My art studio - finally complete!

So the room is done, and I'm going to show you before and after pictures!  (and by the way, the wall color is NOT accurate in the photo above, but I can't seem to get it right in this photo, so..)

What room?  I guess I should explain.  My son will be 25 this winter.  He is 2 years out of college, and lives and works in Boston.  Unfortunately, he doesn't get home too often.  Meanwhile, being retired, I wanted to a place to do some artwork and assorted crafty projects.  I used to use my large classroom tables for a space when I was working on a project.  But I haven't had studio space in my own home since I got married almost 26 years ago.  Other than the kitchen, every single room in our home had wall-to-wall carpeting.  And I really didn't think I could afford  (or even want to) rent studio space outside of my home.

So I had an idea:  I asked my son if I could transform his old bedroom.  He said sure, as long as the bed was still there, and a drawer for some spare clothing. Hurray!  Then hubby, a retired architect, drew up a floor plan of the room.  It has slanty ceilings and he suggested putting in dormer windows for more light and headroom.  But the cost was prohibitive.  Plus I'm more than a foot shorter than him  so the headroom wasn't as much of an issue.  But I moved around little cutouts of the furniture and came up with a plan.

One day, I said "I'm going to Lowe's to get paint samples and flooring samples".  My husband was stunned.  He didn't think I planned to start the renovation immediately.  But I did.  I came home with cans of paint, cans of spray paint for the storage units, and dragged him back with me to look at the flooring and place the order.  His jaw practically hit the floor.  Now?!!?  Anyhow, less than a month later, it is all done!!

Actually, I don't have great before pictures, because by the time I remembered to document the process, I'd already taken down the heavy room-darkening dark brown and black patterned curtains, and my son's pictures were off the walls, the giant Phish poster was off the slanted ceiling, and my stuff was all over the place in boxes.  But at that point half the room looked like this.

 And now it looks like this:

It's hard to tell the colors from these photos, but when we started the work, the room had a beige rug, old tan comforter, light coffee walls, dark brown moldings, and darker brown modular storage units (which I have kept) - the colors were chosen by my son when he was in middle school - mostly browns, tans, and black accents, curtains always closed; very dark; the colors, especially with the slanty ceilings, made the room feel small.Here's the other half of the room.

So the first step (after emptying the room of everything but the bed, an old desk chair, and the cat) was removing the carpet, because you can't have an art studio that is carpeted!

Really?  I have to move?

 We have a helper.

 Padding is removed, and we are down to the plywood sub-floor. 

 Bored with the process.

 Kitty loved the tarp on the bed, whether she was playing under it, or laying on it watching us paint.  I painted all the moldings and the walls, and hubby did the ceiling.  I'm short, he's tall.

After we painted the moldings, and started painting the corners, the new light colors made the former color look like it was salmony-pink!  It was quite bizarre.

Newly painted walls! Moldings, a pale blue, I think called 'lagoon'.  Walls, 'fresh linen'.  My goal was to make the room fresh, light and airy, kind of like an ocean breeze.  I planned to also paint the door, but my husband had another (better) plan.  The door was painted with multiple layers of lumpy paint.  It looked awful.  He removed the door, and removed all the paint, and sanded and oiled it.  You'll see it later.

Then it was time to put in the new floor.  I selected a vinyl plank flooring that we could easily install ourselves.  Or that my husband could.  I really wanted to do the work, but he put on his best macho act and told me he would be doing it himself.  Who am I to argue?  So I went to a movie matinee (The Butler) and lunch with friends to stay away and not be too annoying, and also sewed new curtains and made a little cushion for kitty, and I primed and painted the terrific particle board table I had purchased.   

 Note: my husband did not like the fabric I picked; he thought the tab fabric should have been the whole curtain.  He did not like the molding color I picked; he thought is was too light.  And he didn't agree on my floor selection.  But it was going to be MY room, and I was paying for it, so my choices stuck.  But, when the painting was done, he loved the color of both the walls and the moldings.  (See?  I knew it would work!)  And he agrees the floor is simply fabulous.  But I doubt he's changed his mind about the curtains.  By the way, that's kitty's cushion on my old ch air.  It is two-sided, knotted together around a foam cushion, no sewing at all!  Cool, huh?

And when the floor was done, we carried the storage modules out to the backyard, and I spray-primed and painted them in 4 different colors - pale blue, pale sage, cream, and a soft yellow-gold.  Again, hubby was skeptical, but they turned out just as I had envisioned.  The room was put back together, he reinstalled all the light fixtures (the room has track lighting), the door, and anything else that needed screwing, wiring, or nailing in place.  I bought a new quilt for the bed, some throw rugs, some storage baskets, an loaded everything in.  Here are some views of the completed room, starting with some of the storage modules.  I still have stuff to organize and put away, but I've made a good start.  The two drawers belong to my son's spare clothes!

 The cat-patterned cloth on the bed is a coverlet for kitty, so she doesn't shed all over the nice new stuff.  It will only work if she sleeps on it.   Which of course she won't.

 The gorilla doesn't have a name.  Can you help?

