Real Before and After Pictures - My New Office

Did you like the before and after pictures I posted earlier today? 

I love cracking myself up, often left alone to laugh at my own jokes.  He, he, he.

Here are the real before and after pictures of my new office, our new painted walls, and newly refinished hard wood floors.  What do you think?

Before

 

After...

 

Living Room

A place to put on shoes

Dinning Room

Hallway

Walking into my office, off the living room

A place to sit and think

This picture is titled "She was always prepared for what she suspected might be just around the corner" by Lisa Kattenbraker

Here are the pull down blinds for the french doors --will hang soon.  This will help give privacy like I mentioned in "Create a Space that Works for You".

My HUGE work space!

More storage

I love adding details like this to spaces, details that help the space shine just a hint more than it would without them.

More details

More storage and organization

When creating a space that works for you, think about how you can hide practical pieces like this functional, magnetic curtain rod, which is being used to hold my quilt tops.

The french doors look into the living room

I might need to lock you all out now, I have a lot of work to get done ;)

To see more, follow these links to see our home's exterior, our back yard, Monet's bedroom and our bathroom.

Thanks for taking a tour through our newly renovated home.  What do you think?  

Before and After Pictures - My New Office

Before

And after...

So what do you think?  Was my remodel a success?  He, he, he. 

Be Patient During the Chaos

Are you in a position of comfort and routine?  What a dream!?  I bet you're tempted to stay there right?  Yet, have you considered what a little chaos might add to your life?  Let me explain...

My house is in complete and utter disarray.  That's right, "The Artists' House" looks more like the inside of a storage unit than anything else these days...

The reason being that we are currently remodeling three rooms in our small six room home: refinishing original wood floors, creating a studio slash office space for me, and repainting 2/3 of the house's interior.  And while this project was my idea, chaos like this goes against every bone in my body.  My personality demands control, order, and routine; unfortunately my life could not be further from that right now.

Yet, in a couple days when this "little" project is all said and done, the results will absolutely be worth the chaos it took to achieve what I know will be a beautiful space.  

This really got me thinking beyond my home, and instead about the things I create everyday.  Often when I step out of the daily routine of what's comfortable, both me and my work grow and evolve.  And even though it's more comfortable to keep creating things that are familiar, I think it's important to step out and try new techniques, ideas, and inspirations within the realm of one's work. 

Are you too comfortable?  Where do you need to step out of your comfort zone to achieve something beautiful?  The results might surprise you, as long as you can be patient during the chaos. 

Well, its back to work for me.  The bucket of paint and brush are screaming my name....

Before and After Pictures...

The art of making a house a home sometimes requires that things be custom made for a space. I recently picked up an old wooden cabinet that had been converted into a play stove for kids. It was still in pretty good shape but definitely needed a little TLC. Josh took off all the old hardware, gave it a good sand, painted it, and added new door handles to match our little girl's room. Finally Josh rummaged through his pile of miscellaneous junk to find the perfect oven temperature knob. Along with that, Josh also made a grocery cart. Can you see it parked next to the newly renovated stove? I think a matching fridge is in the works for Christmas. Shhh, don't tell.

Here are the before and after pictures...

To make a room stand out as being unique, and truly belonging to you, you need to find a way to customize it with things that are truly one-of-a-kind; those things can be made by your or by others.  This is the secret behind the art of making a house a home.  In my daughter's room for example, items have been made by 16 different crafters and artists...

Print by Artist Charley Harper

 

Fairy furniture by Utah Artist Debbie Schraman

Custom made changing table by Great Grandpa Korte who specializes in woodwork

Hand-knit blankets, custom made by Great Grandma Korte and Grandma Kathy

Handmade one-of-a-kind quilt, custom made by nine of my dearest Utah friends

Custom made bed-skirt, curtains, one-of-a-kind machine appliqued quilt, and baby mobile all made by me.

All these items, perfectly mixed together like a good recipe, make Monet's room a genuine masterpiece.  Not only is it aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but it's also warm to the heart because the items have been made by real people.  As Monet get's older, I'm sure the collection in her room will grow.  Like a fine wine, a house becomes a home over time.