But . . . just in case.

I filled the floor-to-ceiling storage up with all of Mom’s collectibles extra kitchen stuff. Yes, her kitchen, my kitchen AND these cabinets were full of kitchen gadgets.

I was going to paint in the room adjacent to this one. After painting one project I knew there wasn’t enough light so I moved all of my art stuff out of there and into here, moved all of Mom’s exercise equipment into the room with low light – or almost all of her equipment – and now we use the little 9’ x 9’ room for storage.

It’s like a junk drawer . . . on a slightly bigger scale.

I highly recommend having a junk storage room, if you can swing it.

Now I have room for all of my supplies and, yes, there are a lot of them.

What I really love is having space for “paintables” – things I plan on painting. I’ve always kept those in the garage or shop, then forget what I have, then buy more when I’m at the thrift or dollar store.

Now I can see what I have to paint . . . for the most part. There are a few boxes . . . in the garage . . . marked “paintables”.

Does it justify it if I say that they’re write-offs?

My desk. sigh. First the positive. My dad built it years ago. It’s sturdy and on casters and has tons of storage. And my dad built it. But . . .

I ‘refinished’ it a few years back for Mom. I should say, I attempted to refinish it.

I have a few issues when it comes to painting furniture.

The problem with this desk is that I used a mistint. You know, the “oops” cans the paint guys set aside when the customer says “nope, that ain’t it.”

The can said latex and it never occurred to me to check to see if the existing paint on the desk was oil but something was hinky somewhere because this paint is still sticky. After 6 or 7 years.

Which means it has to be stripped down. Which is my least favorite thing to do, next to sanding. Which has to happen after I strip it down.

{big sigh} It has to be done though and I’m going to invest in some chalk paint since everybody and her sister has raved about it.

I’ll keep you posted.

On the opposite wall is my dad’s old dresser. He didn’t build this but it is big and sturdy and dontcha just love those drawer pulls?

It has oodles of storage (yes, I’ll take all the storage I can get) and it’s the right height for shooting photos of small stuff. See the white foam core tucked in between the dresser and the rolling cart? That’s what I’ve been using for a makeshift photography ‘studio’.

But I want to hang a roller shade on the wall that I can pull down when I want like Diane does.

My only hesitation is that this is the best wall for mural painting demonstrations and classes, which I plan on doing pretty soon. The roller shade would be right in the way unless I hang it fairly high so it’s out of camera shot.

I don’t know yet. But it’s on the list.

Even though I use Google Calendar to keep track of everything, I need like to have something staring me in the face as a reminder.

Plus I bought chalk markers and they’re my new favorite toy so this refinished chalkboard provides two purposes.

Office/Studio Needs:

• Curtains
• Flat storage unit – something like this.
• Large work table – I’d love to have one this size and I think the room could handle it.

To Do:

• Organize supply cabinet
• Organize rolling cart
• Organize desk
• Label supplies
• Label rolling cart
• Hang roller shade

To Paint:

• Desk
• Dresser
• Curtains

 

Kitchen/Laundry

My kitchen doesn’t look like the kitchen of a person who’s been on her own since 1975. It’s more like . . . well, like someone just starting out.

Only starting out with tons of stuff.

When faced with huge walls of moving boxes I had a choice – either take forEVER to organize while unpacking or . . .

just cram the stuff into the cabinets.

I chose the latter.

The good news is, I only make coffee and eat snacks down here.

No, wait . . . we did cook a pizza in the convection oven . . . once.

The laundry ‘room’ is a little nook in the kitchen and was the object of my very first DIY project in this house.

The dryer needed a different plug. I changed it.

All.by.my.self.

Kitchen/Laundry Needs:

• Curtains
• Cute art for laundry area
• Pizazz
• new latch for cabinet
• wrench to switch washer hoses that the lovely movers hooked up wrong (Yay for hot water when you select cold water wash)

To Do:

• install cabinet latch
• hang curtains
• organize cabinets
• change dryer plug

To Paint:

• kitchen cart
• curtains (possibly)
• art for laundry area

 

Workout Room

This is the room that started as my art studio. See that Pilates reformer and Power Pulse in there?

I moved those.

All.by.my.self.

Yeah, there’s a lot of that by-myself going on around here.

This room is still a hot mess but it’s functional. Both Mom and I use the Pilates machine and she mixes her tapes for her step aerobics class here so I really need to make it cuter.

Let’s just start with cute for the time being.

And yes, you didn’t misread that – Mom is 85 and teaches step aerobics, not geriatric but full bore kick-your-butt, take-no-excuses, no-whining-allowed, step aerobics.

Three times a week.

Which is why we have a dedicated fitness room. Hey, whatever she’s doing, it’s working!

sigh. There’s my cute little chippy door back there in the corner, just waiting to be sealed. Just waiting to have pretty little paintings painted for each pane.

Paint Paintings for the Panes.

Not p-a-i-n. Pane.

Sorry. A little rummy this morning.

And there are three thrift store lampshades there I bought for thrift store lamps. I even bought harps and finials for each one!

Who knew that there are two different ways to attach shades – either the top or the bottom?

This DIY stuff just keeps getting better and better.

Fitness Room Needs:

• curtains
• Lamp(s) and shades
• side table for lamp

To Do:

• switch with Art studio
• set up shelves in closet
• hang curtains
• move chippy door to sitting room
• move extra stuff to storage or garage
• hang wall art
• bring in rest of workout equipment (yes, there’s more)

To Paint:

• curtains

 

My Bedroom

Setting up a bedroom for yourself after losing your husband of 21 years is . . . well, odd, to say the least.

Of course, doing nearly anything after losing your husband feels odd at first. Living at the new house has helped immensely. The memories are still there, just not staring me in the face at every turn.

