And this post probably should go into my 'home project' blog, but I'm posting it here anyway.
Ray and I added this back room onto the house a few years ago and I really enjoy spending lots of time in this room which is off the kitchen. And after all these years this room is still a work in progress!
(I took all these pictures both during the day and at night because I'd like your opinion on a few things.)
These pictures are taken of the view of the room from the kitchen door:
(And this is taken from the other corner on that same wall)
I usually sit on the love seat where that bigger pillow is (on the side that gives a view into the kitchen, and also allows a view onto the side deck and also of the pool out those windows behind the love seat). We have two screen doors, but you can see that we only use one as I have a dresser blocking off the other one because we don't have much wall space.This next view is taken from the loveseat facing the kitchen door, we have a big refrigerator back there as the one in the kitchen is small:
This little utility island that is in front of the shelves is usually in the kitchen during the winter months, but I move it out here for the summer, with a stool on either side it provides a small eating area back here:
And on the opposite wall from the utility cart are two chairs we purchased a few years ago from Ikea and a table Ray salvaged from a neighbor's trash:
Ray and I have an on-going debate on what to do with the ceiling out there. Ray wants to put up beadboard, he has put beadboard up under the windows out there and I like the look very much on the walls, but I'd like to leave the ceiling as is, because I also favor the look of the exposed rafters, I would just like for it to be painted white, and I'd like for Ray to add a little shelf all around the room over the windows so I can put all my knickknacks up there and get rid of the shelves behind the utility cart to make more room. Ray says it's not nice wood that was used on the ceiling and it should all be covered. I don't care that it's not nice wood I still think leaving the rafters exposed will leave the room with a feeling of more space.
Nothing is going to be done until either the Fall or next Spring so I guess we'll be discussing it for awhile. Your vote on this would be appreciated!
I took these pictures at night because I'm also debating with myself as to whether I should put up some lace curtains back there, I hate the look of those black windows at night, but I love how the light pours in during the day. It's the only bright room in the house! Plus curtains would block the view out back, and I think curtains would leave the room feeling small. Your vote on this one will be appreciated too!
The floor in this room is just an outdoor deck material, and we use an outdoor rug over the deck:
This room is really nothing special, it's a hodgepodge of furniture and appliances, with toys, sporting goods, bathing suits, towels, coolers, crafting bins, and toy bins usually strewn about, it's a catch-all for everything, but it's a comfortable room and it's somehow relaxing to me even amid all the clutter, and I love spending time back here!
And here are some pictures of how the room usually looks with my two favorite kids in it:
I was thinking of making this room a true summer kitchen in the future, with just a big old farmhouse table and chairs, and maybe put in some old cupboards and cabinets for storage space, but I'm not sure we'd get as much use out of it if I did that. So for now I'm just going to leave things 'as is'.
Any suggestions for future use of this room will be most welcome!
My other favorite today is this painting I purchased from the Janet Hill Studio, if you get a chance you should check out her blog.
I like the fact that I not only get to support the work of a young artist, but I also got this fabulous piece of art:
I think she looks cute hanging in my favorite room!
Weekend Forecast:
Saturday ~ If the weather was nice we'd be having another pool party, but since it doesn't sound promising we'll put that on hold. I'm hoping to tackle a few cleaning/organization projects around the house (Diana has inspired me!).
Sunday ~ I think if the weather is nice we'll just enjoy the outdoors and get some yard work done. If it rains I'm going to see if I can convince Ray to start painting the dining room now that the living room is done!
Eileen, it is nice to sit here and click photos...and click back and forth and get a picture of a room that has a lot of warmth and love in it. I like knowing that you sit on 'that' end of the love seat looking toward the kitchen....just gives me a feeling of getting to know you better. What good ideas to post these. Diana posted a before and after of Katie's room. You are both brave women. If I posted a photo of any room in this house, you all would probably block my blog!! :)) I would need a maid to come in....before a maid came in to clean....know what I mean. :)) (I'm kidding....partially...) but I do love the way your room looks....especially with Mia and Jayden in it. It looks very inviting and is lovely as well. Not all rooms can 'say' that.
ReplyDeleteNow...as to the ceiling... The decision will be yours (even though you want to allow Ray to think it was his....right?? :)) I love the open-rafter look. I always have. That is my opinion. It will give the room the appearance of being larger. IF there is a heating/cooling problem because of drafts/insulation/etc., then perhaps Ray's idea of enclosing it would be profitable in the long run....but Jackie votes for the open rafters. But what do I know. I'm a donkey.
