Thursday, March 26, 2015

Guest Room Revisited: The Fairy Nook

Before: The Guest Room Closet

I really don't have anything against closets, I swear.  In fact when I first saw the spacious closets that were in the two spare bedrooms in this house I thought, "Score!  More storage for me!"  However, over time they just started being real troublemakers, swallowing all my stuff, taking up way too much space and throwing off the architecture of their rooms (they were not original to this house).  I still think getting rid of the closet in my art studio was one of the best decisions I ever made, so it was only a matter of time before the guest room closet became my next sledgehammer target.

However, when it finally came time to start demolition, my muse decided to grace me with another vision.  So, instead of destroying the closet, I proceeded with the challenge of turning it into a nook.  Originally it was going to be just a book nook but when I started revisiting the guest room layout I realized I also needed a new spot for my vanity.  So it became the vanity and book nook, but we are now calling it "The Fairy Nook" for reasons that will become obvious once you see the picture below.


After: The Fairy Nook

It turns out it would probably have been much easier to just demo the whole closet but instead, Hippie and I somehow managed to widen and reframe the opening.  The whole design was inspired and dictated by the lovely old corbels at the top.  I bought these awhile ago at an antique mall and was really excited to get a chance to finally use them.  They also allowed me to create the perfect home for our reading fairy.


Corbels Before Painting and Installing Them


Our Reading Fairy Is Right At Home Here

By the way, thanks to the internet I can't see this fairy now and not think of this:


Source

Makes me smile, every time.  Anyway, though it means I am still short on bookshelves (always), I'm really glad I put the vanity here.  Our guest bath is very small so I think it is important to have one in this room.  This one I actually scored at a thrift store years ago and I'm still in love with it.

My Thrift Store Vanity In It's New Home

The larger antique mirror in the center was a birthday present from Hippie and I adore it.  The pink stool/ottoman found me at Target and made me take it home.

Irresistible Pink Stool From Target

Oh, and we can't forget the bookshelves.  Hippie helped me make and install these, though I was on my own when it came to painting them and everything else.  The color inside the nook is "Mermaid Treasure" by BEHR.  The corbels and trim were painted with Annie Sloan paint in graphite and a gold metallic glaze.

Fiction Shelves

Non Fiction Shelves

And here's a few more details:

Welcome Banner, Cool Cat Reading, Thrift Store Lamp & Accessories, Pink Unicorn & More

It was definitely a challenge but I'm so glad we created our fairy nook and I'm glad it's finally done so I can move on to "revisiting" the rest of our guest room.  Look for that post in (hopefully) a couple of weeks and thanks for stopping by!





Thursday, March 5, 2015

My Art: Heart And Soul

"Heart And Soul" Acrylic On Canvas

"Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation." - Rumi


In Loving Memory Of Our Baby Boy