Sometimes it’s fun to flip back through photos to see how things in my home change. Is that fun to anyone else but me? It’s like seeing the before and afters of Biggest Loser contestants…except less cellulite and more ‘WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING?!?!”.
In this case, a little corner of our master bedroom went through a series of phases. And most of them got documented in the form of photos. Surprisingly I still have most of the photos. I’m not exactly the naturally-organized sort (that’s more Jeremy’s forte) so having a bunch of pictures of the same corner is kinda unbelievable.
So in the spirit of Ripley’s Believe it or Not, here is one little bit of our master boudoiur that has changed more than Hollywood’s favorite hairstyle. It began way back in 2007 with an upainted bedroom and a tallboy from my childhood. The corner really didn’t do much design-wise (unless you count a shade hanging off a lamp as a design element!)…it was more functional than anything. It provided storage for clothing and a landing zone for a bunch of clutter.
A little while later the space changed with a paint-job and a little de-cluttering. The corner got organized and sported a little art while still being great for storing t-shirts and underwear outta sight.
Then we purchased some new furniture from Wally-world. Not only did it mean that my childhood furniture got the boot but it also meant that a new arrangement was necessary to fit the new dressers properly in our room. Basically this meant that the corner was vacated. And once again, the little corner was void of all style.
Enter a visit from my pal Sherry. In a moment of bacon-induced blogger horse-play, we took a parasol and a shadeless lamp and made up a little interesting corner. Yeah. That’s a good word for it. interesting 🙂
Less than a week later, the parasol fell off the wall and birdcage/candleholder/lampshade weirded me out. So the corner went from interesting to…well…not.
Let’s just call this minimalist, shall we?
At one point I tried to put the woven basket up on the wall. But it just fit so much better on our mantle. So that simple wall decor was short-lived.
So you might be wondering what it looks like now. Well, I begged my boyfriend to dig out these old frames from basement storage and I used them to display some free art. Yeah. Those are strips from Benjamin Moore paint decks (click here for details on that project!).
And the rest of the corner is back to fully-functional as it is my ‘feeding station’. Sure, I still need to pop in a photo in the little white frame and Jeremy is working on moving the phone headset charger to another place…but the rest of the little sidetable is ready for Will’s hungry tummy. But I am pleased as punch that I have a little area just for mothering – complete with a stack of ‘mommy-books’ (just in case I need a reminder of all those how-to’s) and a hurricane vase chock full of boob-gear. You heard right. That vase has a bunch of breast pads, some nip-products, and a burp-cloth.
So that is how one little corner of our humble home has changed from messy to dressy to bare to strange back to bare to simple to boobielicious in a few short years. Wow. Talk about a metamorphasis!
Anyone else out there who can’t keep their paws from changing a certain space? It might not be a corner in your bedroom. It might be your bed linens, or it might be your foyer paint color or it might be your bathroom closet. Maybe it’s your cabinets that get a switcheroo every other month? Or perhaps you just can’t keep your mits outta rearranging the fridge shelves? I need to know. Tell me. Immediately. What’s the space and tell me how often you change it.
LOL! All of the above…I (we, the hubs and I) have re-painted again and again. I have changed curtains/throw pillows as often as I have changed my underwear this year (trust me, this means a lot of curtain/pillow changing, not lack of underwear changing).
You are going to think I am insane, but our craziest transformation would be our downstairs bathroom. OY! 5 different paint jobs (gold and red sponge, red, burgundy, chocolate brown, and sand tan), countless shower curtains, and many different trinkets. I will have pics on my blog soon!
It’s been hectic, it’s been fun, it’s been exhausting! 🙂
Anywho…I am starting my own design blog after years of building motivation. Thanks to you and YHL for kicking me in gear! 🙂
It is a work in progress, but I am getting there. Definitely check it out sometime. I plan on posting pics of all of my transformations soon!
BTW- Congrats on baby Will! What a stud! We welcomed our first child last July. He is our world. Welcome to mommyhood!!
Ok, I know I have written a novel, but definitely look into organic cotton washable breast pads (of you don’t have them already). They are much friendlier on the ta-ta’s!! 🙂 Congrats again!
This post reminded me that I still need to make my paint deck art! I tried doing it with the few dozen paint chips I have saved up at home but I quickly noticed I had marked 90% of them with ‘exterior’, ‘bedroom’, ‘bathroom’, etc. Daaaayum. Time to make another trip to the Depot to hang my head in shame as I take one of each and every paint chip.
Hope little Will is doing well! He’s just too stinkin cute. Can’t wait to hear the birth story!
I’m always rearranging artwork throughout the entire house. I get bored easily so moving all our pictures, paintings, and random hanging stuff is a cheap and simple way to makeover the house. Oh, and I am super impressed that you have a new post so soon after birth. Amazing!
~Erin @ Cultivating Home
I loved this post. However, I can’t wait to hear about Will. Please share!
My living room gets a constant makeover…unfortunately at the moment it is in the between stage so I have still have my old purple curtains and my new red furniture…oops! P.S. I totally thought of you when I saw this 🙂 http://www.etsy.com/listing/44425305/ipad-bacon-case
Honestly? Probably none. If we’re lucky enough to complete something the first time, we’re most likely sticking with it. Well… I guess we are changing our living room paint this summer (it’s the first room we painted when we moved in, so it’s naturally the first to get changed!).