Smiles,
Jackie
P.S. I don't even think I would paint it....but again, that is a personal preference....I like the look of natural wood. Painting it white would, however, make the room look larger.
Good morning Eileen...The first thing I noticed besides the comfy couch was your grandchildren's baby clothes you have on display...very charming and what a sentimental thing to do...as for the rafters...either way has it's good points...leave as is or painted white is what I would prefer...it lends to the look of how you have decorated the rest of the room...like shabby chic...plus it adds to the garden room feel...a place to relax...Your painting was a good choice...relaxing by the pool.
ReplyDeleteI soooo relate to the after affects of grandchildren...our family room downstairs was their special spot to just be kids and do what kids do best...make messes and memories...
This was fun Eileen just like with Diana's apartment...maybe we all should do it...a sense of familiarity occurs...a layer of the unknown peeled away!
A Villager!
Oh, thanks, Jackie!
ReplyDeleteAnd DO NOT worry about what your home looks like, those pictures at the bottom with Jayden and Mia is how the room NORMALLY looks! And go back a few posts to see what my living room normally looks like with a four year old living in the house! My place is a MESS all the time, Jackie! I try, but it's a futile effort!
And forget about dusting! Oh, my goodness! I wish I had everything painted white or light because this has got to be the dustiest house (I guess too many people, I've heard that Yuck!, dust is skin!), so my house is never and most likely will never be pristine! You should see my stairs, piled high with things that eventually make it upstairs, but it takes weeks and weeks!
And thanks for all your input, I appreciate that so much! And do you know, I noticed that the pictures with the kids in it, the room looks the best! It looks bright and full of life and I was surprised that no matter how messy it is, I like those pictures best!
Hi, Wanda, do you know that some of those baby clothes are clothes my mother-in-law gave to me that my husband, his brothers, and his sister wore! A few are from my boys, and there's one from Jayden, and another vintage one from a friend.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm going to collect more and do that for a window treatment instead of worrying about curtains (although I think nice white lace, or some type of vintage print would look nice back there too).
I have to search and see what I have from my girls too (surely I must have a few dresses saved somewhere!) And I'll have to get one of Mia's to add to the collection too.
And I agree with you about posting the pictures, it's almost like paying a little visit to someone's home. You get to see how they like to live, how they decorate, if they like clutter or if they prefer a bit of breathing room.
I love visiting a lot of those 'home' type blogs, and seriously, the ones I love most are not the ones that look like they belong in magazines, the ones I love are the homes that looked 'lived in'.
Thanks for your input too! And I'm sure although Ray says he wants beadboard, I think he would be very happy not to have to do the work of that or of painting it if we decide to leave it natural!
I know that I would be sitting on that sofa with my feet up and my laptop, which is dying by the way, and blog there. What a perfect spot for it. I'm not sure what bead board is Eileen, but I think that's what I have on my kitchen ceiling. Everybody loves it. I tried to call Jake and ask him what it was but I couldn't get him. As far as curtains go, Have you considered vertical blinds? I know that you can have them completely open for light. I would prefer no blinds but we live in town so they are a must!
ReplyDeleteI did love your room especially that sofa!
Hi, Di! I actually have been thinking of vertical blinds (those ones that are in sheers) for my front room, but we priced them and they are so expensive (right now I have lace shower curtains there! I'll have to post pictures of that room sometime, I used to have it fixed as a sun room with table and chairs, now it is a mess of toys!). I have regular wood blinds in the living room with sheer curtains over them, and that lets in a lot of light. I also saw very sheer, tulle (spelling?) curtains in IKEA for just a few dollars each (there are fourteen windows back there so price is a factor!) and I was thinking that might be nice.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine did lattice work on her windows, so it was still open, yet at night it didn't look so bare and dark and ugly. But then it's a pain to open and close the windows all the time!
I'll have to think on it awhile.
And I think the beadboard would look nice on the ceiling, but I'm afraid it would give the room a different feel. (I don't think Ray would appreciate it if I asked him to 'try' it and if I don't like it to take it all down!). Plus to me, it's an unnecessary expense. There are a zillion other projects that need to be done around here, believe me!
BIG head's up here...do NOT go back and click on pictures before sending your comment...it just threw my great comment away!! Waah...
ReplyDeleteWell, I decided to come back, bite the bullet and re-comment.
