This is not a food post. This is not really a blog.But it is a space and I am here. Oh, and this is a reflection. . .
On the state of my living working quarters. Two weeks ago, we did a major home office renovation via IKEA with much help from my parents. It was long in coming. We'd been talking about it for almost two years. Anything I talk about for two years has one of two end scenarios. I eventually vow to never speak of it again and don't or I jump on it all at once and get it done. Nothing happens in increments. . . which actually seems very a sensible.
I was truly at the make or break point this year when I started to get the itch to move. Which was completely ridiculous. We love where we live. Despite that I was coming up with all sorts of reasons we could and should move - I event got a poor Realtor involved and dragged him around to see apartments for a month. But eventually I confessed to both myself and Todd that all I really wanted was a change. Secretly I thought moving would give me a chance to re-invent my workspace - which I felt was cramped a quickly closing in on me.
We set a budget, got on IKEA's website and spent about three weeks mixing and matching, measuring and putting things in the cart and taking them back out. We went around and around, it was like a giant puzzle. One thing would fit here but then that wouldn't fit over there. In the end we replaced almost everything and kept very little of our original furniture - even though that was not the original plan.
My parents offered to drive to New York for the weekend to help us with assembly and the provision of power tools. So for efficiency sake I decided that it would be worth the cost to have IKEA deliver the furniture to our apartment since the bulk of what we were buying was large bookcases. We've carried them before and I hope to never carry them again. Never did I imagine that I would order the wrong size pieces - but I did.
So the configuration we thought we were building did not arrive at our apartment and we spent a night on laughing, crying, shouting, pouting and deep breathing while we tried to figure out what to do with the wrong furniture that we both decided we could not carry down the stairs and back to IKEA (not to mention my parents were here to help build it - with the tools my dad accidentally forgot to bring. Which is why I am now the proud owner of a circular saw and set of power tools!
All that said - we made it work. We are very happy with our not quite as we expected it renovation. My mom made me new curtains, which you'll see in the pictures really make the light beautiful in the apartment (thanks mom!!!!).Below are a few before and after picture of our two work spaces before and after our renovations.
I think you'll agree it was time. Sometime you need change - even if it's just pushing the furniture around!
This is Todd's work area.
Todd needed more book cases.
Todd needed a home for 400 records.
Todd needed a new chair.
Todd needed a new couch.
Todd got all this and more!
Here's another picture of
Todd's work space.
It's also our guestroom and the new couch has a great guest bed (hint hint you out-of-town always threatening to visit people) Oh and my Dad fixed the door so it actually locks the cats out!
This is Laura's work space.Laura needed a bigger desk.
Laura needed a place for her printers and scanners.
Laura needed a spot for all her art stuff and all of Todd's drawings.
This Wall was the biggest part of our renovations. All the extra bookcases and ledge for our large Epson has really cleared a lot of floor space and make the room feel much larger.
It's hard to find anything space efficient that holds a 43 inch long printer. We turned an 58 inch tall IKEA bookshelf on it's side and it's working great.
In this photo you can really see how much a difference my mom's new curtains make in the brightness of the room. They seem to collect light!
I chose red as my accent color and bought red carts for each side of my drafting table to hold all my art supplies and for the scanner cart under my desk.
That's all, maybe in a couple years well do the other side of the apartment. But for now we feel this was more than enough change to get it out of our systems. Sorry it took me so long to post these for those of you who were asking for a peek.
Those on you in NYC come by and those out of town
book your stay in the newly renovated guestroom!!!