 Here's a good view that shows my beautiful (and waterproof!) floor, and a fun textured (and quite comfy) rug I found in the clearance department of  TJ Maxx.  I bought all the storage basket-y things there too. 

 Yes, there's a little old TV in the corner, on top of a couple more storage modules.  It might come in handy for 'company' from time to time.  The red cart I've had for a while - I use it for my painting supplies and palette when I'm at the easel.  I can't show you the other side of what's on the easel.  It's a monumental mess, sort of a failed textural experiment.  I'm going to try to save it.

 And a poster of a sculpture by Niki de Saint Phalle, that I just adore.  And oh - there's the wonderfully antique looking door that my husband spent two days sanding, and more time still oiling it, and refinishing all the hardware.  Thank you, hubs!!

 Above is a view looking straight into the room, and below is my cute table, and a view of one of the tracks of the track lighting. 

 And a better look at the door.

 The shelf under the window is actually an old bookshelf that was vertical in my son's room.  Hubby sliced off the bottom and installed it for me so I can put stuff on it, in it, and under it.  And here's a cat's eye view of the table. 

 And speaking of cat's eye views, here's the cat on the other side of the closed door, looking for a game.  I willingly obliged. 

I don't know why this last pic posted sideways.  Maybe because the other photos were all shot with my Nikon, and this wasn't?  The pic of me, hubs and son was shot on a vacation trip to Alaska, summer of 2005.  Fabulous time there!!

Anyhow, it's done, and now I have an art studio, my son still has a place to sleep, and it will also function as a guest bedroom in the event of a visitor.  The room feels bigger, lighter, fresher, just like I hoped.  Hopefully in the future I'll be posting what I create in here!  By the way, feel free to ask questions about the strange things on the shelves.  Thanks for sharing the tour of my renovation project!

Renovation Playlist - a happy soundtrack

What do you listen to while you're working on projects at home? This past week I've been doing a lot of painting, on the walls of my future studio space.  When my husband works on it (painting the ceiling, for example) he works in quiet.  But I like some audio company, and I used my iPad to provide that.

On the days it was rainy or gloomy out, I spent hours painting walls and trim while listening to podcasts of Radiolab via my public radio station.  If you've never listened to Radiolab, you should definitely check it out.  Each show is an hour of really unique programming with stories, science, sound, and information, and you will learn something new each time and the hour will be over before you know it.

The next couple of days I listened to an eclectic mix of music albums on th iPad:

Van Morrison (Moondance) - I have listened to this album thousands of times over the decades, and I never tire of it.

• The Lumineers - just makes me happy, ya know?
• Dear Creek (Puritans and Pioneers) - this folksy east coast band are friends of my son!
• The Gaslight Anthem (the '59 Sound) - more great music introduced to me by my son!
• Vampire Weekend (Vampire Weekend) - happy music!  I feel like I should be on a tropical beach,cocktail in hand! 
• The Beatles (Abbey Road) - Here Comes the Sun! Music to sing along with!
• Squirrel Nut Zippers (The Inevitable) - again, thanks to my son for giving me this music; how to describe it... jazzy, swingy, fun, and funky.  Dance while you paint!
• A Walk on the Moon (movie soundtrack) - the story of this movie is around the time of the Woodstock Festival in 1069, and the sound track includes wonders like Janis Joplin singing Summertime, Joni Mitchell's Cactus Tree, Grateful Dead's Ripple, and  also the Jefferson Airplane, Judy Collins, Richie Havens and so much more.  Every song is a gem.

Throw in a little Avett Brothers, some Mumford & Sons, and the Searching for Sugarman soundtrack (Sixto Rodriguez), and the time just flies!  

As I was painting and listening, I couldn't help but think that the music I had selected was often music that would play well in the classroom, with a little pre-editing for the occasional inappropriate lyric.  A classroom of kids listening to Vampire Weekend or Squirrel Nut Zippers, or the Beatles 'Here Comes the Sun' couldn't help but be happy!

By the way, the wall painting is done, and the floor replacement is next, but we will be in Maine for a few days so be patient - eventually you will see the entire room transformation from a teenage boy room into an airy and colorful art studio!  (I hope!)

Thoughts from an AWOL Blogger - empty nesting and a place to create

my happy toes

This is the longest I've ever gone without posting to the blog, in the 3+ years I've been blogging, so I want apologize, and tell you what I've been doing.  Hopefully this isn't too much to read...  And by the way, yes, those are my toes on my short chubby little feet.  I couldn't decide on a color so I used them all!

on a hike to Palmer Pond

I've spent a bit of time recently at our 'camp', where there is no internet; while there I've been swimming (I swam across the lake - which really isn't too big a deal - it's just about 1/4 mile - but still, it was fun), kayaking, and taking some walks/hikes in the woods and to a lovely secluded pond with my hubby and my Nikon.

walking to Palmer Pond

mushroom!

