Thursday, July 21, 2011

48 Basement Progress: My Fairytale Room Part 1

Are you ready for another one of my wordy, long, drawn out posts?  I have a feeling this one could be a doozy...

First, you must forgive me.  I know that last week I was blogging about our laundry room, and this week I am about to share with you my plans for my secret dream room.  Yet, I still haven't pulled the final laundry room reveal on you {because there isn't one}.  In fact, I haven't pulled a final kid's bedroom reveal either {because there isn't one of those either}.  But this blog is a true depiction of the changes we are making around the house, as we are doing them.  And as much as I like to work on one space at a time until it's done, that's just absolutely not happening right now.  Well, it really never does happen since rooms are always updated and tweaked and evolve as needs change, however, the mad dash to start taking advantage of the entire lower living space again really threw us for an exciting loop!  And with that, comes a multitude of half or not at all finished spaces. 

So in between the guys {my hubs and his dad}, putting in flooring, trim, doors and removing walls,  I am still putsing away at smaller scale projects all over the abode.

But back to today's post.  It's quite the lemonade from lemons type of story....

We finished our lower level in 2006, and it was a dream space for us, as it added on about 1,000 square feet of living space, which we used for a playroom, laundry room, family room, game room, bathroom, master bedroom, office and walk-in closet.  It's where we spent such a huge portion of our time together and it was wonderful for entertaining as well.  Then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone.  We lost our flooring, trim, doors and some furniture to massive amounts of water that entered our lower level.  It really changed the way we have been living for almost the last year...

Let's chat about the series of emotions one might go through when faced with a disaster of their home.  Tears, sadness, sorrow.  As I watched all of our friends and family pack up our half of a home into boxes and carry it up and out, along with rolled up dripping carpet, I felt empty and sad and lost.  I talked to our insurance company and they told me that we couldn't obtain any type of coverage that would protect us from the type of flood that we had, it made me feel frustrated, angry yet helpless.  Then I started hearing stories about neighbors in the same situation, and even those in far worse circumstances.  And I looked around me at all the friends and family that pulled together for us and became overwhelmed with gratefulness, gratitude and love.  They were what mattered at the end of the day... all that we lost were just things.  I still had photographs, memories and the people that I love.  It could have been so much worse.  We were going to be OK.

I tried to keep that attitude and find the positives as we began our life back up on our main level.  We managed to squeeze our family of five plus furry friend, all back into the 1,200 square feet that we started out with.  However, this was the first time we had all been on the level together, and with a daycare to boot.  It was a pretty tight fit.  Suddenly, we weren't really an option for entertaining since we couldn't fit large groups or families within our itty bitty living space.  And we couldn't offer much of a place for guests to stay, so the number of friend/family sleepovers has been at about zero.  The spot I missed most of all, was our playroom, since the toys remained downstairs for storage, yet had to be played with upstairs.  And I spent many many hours trucking bins of toys up and down and down and up.  I wish I had the booty to prove it....

I decided instead of feeling sad, I was going to get myself excited.  Excited to make the space better than it was originally.  Excited to have learned how lucky we really are to have the option to expand and use that space again.  Excited to make lemonade out of those sour lemons.

I showed you last week how I jumped right at the opportunity to totally give the laundry room a facelift by painting the walls and adding some corbels to our existing shelving.  Those two changes made the whole space feel SO much better.  And the rest of the investment was a rug and ironing board cover.  That's it.  The whole room changed with just a few small updates that totaled under $100!  And that is how I plan on treating the whole lower level.  Yep, almost all of it is getting a fresh coat of paint.  A couple of new accessories.  A new layout and plan.  And a lot of love.

So let's chat about this "Fairytale" space.  What is it you ask? 

Remember the layout of our master bedroom/office/walk-in before we flooded?


