Making Way

I have a bad cold today complete with laryngitis, so it's a day to lay low, rest up, and drink lots of hot tea with lemon and honey. A perfect day to show how the craft room redecorating is turning out. Over the years, this room has served many purposes, most recently as a sewing room arranged so toddler Paul could play along side me as I quilted. Nowadays, I'm not quilting much and the room wasn't bringing me much pleasure. Whenever I looked into it, I felt overwhelmed by all the stuff in it. It was time for a change.

Here's the "before" photo, taken from the door into the room:


Here's the "after" from the same angle.


To get this more streamlined look I had to get rid of scads of stuff that had been in the room. I was pretty ruthless about throwing out or giving away old unfinished projects, ten-year-old fabric, craft tools that hadn't been used in years, and other hold overs from enthusiasms of past years. It was time to make way for something new, and to do that meant getting rid of some of the old. And what was that "new" thing I was making room for? Well, here's the "before" from inside the room looking towards the entrance:

And the "after" from the same angle:


I rearranged the furniture with an eye to opening up the floor space and making the view from the entrance as welcoming as possible. I wanted a little corner just to sit down and relax in, and I wanted to see that inviting space from the doorway. I joked with friends that I was making a "woman cave." By moving the bookcases into the corner against the door, the chair could be moved into a more cozy space perfectly set up to read or watch TV.

I still wanted and needed a sewing area, and here's how it turned out. The "before" ....

...and the "after."


In painting this room I did something I've never done before; I painted the ceiling a color, a pale version of the teal on the wall. I really like how it turned out.


Now I need to hang some art (my quilts, of course!) and add some silver "bling" to the room. Maybe with a glitzy mirror or a clock? I'm feeling that the touches of darker wood (small bookcase and ottoman basket) are going to need to be replaced by more elegant and feminine pieces, but we'll see. There's no hurry. I'm willing to let the room unfold gradually as I use it and figure out how it can best serve this new phase of my life.