Tag: attic

A Better Look at the Playroom

Yesterday’s post was more about how we use the space, but today I wanted to share some more photos of the playroom. It isn’t quite done, but nearly so.

I have some clips for hanging the kids’ art that I want to put up, and some other prints and paintings to hang. I sewed those curtains way back when, and now that they’re up, I can take down the old blinds that are still there. The windows themselves though are the worst in the house. I’d like them to be painted white, but I suspect they’ll need repair or replacement, so I’m holding off until I assess my options.

Eleanor has a lot of tea parties here. She setup this little homemade booster seat a couple of days ago, and seeing it was one of those “awwww” moments of parenting.

Both she and August like to use the play kitchen a lot. As much as I like pink, I was hoping for something more gender-neutral in color, but then I found this one on clearance for a great price. It’s well-made and fun to play with, and I’m pretty sure neither kid cares what color it is.

Ever wonder where those flea market mannequins of mine went? There they are! On the right.

Good golly, they really are creepy, aren’t they? It’s like the latex head Brandon used to hide in our kitchen cabinets — you get so used to the weird creep-factor that you kind of forget about it until you see it through someone else’s eyes.

Let’s move on. Dress-up closet!

Outside the closet, I lined up the bookshelves that used to be in Eleanor’s room, in the last house.

Then we have the easel, and the art desk, which you saw yesterday. (And the creepy mannequins again. Hi!)

I’m planning on painting a fun pattern behind the art desk, to break up all the white, and putting up the kids’ artwork will help too.

It may not be done, but it’s working so nicely for us.

March 12, 2014
The Bathroom on the Third Floor

It’s looking cute.

The black rubber-coated soap pump is the only thing that hasn’t made an appearance elsewhere on the blog, as far as I know. I think I bought it to use when I was redoing the main floor bathroom in the last house, but I ended up using a glass soap dispenser there instead. In this bathroom though? Perfect.

The towel is hanging from a hook that I’m reusing from the bathroom on the second floor. I have the green vintage wastecan from the half-bath that we added to the last house, and the man and woman bathroom sign vases are back, too. They aren’t always filled with fresh flowers, but let’s pretend they are.

Same with the little black pitcher next to the sink. Hello, little white flowers! Hello, nice-smelling eucalyptus!

The green bowl was also from that bathroom, along with the white first aid box. (The kids’ wipes are inside.)

I removed a medicine cabinet that was mounted above the toilet. I was going to hang some art in its place (photography, probably), but I tried it out with a placeholder print and it felt too busy between the mirror and the window. Something small, or a small grouping, could be cute. That’s the kind of thing I’ll keep in mind moving forward — if I see something, great! If not, no rush.

The mirror silver is nicely aged. This isn’t a bathroom that we use for getting ready, so a crystal clear image isn’t necessary.

The black and white polka dot shower curtain was in the first house. Even with a wide angle lens, it’s difficult to get a good shot, but it looks great in the space.

I’ve been crazy about the combination of black, white, and wood for some time now, so this bathroom is making me pretty happy. The simple palette tones down the playfulness of the polka dots too, and I love them in there. No need to take things too seriously when decorating, right?

January 28, 2014
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