Our lower level has a pretty odd layout since the support poles went straight across the center of the basement.  The majority of the space had to be divided in half.  And we only have large windows on one side.  I will plan on whipping up a full house layout and video tour soon, it's been on my to do list for far too long.  So when it came to the Master Bedroom, we had a ton of space for our Bedroom, plus an office, plus a walk in closet.

Here is the before of our Master:


And our office nook right off of the bedroom:


Since we have a couple of desk spaces upstairs, and I plan on making the old playroom into my new Etsy Shop/Blogging studio {yep, just spilled a secret}, I no longer needed the space off of the Master Bedroom to act as an office.  And for months I have laid in bed at night, brainstorming of ways we could update the lower level layout to make it function better for us.  Here is what I came up with:

Whoa.  Where did that wall go?

I thought it would be loads of fun to remove the wall dividing the old office nook and walk-in closet, to create one giant space off of the Master Bedroom.  That my friends is what I am going to deem my fairytale room.  My giant girly girl dressing room.  A place to do my hair and put on my makeup.  A place to get dressed and store our clothing.  A place to exercise {since the treadmill really never fit well in our laundry room}.  A place to be a girl.

It didn't take much convincing to get the hubs on board with my little plan.  Taking out that wall would make for such better use of space.  So that is what he and his dad did!

This is the point where the powers of the internet come in.  Because I was M.I.A. being mom for most of this process.  I did get to snap a few pics of them getting ready to demo however.

For anyone wanting to tear out a wall, the hubs said it is best to run a utility knife along all of the wall and ceiling corners.


That process will prevent the angle tape from tearing the adjoining walls and ceiling when the old drywall is removed.

Then, they just used a pry bar to pull the wall away from the studs.


And got their hands dirty pulling off all the drywall.




This is where I got all excited and giddy and smiled.  And then I went upstairs to tend to a child or three.

We are fortunate to have my father-in-law's knowledge and help.  He has been in construction for 40+ years so he has electrical and drywall experience.  He took over from here.  He pulled the wiring and moved the outlet for us.  He patched up the walls where the studs were removed.  He re-did the entire ceiling so that it looked like it had been one room since the beginning....  And HE did an AMAZING job!

Here is the room TODAY!





You would never know that it wasn't always one big room!  LOVE IT!

I actually painted the walls the same color as the adjoining Master Bedroom, which is Behr's Frozen Pond.  So soothing!

And here is the vision of sugar plums I have had swirling in my head:

{sources: mini teardrop chandelier, aspelund armoire, bloom area rug}

I am planning on popping in two of these Ikea ASPELUND armoires flanking each side of our tall dresser.  One for the Mrs.  One for the Mr.  I would like to limit our clothing storage to those and only those, since we have been able to live with less for the last 8 months in this closet... I know we can do it just fine.

Then, I just need to snag up a second mini-teardrop chandelier, since we already had one.  I currently have an old computer desk to use as my future vanity....


And this stencil will look pretty divine all over the walls right?  {I decided to try a stencil due to my obsession with wallpaper.  However, I don't have a wallpaper budget.  And the stencil is pretty incredible}


I am so crazy excited for the fun I get to have making this space dreamy.  Every mommy needs a place to escape.  And be a girl in the mix of a house of all boys.

So what do you think of the plan?  Who else can see all the insane potential lingering in this space?  Anyone else give a thumbs up to the plan of removing the wall, or tearing out walls of your own to make the most of a space?  Are you able to keep up with the 101 projects we have going on?

48 comments:

  1. Your space looks great! I love that you tore down the walls to make one big dressing room. I'm dying to tear down the walls in our mudroom that make the closet. I could do so much more with that room if the closet wasn't there, I might just have to show the hubs pics of your space to show how much better a space can be when walls are removed!!! Can't wait to see more pics!!!

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  2. Where did you get that lamp? It is so cute...I need it!

