Well, it looks nothing like that anymore!
LOVE. My favorite shots of the entire room are the night ones, the wall color is soothing, yet dramatic. But we do get a lot of western light during the day as well:
Here is another before and after shot of the 'ballet bar' wall:These are art pieces I did in middle school (yeah, I was 12)...the one on the right was featured at the Frank Lloyd Wright-built Wingspread in Racine as part of a 'young artists' collection. It then traveled all over the world, all the way to Japan and back. Yeah, I'm kind of a big deal. It sustained some water damage on it's travels, but I still love it. My mom saved the gallery card for me....check out my really long Polish last name!
There is a place for everything in this room, but the only furniture is the desk and chair, so there is still a lot of open space. About that chair....I think it's too big and roll-y and it is an OFFICE chair, not a PRETTY, SOPHISTICATED chair. But Shaun vetoed getting rid of it in favor of a lovely upholstered-seat number. He thinks it's really comfortable, and so for $0 it gets to stay. At least it's black and not too offensive to the eyeballs.I wanted some rustic-looking shelves to hold all the art supplies. I had a Home Depot dude cut a medium-quality 6'x 8" pine board in half and then I sanded, stained and poly'd the 3' pieces using the materials we already had. The board was $5. Then I found 4 shelf brackets at Menards for $2 each. I made the two shelves for $13, and I love how they turned out!
Our art supplies got plopped into various receptacles: The large acrylics are in a metal utensil caddy (?) I picked up at Goodwill for $1.99. The brushes, colored pencils and small acrylics are in: a pasta sauce jar, a salsa jar, and a 3-wick candle jar, respectively. The palettes, pastels, and other miscellaneous items are in a Pier 1 basket I picked up for $8. I also have another one holding sketch pads and other items in the cubby under the desk.
The IKEA 'cubby' that came with the desk originally holds all of our paper pads, sketch pads, notebooks, etc. We also have large canvases slid in between the wall and the desk.
The lamp was purchased at TJ Maxx (finally, I got something with Shaun's discount!) for $27. I was originally planning to spray it bronze, but the antique brass finish grew on me and I rather like it in this room, just as it is.
I already talked about the window treatments, but I forgot to mention the rod and clip rings are from Menards. The rod was $12 on clearance. I loved the finials, but it was a short rod (24" - 48") so in order to stretch over our 30" window, I had to use a center bracket to avoid a sag in the middle. I'm not thrilled about that, but I love the rod and they didn't have a bigger one, so I will live with it. The rings were $5 a pack, and I got two packs. $22 total for the curtain rod. The fabric was $24 after a 40% coupon.
The rug was the biggest expense. I wanted a natural fiber rug because we had a wheely chair, and I didn't want a plush rug in a room with acrylic paints being thrown around, so I thought this was the best bet. It was $156 on Overstock.com, but I'm sorry it is out of stock! I literally got the last one. I love that it is 8' square, it fits in here perfectly.And because I know Shaun will need inspiration while drawing, I put a picture of my butt on the desk. This was taken by him while we were on our first (and only) cruise together in 2008. I was checking out the water from our balcony, not losing my lunch, just in case you were curious!
I'm pretty excited that we now have everything all in one place, at our fingertips. And I can always hijack the table if I have some other crafty thing I want to work on. So, did this room live up to all the hype? Did I drag it out too long?
Source and price list:
Rug from Overstock - $156
Wall molding from Menards - $98
Desk lamp from TJMaxx - $27
Curtain rod and rings from Menards - $22
Baskets from Pier 1 - $16
Baskets from Pier 1 - $16
Pine board for shelves - $5
Goodwill basket - $2
Total - $455, definitely more than I wanted to spend. However, the big ticket items were (as usual) the floor covering and the wall molding ate up some decent cash, too. I think it was well worth it in the end!
Total - $455, definitely more than I wanted to spend. However, the big ticket items were (as usual) the floor covering and the wall molding ate up some decent cash, too. I think it was well worth it in the end!
It looks one million times better - maybe more! Nice artwork!
ReplyDeleteSara - your artwork looks amazing what a great place to day paint or just chill. I love how everything is arranged and organized.
