craft space expanded

our living room is long and rectangular so we were able to nicely split it into a dining, living, and crafting area.  my craft desk from my last apartment fit perfectly into the space next to the fireplace. the nook has amazing natural light during the day, and is a great place for me to tinker away on the weekend. 

over the months it slowly became a surface for storing piles of of paper and miscellaneous junk (amazing how this always happens over time), and i found it difficult to work on projects and wound up working on the couch and dining table instead.   

bffbf pointed out that there was sufficient space to expand my space into an L shape, and at the next opportunity, we were off to ikea to get another cabinet, table top and legs.

the configuration is practically identical to the one i had in boston, and while i still struggle with keeping the surfaces clear (really, you should see my desk at work) the extra surface is definitely welcomed for my various projects, especially the ones where i use the silhouette, paper cutter, and sewing machine practically simultaneously.

based on bffbf's enthusiasm for the newly expanded desk, i suspect he may slowly try to take it over...

my ikea room

ta-da! say hello to my new ikea bedroom.
it's nothing to get too excited about, but i really like it.
i found this great place for rent on craigslist, that fulfilled all my 'requirements', and more.  i only had to buy the furniture for my room since my roommate had fully furnished everything else.

i mulled over furniture selection quite a bit, and in the end, ikea just won every time.  i tried to be as minimalistic as possible, but still extremely functional.  

one of the first things i bought before i even moved in was the ceiling lamp.  every rental i have ever lived in has lacked a built in ceiling light, and i have often tried to get by with a side standing lamp, which i've never liked.  i actually had this very same light in my boston apartment, and decided that i liked it enough to buy again.  it diffuses light so much better than a free standing lamp could, and since i spend a lot of time in my room, i consider it a solid decision.  and really, while having the long cord stretch across the ceiling and down the wall is not the prettiest, i think it's totally worth it.  

i already knew that i wanted most of my furniture to be white.  i considered several bed options, keeping in mind the importance of under bed space for extra storage.  i nearly went with the simple bed frame at west elm, but realized that i wanted a headboard, so i went with the nordli.  i talk about the nightstand in depth here, and it's also featured on ikea hackers. 

my craft area on one side of the room.   since i have a roommate now, so i have to keep my craft space within my bedroom.   it's a smaller version of what i used to have in boston, but this time with a glossy tabletop instead of matte.  in theory i would love a larger workspace, but i didn't want to clutter the room.  i almost went with a different desk, but i decided having a deep table that fits my cutting mat was essential.  

i intentionally arranged my furniture so i can have enough floor space to do pilates.  it is just barely enough space for my short legs to flail about without hitting something.  i don't love having my bed against the wall, especially since i'd prefer it if i could have a second nightstand, but it's still an acceptable set up.

the other side of my room, with more ikea furniture (plus the tv i got for christmas!).  my dresser has two very spacious drawers, with more than enough space for my needs.  i was pleased that my shelf fit perfectly between the wall and the door, and it only cost $20. 

it was somewhat of a struggle to decipher between my wants and my needs, but in the end, i think i came out okay.  every time i have the urge to paint my walls or buy more items, i sternly remind myself that i live in a potentially short-term rental and that i am still sans-job.   

i am considering ideas for diy wall decor, but we'll see about that!  

happy chinese new year to everyone celebrating!  my celebration involved a mostly failed attempt at making chinese new year glutinous rice cake.  i intended to post the recipe today, but as it was so sadly unsuccessful, i opted for this instead. 

ikea expedit wall shelf --> nightstand

my new life left me with zero pieces of furniture.  so as i searched for a place to live in san diego, i simultaneously started collecting ideas for my future home.

being divorced and unemployed pretty much limits my shopping range, meaning places like room&board and crate&barrel are pretty much out.  possibly forever.  luckily, i love ikea, which generally matches most of my design sensibilities without tearing too big of a hole in my pocket.  my room is mostly finished, and i am quite happy with it.  while i am not ready to showcase the full room yet, i will first show you my one "diy" piece: my nightstand.

i can be very particular.  i want things to be just so, especially when it comes to my furniture, something i see and use daily.   i bookmarked several nightstands and except for a west elm nightstand i didn't want to pay for, i had trouble finding something that would fit the bill.  but after looking through what seemed like every product on ikea.com, i settled on turning the expedit wall shelf into a nightstand by adding hairpin legs.

hairpin legs are my FAVORITE.

aren't they magnificent? !

i bought my 8" legs made to order from hairpinlegs.com and attached them to a white ikea expedit wall shelf and added a two-drawer insert.   if you want to make this nightstand, you'll also need a drill.

i also rust proofed the legs before screwing them on, since i bought the raw steel hairpin legs.  just in case.  i just did a few coats since my nightstand lives indoors (the can recommended something like 6 coats?).  the legs are also available in brushed stainless steel, but i prefer the raw look... which is also slightly cheaper.

i kind of really want a second nightstand, but i don't have anywhere to put it... nor do i really need it.  how unfortunate. 

oh, and before i forget, happy new year! ! 

craft room revealed

one of the challenges and annoyances i've discovered as a renter is dealing with furniture.  it's hard to find pieces that are versatile enough that will fit in the next space, and even worse, hard to keep furniture in good shape after it's been moved from apartment to apartment. inevitably, things get dinged up, and once nice looking chairs and tables start looking pretty grungy.   nearly all the furniture we actually brought to houston suffered cosmetically and/ or structurally.

because of this, i have been generally hesitant to purchase expensive or long-term furniture.  with this most recent cross-country move, we decided to sell about half of our furniture on craigslist, and put the money toward our joint craft/office room.  the goal was to create a completely white space (please humor me and pretend the walls you see are stark white and not cream- our landlord didn't want us to paint) that was inexpensive, functional, and minimalistic.