Monday, November 3, 2014

MyORC--THE DEN


The Den
it's interesting what this room gets called these days but I think I just grew up calling it a den and so DEN it is!

I wonder if all the before photos are orange because of the orange shag carpet?
to the left is a window that became the "door to nowhere" and is now the chess table window
The door to the right goes outside and the smaller door goes into the garage
These are the stairs that were relocated to the entry
the double doors were the laundry room and is now our bar

I really regret doing away with this light fixture you can barely see
I wish I was like Joanna Gaines from Waco and had a barn to keep cool stuff

in that closet beneath the stairs we found bowling balls 
we spent an afternoon knocking out this wall with them...there might have been wine involved...
I cannot locate the photo anywhere of Mr. PV. Wall Bowling 
I will let you imagine it for yourself

but here is the Santa who also lived under those stairs
yep...him and the bowling balls
probably my all time favorite holiday photo of Miss Betty so far
however I did see one the other day where her mom's CEO was Santa (last year)
 and she knew she knew him
the look on her face is very similar to this one

The blurry photo shows the space into the kitchen
the door and window to the left are now the pizza oven
This is the main fireplace..one of 4 in the house
I have considered over and over painting this brick
maybe someday in a future renovation!
I love painted brick and just don't understand why I don't just paint the dang brick???

Mr. PV was gone a few days on a business trip and 
I hired a couple of fellas to help me move into 822 to surprise him
I left him this note at 1107 to come "home"

all one needs is a little fire and a few cozy chairs
when he left, the bedroom upstairs was nearly complete
but he was greatly surprised to come "home" to this!

this is how we lived for at least six years weeks in the kitchen/den


it sure was a mess!

are ya ready for today?!

my photos leave a lot to be desired!

missing a few stairs, a wall, the laundry cubby and that old orange carpet



the door to the bathroom has been closed up and the old window replaced with a bay window


 can you recognize this area?


~inspiration~
this is about the time I lost my inspiration
really
demo makes me sad
but this little nook makes me happy!

~we~
  • did I mention we moved the stairs?
  • did I mention we moved a wall---partially with bowling balls?
  • after that all we needed was paint and new carpet and a little grass cloth
  • the beams were there as was the popcorn ceiling (bye-bye popcorn hello #2 knock down)
  • we closed up a door into the bathroom (who wants a bathroom entrance or laundry room in the den?)
  • I wallpapered the back wall with grass cloth.  My mother was an interior decorator and we had grass cloth in our house in 1965...it was all the rage!
~favorite thing~
I love our co co cozy den

~biggest challenge~
living with all the demolition
I do not like tearing things apart that people have worked hard on and loved

Little Miss Betty and Bill...I think they've met!

12 comments:

Karena said...

A room to really enjoy for the family!! Wonderful!

xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena

Anonymous said...

what a journey it took to make it " home",,,
the look on her face with that
" under the stairs " Santa was priceless, lol,

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Dearest Gina!

YOUR HOUSE IS ENDLESS! It seems like such a magical home because of the beams, the arches, the leaded glass, and these nooks and crannies and staircases to nowhere! You have your work cut out for you, but you are doing a great job! HAPPY DAY, Anita

NanaDiana said...

Oh- so worth it, Gina. I love the finished product and understand exactly what you went through. I love that you left hubby a note to "come home". How perfect is that!!!

Hope you have a great evening and love every minute you spend in that house. xo Diana

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Oh Gina, how delightful to read your comment this morning on my post! And to come back here to see your home....I tell ya, we do have MUCH in common and I have the "orange" photos to prove it too! When I look at my present "studio" where I write, it was once a closed in bedroom off to the left of our tiny living room. We have since added a great room and office in the back, and that little bedroom was opened up by my husband who knocked the wall open and added some French doors for me. Earlier photos are when we first stained the doors but since then, I've painted them gray. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. Yes, you and I have needed to keep our hope and faith going in order to make our houses the magical cottages that they are! Oh, you are such a delight! XOXOXO

Row homes and Cobblestones said...

Gina,
Oh I in my eyes eye saw the wall bowling and wine indulgence!!! You are too funny! Moving stairs is HUGE, very impressive den as every room you share in your lovely home is.
xo

designchic said...

Easy for me to say, but Gina it was so worth it - what an amazing transformation!! It is full of charm and character…

bj said...

Your home is beautiful...and worth all the work, I'm sure. You did an awesome job decorating it.

Maureen Wyatt said...

I really love seeing the journey in making 'home'. You've done an amazing job of preserving and creating character in your home. It just plain works!

miss b said...

What a difference! A lot of work but worth it!

Tina@WhatWeKeep said...

"Did I mention we moved the stairs?" cracked me up. I'd say all the reno madness was worth it! Little Betty is so adorable.

Revi said...

Gina, your changes are lovely! I'm sure the people who loved the grass cloth a few decades back would approve of them. :)