Thursday, June 16, 2011

Year of the PIGS - 6/15

For this week's PIGS post, we have a guest blogger. Regina!

Regina has been working on a sewing room revamp and is just about ready to reveal the after and how she managed it all on a shoestring budget. Below is her before post with more in depth pictures than she showed of her sewing space earlier this year.


So I have posted before that my 'studio' is our attic.
An attic that once sported green shag rug and gold/yellow "Greg Brady" curtains and slipcovers.

An attic with slanted ceilings, painted plank flooring, and old dark dry plywood paneling.


(and a big old mess!!!)

An attic that I willingly share with our household storage and a play space for the Munchkin.
An attic that needed some serious help....

So I set off to re-do my studio - on a very very tight budget.
Repaneling - not an option.
Redoing the floor -not an option.
Buying matching furniture -not an option.

My goal was to increase brightness, clear/hide the clutter, and make the entire space more visually pleasing to work in... not necessarily in that order.

Other considerations were keeping the area near the opening to the stairwell safe, maintaining air flow across the attic (it gets HOT up there), and CLEAN UP MY MESS!!!

I started with the desk/table.

I loved this table when I first made it - it was a combination of legs salvaged from our family dining room table (made by the father of an old school classmate of mine), a door salvaged from the renovation of our kitchen, and a large piece of glass given to me by a former co-worker.

It was big - it was sturdy - and it did the job.

Unfortunately it also sucked up all the light - created glare off the glass top - and created strange storage challenges underneath due to the angles of the legs.

Plus it was so huge that my gate leg cutting table was not able to be opened up and used - so I was cutting on a lower surface than I liked - and this piece of furniture was taking up space being stored but never used, and that just made no sense.  (Other than being a narrow flat surface where things tended to collect.)

I also wanted hubby to cut a table to create a drop-in for my sewing machine - and with the glass top and panel door construction, that was not possible.


Next I tackled the storage... well, the craft storage.  Family storage is uniform in the bins and runs all along the narrow walkway.  Not much is going to change there.

My craft storage consisted of a few dressers and a bunch of bookcases and cabinets, none of which were the same in height.  I liked the shelving options from the cabinets/bookcases, but did not like the cluttered look of them.  Two of the shelves were stacked -creating this high space where stuff got stashed and STAYED - sometimes for YEARS - without being moved.

The bookcases also set up some strange "dead space" corners where things would fall down and I could not get at them.  And things were always being stacked in front of them... one was even providing the barrier at the top of the stairwell - and therefore the shelves themselves were UNDER my desk and pretty much inaccessible.

The next thing was to tackle the wall color.  I knew this paneling was so dry that it would suck down paint in nothing flat - so priming was a must.  Moving all the furniture away from the walls was also going to be an issue.

tune in next week for the results... and the approximate cost of this "design on a dime".

Now, there really isn't any question to go along with Regina's post, but if you leave a comment on this post, you will be entered into this month's drawing. And definitely go to Regina's blog to let her know that you are anxiously awaiting the AFTER pics!

Thanks for helping me out with a post, Regina! If anyone else has something they would like to guest blog about for the PIGS, just let me know. :)

14 comments:

Amy said...

Oh my---what a space to organize! I don't think I envy her at all....

Jennifer said...

Look forward to seeing the much anticipated after pictures!

Katie M. said...

I love seeing how others arrange their sewing space. This is a very unusual space and I will look forward to seeing the 'after' pictures.

Deanna said...

This will be a big change. Even a stunner. I can feel it coming.

Coyote Quilts said...

The picture that shows the door with the corner cut off reminded me of 'home'. I lived in an apartment that was shaped just like this! I didn't have to worry about being cold in the winter that was for sure! Can't wait to see the 'after' pics!

Kristie said...

Hmmmmm....interesting! I can't wait to see her "after" photos! In the process of setting up my own space so it will be nice to see how she does it all.
Kristie

Ruthie said...

I'm anxious to see the "after"! Makes me want to go organize mine!

Tracy said...

I'm always anxious to see other ways to organize so I'm looking forward to the big "reveal"!

Melinda said...

I can sure see lots of potential in that space. I'm looking forward to seeing what Regina has done with it. I can always use some new ideas.

Maribel said...

I´m really excited how the "studio" changed. It´s great to have an own studio and not needing to work on the dining table!
Greetings
Maribel
MaribelB(at)web(dot)de

Anonymous said...

Wow, that space really was a challenge, but if I know Regina, it's going to turn out awesome!

elizabeth said...

My cousin had an upstairs that had slanted wall just like those. she build chest of drawers in the walls that way the floor space didnt get taken up. Good luck on the remodel, cant wait to see her after pics

Laura said...

I love to see how people set up their sewing space. I'm very spaced challenged living in an apartment and am always on the lookout for new ideas. Regina is going to have a very cool studio - I think the slanted walls are charming!

Pam in KC said...

I'm looking forward to reading the next installment. I'd say I'm not sure how I missed this post, but given my schedule this month I'm surprised I found it -- even if it is a week late.