Inspired Winter Project Part I

January Projects...

Inspired... out of the necessity to keep from screaming...


I am trying to get this project done before we leave on our winter vacation.

 I have been working on my computer room...

I am going to warn you, this may get ugly.

It is a small room off the front hallway when you first enter the house, for all the world to see...
 I don't know what it was originally but now it has a coat closet and bookshelves. 

By the looks of the old wallpaper in the upper cupboards, the woodworking was done in the 30s and not by a craftsman. 

The room itself has some good qualities, a floor to ceiling window and a little nook that gives it some personality.

 The trouble began when it became a catch all with the floor to ceiling shelves and cupboards.

 For 15 years it has housed old bank statements, cards, photos, golf balls ... well you get the picture. 

It had been my husbands study and civil war room but now it is very outdated and cluttered.

Lately it has become even more of a storage area with stuff from the shop. All the books and vendor files from the shop got dumped in here, plus a window and desk.

At some point I put up curtains to hide the messy shelves. 
That just got annoying.

The computer armoir  that is soooo outdated,  just got to be a black hole and I couldn't find anything anymore. And recently we had to bring the computer in and the cords were a nightmare!

I can't imagine I am the only person in the world that has a room that has taken on a life of it's own. We get busy and just have time for so much and some things get pushed to the side. Such as my little room here.

 The shop was priority for some years now but now that I closed it, I have to tackle some of these issues that have been neglected.

How do you tackle projects?

Do you draw up a plan?  What inspires you? 

What determines the color scheme and furnishings?

I thought I would walk you through my little project here and show you what goes through my head when I decorate a room. 

 Now I don't have a pat routine - each project has its own set of different problems but usually there are some rules I follow.

The first thing I do when I am about to embark on a project no matter where it might be, I sit and study the space. I might sit in that room for an hour and come back and sit some more.

This for me is such an exciting part of the project,

 did I mention... I love a good project!

 I usually have a notebook and sketch or jot down some ideas. 

Now back to this project,

 because this is such a small room.

8' X 8' with 12" shelving across the whole room.

I didn't have to sit too long and think about furniture placement, fabric and wall adornments.

The color scheme I decided on is in neutral shades of cream and brown, I know does that surprise anyone?

But this room has problems to consider;

1. Walls are papered with 4 layers and the plaster is not good in this room, 2 large fractures by the window that have been there for many years.

2. The woodwork or painted shelving is not good, paint is peeling (not in a good way) and it isn't good wood to begin with.

So with size, the problems and what I like in mind, I came to the color palette and some solutions. 

1. Leave the paper on the walls, it helps stabilize the plaster

2. I can either sand and repaint the shelves (a lot of work) or I can cover them.

So of course the first step is editing and cleaning... that was quite a job. But 4 large garbage bags later and a dining room full of books... the room was cleared.

I am trying to be conservative money wise these days, after all I am now unemployed. So it is shop my storage and studio time... or going through the stash.

 I have quite a large collection of vintage fabrics and fabric is usually what inspires me... color, texture and print or design.

This bolt of of European linen inspired the color palette for me. 

From there I started my scheme...

Cover the shelving with old book pages, (I went back and forth on this, after all I just did this in the attic but I loved the results... and it is getting so popular, will I get tired of it, if I see it all over?) 
I took a page into the paint store and got my paint color for the woodwork and ceiling. 

I decided to cover the walls with brown burlap. It would give the walls a fresh pick me up and I love the texture and the color is perfect with the book pages and the linen I want to use.

I decided to take off the ugly cupboard doors that swing too far out into the room and skirt the space with the wonderful linen from my stash.

I chose the book to use for the color, size of the page and weight. I wanted a heavier paper so it would be a little more durable. I applied the pages with wallpaper paste. Once dried I sealed the pages with an acrylic sealer, satin finish for cleaning.

Next I painted the ceiling and rough sanded and painted the woodwork a linen white with a paint and primer mixture from Behr. The woodwork would take two coats. This paint is supposed to have a high bonding quality.

The final coat of paint was a satin finish by Behr called Antique White. It was a good match for the room.


The corner with the computer needed a complete re-do, everything about that corner was frustrating. I did have that desk from the shop, so I was going to try and make that work. I loved the old white paint on it and the overall look of it but would it be comfortable sitting.
Because I had to take apart the PC plus the cable and router, we were out of internet service, so this meant get this corner done and back in running order... quickly. 
Everyone in the household was not happy during this process.

This desk worked out quite nicely, I drilled a hole in the back for the cords to go through and then organized the cords with velcro. 

The walls I rolled with wallpaper paste and put the burlap up in sections. I did tack the top with upholsters tacks just to keep the burlap in place while I got the pieces in place.
 Use the paste liberally. 

I have a problem with placing the printer where I can use it easily. It is a large printer with a copier and it is not wireless. I really wish it was wireless!
 I may have to rethink the printer.


Today I am putting the rest of the burlap on the walls and putting up the curtains. 

Added notes on using the burlap:
I purchased the burlap at Joanne Fabrics, it comes in various shades of brown and also cream. Because of the 10' ceilings in this room I used approx 15 yards, I got it on sale for $2.99 per yard. When using the burlap do not stretch the fabric when applying it to the wall, it has a loose weave and it is easy to do. I also found that it is a little see through... if you have a white wall underneath this might be a problem. To do over, I would have been a little more careful with the white paint along the edges of the trim.

I will post again when I am farther along and I can show you the finished room. If you have any questions, please just email me and I will be happy to help.


I am linking up with Debra at Common Ground for
Vintage Inspiration Friday
Please visit her and enjoy all the inspiration!

Enter Here




For all of you that are in the area, there is going to be a
Gallery Open House
Friday Jan 28 6pm
Water Street Galleries
160 S Water Street
Batavia 60510
All studios will be open and I will be there from 6 to 9pm
Artwork will be for sale and refreshments served
Hope to see you there!

Blessings
Rebecca