Adventures in Cleaning out the Attic and Creating a Studio

This post is about my attic of shame. Most people have a closet of shame, or a drawer of shame, but I have an entire attic of shame. Plus some closets and drawers.

When we finally moved our boxes out of storage and into our beach house THREE years ago, we were in a huge hurry and still doing major remodel work, so all of the things that we didn't know what to do with, and didn't want to deal with, got shoved into a tiny attic space adjacent to the sleeping loft. Along with all the random stuff, all my studio supplies got shoved into the attic as well.

And there it sat. For THREE years! Sometimes, in frenzied bursts of creative energy, I would tear into some boxes to find a certain supply I was sure I had. Sometimes I found what I was looking for, but mostly not. We had THE WORST movers, and nothing was properly labeled. The attic was a huge mess that made me want to cry. On top of that, since we must spend the work week in the city, and only get to go to our beach house on weekends, we found ourselves not wanting to spend precious beach time hanging out in an attic. Basically, when faced with a choice between a bonfire and an unboxing session, we tended to choose the bonfire. Which is great. Except when you choose the bonfire for THREE years.

Well, my Word of the Year is Intention, and one of the ways I want to be intentional is to spend more time at the beach creating. I had a long talk with my husband about "going down to the sea" intentionally to create for several days out of each month. Not too many days. My husband and I love each other, and like to be together, so I won't be deserting him; but I can often work from the beach house as easily as from the city condo.

So, I have been cleaning out the attic. Believe it or not, the pictures here were taken AFTER I spent a Saturday unboxing and getting rid of stuff!  The attic is going to become a "studio-attic". Of course, it also happens to be the only windowless room in the entire house, and contains only one light bulb and one outlet. But mostly, it contains NO VIEW. So, while this space will house studio storage, machines, and a large worktable for bigger projects, smaller projects will still be carried to the dining table, or my drafting table, where there is a view of crashing surf. Because, you just don't go down to the sea to hang out all day in an attic.

The first time we saw the beach house, I knew the loft above the living room would be a perfect studio. It was one of the reasons I chose this house (plus, there was the VIEW).  Sigh... Changing job commitments have changed the way we use the house. Now, we use the house for business entertaining about one weekend in four, and the loft has to function as a secondary seating area for games and socializing. I have a small drafting table against that far wall, next to the door, but my dreams for a huge loft studio have been dashed. Le sigh....

Okay, seriously, folks, don't feel sorry for me. I'm a pragmatist, and I understand the house has to earn it's keep. Plus, I still get an ENTIRE ATTIC! Which is more than I've ever had before. And did I mention that this attic is at the beach? After three years (four since we bought the house and started renovations), I'm still pinching myself.

As I was unboxing all that STUFF, that first Saturday, I realized my actions would be futile until I actually had a place to put everything, so I stopped working and curled up in front of the fireplace with my husband and put "buy lots of cheap pine shelving" on my mental to do list. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I went every Fred Meyer within thirty miles of our condo buying ALL THE SHELVES. The sixty inch high units are perfect for the "tall" side of the attic, and the thirty inch high units are perfect for the "short" side.

Do you have a dedicated studio? I could lose myself in Pinterest pictures of gorgeous studios. Mine won't be beautiful right away -- I will feel like I've won the lottery just to have it functional for now! Beauty will come in time.

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To find out how we met and  fell in love with our beach house, read this post.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

The Tiny Apartment Trend

Micro-housing is becoming a huge (or should I say "tiny") trend in real estate today.  It answers a need for affordable housing, especially in urban cities, where more and more people need to fit into a small area.

While there is controversy about creating large numbers of tiny abodes in some areas, and tiny housing should be thoughtfully designed, today I'm just sharing cool tiny apartments from cities around the country. Micro-housing is usually considered anything under about 400 square feet and it is not unusual to see micro-housing that is as small as 150 square feet!

Super-Amazing Ways to Up-Cycle Filing Cabinets!

Filing cabinets!  This time of year they fly off the floors of retail and second-hand stores. My friend who owns an antique mercantile says she always sells lots of them in January, because people make resolutions to get organized in the new year.

This is the year you really can get organized with filing cabinets!  Try adding a little style to your organizing to motivate yourself to stick with it. After all, who wouldn't want to file their papers in a cheery yellow cabinet? And don't stop with papers -- file cabinets are great storage for linens, dishes, tools, and craft supplies. Here are some ways to organize using filing cabinets that you may not have thought of before.

Five Tips for Updating Your Kitchen on a Budget

What do you do if a major remodel is not in the cards, but your kitchen is in desperate need of an update?  If you are willing to roll up your sleeves and aren't afraid to wield a paintbrush and swing a hammer, there is probably a lot more potential in your kitchen than you realize!

photo Jonny Valiant

Read about this budget kitchen renovation at Country Living

1.  Start by assessing your basic space plan.

• Is there enough storage?
• Do you have adequate landing areas?
• Are you happy with the location of your sink, fridge, and cook top?
• Every family's needs are different, so ask yourself what you are satisfied with and what you are not satisfied with.  It could be that the basic layout is functional and just needs some tweaking!

