Livening Up a Grey Room with a Roman Shade

Grey is a bleh color to me when it comes to decorating. I have hated the trend that everybody has been fond of - painting everything a neutral grey. To me it seems cold, dreary, depressing, and institutional or prison-like. So, I was not thrilled years ago when my mother-in-law had the walls and cabinetry in the basement painted grey. Knowing that it was to be her space, I did not want to object and really wanted her space to be her own. Now that we are reclaiming that space and repurposing it to meet our needs, I am learning to live with the grey as best I can. The paint is still in really good shape and I just cannot justify having it covered over just because it is not my favorite. So, I am looking for ways to live with it but liven it up.

One of the grey walls in the basement.

We recently began to turn one of the front basement rooms into an office. I need a dedicated work space, since I still work from home many days. I will also want an office-type space even after I retire. I will want a space for bill paying and working on our farm paperwork. I will want a space for writing as I want to write a book similar to the one I helped my mother to put together as a way to share her lifetime memories with our children. I will want to have a space for sewing and crafting when I take on creative projects.

So, I began to look for ways to liven up the grey room and make it more friendly. I decided that an easy way to get started with that would be to add a decorative window treatment. I knew that I didn't want to cover the window because I want all the natural light I can get coming in through the window. There are blinds for controlling the sunlight where it won't be glaring in and blinding while I work at the desk. 

My first thought was that I wanted to add pretty floral panels to the sides of the window and make the room rather feminine. Then, I realized that might not be a possibility because the window is not really centered on the wall allowing for a full drapery panel on either side of the window without covering any of the window. On the right side, there is about three inches and on the left, there is considerably more space.

So, I started turning through the pages of my 'house look books' and surfing the net and saving ideas. I began to notice a trend in what I was collecting. They seemed to all have some sort of floral Roman shade that draws the eye up but brightens and livens up the space. The inspiration I seemed to keep coming back to was this office with a Jacobean print shade and incorporated the greens and blues that I have going on in the room already. 

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So, my next turn was to dig through my fabric stash and see what I already had that might work to combine the color scheme I had started. Remember that I am trying to do this office on a budget and I want to use as many things that we already have as possible. I have a pair of pillow covers made of a Jacobean print that I first bought to try to work into a bedroom with my grandmother's cross-stitched quilt. The fabric turned out to be a bit too creamy or lean too far toward yellow. So, I made a couple of pillow covers that I use in the den and hung the rest of the fabric on a hanger to keep in my stash.

When, I pulled it out, I realized that it might just be the perfect fabric. It has the hunter green color that is found in the green check chair and it has a nice sky blue color that would brighten things up as well. So, I quickly decided that I ad found my fabric to use in the office. When I started measuring and planning, I realized that I was going to have to seam a couple of pieces together to reach all the way across the double windows. So, I gave my friend, Kathy, a call. She made thousands of window treatments over the years and I knew she would be a good resource. Of course, I watched dozens of online videos as well! The two that wound up being my strongest resources were How to Make a False Roman Shade and How to Make a Roman Shade. 

Kathy suggested that I might not want to have the seam running down the middle of the window because that might draw too much attention to it. After I sent her a hand full of photos, she told me that I might not need to worry about the seam showing because there was so much going on in the fabric and I might be able to match the print quite well. So, I went to work.

I measured my windows and measured my fabric and used the instructions provided by the YouTube videos. Then, I stretched the fabric out across the floor and ripped one end to get a straight edge. I know that isn't recommended for all drapery fabrics due to the width and the nature of the fabric's weave. It is just something I feel better about when I am sewing. A straight edge makes my life easier. Then, I began to stretch out the next run of fabric to match the print for the seam.

Matching it up was pretty easy. In my mind, I was thinking I would just sew the two pieces together to make a tube. Then, I would split one of the runs of fabric so that I had a seam on both sides and the center panel would be one run of the fabric. As it turned out, that match up wouldn't work out for me so well. So, I decided I would stitch the two together and see out the seam turned out. 

Kathy suggested that I press under one of the fabric's selvage edges to make the matching a bit easier. Plus, I could just stitch along the fold of the pressed edge and my seam would probably be easier and nicer to match up. It worked beautifully!

The fabric panel on the right has the selvage pressed under 

and the two pieces are pinned together to match the print.

With excitement, I stitched the two pieces together and gave the entire thing a nice pressing. 

Then, I turned to the other selvages and sides and realized that it wasn't going to work out as a had envisioned. The edges and the print was not matching up as I'd thought it would. So, the beauty of having this space is - I could walk away from it and leave it out for a while to decide what to do next. I ordered some trim tape to cover the seams and thought that might be the way I would go. 

