Still, I have fretted over the last few months about the ceaseless packing and unpacking of tools and materials that I've been forced to do because my "studio" and my dining room have been one-and-the-same.
It was all brought to a head on Christmas morning, as we began preparing to welcome a most excellent house guest this weekend. I had packed up all my crafty bits and stuffed them into my husband's upstairs office for the umpteenth time in order to ready the house for our families. As I surveyed the damage and the 2 square feet of remaining unspoiled floor space, I realized that in a few short days I would be inflating an AERO bed in the same space. Hm. What to do? But I didn't really have time to think about it, as family began streaming in. It was only the next day, when I thought back on our excellent Christmas Day (the near totality of which was spent by each of us in pajamas!), that I realized not one of us nor our guests had set foot in the sunroom directly off of the living room, in spite of the fact that it had plenty of nice spots for sitting in the sunshine. And I thought some more. And realized that the sunroom has doors that can be closed. I made a silent deal to reclaim the space for myself.
A little while later, I published this silent deal to my husband who was wholeheartedly for it. Score!
I went to work that afternoon space planning, trying to maximize the stuff we already have. And now that tables have been moved, usb ports have been plugged in, sofas have been rearranged, rugs have been swapped, and a piano has been relocated sans hernia, I can't believe we didn't do this sooner.
There are still a few things left to do. We've lived here 2.5 years, and I have still never put curtains or blinds on the downstairs windows (They leak! That's a good excuse, no?). But now I feel like I'm working in a fishbowl, so I am getting motivated. Unbleached muslin is $3 a yard and will make a perfect blank canvas, I think. So that's easy enough. One of our favorite pieces of art, a collage done by a friend's second grade class 5 or 6 years ago, is no longer perfectly centered over the piano, but I think I'm leaving it where it is and will just add some other inspirational bits on its side to balance out that wall. The drop-leaf table that was just sort of taking up space in our living room is now a great, big workspace; and when it's time for company, the front leaf drops down and can conceal about 24 cubic feet of stuff!
Did I mention I get to keep the couch in my office? How fancy is that?
I think I'm gonna like it here.
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4 comments:
I want a couch in my office!
And someone to organize it.
Inspirational! Last time I moved stuff around I found some stuff I thought I had lost, which was awesome. Congratulations on your new space~
It's a really beautiful space, C. I love the wood table and cabinet -- so warm. (And what could be better than windows and french doors!). Love it.
Holy moly. Not only did I get a shout out as a "most excellent house guest," but now I'm in complete awe about the full extent of your preparations. I would feel nothing less than intractable guilt if I didn't find the sunroom as it is now perfect for creative activity. In fact, I can hardly imagine it any other way - kind of like that great haircut that wipes out any memory of the old one. :)
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