2.  Address storage concerns. 

• Is there a closet in an adjacent hallway or room that can be commandeered for seldom used kitchen items -- the turkey roaster, the giant platters, stuff you need occasionally, but not every day?  It's terrible to have to go out to the garage or down to the basement (or worse yet, the crawl space) for this stuff.  If there is a closet behind a kitchen wall, you might even be able to turn it into a walk-in pantry!  In my last house, we turned some wasted space under a stairwell into a pantry.  It made a huge difference in how the kitchen functioned.
• Do you have "dead space" in the corners of your lower cabinets?  Lots of older and builder grade kitchens have this dead space.  Some have blind corners.  If you have a corner lazy Susan, count yourself lucky!  If you have a blind corner, your local home improvement outlet has hardware you can retrofit your cabinet with to make it extremely functional.  If you are among the unlucky many who have a big empty dead space, there is some hope.  If you are handy, you may be able retrofit a blind cupboard into the space  (and it's a lot of space -- about ten cubic feet of storage space).  This will be easier if you are planning to replace your counter tops.  If not, a good handyman with a "can do" attitude can help you out.
• Is there unused space above your existing wall cabinets?  You may be able to build simple shelves above them for additional storage.  Most builder grade cabinets are 30 inches high, but the trend today is to use 42 inch high cabinets.  You may find that you have enough space above your uppers to run a row of 12 inch high upper cabinets.  Another option is to rehang your existing cabinets so they are about twelve inches higher, then add a shelf underneath to store items that are used daily.  Adding "sides" to the shelves and/or corbels underneath them can really give them a custom look!

3. Address landing and work areas.

• Do you have an adequate area next to your fridge to place your gallon of milk, or your leftover casserole?  If not what can you do to get that landing area?  The answer may be as simple as switching a tall pantry cabinet and the fridge around!  You don't know how many times we see those two items placed incorrectly.  I think it's because it's easier for a builder to place a run of cabinets without breaking for a fridge -- then the fridge gets stuck at the end of the kitchen.  Really, the pantry cabinet should go at the end (in this scenario), so the fridge has a landing area next to it.  
• Another way to find a landing area for your fridge is to add a small island.  Not everyone has space for an island, but if you do, they can add tremendous function to your kitchen.  Just make sure to leave plenty of clearance for appliance doors to swing fully open, and for people to pass.
• Don't forget to address landing areas next to the sink, cook top and ovens.  Maybe a pull-out landing surface (similar to a pull-out cutting board) can be built near a set of wall ovens.   A rolling trolley that can move where needed can often address landing area shortages in a small kitchen.  Another solution for people with good carpentry skills is to build a telescoping peninsula.
• Occasionally, a counter top can be enlarged.  Every kitchen is different, but examine yours to see if a counter can be lengthened or widened somewhere.   Maybe you have a split level bar peninsula?  If you are a messy cook, you may want to keep that bar height counter, but if things are usually pretty tidy, you might consider having the bar lowered, creating a much deeper working surface.  These deep work surfaces are great for rolling out pastries or for doing kid's science projects!

4.  The work triangle.

• I know there are a lot of magazine writers out there saying the work triangle is passe, but as a professional interior designer, I can tell you it is alive and well.   It's just not the only thing we look at.  We also look at work zones, multiple work triangles, secondary work areas, and so on.  
• Every kitchen is different, and every family's needs are unique.   If you are having to walk way across the kitchen every time you need an egg, you may want to think about tweaking the placement of your fridge, sink and cook top.  Your solution may be as simple as swapping something around.  
• If you feel really overwhelmed assessing your space, consider hiring an interior designer experienced in kitchen planning, or an qualified kitchen planner to consult with you for an hour or two.  
• Be up front about your renovation budget, so your designer can take it into consideration when coming up with some solutions.  For instance, if your budget is super tight, you will most likely not be moving your sink.  At all.  Not even a little bit. 

5. Finishes.

• Maybe all you need is a paint job.  There are some really good products available today for cleaning, prepping, and painting cabinets.  
• If you decide you want to paint your cabinets, don't skimp on time or products.  Buy the best products, from a good paint store.  Ask for product recommendations.  
• Prep, prep, prep, and prep.  A poorly prepped paint job will start chipping in a matter of months.  Clean, sand, wipe, prime,  paint. You know the drill.  No shortcuts here.  And it might seem like a pain in the neck to remove all your cabinet doors before painting, but your finished product will be so much better if you do.  
• Use a good sprayer, or a good paint brush to paint your cabinets.  Skip the roller!  Very high end cabinets are still hand painted with a best quality brush.  How you choose to apply your paint can mean the difference between having a kitchen that looks like a weekend DIY job, or a high end custom built project.
• Think about adding trim to plain cabinet doors, especially if you plan to use glazing.  And here is something to think about -- very high end cabinet shops use a six to eight step process of sanding, priming, sanding, painting, sanding, painting some more, and glazing.

Finally, I know everybody says this in every kitchen article, but it bears saying again:  consider changing out your knobs and pulls.  Such a simple change, but it packs a big punch!

Love your renovation, love your home.

This post is being linked to:

Saturday Mornings

Remodelaholics Anonymous

Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts

Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday