On The Home Stretch (Current Status Of My Studio)
I really am on the home stretch with my studio. I’ve been working on this room for over a year, and I’m so ready to wrap this up and put a bow on it. It has, by far, been the biggest project I’ve ever done, with our master bathroom coming in a close second. But I just have a few more projects to do before I can call it finished. (I’m not including the studio half bathroom in this. I consider that a separate room and a separate project altogether.)
I just finished up the studio project that I hated the most, and that was the storage closet.
I shared more details about that yesterday, so if you missed that, you can click here to see how that turned out.
But in the process of doing that project, I have made a complete disaster of the rest of the studio. (This shouldn’t surprise you if you’ve been around here a while. I’m probably the messiest DIYer ever, and I’m okay with that. 😀 Things always turn out in the end.) I pulled things out of that closet that don’t need to go back in there, but I still need to go through them. I used tools and paint that I still haven’t put away. And I’m still collecting all of our cardboard boxes for a project that my mom and I want to do. (More about that here.) So my studio is quite the disaster.
The good news is that I really haven’t utilized any of the storage in the studio yet. There are a couple of cabinets and a couple of drawers that have things in them, but they’re not really organized yet. So I still have this huge organization project that I need to tackle. So for now, everything is piled on the countertops, work tables, and my desk.
Getting organized is probably the biggest and most time-consuming project that I still have to do in the studio. I had been dreading the whole organizing process and procrastinating as long as I could, but now that the closet is finished, I’m actually kind of excited about it.
Other than organizing, I still need to finish up some trim. I still need to install trim on this area between the cabinets. It needs baseboards and door casing. And then I need to wood fill, sand, caulk, and paint the trim here, as well as the trim on the opposite wall. Then those two doors need to be painted.
And then I still need to do some electrical stuff over in the desk area, and then I need to reupholster my chair.
Those are the big items still left on my list. Other than that, I have a few minor things. The entire floor needs a good cleaning. I need to rehang my big calendar that keeps falling off the wall. And when I was hammering in the storage closet, seven of my resin/alcohol ink rounds fell off of the wall, so I need to get those put back up.
All of this to say that I’m feeling motivated and excited. I had a few weeks of distractions with destroyed flooring, new house plans, trying to get a workshop built (building permit still hasn’t been approved), and finishing up a project I dreaded doing. But now I really feel like I’m on the home stretch. I can see the finish line, and I’ve got my second wind for that final push to the finish line.
And to keep me motivated to get organized, I’ve gone back to one of my favorite OG bloggers, I Heart Organizing. She doesn’t blog anymore, which I think is so sad. She stopped blogging in March 2020. But she was always one of my favorites, and even though she’s no longer blogging, her blog is still there, and it’s loaded with organization inspiration. So I started going back through her archives a couple of days ago to get and stay motivated to get my studio organized. This should be fun!
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
You still have a large clean up/put away project it seems by looking at the pictures. But I know you will get it done in record time. Ready to see the final picture. Then I guess the bathroom is the next deal.
Have you found a contractor for the kitchen who will let you do what you can do to save money? I know you are excited to move on to that area to work on.
Oh, I would love to get started on that! First thing…flatten all the boxes to a pile. A big garbage can to THROW out crap. Next, a bin by each door for the things that belong elsewhere…inside the house, out with tools, back in the car, whatever! Then clean off the long unit, and start stacking the things that will go below in those cabinets so you can really see what kind of room you need for certain items. Adjustments made toward the end when you see what will fit well where. Soon, you will really see what will be going where, and the floor will be much clearer. I am so excited for you…PS) I can’t see my floor in my office right now, but there are bins in the hallway for all my rooms – sewing, bedroom, kitchen, etc. I am trying SO HARD! Good Luck to you. You work messy like me, but the end results are WONDERFUL, and I can see you like things neat when all is said and done!
This is really great advice! I will use this plan, so thank you!
Oh, Thank you Jane. I truly find when I use some time to clear out some of the biggest things…like the darn boxes, and be a little brutal with the stuff really not worth keeping, it makes a sizeable dent in the chaos. Then, I have bins in an Ikea unit that I started deciding what would fit, and believe me I found crazy stuff that should have been put back in my sewing room, bedroom, or kitchen. Rather than keep leaving, getting distracted, and wasting time I stay in the room and have a bin or basket to put stuff in, to eventually take in each area to put that stuff away. My biggest problem is my computer desk that seems to NEVER get caught up. Still trying to figure out HOW to deal with the daily tasks that keep on coming in! Paperwork, chaotic piles of things that need attention. UGH! 🙄
It will be so exciting to be able to put all your beautifully handmade cabinets to use – have fun!
I so relate to this! I’ve been cleaning and reorganizing my craft room and it has been a horrible disaster for two days and my space is far smaller than yours and has far fewer storage options. I’m now getting to the point that I’m putting things in place. Yay!!
I loved Jen’s I Heart Organizing blog too and miss her. I always thought you and she had similar great style and taste. I still get ideas from her blog.
The HVAC closet looks amazing and I know you are excited to continue on with your studio.
Thanks for giving me something beautiful to gaze upon while we are still continuing the Hurricane Beryl recovery and clean up in our area (Lake Jackson). Such a disaster!
You will have the most colorful, gorgeous, perfectly styled home when all is done. I am so dazzled by your gifts and talents. I don’t think there’s anything you can’t do!
She’s one of my favorites, as well. Miss her blog and so grateful to the bloggers like you who have stayed around. It’s exciting to see this come together for you.
She was one of the first bloggers that I discovered and read regularly. I wish she and a few others that I loved (who stopped blogging unexpectedly) would have written a blog saying “goodbye” and that they were finished blogging.
I think perhaps Jen died? In 2021?
Her LinkedIn is updated so I don’t think she died! Whew! https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-jones-a5408913?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
Yes, and she has a Etsy store as well.
I like the chair as it’s currently upholstered in black. It grounds it and lets the colors around it shine. Have you considered leaving it as is?