Our Office/Den
One of the extra bedrooms in the house has been turned into a den. We added a projector and a futon from my appartment. Its cozy, but still a work in progress. We do like going in there to watch movies, but it needs some work. We plan on mounting shelving along the walls right under the ceiling. We have a sort of music/art theme going, so we would like to set some of our memorabilia on the shelves as a border around the room.
The closet in the den has become a mini office. We are both still in school and it comes in handy to have a place to sit at the computer. Tony built a wall mounted desk and we painted it black.
From the doorway looking into the den. You can see the futon and the projection shelf. I have a plan for some art to hang along the empty wall.
This is the wall that the futon faces. The bookshelf holds all of our school books. Above that is empty because it is for the projection screen. We have a large frame for the area, but it has yet to be hung. The file cabinet is an old Shaw-Walker that I painted bright red.
A close up of the bookshelves and our fish Van Halen.
This is the closet office. Tony made this desk for me. I used wire to hang pictures. I'm not sure, but even after editing, it still feels a little cluttered to me. Any suggestions?
The chair that we are using right now as the desk chair was found in the garbage. I hate to admit that, but it was perfect and I couldn't pass it up! All it needed was a good scrubbing (thank you Magic Eraser!). I thought it was so vintage cute, so I made Tony go swipe it. Gorgeous.
Next Comes The Bathroom and Master Bedroom
This is the bed. Matching side tables and lamps.
A close up view of the side table. This one happens to be Tony's.
This is the dresser facing the bed. An old full length miror stands against the wall and an Asian keepsake box sits on the floor next to it.The dresser is vintage from when my mom was a little girl. She used the room set and then I did when I was little. The black strips are removable, and flip over to change colors. We painted one side of each black.
The hand is a vintage glove mold, the box is an old Kodak box, which we keep our momentos in. The mirror is an antique medicine cabinet, which we painted black and added a chendelier crystal for a pull. Close up of sink and storage.
The view from the door into the tiny bathroom. It feels really bright and spa-ish because of the light blue walls and white curtains. We added a blue rug and blue curtain hooks.
The little shelf we hung across from the toilet with pretty perfume bottles on it. The only little "extra" that fits into the space!
Close up of sink and storage. Pretty much the entire bathroom.
Check This Out
I know, I know. Shameless plug, but it really is true. My brother just emailed me and sent me his new website address. He is about to graduate college with a degree in graphic design and art. He is an amazing artist (not just because I know him!!) And he has a great portfolio going. So go ahead…check it out!
Here’s A Question…
Here is the desk and the huge wall. The one picture is hung, but the other two are waiting to be framed.
Our Little Collection
A close up view of our little collection.
Side view of the printer's type tray and collection of dice.
One Little Project At A Time
When I get excited about something I lose all patience. Tony tells me constantly, “Calm down Jess, one thing at a time.” I’m trying, but just can’t control myself. Here is one small project we have completed. Just before we moved in here we went to an auction. We found this old little kitchen cupboard and scored in for $10. It’s back was burned and the sides were wrinkled, and paint was falling off. People probably thought we were crazy for even taking it home. But, a new back, a few dollars, and a lot of work later, we have a cute vintage kitchen island. The kitchen was too big not to have a table for more counter space, and this little guy solved our problem. Take a look! (I need to get better at remembering to take before photos of our projects! oops!)
I love those old tin tops! It does have one chip we would like to fix, but overall... Cute! What do you think?
Moving On To The Dining Room
We have also got the dining room pretty much set up (for now). We do have many projects on the list, but Illinois winters don’t allow for too much outdoor work (sanding and painting). Here is the mini tour of the dining room. And, as always, suggestions and comments are always welcome and appreciated!
This is a little corner of the dining room. The door leads down to an old basement. This was a hand-me-down metal desk. We fell in love with it. We don't really use it as a desk, but more as a table and storage (the house has NO extra linen-type closets!). The little jar is a bag of HUGs! The paiting is one by my brother, which he gave me for my birthday this year. I love this little area.
A close up of the painting by Ryan.
This is the corner of the dining room between the kitchen and the living room. The antique table and antique lamp are from my grandmother. The silver balls are modern and I think provide nice contast here. The little primitive box was one that Tony made when he was in high school. I think its adorable. I added antique bottles.
A close up of Tony's little box and the apothecary bottles.
This is the other side of the window. The plate rack obviously still needs to be hung.
This is our little red dining room table. The mismatched chairs are all painted black. if you can see the curtains here or in any other pictures, they, too, need to be replace. They are covered in fruit. Its on the project list!
This is the little wall space next to the window. I love this set up. I always love antique frames.
This is the wall behind the dining table. It is pretty bare for right now, but we are working on redoing a giant antique desk for this spot. We got the desk at an auction for $5! The candles and shelves will stay.
The Kitchen Comes Together
- The little window to the dining room. Enless possibilities. The clock happens to have faces on both sides!
Close up of the window and beautiful bottles we have collected.
View heading out kitchen door. The artsy rolling pin was an auction find. The curatins have to go, but that will be an upcoming project.
Some of the DIY the landlord tried above the microwave. He had it hidden by a mass of leaves wound in lattice. It was so dusty and ugly. So far I spruced it up with a vintage lunc box of recipies. I love the little vintage tea pot Tony found for me.
The other corner of the kitchen. Same old ugly curtain. I was also thinking about painting the cabinets. We are renters, so this might be a project for after we have been here a while. But, they are old, shabby cupboards, so maybe, just maybe...
Some More Pictures
A few more before shots.
This is the before of our living room and boxes. And the UGLY curtains!
A view from the living room into the dining room. Stuff was everywhere!
Where To Begin
So, as I said, my boyfriend and I have just recently moved into a new house. The place is cute and cozy, but it will take some work for us to arrange, decorate, remodel, and combine all of our belongings. We have been there for a couple of weeks now. But, to backtrack, here are a few photos of the house as we were moving in, and the empty rooms just asa we are starting to arrange.
Tony is making dinner in the new house with our pup Romeo.
Make Mine Eclectic 