Katie’s bedroom [make-over] reveal

I suppose I shouldn’t procrastinate the BIG reveal of Katie’s bedroom make-over!!?? Right??? Even tho, I’m not quite finished with the decorating part. But, those final ‘personal’ touches [and acquisitions] do take time… and Katie’s pre-approval, naturally.

A quick reminder [for any newbies], Katie is my daughter (and second child) who has recently gone away to college…and I’m officially an ‘empty nester‘ [sigh]. Her brother, who preceded her by a few years, also had a bedroom make-over when he left for college. A right-of-passage, of sorts. Here’s a few earlier posts to refresh your memory… and here.

Now, I want to WARN you – in advance – that I’m not a photographer! In fact, I don’t really even like taking photos! But, I hope you can see past the blur, un-steady hand and gray November sky [ie poor lighting] and leave the rest to your imagination!!

Without further ado, drum-roll please…

First, Katie’s bedroom was ‘dismantled’ and stripped down of ‘clutter’.  Keep in mind, the dimension of her bedroom is about the size of her horse stalls [roughly 10-ft X 10-ft]. She chose gray paint for her bedroom walls (formerly blue) and wanted a more industrial/recycled decorating scheme. We found a gray duvet and various shades of gray pillow shams, linens, etc. at a local Bed, Bath & Beyond (on sale!).

I did-away with the ‘drum’ lamp shade on the existing table lamp and re-fitted it with an ‘Edison-style’ light bulb from Home Depot. The finish on the bed-side lamp happens to coordinate well with the ‘industrial-looking’ stainless steel finish on the vintage wall clock that I found at a local re-sale shop in town. 

Around the corner, Katie’s existing [curly maple] chest of drawers.

The ‘men on the i-beam photo‘ was existing wall art. However, the machinist’s lamp is new from Restoration Hardware. The recessed shelving is also new [and replaces Katie’s former desk and message board]. We purchased beefy reclaimed boards and The Hubs made the shelves adjustable…to suit Katie’s needs [and have yet to be filled].

The chair is also new!

I found the faux leather/chrome chair at Marshall’s for less than $50. Woot!

Here’s a better photo of the lamp; the armature allows the lamp to be re-positioned… and direct lighting as needed.

There’s a vintage wood stool in the corner; I painted the legs/base a darker shade of gray. It’s begging for a chunky wool hand-knit seat cover/cushion!

And that’s pretty much where we are today. I would like to settle-in and make a few hand-knit accessories/pillows, not to mention purchase vintage-looking horse anatomy poster-sized wall art. All in good time I suppose!

After all, the FUN is in the hunt!! Happy hunting!!

sneak peek [Katie’s bedroom]

For any curious souls, a few sneak peeks…

 

Freshly painted ‘new‘ gray walls [and ceiling].  The industrial-looking clock is a ‘new‘ vintage find…picking-up on some of the brushed chrome/steel details in the bedroom accessories. Also, new bedding. I want to make a few more pillows; Katie likes lots of pillows!!

Here’s Katie’s existing dresser/chest of drawers. I re-painted the peg rack [black] that hangs behind the door for miscellaneous hats, etc. The wall art/photo is also ‘existing’. It is one of the most iconic photographs of all time… ‘Lunch Atop a Skyscraper, ‘ taken over 80-years ago, high above the streets of Manhattan! Read more about the photo here.

I removed the drum-type lamp shade from the existing table-lamp and replace the conventional light bulb with a ‘vintage-style’ repro light bulb from Home Depot. The table lamp ‘works‘ because it’s also brushed chrome/steel.

We have yet to FIND the lumber/wood to construct the built-in shelving in the nook. And, still on the hunt/considering wall art… large scale horse anatomy charts, large print of Katie and her goats, etc.

Oh yeah, the thrill of the hunt! Soooooo, what do you think so far????

shelves [for Katie]

Who knew sourcing reclaimed, industrial-looking (ie beefy) wood boards (for Katie’s bedroom make-over) would turn into such a MAJOR project!!!!?????

I thought I wanted at least four shelves for her built-in nook! About 18-inches between each shelf would allow enough – SPACE – for the larger size text-book and any other  STUFF she deems shelf-worthy!

I don’t really want standard ‘dimensional’ lumber that you can purchase at a local hardware store.

A nice WIDE board, greater than 12-inches, would be great! [sigh]

We’ve looked at some reclaimed/recycled boards… chock-full of nails (which really scares The Hubs) and ROTTED…described to us as ‘ORGANIC’???!!!!? Holy cow, and pricey!!! Really????

So, we’re going back to the drawing board and looking at local lumber mills in the area. Perhaps we’ll find the ‘beefy boards’ we’re looking for?

…to be continued!

bedroom make-over [wants]

What I do know about Katie’s bedroom [make-over] WISH list:

Katie wants gray walls… but, not too dark, since her bedroom space is only about 10-feet X 10 1/2-feet (not including the closet and ‘nook’]. That’s funny!! It’s almost the size of her horse stall!! hahahaha!!! However, we can ‘accessorize’ with various shades of gray!

She wants a sort-of industrial, reclaimed/repurposed decorating scheme. Let me explain with a few photos & examples.

Here’s a few ideas for shelving in her ‘nook’ where her former desk/cork board resided [no more]!

