In the seven homes Howard and I have shared, we've always had a room full of books and comfy seating, warm and cozy and informal, where we read, talk, and fall asleep in front of the television.
Here at That Old House, choosing that room was easy. It's in the original, ca. 1832, part of the house. It is a rather busy room. It has 6 or 7 windows (depending on how you count them), 3 doors, some built in bookcases, a 3-sided windowed bump-out that is the perfect spot for my old desk, and it is right off the conservatory and the front hall.
This is mid-painting, back in April 2008.(An embarrassing confession about the painting near the end of the post!
It's a good thing I am among friends.)
This room was the house's original dining room, before a bigger dining room was added in the late 1800s.
I wanted to dub this room the snuggery, but my family rebelled. They were already indulging my whims by agreeing to call the living room the parlor (in my defense, it is a parlor!), and the sunroom the conservatory (well, it is a conservatory -- glass ceiling!).
But they drew the line at snuggery.
"Family room," said they. "Too modern," said I. We compromised. It is the study. Well, at least I call it the study. Relatives can be so stubborn.
For today's Metamorphosis Monday --
I present our partially-finished Study, featuring a happy union of mod and odd!
Click here for more sparkling transformations!
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We put our big comfy tapestry covered dog-and-kid-proof seating from our former house into this room:
We picked up an old display unit from a defunct antiques shop (you don't want to know our adventures getting this monster home from the middle of a cornfield!):
And while I started looking for old, quirky, vintage furniture for this room,
Howard went shopping for a big flat panel TV.
(Keeping it real, Howard's TV when we first moved in:)
Oh my.
Can this marriage be saved?
And the good news is, yes.
On Ebay, I found an old credenza for sale.
Excellent quality -- it was sold originally by the high end
B. Altman department store in NYC -- still has the brass tag.
It is probably about 60 years old, and has some lovely burl veneer:
It was plenty deep to hold the television.
But what about the inevitable cable box and DVD player thing-a-ma-box?
At first we just piled them next to the TV, which was off center on the credenza.
This drove me nuts. I started looking for something which would hold
the television above the credenza, and leave room underneath for the boxes.
I found a couple of options in catalogs and online, but they all cost money.
Like, more money than I had paid for the credenza.
I am not an inventor's daughter for nothing.
I stared at that credenza, television and two boxes. . . then got a pre-made shelf at Home Depot for about $3, and a length of 4 x 4 lumber that Howard chopped into several lengths, and came up with this:
We were almost there.
Out came the 4 x 4s from under the shelf, to be primed:
And then they were painted flat black (thank you, Anne!)
And presto, change-o, alla-kazam!
All sleek and nifty looking. At least, I think so.
Like so many places in That Old House, this room is also a work in progress, which is why you aren't seeing the entire room.
At one end of this room is an old Edwardian library table, my desk, also from my grandmother, who was a thrifter and scrounger extraordinaire. She claimed this library table came from Sagamore Hill, the Oyster Bay, Long Island home of Teddy Roosevelt.
I have no reason to doubt her.
Excellent quality -- it was sold originally by the high end
B. Altman department store in NYC -- still has the brass tag.
It is probably about 60 years old, and has some lovely burl veneer:
It was plenty deep to hold the television.
But what about the inevitable cable box and DVD player thing-a-ma-box?
At first we just piled them next to the TV, which was off center on the credenza.
This drove me nuts. I started looking for something which would hold
the television above the credenza, and leave room underneath for the boxes.
I found a couple of options in catalogs and online, but they all cost money.
Like, more money than I had paid for the credenza.
I am not an inventor's daughter for nothing.
I stared at that credenza, television and two boxes. . . then got a pre-made shelf at Home Depot for about $3, and a length of 4 x 4 lumber that Howard chopped into several lengths, and came up with this:
We were almost there.
Out came the 4 x 4s from under the shelf, to be primed:
And then they were painted flat black (thank you, Anne!)
And presto, change-o, alla-kazam!
All sleek and nifty looking. At least, I think so.
Like so many places in That Old House, this room is also a work in progress, which is why you aren't seeing the entire room.No window treatments yet.
The wicker chair, above, is from my grandmother and is probably migrating toward the master bedroom.
And worst of all ... confession time -- the painting in here isn't quite done
but shush ... don't tell; it's too embarrassing!
The wicker chair, above, is from my grandmother and is probably migrating toward the master bedroom.
And worst of all ... confession time -- the painting in here isn't quite done
but shush ... don't tell; it's too embarrassing!
At one end of this room is an old Edwardian library table, my desk, also from my grandmother, who was a thrifter and scrounger extraordinaire. She claimed this library table came from Sagamore Hill, the Oyster Bay, Long Island home of Teddy Roosevelt.
I have no reason to doubt her.
It just fits in the alcove in the study. I love my view out over my printer:
You can't sneak up on me! I can see the front porch from my computer.
Happy Monday to all -- Cass
Happy Monday to all -- Cass
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