ReplyDeleteThe rug also looks fab - Ok Q's what kind of store is Mernards?? I notice alot my fav midwestern, northeast blogs always mention this store! Thanks
Love the wall color! And I agree with you: that TJMaxx lamp is perfect just the way it is! :)
ReplyDeleteWow...it's gorgeous and that's such a dramatic change! Fantastic. I love your middle school art...it looks fantastic against those dark walls.
ReplyDeleteWow! This room is amazing...especially considering it's scary past life! Many many kudos to you and your hubby! Now I'm wondering what day you will be at my house to fix up a few rooms for us...?? :)
ReplyDeleteThe room turned out to be so stunning! I'm always scared of dark rooms, but it looks beautiful. I'm liking the curtains and the desk fits great by the window. Great work.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Chic, Menards is a big home improvement store similar to Lowes and Home Depot in the midwest. I is especially big in WI, IL, and MN. They have great sales and usually better prices than those other stores, too.
ReplyDeleteWow, it was worth the wait to see this room! It looks friggin' awesome. I really like those curtains, and nice job on the cheap shelves. Love the butt photo, too. haha.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are going to be so creatively inspired in this room now!
Just found your blog through Lavender & Lilies! Love this room!
ReplyDeleteYay, you finished it, Sara! I agree that the night shots are DRAMATIC! Cozy, even? I know that's not the right word, but I can't think of what I'm trying to say... It just looks like the type of place that invites you to hole yourself up with some good music and draw. I thought it was going to feel more like a presentation space, but it's warmer than that (although I think the moulding makes the art on the walls feel nicely planned). I really like your choice of frames and curtains.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the price was too bad!
Oh, and I had no idea that you're such a big deal in Japan. (And Poland, I imagine...)
Kelly
:)
Wow! Looks wonderful! Absolutely LOVE the paint job!! :)
ReplyDeleteWow wow wow!!! I am in LOVE with this room! The wall color, the curtains, the art, the RUG! Wonderful!!
ReplyDeleteLove, love love! Those navy walls are amazing and with everything pulled together the painted picture molding really works.
ReplyDeleteI'm in love with the fabric you used for the curtains, btw.
Dramatic, moody, a perfect cocoon in which to create! Love it!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! I really love the navy walls paired with that fabric. I'm really impressed by your artwork and even more so that it was done when you were 12! I hope you'll share some of the art that's created in this room (PLEASE!).
ReplyDeleteP.S. Your last name beats my maiden name by 1 letter--I was very happy to trade it in for a shorter name that I no longer have to spell for people. :)
I love it! The wall colour is unexpected and works perfectly!
ReplyDeleteI love the picture molding, love the curtains, and I love your makeover to your desk! Can you come do my office..? :-)
ReplyDeleteFantastic finish! Even thought you spent more than you wanted I think it was all worth it.
ReplyDeleteI love the desk refinish. I have the same desk and hate the colour. Now I know that refinishing it is an option and you gave great direction how to.
I also love the drape fabric, it's a nice hit of colour and pattern without being too much. Very inspiring.
Take care,
Lisa
Wow!! It is all fantastic. I love every detail. You completely transformed the room.
ReplyDeleteOOOO! MYYYY! GODDDD! It looks fab!! I have to agree, at night, the room just sparkles! Great job!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLOVE! the wall color looks fantastic with the crisp trim and the furniture and of course, the art. your desk looks brand new with the paint and the glass top would be great for art projects - easy cleanup. this makes me want to paint the woodwork in my dark blue room though... and we have a similar desk chair in our office because of the same reason - the husband will not let me get a new one. at least yours is black and kind of blends with everything. and i don't think your budget is all that bad considering the condition of the room you started with :-)
ReplyDeleteYou had a great vision for this room. I can't even believe it's the same space. I wouldn't have been confident enough to choose those curtains, but they look fantastic in that room. You're so talented! Thanks for sharing the budget, too. I'm working on a bedroom and I'm on a super budget, so I love to get ideas on ways to save.
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful - everything came together perfectly.
