This post also could have been titled "A Million 'Befores'" or "My Not-so-secret Shames". I loooove a good before-and-after. They're always my favorite part of ApartmentTherapy or Young House Love or any of the other home blogs that keep me trucking through this renovation. However, I suck at actually remembering to take "Before" shots. As I've mentioned before, I tend to be very focused on DONE. Done is my goal and I'm liable to jump in with both feet on a project, before immortalizing the awfulness that spurred me on to the project in the first place. So, I'm doing a "before" roundup. We've got a lot of projects on the docket, and hopefully some of these will turn into "afters" before long!
#1: Sort the Craft Room.
The craft room actually looks quite charming when you're in it. It's hard to photograph due to it's diminutive size, but it really is cute. However, every time I take photos of it I'm reminded how many THINGS are in it and how much that stuff could stand to be sorted/neatened.
This is the pile under the sewing bench. Clearly could stand some improvement. Those bins are under there because the built-in shelves already look like this:
A certain amount of clutter is required, as it wouldn't be a craft room without craft supplies, but I really aspire to improved and beautiful organization. I think the problem with this project is that it is probably best done in small doses. Which, as a done-centric person, seems beyond the realm of possibility. I'm going to give it a shot this weekend though, I'll keep you posted.
#2: The Pass-Through
The pass-through is this odd little opening between the two sides of the house. There is a door in it that leads to the basement...but the stairs have been removed so the door opens onto a hole filled with ductwork. We cut this hole last year, so it still looks like what it is: a jagged hole in the wall.
This project will require every ounce of the husband's carpentry knowledge in order to look decent. This is not a job for the wifey, unfortunately. I may tackle some of the easy things like painting the door. But this project is slow because there are so many questions. How do we cover up the creepy brown linoleum floor and make it blend into the linoleum on the other side, with no budget and no skills with linoleum? Do we want to do a built-in bookshelf in the pass-through wall? Do we want to attempt a pantry in the hole behind the door? How do you put trim on a surface that is just the edges of two sheets of drywall that have been stapled together? Tricky!
#3: The Window Seat
This is one that is more of a luxury than a need. (But there's still gotta be a before pic, right?) We have the good fortune to have two beautiful bay windows in our house, (yay Victorians!) In the one that is in the dining room, we're planning on installing a window seat that looks out on the street.
It's a bit of a lumberyard right now, so a sub-goal is to finish re-flooring the porch so the wood can get out of the dining room. Some better bike storage might not be a bad sub-goal either. (City dwellers, what do you do with your bikes?? Why is there such a lack of good storage solutions?)
#4: The Basement
I try not to beat myself up about this one too badly because I know it is the bane of homeowners everywhere. And I just moved! (OK, a year ago.) And we're still renovating! But truly, the basement is a filth pit. Check it:
And that is actually an improvement over how it was a year ago. This side too:
The husband actually worked hard to get that section to where it is now. I know it still looks a bit like an episode of Hoarders...
But if there's ever a worldwide paint shortage we're totally set:
But hey, we're fortunate to even have a basement. I'm grateful for the storage, I just can't wait for it to be organized and clean.
So there. In the interest of keepin' it real, all of our secret shames laid out for the world to see. Hopefully, this is making everyone else feel better. A.k.a. don't live in a house with a jagged hole in the wall? Pat yourself on the back! Excellent work! We'll get there, and someday we too will live in a house with real walls and well painted molding. Can't wait!
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