Once Upon a Wall

 

So… I did a thing. Or, more accurately, I had a thing done.

If you stare at a blank wall long enough, eventually a light will turn on. This wall has bugged me ever since I moved into this house. I tried a variety of things here from making a gallery wall, to trying to place furniture, to just leaving it empty, and I hated all three. I decided that what I really wanted was some kind of storage space, and started looking on Pinterest at various ways to build in storage under a staircase. While I liked the idea of storage, I liked the idea of a wet bar so much better. I have a full-size refrigerator and freezer in the belly of the beast (the unfinished area), and, of course there’s a sink in the bathroom.  But there’s something highly unappealing about using a sink in the bathroom for purposes other than for what it’s intended.Having spent the early part of the summer moving furniture around down here, getting rid of a too large, too complicated television, and replacing it with a simple to use Roku TV, and finally coming face-to-face with a piece of antique furniture that once belonged to the late Mr. O-P (and that had filled the room with bad juju), happily dragging it to the curb, I found that I had created a wonderful space. The only thing lacking was a place for snacks, cocktails, and a cup of coffee.Joe Rogers of Advanced Carpentry & Remodeling who did my lanai, that later became my conservatory, built in my stained glass window, added skylights, wainscoting, redid my kitchen, and pretty much everything else that has taken place in this house, did this. The bar sink, faucet, and fridge I ordered from Amazon, and couldn’t have been more pleased. Drawer pulls are from Wayfair.com. Cabinet door knobs that will match the drawer pulls that I’m STILL waiting on were ordered from myknobs.com  (proceed with caution here). At the moment I’m trying to figure out exactly how to decorate it to make it both attractive and functional.What do you think?

 Photos by Joe Rogers.

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This post has been shared on Metamorphosis Monday.

 

Welcome to the Conservatory

In June 2017 I introduced you to the first of many building projects that I've had done on my home. I decided life was too short to not live my way, and I turned a small 12’ x 12’ deck into a beautiful 16’ x 16’ screened-in lanai with a 16’ x 10’ open deck attached. You can read about that here.

It was wonderful fun watching that project come into being, and I had a delightful time furnishing it. But, as it turned out, as much as I loved it, considering the intense heat and humidity that we have in this part of the country during the summer I realized that, at best, I could only use it three months out of the year.

I loved that room because it was bright and airy, and I could be outside of the house without really being outside of the house, if you know what I mean. So last year I decided to have it torn down and a four-season room built with two giant skylights. This has become my favorite room in the house. Let me introduce you to my sanctum sanctorum, the conservatory.

A lot of thought went into this room. I wanted to be able to spend a lot of time here. I wanted it to be an extension of the house. No more did I want to open up a door to step into the room, so a wall was knocked down to make the transition easy. I wanted as much light as I could get, so had two of the largest skylights I could find installed.

  The tray ceiling that my faithful builder, Joe Rogers, used in the deck, he rebuilt in the conservatory. I decided to get a bit more creative this time and have the square at top painted a different color than the ceiling. I also decided to opt for a fan without a light fixture, but quite different from the tropical design I had before in this windmill style.

A room isn’t a room without a pile of books, so I had twin bookcases built on either side of the door that leads to the deck where I grow citrus, flowers, herbs, and vegetables.

Decorating this room was a lot of fun, and despite its newness, went through a couple of transitions.  Because this was built during the pandemic and lock-down, I did a lot of my work in this room and initially used had a desk as a work table. Last weekend that came down and was replaced with this charming table for two. This is where I enjoy all my meals including morning coffee, afternoon tea, and a nightcap amidst the glow of candlelight.

As you can see, this room is as beautiful by night as it is by day.

 All of my favorite things are in here, as well as the very beginnings of a rather bohemian dollhouse.

The furniture is comfortable, the plants are plentiful, and when the citrus trees are in bloom the fragrance is heady.

Keep an eye on this space and watch as the plants grow, fruit ripens (The tall tree behind the couch is a Key Lime.), and this table for two transitions from one theme to another as seasons change.

I hope you love this room as much as I do.

 This post is shared on Metamorphosis Monday.