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  3. @Anonymous: I actually found it at Target eons ago, I am not sure if they still carry anything like it. It's actually acrylic vs. glass so the price was good too! Happy hunting!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  4. Ah Jen, I'm feeling it! It looks nice and that paint color is perfect for a girl room. Can't wait to see what you do with it. I think some touches of pink throughout the space will work wonders.

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  5. The detail on the stencil is GORGEOUS! Congrats Jen! You totally deserve that fairytale girly room -- a little mini escape from all the wonderful boys in your life! hehe!

    Can't wait to see the gorgeousness unfold! <3

    xoXOxo
    Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

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  6. Thank you for this post. My husband and I bought our dream home at the end of May, and three weeks ago it was struck by lightning and was severely damaged. Your words and pictures remind me that out of the ashes (or puddles) can arise amazing things. Thanks!
    Windy Taylor
    http://houseblendfamily.wordpress.com

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  7. Jen, this is so exciting! A dressing room and a personal blogging/Etsy shop studio? Fabulous!

    I am so excited and happy for you :)

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  8. Hi Jen,
    I just found your site yesterday and love it! Sorry to hear about your flood but so nice that you are making some lemonade. I love girly dressing room lemonade :). Looks great!

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  9. LOVE! What a great idea! Enjoy it!

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  10. I ove your space! Just curious where did you get your tan desk chair in your old office space?

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  11. Love it! We have a weird space as we enter our bedroom as well. I went through the whole Italian Old World stage and painted my walls with a paint and glaze process... took forever. I'll be painting again and may do a focus wall with a stencil. Can't wait to see how it all turns out.

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  12. I adore that rug! One of my absolute favorite colors. I can't wait to see this space take shape! :)

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  13. Good for you! I cannot begin to tell you how much your site has inspired me and encouraged my home organization/ beautification. Can't wait to see the project as it unfolds.

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  14. That space is amazing! And, I love those wardrobes. You are going to love having a place to escape too. I am curious though, did I miss something...where is the playroom going?

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  15. It's looking great! I love the rug. I must look at the photos too closely. I noticed your husband wearing plaid shorts and a striped shirt. He dresses like mine!

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  16. How do you entertain yourself on the treadmill? Are you planning to hang a TV in front of it?

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  17. Jen, this looks absolutely dreamy and lovely. Well deserved. Every mom needs a space like this for all your hard work!!!

    Do we get to hear about the renewing of the vows ceremony? I loved your pinterest folder about it!

    xoxo
    Cat@budgetblonde.com

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  18. I love the new girly room. The space look so big. It will be fun having your own space. I have to tell you that I think your boys room and the laudry room (swoon, drool, LOVE) look complete. You did such a great job. I love following all your projects. You are great inspiration.

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  19. Oh Jen, of course it looks amazing. I don't have enough clothes to justify a separate room. However, I'm guessing you'll make it a fantastic and awesome multi purpose space.

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  20. I'm actually salivating a little on this one...wow!!

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  21. I can't wait to see how it turns out! The space seems it will be heavenly!!

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  22. That is so awesome! I love that you're making the room do double duty as an exercise room too. Gotta love maximizing your space!

    Husband and I will be house hunting shortly and space to create a dressing room is on my Wish List. Can't wait to see what you do so I can totally steal, I mean borrow, your ideas.

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  23. It is inspirational! I'm not sure if I would have the strength to actually do everything all over again if such a disaster hit my home.. but good on you!! Looking forward to seeing your final reveals for all your room projects :)

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  24. Congrats on having a place of your own! I'm intrigued if I could pare down my wardrobe to just essentials and see how that would look in my life. Thanks for detailing it is possible!

