Cabinets, Shelves and Windowseats

The conversion of the dining room into a dual- or multi-use space entails, in part, the installation of some cabinets for hidden storage, shelves for "books and looks" and a window seat.  The window seat alone serves three functions in my mind.  These are:  1) Storage.  I'm hoping I can get my vacuum cleaner in it so it's one less thing in the closet;  2)  A seat for a dinner guest when the dining table is fully extended; and 3) help soften the dining room look that's normally all hard surfaces.

As much as I would probably never sit in a window seat, I've always loved their allure.  They just look like a place one would want to hang out, relax and read a book.  If I had this view, I might never want to get up.

If I'm not mistaken, this is the dining room from last season's Sarah's House.  As much as I loved the room on the show, this is the first time I've noticed the drapes hang in front of the window seat.  I like that detail.

This is one big wall of cabinetry but I love the cloud-like cushions on these window seats. 

Love the fabrics and colors on this window seat.  I'm secretly attracted to the balloon shades too.  They're often very opulent but they don't feel that way in this fabric.

I decided to sit down and sketch out what I'd like to do but the perfectionist in me wanted to see everything in perfect scale.  I don't have any design software so I used Microsoft Excel setting up each of the cells to be a perfect square.  I used each square as an one inch and I just blocked out the space for each element I measured.

I'd like the shelves to be backed with some kind of beadboard but not the traditional and ubiquitous Home Depot kitchen cabinet kind of beadboard.  I think a house the age of mine would have had something handmade and unique.  Maybe just a V groove between boards.

I'd like the cabinet doors to be inset and very simple so I can use a cabinet latch like this.

I had these kind of latches on the circa 1920s kitchen cabinets in my last house.  They were painted a hundred times but they still worked and I loved them.

I'm kind of infatuated with Farrow & Ball's color Arsenic.  I love the name and the color is just too much.  

I'd love to paint the back of the shelves in this color but I'm not sure it's a color I pull off.  But that challenges me so I'll give it a try.

I just bought their "colour book" and I'm really loving the colors.  They're perfect shades for an old house.  Arsenic is a spot-on match with the paint on this old stool I keep in the kitchen.  I'm already migrating from the reds I was adding to the house last month to the blue and green hues that I love so much.

To get this project in motion, I saved my Excel diagram to a .pdf and emailed it off to my contractor Sam.  A few days later, I noticed that he'd stopped by because something I bought on etsy was sitting on my kitchen table.  It's so nice to have a relationship with a contractor you trust to have a key!

Sam has a design background so he usually does work on the computer before he starts building.  A few days later, I got this measured elevation back by e-mail with an estimate.  There were a few conversations back and forth about materials and scope of work before we agreed on a price

The plan is in motion and I'm very excited!

But before he can start, there are a few things that need to be done.  I need to clean out the dining room,  take down the drapes, strip a few of the old hinges I bought to use around the house so they can go on the closet door.  I also notice the rug is going to be too big.

It's been a busy weekend.

Wallpaper in your Closets

After moving in to my house I decided I wanted to use wallpaper to create the perfect mood in my guest room.  During my search, I came across several fantastic prints that I wished I could use "somewhere."  It was at that point I decided I might wallpaper the inside of every closet with a different pattern and then paint the floor in the closet to match.  What a pleasant surprise (or shock) it might be to a guest--or as someone commented, "a snooper"--who opens the closet to find a flowery, or bright or whimsical print inside.

  

Having wallpaper in your closets is like having a suit jacket that's lined with a loud or bright pattern.  No one can see your bright blue paisley lining but YOU know it's there and it puts a little spring in your step.  Makes you feel a little sassy, right?

So after the archeological dig through my closet wallpaper, I thought it would fun to match up some vintage wallpaper prints with some current rooms and see how the two paired.  Below are the results of my matchmaking.  These are mostly Ralph Lauren rooms and the wallpaper is 1940s and 1950s.  (Try to ignore the quarters in the wallpaper images.  They're there to show the scale of the wallpaper)

I think this is a perfect new pattern to add to the room.

I felt like this room needed something bold but feminine to center its masculine chi.

Three cheers for the red, white and blue.

Here I took inspiration from the linear coffee table and the botanical pressings.

Using the gold frames as color inspiration...

A combination inspired by the Chinese jar and the pink flowers.

A little hokey but fun.

This was a tough one.  The plaid is quintessential RL but the pattern in the maroon stripe echoes the zebra ottoman.

I love this combination.  I think I would wallpaper this whole room with this wallpaper.

Look how nicely this one goes with the aubusson carpet.

For the girly girl's closet.

I want that bed.

Just in case your potting shed has a closet...

And last but not least...

Isn't this one just perfect?  I LOVE this wallpaper!

But in case you prefer something a little more feminine,

here are two different options.

I had a lot of fun putting these together and I hope I've inspired you to replace a few skeletons in your closets with some exciting wallpaper.

Wallpaper Sources:  Hannah's Treasures, Rosie's Vintage Wallpapers and Second Hand Rose.

Cleaning Closets

I'm working on another project with a shop up in Maine which unfortunately I have to keep under wraps for now.  You see, this blogging thing is a dirty business. When scoop-crazed followers get wind of future plans, the Blogarazzi come out and I get sent fuzzy cell phone photos of my projects before I see them.  "I'm touching your table!" the last one said. 

I made a clandestine mid-week trip up to Maine the other day for a progress check on the new project so I thought I'd stop at Old House Parts to see if they had a four-panel door that was perfect to replace the nasty luan door on the closet.  I found the perfect one!  

Wanna see?

Ain't she sweet?

I've decided to move forward with my plan to convert the dining room into a dining/study.  I'm excited about the possibility of doing more with the room than vacuuming up the dust bunnies--more like kitty tumbleweeds--once a week.  So before Sam comes over to replace the door, I first needed to clean out the closet to ensure he isn't crushed by the avalanche of crap I needed to hide in here to take my stunning blog photos. 

This chore turned into a bigger project than I expected.

Try not to be jealous but this closet is wallpapered with this stunning wallpaper.  Now available in my etsy shop.  (Not really.)  As much as I hate to part with this beautiful pattern, it just doesn't set the proper mood for the room.  So I started pulling it down. 

This easily pulls off to reveal another layer.

Under the fantastic floral is this tan botanical print.  The metal to the left is the air return duct from the upstairs.  

Here's a close up of it.  Not so ugly, huh?

And this easily pulls off to reveal another layer.

Now, why didn't somebody stop after this was put in and leave well enough alone?

I kind of like this pattern and this is in the palette of my favorite colors.

 

Here's a closeup of it that's better lit.

Unfortunately, this is all that's left.

I would guess this is 1940s.  Maybe even earlier.

This really wasn't what I had in mind when I

decided to clean out the closet.

It's kind of crusty chic, right?

So now what do I do with it?

I have a few ideas.