At this point, I was going to have to make the shade shorter or have less folds 

or cover the seam somehow because the sides were not matching up as I'd hoped.

The more I thought about it, the more I began to think that the print of the fabric was not going to show the seaming as obviously as I had worried it might and I wouldn't need to do anything for it to be camouflaged it at all. So, I just decided to cut one side off and press the seam out and stitch the lining to the fabric. Then, hang it and hope nobody noticed the seam.

Close up of the seamed fabrics

As it turns out, that was the right thing to do in this case. The shade looks nice in my office and really adds some life and pulls the colors I'm using in the room together.

I love how it brightens the space and looks feminine and cheerful.

Even with the sunlight streaming in, the seam is not obvious at all. And if somebody is nosey enough to look and see if there is a seam, they will just have to find it!

Designating a Room as the Office

 One of the things Mike and I knew immediately that we wanted to do when reworking the basement and parceling out his mother's belongings as she had wished is that we knew I need a designated space as an office and work room. 

Since I was sent home to work during Covid, I had just perched on a little desk space that my parents had made when I was a girl and it worked out fine. Sometimes my need to be online in a live virtual meeting was an inconvenience for Mike. Sometimes there were distractions when I needed to be working. All too frequently, I worked long, late hours because it was just too easy to work with my computer and desk right there.

So, now we have the space for me to designate a room as the office. Just after Christmas, I noticed an inexpensive desk and chair offered for sale on Facebook. It was just the right size - large enough to hold my laptop and extra monitor and microphone and notes but not a big executive desk. So, I jumped on that and brought the desk home. Mike helped me get it out of my truck and into the room. 

I shoved the wicker sofa, chair, table, and accessories to the other end of the room. With the beginning of the new year and a new school semester I was beginning work in my new office!

I had already decided that we were going to set this office up on a shoestring budget. I didn't want to spend a potload of money to make it beautiful and functional when we already have so much stuff. However, I also wanted it to be beautiful and inspire me to work.

With a little time, I began to search for inspiration to make this really become a space where I want to work and am inspired to do good things. So, I started thumbing through my 'look books' where designers who are featured in places like Southern Living show how they have decorated homes for clients and themselves. I began to scroll through Pinterest and Instagram and save ideas that I saw which inspired me. 

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My first thought was that I would put my desk in the space where the window would be off to my side. So, this office really inspired me. I had thoughts of painting the desk and adding panels of drapery at the window and really making it a feminine space.

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I began to notice that another characteristic seemed consistent - there was shelving and storage in each of them. Knowing that I wanted to set this up on a shoestring budget and that I might not always want to have built-in shelving and storage in the room, I began to try to think of how to provide that shelving and storage in another way.

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I also noticed that several of the pictures I was saving as inspiration had cozy seating. Knowing that the Mister might stop in to visit and chat, I knew I would need an extra spot to perch. I thought it would also be a good thing to have comfy seating for when I'm not doing computer work. So, a comfy chair or seating area needed to be included.

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Sometimes saving a picture sparks more ideas and would prompt me to consider things we already have that could be put into service. For example, in the image below there is a green checked wingback chair. There was already a green checked wingback chair sitting in the room that had been my mother-in-law's. Seeing the drop leaf table also made me realize that there was one in the basement den and that might be a great way to have expandable surface space. It could be handy when I want to craft and need more surface area for spreading fabric out or other crafting supplies. 

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Seeing a couple of photos that had the desk centered up in front of the window helped me to realize that I could be taking full advantage of the light there. The room is in our basement and is painted what I call 'prison grey.' The paint color was chosen by my mother-in-law and is still in good shape but grey is just not a color I like. So, I hated to go to the expense of repainting when the color is rather neutral. I decided that I would just use the assets we have and make the most of it.

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I began to scroll through online estate sale postings and Facebook Marketplace. One of the first china cupboards I saw, I fell in love with. I thought the color of the wood was nice, warm, and light and might not even need painting and liked the number of drawers for holding things. The catch was that the seller wanted more money than I wanted to spend.

A friend started surfing and looking for similar items with smaller price tags. Yet, when I would inquire, it seemed that each one had a catch - something might be broken or the drive was more than an hour away or the seller didn't respond. So, after a couple of days, I bit the bullet and bought the one that tugged at my heartstrings. When I got it home, the Mister was all grumbly but I could tell he mostly was grumbling about having to move it more than anything else. He had lined up my bonus son to come over and help provide some brawn to get it unloaded and placed in the space. So, the three of us manhandled her into my new office!