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  25. What a great space for you! I cannot wait to get out of our tiny 1 bedroom apt to be able to create spaces like this

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  26. @MamatoIS, the chair was actually a clearance find from the Home Decorators Outlet about a year or two ago. It's actually a lot like this one, but I stalked it until they marked it down: http://www.homedecorators.com/P/Wing-Back_Parsons_Chair_with_Skirt/210/

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  27. I love your blog and have been stalking it forever now! I had to comment on this post though. I too have 3 boys and although they are the loves of my life I need a room that I can go to that is just for me and not being taken over with Legos and Star Wars! We are in the process of changing our guest bedroom to my office/craft room. I can't wait to see your ideas for your new space. You give me such inspiration!
    Nikki

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  28. I LOVE the color on the wall! Can you tell me if it is more of a grey or blue? No one around my area sells Behr paints so I can't get a paint chip and would have to have them do a color match. I know colors on computer monitors can be deceiving. Thanks!

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  29. @Anonymous, it's actually somewhat of a bluegreengray. lol. I looked it up online on Behr's website and it's pretty true to color on my screen as it is in my room, so you could check that out to be sure. It's a great soothing color :)

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  30. OMG I looked at the picture and thought "that looks like my bedroom color - frozen pond" and then I read that it was!! It's an awesome color!

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  31. I'm glad that you are finally going to have your lemonade. Your plans sound lovely. What soft and soothing colors you have chosen. This is perfect for you to relax after working with the wee ones all day. Have fun creating!

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  32. I love it! It is definitely going to be a beautiful space when you are all finished. Do you want to come decorate my home, too? ;)

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  33. mmmmmk. So I just discovered your blog today and let me start by saying I knew I was going to love it because I heart organizing too. On my blog I share some organization ideas sporadically too! My best tip was to convert a jewelry hanger into a place to store your nail polishes. Thanks for all the tips here on your blog! I'll be checking back daily!

    Emily http://www.mywordsinterestslife.blogspot.com

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  34. How exciting is this?! I can't wait to see the full transformation. I've been working on my own dressing room for over 6 months and I'm FINALLY close to the end. I know exactly what you mean about not taking a linear path through your home renovation/decoration projects!

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  35. This is such an exciting transformation! Very excited to see how you organize and decorate!

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  36. It is my dream to be able to knock out a wall for a bigger closet. Nice work!

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  37. Where did you get the stencil?

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  38. @Anonymous - here is a link to the stencil: http://www.cuttingedgestencils.com/moroccan-stencil-designs.html?category_id=0&search_string=Zamira&search_category_id=0

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  39. omg... i love what you do!!! i cant believe you did all of that!!!

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  40. That looks amazing!!! I love the idea of a dressing room for you. In a house full of testosterone, I agree you definitely need and deserve a girly hub just for you! You've definitely inspired me to do something like this in the future!

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  41. That's really nice!! Does that mean you never have to purge your closet ever again?? (just kidding!)

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  42. I just came across your blog and all your renos through Pinterest and I am in love with your style and colors! You have such a designer's eye. Love it.

    I was surprised to read about your basement flooding and all the emotions that come with that. We recently went through what they are calling the worst natural disaster in our country. Almost everyone in our town of 13,000 lost their entire basement, main floor, or entire house. We were one of the lucky ones to lose just our basement. We had to rip out everything including the ceiling and were able to salvage only a few items. It is difficult to plan a rebuild when we don't know if this will happen again and not really wanting to forward with a dream only to have it dashed again.

    Thank you for your inspiration, it is great appreciated at this time, and helping me move forward and plan for the future.

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    1. Oh Kaly. My heart aches for you and your community. Such an awful situation to be in, and so sorry to hear you lost your lower level.

      We never know the good that comes from these awful situations, but I do believe it is there somewhere. And it is always so amazing to be part of a community rebuilding together.

      Lots and lots of hugs to you as you take on the lower level renovation.

      xoxoxo!
      Jen

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  43. I have been searching all over your site for where you got the wardrobes - are they IKEA?

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    1. Hi Maggie!

      That's right - they are these: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80157214/

      xo!

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  44. Where did you get the Daisy flowers?

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    1. Hello, you can find the flowers on Amazon: http://bit.ly/2RC4Rbt

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