The Playroom Makeover {Part 5- Two Chairs & Window Panels}

I thought I would pop in before the year was out with another update.  I haven't said much about the playroom makeover since March.  I finished the book ledges and moved on to other things.  But tweaks have been made over the past few months and I wanted to share them.

First is the large chair in the bay window.  It's been in the Bub's room for years as our story time chair.  But in the process of making over his room, most of the toys were moved in there for storage.  So now there was no room for the chair.  I just wanted it out of the room and didn't have anywhere for it to go.  Except, in the dance of musical furniture,  I had moved the desk that had previougly been in the playroom to the sun room,  because the desk in there had been moved to my bedroom.  Bottom line, now there was space in the bay window to sit the chair until I could sell it on Craigslist.  It was my husband's idea, and I reluctantly agreed just until I could sell it.

From the beginning, he thought it looked good there.  He was right!  Now it's kind of one of my favorite places to sit!  It was actually the perfect size because the room is narrow.

So now the playroom is sort of a reading/playroom.

Now the drapes were another one of the last minute projects I finished before family came in town in November.  I originally wanted lined burlap panels for the window.  At this point, two of the curtain rods anchors had been pulled out of the wall and were hanging crooked and two panels were clipped up, un-sewn.  Just sad.

So to keep it simple,  I just ironed,  hemmed, and sewed the panels without lining.  I didn't even hem the sides, since burlap edges are finished.  And after a few hours, they were up.  

I used clip rings and pinched them in to create folds.   Then 'trained' them by securing the folds with ties for about 3 days.

And now, their done!

Since then, I've also had my eye on the Jennylund Chair from Ikea for quite a while for replacing the wooden outdoor chair angled in the room.  

I had four that were originally purchased in the clearance section at Target and have been used indoors and outdoors over the years.  But I was ready for a change and took a chance with the Ikea chair and love it!

The room feels mostly done.  I would still like to change out the art over the sofa...the sea fans feel a bit to serious for the space.  And I may have to bring back in a few toys.  The Bub says that it's not a playroom because there aren't any toys.  In my defense, when we got toy storage for his room, it held almost all of his toys. (Which reminds me, I'll have to share what I did with all the toys that had a million tiny little pieces.)  But we're enjoying the space.  I'll be sure to update when I do make some more changes!

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A DIY Latte

A hot drink, especially in the colder months, is so comforting.  It's warm in your hands and warms you up inside.  I had gotten in the habit of pulling into a drive-thru for a caramel latte a couple of times a week, but thought there must be a way to make one at home.  I've been making them for almost a year, and thought I would share how. 

Here's what you'll need.

I brew a strong cup of coffee using either a coffee maker or an espresso maker.  I started out using the Bialetti, which is also good if you're making more than one.  If I'm using the K-cup style brewer, I use the smallest cup to make it strong.   Either way only use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of brewed coffee.  

My favorite coffee right now--Starbucks French Roast.  The darkest roast I could find.

 

Next, heat up 1/2 cup of milk and add it too the coffee.

Sweeten to taste with flavored syrup.  I have found the large bottles of Torani flavored syrups sporadically at Ross and the smaller ones more recently at Sprouts.

Whip the mixture with a frother and enjoy!  You can buy more expensive frothers, but this one from Ikea has worked well for me and costs less than $3.  

I like to drink out of a mug at home.  But for $1, Starbucks sells a reusable, recyclable cup that you can take on the go.  Gotta love that.

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Laundry Room-Behind the Doors

This laundry-hall is probably the hardest-working room in my home.  It's where I go in and out several times a day, and it houses the pantry, laundry, and coat/storage closet.  The door to the hallway constantly stays open.  And the pantry door is usually open as well.  After the countertop was put down, I really wanted to clean up the pantry a bit.  It could use more work, but it has come a long way since I originally shared my plans for the space.

