Category: Craft Room

Värde Cabinets for the Craft Room (Former Kitchen)
This all started because I needed to hem a shower curtain for the bathroom and as I cleared off some space to work, I thought, ‘eh, I should make this area nicer.’ Now here we are with a 3D model of the whole room! Makes sense.

As a reminder, here’s what we started with.

The stove and fridge were both donated and are gone. I’m not attached to the built-in wooden shelves and cabinet, so I’m not sure if they’re staying or being replaced (as in the model). They aren’t particularly nice, but I know people love them some built-ins. If it goes, one of our IKEA Värde cabinets will replace it — we have three: one with twelve drawers, another with two doors, and one with three drawers and two shelves. The entire line has been discontinued, but we brought ours with us from our last house.

I confess, I still haven’t taken out the metal sink cabinet that’s in the space now. Once I do though, one of the above units will replace it. I’m planning on keeping the plumbing and hacking one of the cabinets to fit a sink — pretty handy to have a sink in a craft room! IKEA used to sell a base with a stainless steel integrated sink and countertop, but I’ve seen some hacks for adding a sink to the butcher-block topped units.
I haven’t chosen a sink yet. An apron front or vintage drainboard would be awesome, but I don’t know if I want to devote that much space to a sink when it’s really not going to get heavy-duty use. It’s more for cleaning messy things like paint brushes, or maybe the occasional glass. I’m entertaining the idea of popping a mini fridge up there with a little freezer component so I can keep drinks and ice cubes up there. It’s not that hard to walk down to the kitchen, but hey. Crafting works up a thirst, and I’m lazy! If we were keeping this as a kitchen, I’d want a cute little Smeg fridge, but I don’t think I can justify it for a craft room.

Photo by Nadine, Herz-Allerliebst

Anyways. Once everything is laid out, there will be a whole lot of painting. These units look pretty fantastic with a little modification.
They make a good base, right? This is going to be fun.
July 12, 2016
Getting Rid of Things

Guys, what do I do with this metal cabinet? It’s really not in good shape. The doors don’t close properly and the area below the sink is super gross. I’m inclined to put it in the alley in hopes that a scrapper will take it (which is likely).

I’m working away on the rest of the space, coming up with a plan, turning it into a bigger project than I originally intended. You know. As one does. And I’m making progress with all of the stuff, though I didn’t get as far as I’d hoped.

I should list some of it on eBay, but I’m hesitant. I’m thinking specifically of my Gocco machine with screens, bulbs, and tons of ink. Or the three button-making machines and assorted button and magnet supplies. I sold or gave away a ton of paper, envelopes, and cello sleeves when we moved, but I kept a lot of the equipment. In part, it’s because I remember how expensive it all was (who’s going to buy this thing?), and in part because my shop was a huge part of my life. So I hold on to them.

But those shelves? Those can go once they’re cleared off. Eff those things.

July 5, 2016
I Have a Few Craft Supplies

We have plans to spend time with friends and go to a parade for the Fourth, but I’ll also be working around the house. I’m in cleaning and organizing mode, tackling the former kitchen on the third floor. We’ve been using it as a craft room, but it’s not exactly cute or inspiring to be in there right now. One big step toward improving it will be in clearing off the overloaded shelves.

These drawers are gloriously empty, while the shelves are packed. Time to remedy that this weekend.

We also have two more pieces in the garage (from the studio / craft room in the old house) that can be brought up if we need either of them. The bathroom on the third floor is just about finished, and now I want to bring some order to the rest of the space. Hooray for keeping busy, and hooray for clearing out some of the crap we’ve accumulated!

July 1, 2016
The Victorian House: Third Floor

You’ve seen the first and second floors of the Victorian, and the basement, too. Today, we’re heading up to the finished attic on the third floor for the last leg of the house tour.

This floor could still function as a standalone apartment, but cannot legally be rented out. As I understand it, once you convert a multi-unit home in Oak Park back into a single-family residence (as it was originally), it’s not easy to go back the other way. It could be a nanny suite or a family member could stay there, but we don’t intend to do either so I haven’t researched it further.

Behold! Our third kitchen!

Can you get a sense of scale from the photo? I love my wide-angle lens, but it makes everything look larger than it really is. The fridge is about as tall as I am, and the stove is tiny. This is the space that I thought would make a darling laundry room. Can’t you picture it? Of course, I knew that the gas and water hookups would have to be changed to accommodate a washer and dryer, and I had planned to talk to the structural engineer from our home inspection about the added weight. It’s not sounding like such a smart idea now though, after some of your comments about stress to the structure and potential water damage. She was a cute idea, the laundry room up there, but perhaps not meant to be.

The house’s third bathroom is across the hall.

There are also two small closetless rooms up here. One will be Brandon’s office, and the other will be a guest room.

And now, on to the kids’ favorite room in the house. We’ve already begun setting it up with their toys, and it’s going to be an amazing place to play.

There is a little door, about five feet tall, that leads to The Rainbow Room.

We live in ‘The Rainbow House.’ I’ll write more about the meaning behind that (besides the obvious in the stained glass), but the phrase has already come up in this video of me and Eleanor. When she refers to the rainbow secret passage, she’s talking about the closet with the stained glass window. August likes playing up there too, but Eleanor is in love.

September 4, 2013