But, we decided on ‘built-in’ shelving…I have a lead on some reclaimed 14-inch wide boards! Here’s what we’re currently thinking for the shelves in the nook.

A few accessories, can really help achieve the ‘industrial’ scheme also. A ‘special’ chair, for late night reading…!

Salvaged, unique lighting/vintage-styled bulbs perhaps?

A touch of whimsy…knitted cord cover?

…and a few personal touches: graphic ART [for the pre-vet Freshman]???

…and a touch of ‘glass’ [a new piggy bank?]. Green naturally…go MSU!

Soooooooo many ideas, my head is swimming!!! This ‘project’ is simply TOO much fun! Love you Katie!!!

my Katie [an intro]

Since my current ‘project‘ is my daughter’s bedroom make-over, I thought it might be nice for you to meet my Katie! Katie is my No.2 child (Matt is her big brother).

 

My Katie has always loved ‘the great outdoors’ and playing with her barnyard menagerie. Instead of party dresses, she’d rather be wearing barn boots! She invited the critters to tea parties and ‘dress-up’ on a regular basis. Her horses ARE her best-est friends!

Now that she’s all grown-up [all of 18-years old], I’d like to tell you that she’s a VERY hard worker, intelligent, soccer maniac and a dedicated, fun-loving friend! She HATES math and adores her daddy!

She’s very health conscious and LOVES to ‘work-out’ [especially with Matt]!!

 

But really… isn’t she adorable???

She cleans-up pretty good!!! 😀

on-going [Katie’s bedroom re-do]

The BEFORE:

The ON-GOING:

……and the IDEA/INSPIRATION NOTEBOOK:

The ideas are plentiful [while the pocket book is somewhat limited]. But, we shall get there!!

Katie’s bedroom make-over [the process]

Welcome to Katie’s bedroom! The process of Katie’s bedroom make-over begins with a deep clean!!! I already began the ‘cleaning‘ and ‘de-cluttering‘ process (as you can see from the photo below), BEFORE I thought to take a few pictures. Everyone loves BEFORE and AFTER photos, right???

Her ‘existing’ bedroom is a pretty blue as far as paint colors go! As you can see, I’ve tossed/piled lots of STUFF onto her bed from the shelves, side table, peg racks, etc. She’ll need to sort through ALL the stuff and decide what she wants to keep and/or toss.

First things first. In order to paint the ceiling and walls, EVERYTHING must come down. We begin with assessing the ‘bones’ and building a foundation (just like gardening – heehee)!

The David Smith tiger maple [stained cherry] 4-drawer dresser, side table and bed will remain during the make-over. Everything else will go! What you don’t see/already removed, is the curio [with many of Katie’s collectables), a desk/chair and wall-to-wall cork board in the nook. The shelf above the bed will be removed and recycled.

We decided to build shelves in the nook (where her desk once resided). Another shelf above her bed seems redundant and currently NOT is the design plan!

Here’s another view/angle of Katie’s bedroom. The ‘NOOK’. Our house is a Cape Cod design… need I say more??

As I mentioned, The Hubs will build shelves in this nook. I’m currently looking at 14-inch wide recycled boards…??

This is the view from the nook looking ‘south’, across her bed and closet. The window faces East.

…the view from the window looking across her bed. You can see the chest of drawers/dresser and door to the hallway.

Progress to-date: I’ve dusted and washed the ceiling and walls, removed hardware, patched and primed ‘holes’ from shelves, etc. We purchased paint for the ceiling and walls…Katie wants gray walls (we’ll paint the ceiling ‘traditional’ white).

Today [when The Hubs gets home from work], we begin to paint the ceiling! 😀

Bless this mess [Katie’s room gets a make-over]

I think I’ve mentioned once or twice (chuckle) that my daughter Katie has gone off to college! WOOP!! Of course, Katie going to Michigan State University is a VERY GOOD THING! I’m so very very excited for her!!!

Nevertheless, I know I’m experiencing a bit of ’empty nest syndrome’. Yes, I can attest that it’s real! I’ve gone through it before – when my son Matt – left for University of Michigan a few years ago too. But, it was different! I still had Katie at home, and – for purely selfish reasons – she’s my No. 1 Back-Up!!! A No. 1 Back-Up on a farm is necessary if not critical!!! (HINT: Make sure all you wanna-be FarmHers out there have a reliable back-up!)

I’ve been researching Empty Nest Syndrome and found this article helpful! I’ve taken some advice to heart!! For example: “Avoid creating a shrine out of your child’s bedroom. If they didn’t clean it up before they left, throw some of your emotions into removing all that trash! Eliminate some of the clutter, but carefully place your child’s keepsakes in safe storage.”

So, when Matt left for college, The Hubs and I re-did his personal space…his bedroom! A deep clean/de-clutter of all his – dare I say, boyish collectibles – (most of which have been relocated to the shelves in the basement), fresh paint, bedding, lighting, a comfortable chair (for reading)…that sort of thing!

And, I’m undertaking a similar ‘project‘ with Katie’s bedroom make-over!! However, Katie has been vocal suggesting her ‘likes’ and ‘needs’! Oh what FUN FUN FUN!!!

You’ll be hearing more on this little PROJECT as it unfolds!!

Happy weekend!!!