Evolving in a Week

When last we saw the "guest room," Mom had taken up residence to be near her new job while awaiting the closing of their new house.

Well, I am pleased to say my parents are now officially residents of Massachusetts and, as of last week, our extra bedroom was back to being a blank slate.

I'm beyond embarrassed to admit, this is how this room has sat for the past 2 years (there was a large purple chair and a half in here prior to Mom's stay, but it went to a better home with a friend).  I know this may come as a HUGE shock, but zero design went into this space.  Not an ounce.  Not even a drop of paint.

The challenge of this room is it's variety of functions:

• den
• work out room
• office space for me (now that I've conceded the office to Hubby)

...and all this needs to work in around 100sf of space.  Recently, a lighbulb went off and I finally knew exactly what to do in the space and over the weekend, I got to work.

I flipped the way we previously used the space and somehow, with adding storage, made the room feel much larger.  (The following pics are in progress and there was no styling involved.)

I still have a good deal of finishing to do for it to feel complete (mounting the tv on the wall, fixing the secretary desk, accessorizing/styling...)

This is the first time since living here that this room has felt like part of this house and not just the forgotten space.  It makes me happy.  Very Happy.  I can't wait to really polish it up and let it shine!

(5 points to anyone who finds Charlie, the orange cat, in the progress pictures!  It's like a furry Where's Waldo)

Console Complete

I've been a busy little bird the past few evenings after getting home from the 9to5.  In addition to sanding and prepping dining chairs to paint, I finished my entry way console table!  She's part new, part old, but totally perfect for the space.

It's almost like it was MADE for this spot.... (ya know, cuz it was).  The color that I used is Glidden's Totally Teal.  I even picked up a new orange vase for it over the weekend- Target clearance $8.98.  I love the textures on it!

To refresh your memory, when I bought this table, she looked a bit different.

Check out how she made the transformation here.

In a small house, everything's connected- this is the direct view from the living room couch.

The new blue console coordinates nicely with the lighter shade of the living room & the orange pulls some of the warmth of the red chair across the room.

It doesn't happen often, but my furry model actually cooperated for that picture without me even asking.  The fatty catty (aka Charlie) actually looks pretty tiny here- you'd never guess that he's a 16lb teddy bear.  Whoops, sorry, I let my inner crazy cat lady show there for a sec.

I still haven't made a decision about what project to do for my pinterest challenge.  I need to make a choice and get crackin!

This project is linked up at Primitive and Proper: POWW 112: A Furniture Link Party

Mod Tot

There's a lot of things in the works right now.  Naturally nothing ever goes quite as fast as I want it to, so that's where quick little projects can provide instant gratification. Instead of letting the kiddy chair collect dust in the basement, it got a quick makeover and is ready for a kiddo to come hang out.

Last time you saw it, it wasn't in tooo bad of shape.  Especially for around $3.

The vinyl needed replacing, and the chrome needed polishing- so I did just that.

After disassembling, I tackled it with metal/chrome polish  (Brasso to be exact).  Before I touched it, the chrome looked rather sad up close, but thankfully it was mostly just dirt and tarnish.

I was actually surprised how well the metal polished up.  There were only very 2 small spots of rust that I couldn't help.

I found a clearance vinyl table cloth at HomeGoods that had a mid-century vibe and simple lines to match the chair.  It was a cute pattern, but not to childish...plus, I'm a sucker for clearance.  $4.50 for the table cloth, and I have fabric to spare.

I tried to line up the fishies as best as possible, pulled it tight, and went to town with my staple gun.

Ta Da!!

I still have to find kiddy-size rubber feet to really complete the project, but it's nice to actually check this little guy off of my to do list instead of adding him to my project pile.  Instant diy gratification!

What instant gratification projects have you tackled lately?