ReplyDeleteThe dark blue is perfect paired with the bamboo shades and the crisp white touches and woods. Congratulations on another beautiful room.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great space! I agree, the night picture is so dramatic. It came together beautifully and it must make you smile each time you walk in.
ReplyDeleteSo inspiring! I'm in the process of emptying out my catch-all room in the hopes of having a chic little office/guest/reading room. I can only hope it'll look 1/2 as as good as your reno projects~
ReplyDeleteThe room looks awesome - your curtains are amazing too! So much better than before!
ReplyDeleteThe art room looks great! Excellent use of a small space. (I could never keep my supplies that neat though...lol)
ReplyDeleteRYC on the wood for your kitchen ceiling...
How thick is your wood? (We used 8″ wide pine planks that were about 1/2″ thick) The tongues fit snugly, but the stain and polyurethane didn’t make it any harder to install them. Certainly you can install your ceiling and finish after, the real reason they say not to do it is probably because painting on a ceiling is a pain in the butt. Although, you may want to do a really thin wash of white (mix it with water) on the tongues before you install just in case you have the shrinkage. I’m sure you can touch up after as well.
If it were me, I’d probably paint two pieces (or even 6″ pieces cut off of a board) and let them dry, then see if you have trouble fitting them together. If you can get away with it, I think it will be much easier to paint/finish before installing. Also, if they’re thinner and you’re installing on an existing ceiling (over drywall) you can probably do it with adhesive… or at the very least find those studs first and snap a chalk line over them! Can’t wait to see how it turns out for you!.
LOVE, LOVE this room. You're awesome!
ReplyDeleteGreat job! I am super impressed that it only took you a couple months to do this (as you can probably tell it's more my style to start one million projects and finish approximately three). It looks so awesome, and I'm impressed with your artwork!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great transition! Great work!
ReplyDeleteYou are simply amazing. I have no words.
ReplyDeleteUm, tell your husband I am going to sneak into your craft room some night and steal that devil illustration! I LOVE IT!
Hi Sara, the art room has turned out so well. I am jealous, I would love a room like this.
ReplyDeleteNellie xx
The room looks amazing! I love how the colors in your painting supplies and the curtains work together. Love it all... GREAT JOB!
ReplyDeleteLOVE, LOVE, LOVE! I wish my woman cave/art area looked this amazing. It's got a great fem feel and manly feel going on at the same time. I think both of you will be ultimately inspired in this room. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThe room is absolutely incredible! I love your color choices from the walls to the window treatments. I agree with you on the office chair...an upholstered seat would be perfection. Perhaps a future DIY desk chair will be in the works?
ReplyDeleteThis is one inspiring space!! I would never want to leave this room. GORGEOUS!
ReplyDeleteHey! I remember seeing you write about this earlier in the year, so I was excited to see what you did with it.
ReplyDeleteIt looks fantastic (especially the night shot!), and so functional. What a difference from the before to the after.
I love the rug! The natural fiber is not only super functional, but it adds great texture into the room. And really compliments that blinds as well.
Great job again guys :)
Sara, You did almost as good as your auntie would of done on your remodeling. Charming house. Your favorite aunt, Marsha
ReplyDeleteI am seriously drooling over this. The neatly assorted paints alone have stolen my heart! And I love the idea of the childhood artwork!
ReplyDeleteI need one of these ASAP!
Hi Sara
ReplyDeleteYour room looks great. Love the wall colour. What a transformation!
Happy New Year from Polish friends in Canada.
Kinga and Joe
How am I just now seeing this?!? I love your art room. Seriously, everything about it is great. Your 12 year old art is pretty impressive, too. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, this room looks great!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I missed it, but I am dying to know what color that is on the walls! I've been wanting to paint my dining room navy, and this is the perfect shade! :)
ReplyDeleteLove your art room! I am totally jealous right now -- and I really like the night pics, too!
ReplyDelete~Amanda
I am so glad I found your blog through Cassie. I swear we are related and you have the same taste as me. Right from the get go when I saw your area rugs. Then I see this post where you have painted your walls very similar to the color of my master bedroom. And you clearly love color as much as I do....Can't wait to check out the rest of your blog. I am your newest follower.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Lisa