I kept this little memory area on one of the dressers.

I take it as a huge milestone that I don’t break down every time I look at it now.

Oh and the dressers are on the list for a paint redo. They were my grandmother’s but she was a DIYer bigtime so I know she’d approve.

I painted this pic of my doggies years ago. The black one, L’il Mo, was only 6 months old.

He died at age 13 a few weeks after Marlon.

I wasn’t sure if I was ready to hang it up.

Yes. I’m ready.

My Bedroom Needs:

• Curtains
• Trailing plant for concrete wall
• Additional lamp & shade
• Vanity bench
• Headboard
• Bedspread
• Small chair because I can always use another place to throw my clothes.

To Do:

• Prune trees/bushes in retaining wall
• Hang curtains
• Hang Bull & L’il Mo painting
• Hang other art
• Display mementos
• Donate clothes to Hospice
• Unpack clothes in tote

To Paint:

• Curtains
• Dressers
• Nightstand
• Vanity
• Vanity Bench
• Corkboard
• Side table

 

My Bathroom

Ho hum boring bath.

Talk about a blank canvas.

Kinda quirky how the light fixture is right next to the tile, isn’t it? So when they hung the mirror over the sink, the light is skewed over to the left.

Little things like that can make a person’s eye twitch.

Remember Inspector Dreyfuss?

Sorry. Late 70’s movie reference.

I vowed that I would stay up on housecleaning when we moved. Which I am doing but this bath has no storage for cleansers.

I also vowed that I’d never make a ‘skirt’ for a bathroom sink.

Well, that’s a dilemma.

The sensible thing would be to quit cleaning and remove the horrible eyesore cleaners permanently.

Where’s the emoticon-thingie for sarcasm when you need it.

I’m thinking the plain ol’ vanilla cabinet can be spruced up a little some updated pulls and maybe something along the back part of the shelf.

You keep thinking, Butch, that’s what you’re good at.

Name that movie from, yes, the late ‘70’s.

These cabinets are in the alcove going into the bathroom.

Sliding doors. What a pain in the patootie.

Especially when the last person who painted them didn’t remove the doors so they stuck to the wall.

DIY project #342 – unstick the stuck door.

The cabinets are actually completely organized, thankyouverymuch. However, Mom had extra cleaners so they came downstairs too.

Extra kitchen stuff, extra cleaners . . . I can’t imagine if we’d moved into a small house.

Downsize, you say? I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Bathroom Needs:

• Shower Curtain
• Towel hanger next to sink
• Cabinet pulls
• ‘Skirt’ around sink
• Light fixture
• Organizing bins

To Do:

• Make dropcloth shower curtain
• Make sink ‘skirt’
• install cabinet pulls
• make inset above shelf
• Unstick bottom hall cabinet
• Organize hall cabinets
• Move light center over sink
• Hang painting in hall, bathroom

To Paint:

• Shower curtain
• Inset behind shelf in bath
• Art for bathroom

 

Storage Room

This is the room that was gonna be the Fitness room but that got moved to what was gonna be the Art Studio but that got moved to the Office.

Just checking to see if you’re paying attention.

This is the mirror that’ll go up over Mom’s fireplace after I’ve painted it.

Somehow.

By somehow I mean that I’ll paint it somehow and somehow it’ll get moved upstairs.

Neither is clear at the moment.

Storage Room Needs:

• Curtains
• Shelves for closet

To Do:

• Insert shelving into closets
• Move surplus kitchen appliances into storage
• Move fitness equipment to workout room
• Move extra items to garage

To Paint:

• Nothing!
• The mirror doesn’t count because it’s already on the list for Mom’s Living Room.

 

Sitting Room

I love this little room but for the life of me I had no idea what to do with it.

It was hard to decorate or even unpack because I had no vision. It was just the room we walked through to get to the outside.

Nobody sits in the black recliner – that has a heating pad, massage thing, and reclines – but it’s actually really comfortable if someone actually does sit in it.

The TV isn’t hooked up to cable downstairs and that’s a whole ‘nuther story.

I looked at loveseats, wicker chairs, wing chairs, but nothing seemed right for the space.

My lack of decorating vision didn’t stop me from picking up this $10 thrift store screen though.

“Where are you going to put that?” Mom wondered.

Downstairs.

Downstairs is where all of the extra stuff goes. For ten bucks I didn’t care if it was extra, I was gonna have that screen.

Because Fall is nearly upon us, I brought the boxes down from the garage.

Boxes in. Boxes out. Boxes in.

The story of my life here.

I was determined to at least decorate the bookshelves for Fall.

Then I saw it.

Maybe it’s just the late ‘70’s part of me coming out. I had to ask Mom.

She thought the table and three chairs would be perfect.

Maybe it was just the late ‘70’s part of her agreeing with my late ‘70’s part.

 

It doesn’t matter. It’s home and now the Sitting Room has a purpose, has meaning.

Has another surface where I can spread my stuff out.

I call it the “game table”. I love games. I love puzzles.

As a matter of fact I’d start a jigsaw puzzle right now on the game table if I didn’t need an extra surface for . . . stuff.

Guess that means I’ll have to continue playing games on Facebook.

Oh darn.

 

Sitting Room Needs:

• loveseat or chairs
• game table
• curtains

To Do:

• stage bookcases
• move side table to another room
• measure & make backdrops for bookcases

To Paint:

• curtains
• divider Screen
• bookcase backdrops

 

Btw, I haven’t decided if I’ll paint the table & chairs yet. For fall and winter, I’m liking it just the way it is. Which works out nicely since I don’t need one more thing on my To Do list.

Are you ready for Fall? When do you start your Fall decorating?

Colleen

about Colleen

Subscribe to Just Paint It by email