I keep my purse and reusable grocery bags hanging here, so I can easily grab them on the way out the door.  Though the food is front and center, the shelving extends another 2 feet into the wall beyond the sliding doors.  It houses a lot of paint and supplies, extra bottled water, AC filters, the leaf to my dining room table (seen at the bottom there), and more.  A lot of this stuff needs to be moved to the garage.  But the garage could use a good clean out and organization first.  Actually, a lot of this stuff needs to be purged.  All in due time.

The little 'Groceries' sign came from Hobby Lobby a few years ago.

The other side; I couldn't really get a full picture in the narrow hallway.  But you get the drift.  Food plus some Helmsman Spar Urethane.   How is it I have all this food, but still have a hard time deciding what to cook?

Moving over to the coat/storage closet.  The ironing board and accoutrements hang on the door.  We take it down and iron in the narrow hallway.  It's a tight squeeze if you need to get by when someone is ironing, but otherwise ok.  If I'm feeling like supermom, I will take it to the family room and knock out a week's worth of ironing in front of the TV.  

In addition to coats, this closet is currently housing my outdoor dining chairs for the winter.  I also store floor cleaning supplies in here.  A large industrial dust mop for the wood floors, a steam mop, and the broom.

Extra cleaning supplies above in the basket, and hanging on the wall, an insulated tote for cold groceries, and a backpack for travel.   (And the Bub's little coats!)

One day I would like to have a small outdoor storage building to hold gardening tools and to pack up outdoor cushions and chairs for the winter.  Right now everything has to go in closets or the attic and garage.

I think this hallway packs quite the punch.  Once the doors are closed, it looks calm and serene.  And that I can work with.

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Laundry Room-Update

The best laid plans...always seem to go awry.  Several months ago, I shared plans for my laundry room.  The washer and dryer were delivered, but I wasn't able to move forward with the other parts of the plan.  Then you know what happens when you have family coming in town...you feel the urgent need to fluff the house, and finish all the projects you started.  So when my sister called to tell me she was coming to town with friends, I decided, "Now is the time to finish ALL the projects!'  Well, not quite all, but I did get a few done.  The view is so much better.

Just to remind you what it looked like before:

First off, I wanted to lighten the space.  I went with Behr Ultra Pure White off the shelf in a gloss finish for the trim and doors. That alone brightened up the hall.  The dark trim just didn't work in this space with the fluorescent lighting and no windows.  For the walls,  I chose SW Amazing Gray, only when I put it up, it read more like a beige over by the pantry doors, but I still like it.  It's a good neutral.  As you can see the floors remain, but the neutrals coordinate better. 

Next up, I wanted to hide the water heater.  

I used the Ikea KVARTAL track system and mounted it to the ceiling.  Then I hung simple, white drapes I found on clearance at Target a year ago.  I told my sister it kind of looks like a shower, but better than the water heater, I hope.

The final goal for the space was/is to add storage and folding space.  I went and got a nice piece of oak plywood cut at the Home Depot for the countertop, brought it home and REALIZED I MEASURED WRONG!  I am sure I have precise measurements and drawings stashed away somewhere, but in my haste to get this project done, I took the depth measurement from only one machine, forgetting that the dryer stuck out further from the wall to allow for the vent pipe. *Sigh*  So after I gave myself a time-out to avoid crying, I devised a plan to cover my tracks.  In the end, I realized I couldn't permanently install the countertop yet anyway, because it will be impossible to install the cabinets, which is the remaining major item to be checked off the list.  

In the interim, I am enjoying using this new space, especially the countertop.

Looking back from the washer/dryer down the hall:

 I've had my new washer and dryer for about 4 months and I am loving them.  I had read reviews talking about the mildew smell that front loading washers can get, but so far I haven't had any problems.  They do have more upkeep than a standard washer, because you are supposed to wipe down the seals after each use, and drain the line at the base of the washer once a month.  But for me, gaining all of that counter space is worth the extra bit of upkeep.


Linking up to Wow Us Wednesdays over at Savvy Southern Style.

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