ReplyDeleteAt first I was all for just leaving the beams au naturel, but then I imagined them painted white and saw the room open up even more. It also just seemed more you that way.
As for the windows, dark, uncovered windows at night just make the home seem so vulnerable and uncomfortable, so I would probably put up light sheers or light curtains that are VERY easily to pull aside.
A friend in Chicago found stunningly beautiful lace curtains at an Estate sale but thrift shops or yard sales are good sources too.
Jayden and Mia make any room come alive and they are great accessories too. Every one of your photos just make me want to kiss and hug those two cuties!!!
Did you immediately know where you were going to put your perfect pool painting? It just soooo belongs there!!
I also enjoyed thinking of you sitting by the big pillow on the love seat...just a nice comfy feeling of kinship!
Have wanted to share a photo or two of the computer room where I sometimes seem to live now, but the mess falling off of Michael's L shaped desk is scary! My own desk gets piled high with paperwork at times too.
blessings and hugs,
marcy
Whew...that one published...the last one that I lost was even longer, so it did not make me feel like Pollyanna when it disappeared, more like the bird who is again, as i write, bonking his beak away at my window!!
ReplyDeleteMarcy, even losing the comment doesn't exasperate you enough to lose interest!! Sweet!
ReplyDeleteBut I learned something important last night on Sandy's blog (well, actually she sent me to another blog where I learned it), that there's no sense in comparing yourself to others because you are comparing your insides to their outsides. It sounds confusing when I type it, but I GOT IT!!
So I am no longer going to compare myself to the perfection that I perceive you (and all the other villagers) to be! And you can all just bask in the idea that I view you as perfection!
And I should have warned everyone because that same thing happened to me on one of Jackie's posts (long comment lost as I tried to click on her picture)!
Thanks for all your ideas! And I have been looking at church sales and things like that for curtains, but the problem is so many windows! I like the idea of something that easily pulls aside during the day, not so much on the side where the shelves are, as long as light still comes in, but on the side by the little deck and by the pool I'd like open during the day.
It's funny you say that about your desk because I even have Ray trained now ('How can I put that cute picture of Mia on my blog with that mess in the background?!), so I hear him now saying to the kids, 'Okay, let's move over here for a picture'!
I'm not kidding you when I say my house is a mess all the time! Those pictures I posted of toys strewn all over and couch cushions and pillows on the floor ~ THAT IS THE NORM around here!
And my desk is always a mess too, and it's not hidden in a study or office, it's in my dining room! Take a look at the picture of Erika sitting by the computer on her birthday post, look at the shelves behind her, I just move the mess from the desk over to the shelves when company comes, and then the shelves are a mess!
In my mind, I'm a very organized, neat, and tidy person. In real life, not so much!
I can see why you like this room. How relaxing...I like the rafters, that's my vote.
ReplyDeleteWe are having pleasant weather today, sunshine,without humidity. Cool breeze, no need to use the air conditioner. Windows open and fresh air flowing.
Have a good weekend.
Sandy
Now that I'm thinking about it, what's MOST needed here is the same dealie as the deck...yup, ANOTHER floor above it!!
ReplyDeleteGosh, am I a good problem solver or what??!!
Don't worry, that Ray is such a nice guy, he's gonna LOVE THIS idea!
psst, but don't tell him who wrote it..., well, okay, you can go ahead and tell him that Jackie and Diana came up with it.
Marcy, what do you and Diana do? Conspire to get me every time?! Do you stay up nights planning your attacks?
ReplyDelete"Okay, Diana, I'll be good for awhile and you get her to choke to death. If it doesn't work then I'll give it a go!"
Okay, I'm forewarned and forearmed now! No food or drink allowed when reading either Diana or Marcy!
And I don't think Ray is going to think Jackie and Diana came up with the plan when he sees 'Blessings Each Day'! And don't start pulling Jackie and the rest of the villagers into your evil plans!
Sandy, thanks for stopping by (and thanks for voting [my way!])!
ReplyDeleteWe actually had a very humid day yesterday and this morning, but when I was out with Jayden it was very nice and breezy, and now thunderstorms are in the forecast for the afternoon through the night I think. Nicer tomorrow they say, but I don't trust the weather people anymore!