I love that you posted all the pictures of that corner! One, because its fun to see how a space transforms. And two, because it makes me feel better that I don’t know what to do with an almost identical corner in my room! I have a long dresser in my bedroom and the corner is just plain sad – my boyfriend calls it the black hole. I covered an old side table with fabric so I could put my TV on it (not a fabulous looking flat-screen, a jahonkin tube tv). So I’ve actually been planning on buying the Dolce lounge chair, but not sure what else for that space! So thanks for all the ideas!!
Oh… More pictures of Will please. What a little sweet heart! God Bless!
My name is Beth and I am a compulsive furniture rearranger. The area that sees the most movement would be our “formal” living room. Thankfully it has lots of options so I’m always rearranging, adding things from other rooms, taking things out to make a new and fresh room. I also have season specific ‘do-dads’ that I display, whether it’s bowl of robin’s eggs in the spring or vintage Independence Day postcards during the summer.
I love getting new things for our home, but somethings just repurposing or rearranging can fill that “need something new” tickle.
I’ve changed my house around so many times, its hard to believe that I’ve only lived there for 9 months! But I do the same thing that you do! I love all of your corners, especially your new mommy version!
are you kidding?? I need a post about Baby Will!!!
I am constantly changing my consle table at the door way. I can’t see to get it right.
I’m so glad I’m not alone! I change our master bed and bath all the time. Since we got married in 2007, we’ve had at least 5 different color schemes in there. I don’t know if it’s because I can’t decide or I really don’t know what I want, but either way it’s an expensive habit that I definitely need to break. I’m so glad your corner is all fixed up, now if I could just get my bedroom and bathroom fixed up, I’d be a happy girl.
Um…yeah Katie… that corner is great and all, but I want to see more pics of the baby!! 🙂 (seriously, I do)
Well, I’m almost the opposite. I want things to be “just right” so I research and obsess and wait for sales and gather and procrastinate. Then I put it all together and make it “perfect” the first time so I won’t have to redo it. (Yeah, I spend too much time on these stages when I’m supposed to be working at my job!)
That being said, I have moved fairly often, so I have had the opportunity to start over with different spaces. I’m going through this process right now regarding art over our mantle. It’s fun and a little bit OCD.
Oh, I love that you have a mommy corner. But I REALLY, REALLY have been blog stalking you to hear your birth story and see some more pics of that precious lil’ one! Obviously, we are all living vicariously through you at the moment!!
😉
With all respect, the corner is nice, but really would rather hear about the birth, your day to days,etc.
Perhaps Katie wrote this prior to Will’s birth for an easy post, post baby? IT may be tat she didn’t write it today and is spending time with her family. Take your time KB, but I’m sure lots of people are looking forward to your birth story when you get back to posting ;o)
I love this. That just goes to show ya that it takes time to create the perfect room. Love it!
Check out my blog at lifeonmaplestreet.wordpress.com
love your nook but we want to hear about Will and your labor!!
i would rather hear about your first days as a mom!!
haha, functional AND beautiful ~ great job! Congrats again on Baby Will. He such a cutie! God bless 🙂
Congratulations on your recent addition, but I’ll spare you the baby talk, and honor desire to have your identity outside new motherhood, even if this corner functions as a nursing station. 🙂
Question:
I love things old, oftentimes they really are better made than anything you can find today. You didn’t get rid of that incredible antique dresser completely, like to the dumpster, did you? It was beautiful! At least in my eyes.
I find myself wanting to change something in almost every room. I keep being so inspired by things on TV and in mags, that I want to try them ASAP… hopefully one day I will be satisfied… it’s unlikely though (at least it keeps us busy!)
If I had to guess, I’d bet that the ever-prepared Katie Bower had some “generic-ish” posts waiting in the wings before Baby Will made his entrance just so her RSS peeps (like myself) don’t go into withdrawal. Either way, props for having any post at all when you are no doubt getting NO sleep. 🙂 Can’t wait to hear your birth story. So far, it sounds eerily like my own.
Bookcase!! We have a bookcase in our living room that I can’t keep my hands off. Rearranged it again last night. Proboably every month I have to tweak that thing.
HAHAHA. . . .clearly written pre-baby and then uploaded. Because no new mom can piece together this many coherant sentences — AND NOT ONCE MENTION THE BABY!!
Congrats and I hope you are in the middle of new mom bliss (That’s the stage before the sleep deprivation really kicks in!)
I love it all! It’s okay that you have a boob-gear vase. I’ve got a boob gear cedar chest.
Lila Ferraro
Queen Bedroom Sets
so funny and so true! that’s one of the great things about blogging everything, right?
I love looking back through our house pictures to watch the evolution!!
Whenever i check google reader I keep hoping I’ll see a birth story 🙂 but enjoy these days! It goes by so quickly! My sweet girl is already 3.5 months and I has flown by! Hope your getting some sleep and hope nursing isn’t as scary as you thought!!!!
I always end up rearranging the way my garage is sorted because the wife thinks of the garage as a “storage shed”, so my things always get shuffled! But because of that I’ve added a pegboard, two garage ceiling storage units, and some shelving space above my work bench, so I will always have a place for whatever is put in “my” area.
OMG! Painting my living area!!! It’s a HUGE room and I’m struggling to LOVE a colour, or even just a colour scheme! I think all my work in photoshop has left me feeling that every coloured thing I do should have the ability to be adjusted a few shades at a time with the click of the button.
BUT PAINT IS EXPENSIVE!! So far I’ve spent $700AU on a cream coat with a taupe feature wall (cream was too yellow for my liking) and now it’s a french grey (too blue).
My lovely boyfriend suggested adjusting the second coat of the current french grey to see if I can make it a little greyer and paler. Wish me luck!!