Once in place, the bonus son commented, "That's a nice piece of furniture." So, the Mister rolled his eyes and I puffed my chest out and all was well with the world. Immediately, I moved the green checked wingback chair that had been sitting in the corner over on the opposite side of the room and things started taking shape.

Next, I dragged a drop-leaf table from the basement den down the hallway and set it across the room from the new cabinet. The color of the wood was almost identical. Plus, it would provide that expandable surface area when needed - and it is a nice, beautiful piece of furniture as well.

Things that are always being considered as I work on this space to make it a reflection of who I am and what the intended focus of this room is include:

• It is a basement room and there is very little lighting - only one can light in the center of the room.
• It will be used for my work as an instructional designer until I retire from the education business.
• It is where I will be working on writing projects and will continue in that capacity even after I retire.
• It is where I will be doing stitching and sewing in the space. So, there will be lots of stray threads and scraps of fabric.
• When I sew, I will also be using the ironing board and iron. So, there will need to be open space for that vital equipment.
• I will need to store fabrics, trims, thread, office supplies, crafting supplies, and such in there.
• I want the space to be a work horse but also keep to my shoestring budget.

So, the designated office space is taking shape. Updates will be shared in a later post. It already looks quite different from the photos here but it still has a journey to go before I will call it meeting up to my inspiration.

Happy Independence Day!

From our house to yours!

Porch Oasis

During this time of staying home our front porch has become an oasis for me. The sun shines in during the morning hours which is great during this cooler time of year. It was also great during the summer months because the shade would cool things down as the sun rotated around to the other side of the house. I have enjoyed sitting out there and watching the world go by down the highway that runs in front of our house. I'll take a tablet out there and check my personal email and catch up on blog reading. I'll peruse some online magazines or Instagram and pin some inspirational photos. 

Sometimes it would just be my loyal companion and I and sometimes we might have a few visitors.

I was so grateful to have this space as an outdoor room where we could read a book, watch the world go by, take a nap, and just relax.  One thing I did notice during July and early August is that even though the space was shady after lunchtime, it still was a bit hot. Plus, late in the afternoons when there was no air stirring the mosquitos tried to feast on me. So, Mike and I talked about it and decided a ceiling fan might be a good investment.  As with most home choices, Mike left it to me to decide the style and location. So, when we had Richard Stanaland from The Tool Chest here to do a few handyman jobs, I made sure to have the ceiling fan ordered and ready to install.

Since it was already October before we got around to having the work done, the dog days of hot weather were already past. We've had a warm day or two and I turned the fan on in the afternoon when I went out after finishing up work. So, I know that the stirring air discourages the mosquitos and bugs somewhat. I'm looking forward to the breeze it will provide when next summer comes, though!

Patience

I've been bugging Mike to put a new top on the table for the front porch.  A few months back a strong wind storm did a number on it and broke the glass top that was on it. 

Mike doesn't have quite the urgency that I do for the project.  So, I'm having to be patient. 

Patience is hard for me.

Yesterday, when I had finished working from here at home, I hopped on the ATV with Mike and we went for a ride.  We rode all over our ponderosa and even a little bit of the neighbors'.  We wound up back at Pop's barn where I checked out the progress of the seedlings he has been nurturing.

Then, we eased around the side of the barn to go close up the greenhouse for the evening to keep the new seed trays from getting too cool during the overnight temperatures.  I noticed something as we rode by the seedlings again.  Do you see it?

I think my exact words to Mike were, "I like how you crafted that plant table."

He responded, "Now, honey, that is a fine example of some redneck-carpentry there!"

So, today, when I mentioned how nice it would be if I had a new top on that table on the front porch so I have a place to set my coffee cup, he began to tell me how he would be glad to bring me one of those red plastic tubs and some different pieces of lumber to stack upon it.

Somehow, I'm learning that patience might be easier than I thought.

Bunnies Hopping Up Here And There

I guess it is just that time of year but around here, bunnies seem to be hopping up here and there.  This well-dressed young lady perched on the side of a tulip pitcher recently appeared in the front bedroom right beside the child's tea sets.

This little guy is peeking out from some hand towels in the guest bathroom.

This smiling pair with waggling friends have perched on the hearth.

The crackled little grandma reading to her grand is on the table at the end of the couch.

This sweet sleepy pair are on the buffet in the den.

This friend is cheering up the china cupboard in the kitchen.

This cheerful fellow greets you at the front door!

Spring and bunnies are hopping up all over the place around here!