Okay, here is my vote, Eileen. Rhoda (Southern Hospitality Blog) did a blog post about the NEATEST thing... it's wallpaper that looks exactly like bead board! So here's my suggestion. Paint the rafters all white, and in between each of the rafters, paper with this bead board wall paper and paint it white to match the rafters! Problem, solved. EVERYONE wins... your husband gets his bead board, and you get your rafters! You can get the stuff at Home Depot, but I think there was a run on it after Rhoda's post. She's got another link to a place that sells it on her blog. It looked NEAT! Mr. Magpie got excited about it. We have bead board in our St. Augustine retreat and a little in this one, too.
ReplyDeleteI really love the idea of that room being used as a summer kitchen and having a wonderful table. Maybe you could still have seating, too. The children won't need all of their toys at that point, so that should clear up some of the things. I love a big kitchen that has sofas AND a harvest table with chairs.
I wouldn't worry about curtains. What about bamboo blinds? They allow light in... or maybe the wide type of plantation shutters. I love those. They are in a lot of homes in Florida.
XO,
Sheila :-)
Sheila, you little decorator, you! All wonderful ideas, and such an arbitrator too! I think that's a great idea for the ceiling!
ReplyDeleteAnd I really do like the idea of a summer kitchen too, and you're right, it won't be too many years before the toddler stage is over. Plus I'd like to make a playroom in the basement, so that should take care of some of the toys anyway!
Thanks for all the wonderful ideas!
I like enlarging the pictures so I can see the detail in each room. My favorite one is with Jayden and Mia in it. If our lives were always tidy we sure would not have grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteI came back to re-enjoy this post and enlarged that picture with the little ones and fell in love with that gorgeous and adorable little doll basinet...where did you ever find it?
ReplyDeleteHave a super duper week-end.
blessings and lots of hugs,
marcy
Jill, you are so right, and I'm beginning to actually appreciate the constant mess!
ReplyDeleteWhen I looked over the pictures I realized I liked those pictures the best too! And I'm not just talking about because the kids were in it, the room actually looked best to me, reminded me of a happy Christmas mess!
Marcy, can you believe Ray picked that up at a yard sale?! He just happened to be driving by and stopped and thought Mia might enjoy it, he got it for a few dollars!
ReplyDeleteI always loved bassinets, I don't think anyone uses them anymore. I guess they're not safe, everyone seems to have those porta-cribs, they look like little playpens to me.
Okay, running out now, more to do this weekend than I thought!
Enjoy yours!
Love, me
I love your room!! I would be in there all the time..I, like everyone else loved how you shared where you sit..I love the ceilings as they are..but would look pretty white too! Maybe just some pull down shades that could be let all the way up during the day? That way you could have privacy only when you wanted and a full view when you wanted...I love your beautiful hutch next to the fridge..the roses on it are just beautiful..and did I see a cow on top of the fridge? It looked black and white and you know how I love cows :) I love the baby clothes hanging...My mom used to keep one of my pink baby dresses on the coffee table with flowers in a tea cup and saucer sitting on top of it.
ReplyDeleteThe grandbabies playing is such a sweet sight to see. They are very beautiful, just like you!!
What a cozy room!! It would be my favorite too!!
Love, Jerelene
OK, I'm weighing in on keeping the rafters and painting them white. (Sorry, Ray!) The curtains, I'm not so sure what I'd do. I always have trouble deciding. I know what you mean about the black look at night (and someone else said vulnerable feeling/exposure, etc.) Still, when it comes down to it, what to do???? Thanks for the peek into your addition. It's "you" and I like you just the way you are--maybe because you seem like ME - organized in my mind; in real life "not so much."
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jerelene for all your suggestions. And I like the idea of the shades, I was thinking maybe rattan roll-ups (but in white!), but I also like the idea of old-fashioned shades with the old-fashioned pulls. Cost is a factor with so many windows, so I'll see.
ReplyDeleteThat big hutch next to the fridge actually used to be the cabinet for our TV, but when that TV broke Ray got himself a giant TV that won't fit the cabinet. I was sad because I really loved that handpainted piece in the livingroom, but it provides a lot of storage out back too.
And, yes, those are cows, I used to have a big collection but I gave most of them away to a friend who also collects them. I wish I knew you had a collection, I would have included these in the package I sent you.
I love the idea your Mom had to use your baby dress on the coffee table! That is so sweet!
Rebecca, I'm glad I'm not alone! I really feel that if I could just get a handle on things I could be organized, but somehow we have just collected too much stuff over the years. I'm going to be sad to part with a lot of things, but I am going to have to if I ever have a hope of things getting organized around here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your suggestions!