 

 And a couple of days ago I made my annual trek to the beautiful Saratoga Race Track, with a friend of 18 years that I met when we were both attending a workshop run by NYSUT (NY State United Teachers) for new union presidents.  We ranted and raved about things going on in our school districts until late into the night, and forged a lasting friendship.

a day at the races

But my biggest thing has been a renovation I am undertaking in my own home.  Two items will provide a little background on this mystery renovation:

1)  Some of you readers are my age, but I know many of you are young, newer teachers, with young families.  But not me.  I am one year retired after 36 years teaching, with a son turning 25 in January.  My son has always been the light of my life, but kids do grow up and move out, and we have to readjust our lives.  When he went away for college, he came home just on the summer and holidays, and then, when he had an internship in South Africa, he didn't even come home for the summer.  Suddenly nobody was living in his bedroom.  He graduated from college 2 years ago, moved to Boston, and found a job, and now rarely is able to get home.  Do we miss him?  Of course.  But we are proud that we raised an intelligent, independent, quirky, ambitious, and happy young man, and we have enjoyed readjusting to our empty nest lives, with no swim meets, Strolling Strings concerts, carpools, Blue and Gold Scout dinners, etc.  We can come and go as we please. 

My son, bungee jumping in South Africa, off the Bloukrans Bridge 3 summers ago.  This is the world's highest commercial bungee jump (or at least it was at the time).  He smartly didn't tell us about it until afterwards. 

2)  I didn't get married until I was 35, and had my son when I was 36.  Until I got married, I lived in my own apartments, and always had a room that functioned as a studio.  When I got married, I moved into a house without studio space.  Except the kitchen, the whole house is carpeted.  It is an over-100 year old house, with small oddball rooms, many with slanty ceilings, and no extra space.  When I was a parent of a young child, teaching full-time and also union president, I didn't seem to have much time for doing my own artwork, so I didn't worry much about the loss of the studio.  Over the years, my school district built a new school, and I got a beautiful classroom with large work tables.  When I had personal projects to work on, I often did them after-hours in school, using my classroom as my own personal workspace.  Until I retired, that is.   I hadn't thought about the loss of my classroom in this way until it happened.  All the mountains of stuff I brought home from my classroom went into my son's room and sat there in boxes, with no way to easily access any of it.

Thus, the renovation project:  With my son's permission, I am transforming his bedroom into my very own art studio space!  My son's only stipulation is that the bed remain, so there is a place for him to sleep when he visits, and a drawer for some of his spare clothing. (Of course!  We wouldn't have it any other way!)  At first, my husband suggested cutting into the slanting ceilings (my husband is an architect, by the way) and inserting dormer windows for extra head-room and sunlight.  But after much consideration, we realized that the time and money involved were more than I had in mind.  Besides, I am about 14" shorter than my husband so the headroom isn't as much of a problem for me as it is for him.

Sneak peek - the room before renovation, while being packed up.

Sneak peek - a bunch of my junk in my son's room, before renovation.

So instead, the makeover is cosmetic, but I cannot show you yet!  I am taking a boy's brown-themed room (dark brown moldings and modular storage units, latte colored walls, brown and black patterned curtains, and tan bedspread - ugh - he picked it all out when he was in middle school - and making it feel light and airy, like a an ocean breeze.  The dark and gloomy room is beginning to feel fresh and clean.  In the past week, we have removed the carpet, and I have primed and painted the moldings, and am 1/2 way through painting the room.  My husband has stripped about 6000 layers of paint off the door.  In less than a week we'll be heading to Maine for a few days, so I'll get back to the renovations when we return.  (Lucky us, our son will hop a train in Boston after work on Friday and we'll get to have him with us until Monday morning.  Yeah!!)  Sand sculpture, here we come!  What should we build this year?

My renovation helper; carpet removal.

The crazy thing is how fast this is all happening.  My husband has absolutely no sense of time, but I am used to schedules and getting things DONE.  So one day I went to Lowe's and looked at the flooring choices, and then dragged hubs with me to see what I wanted.  He didn't necessarily agree with my choices, but it is MY room, MY choice.  First time ever I that I get to make these decisions without a little compromise, and I love it!

A few days later I came home with paint samples.  I picked out colors and off I went to buy the paint for the trim, walls, and modular storage. My husband was stunned.  "You are already buying paint??? Why didn't you at least wait until you were done painting the room to buy the storage unit paint?"  (Um, well, I want to get this thing DONE, and I know what I want!)  And then I stopped at the fabric store and bought material for curtains, stunning him even further.  ("Already?!" and when I asked his opinion, he said "well, if you like it...")  And the icing on the cake was the day I came home from a visit to TJ Maxx with a new quilt, bedskirt, and pillow shams for the bed.  Hubby was speechless.  Today he went in the room to see the newly painted moldings and actually to his surprise, he LOVES the color I chose.  Um, don't you think he should trust me to make good color decisions??

I'm extremely excited about this new part of my life.  I love that the decisions are all mine.  I love that I will have a place to put my easel without needing a dropcloth under it.  I love that I can plug in the electric fry pan and do some authentic batik for the first time in decades.  I love that there is still a place for my baby, when he is able to get home, and that he isn't upset to see his brown bedroom disappear.

But you will have to wait to see pictures...