Studio Renovation: Complete!
I’m doing all the happy dances over here, folks. The studio renovation is complete! CHECK IT OUT!!!!
Studio Ceiling in progress
When last we left off, the ceiling was planked, but not yet trimmed, and I had begun to paint the walls, ceiling, beams, and trim.
Well, there was about 40 more hours of painting that happened. I’m not even kidding about that time estimate. Painting a vaulted ceiling and a dozen 40-year-old trusses white is no joke. It took several coats of paint and a lot of patience. My love for my neighbor’s magical ladder only grew as I climbed up and down it hundreds of times (ladder is listed in resources list below). The walls, ceiling, and beams are all the same color—Behr’s Popped Corn--but the beams are a semi-gloss and the rest is flat. Truth be told, everything could probably use another coat or two of paint, but I’m out of paint and patience, so what I’ve got is going to suffice for now. And it’s more than good enough. I love it.
Jon did an amazing job finishing the edges and seams on the ceilings. We used the leftover boards from the ceiling to make a floor in the lofted space over the kitchen and bathroom. I transformed myself into a caulking goddess and closed up cracks in the ceiling and along the beams to create a more polished look. Jon took on the rather funky job of scraping all the old linoleum glue off the subfloor.
A big moment for me was when the beams and ceiling finally had enough paint on them and we could take down the ratty old light fixture that had been hanging in the middle of the room and hang this glorious ceiling fan.
Isn’t that the best fan? It was a bit of a splurge, but I just love how it looks (source below).
New white outlets covers and beautiful vintage switchplates were installed once painting was finished. Don't worry, I caulked the edge of that trim, too.
Before the new floor went in, I tried to get anything that would require painting or a drilling done, so we also put in the wall mount for my TV. The speakers up above are connected to a Bluetooth receiver so that I can play music, NPR, audiobooks, or podcasts from my phone or iPad while I’m working. I plan on making fabric covers for the speakers, since the black is a bit stark.
On to the floor… I went through dozens of floor samples before settling on this floor. It’s a hardwood, ¾-inch thick, with a paper underlayment. The installation went very smoothly—Jon and I have installed floors before, this room is pretty close to being a plain rectangle; plus we borrowed an air compressor and floor nailer from our neighbor (sources below). Easy Peasy.
We used painted pine boards for the baseboards. We’re probably going to go back around and install quarter-round at base of these boards, but I want to live with it as-is before deciding for sure.
I’ve got all the curtain rod holders up. The curtain rod holders are from ikea, but I’m not using the rods that come with them (they are wood, and a set, short length). Rather, I’m planning on using 1-inch copper pipe as curtain rods. I say planning because I’ve only bought one and am going to live with it for a bit before deciding if that is indeed what I want. 
So there it is, my empty studio! I’m travelling to Atlanta to work at Sewtopia, but when I get back, I’ll finish clearing the tools out and moving in my furniture and fabric. I need to paint a few pieces before bringing them up here, but I’m looking forward to it. I’ll post photos of the furnished studio in a few months, once I've figured out what works best in this lovely room!
Resources (some links are affiliate links):
Awesome aluminum ladder: Little Giant Ladder System borrowed from neighbors
Air compressor: Dewalt borrowed from neighbors
Floor Nailer: Central Pneumatic borrowed from neighbors
Aqua paint: Refresh from Sherwin-Williams from Lowe’s (SW6751 or HGSW1306)
White paint: Popped Corn from Behr from Home Depot
Ceiling fan: Roto by Minka Aire
TV mount: Full-motion Kanto mount
Floor: Jasper Hardwood, European brushed, White from Build Direct
Outlet covers: Bought in bulk from Amazon
Switch plates: Vintage, found on Etsy.com
Curtain rod holders: Sannolikt from Ikea, painted white
Curtain rods (not shown): 1-inch Copper pipe from local hardware store.
Studio Ceiling in progress
When last we left off, the ceiling was planked, but not yet trimmed, and I had begun to paint the walls, ceiling, beams, and trim.
Well, there was about 40 more hours of painting that happened. I’m not even kidding about that time estimate. Painting a vaulted ceiling and a dozen 40-year-old trusses white is no joke. It took several coats of paint and a lot of patience. My love for my neighbor’s magical ladder only grew as I climbed up and down it hundreds of times (ladder is listed in resources list below). The walls, ceiling, and beams are all the same color—Behr’s Popped Corn--but the beams are a semi-gloss and the rest is flat. Truth be told, everything could probably use another coat or two of paint, but I’m out of paint and patience, so what I’ve got is going to suffice for now. And it’s more than good enough. I love it.
Jon did an amazing job finishing the edges and seams on the ceilings. We used the leftover boards from the ceiling to make a floor in the lofted space over the kitchen and bathroom. I transformed myself into a caulking goddess and closed up cracks in the ceiling and along the beams to create a more polished look. Jon took on the rather funky job of scraping all the old linoleum glue off the subfloor.
A big moment for me was when the beams and ceiling finally had enough paint on them and we could take down the ratty old light fixture that had been hanging in the middle of the room and hang this glorious ceiling fan.
Isn’t that the best fan? It was a bit of a splurge, but I just love how it looks (source below).
New white outlets covers and beautiful vintage switchplates were installed once painting was finished. Don't worry, I caulked the edge of that trim, too.
Before the new floor went in, I tried to get anything that would require painting or a drilling done, so we also put in the wall mount for my TV. The speakers up above are connected to a Bluetooth receiver so that I can play music, NPR, audiobooks, or podcasts from my phone or iPad while I’m working. I plan on making fabric covers for the speakers, since the black is a bit stark.
On to the floor… I went through dozens of floor samples before settling on this floor. It’s a hardwood, ¾-inch thick, with a paper underlayment. The installation went very smoothly—Jon and I have installed floors before, this room is pretty close to being a plain rectangle; plus we borrowed an air compressor and floor nailer from our neighbor (sources below). Easy Peasy.
We used painted pine boards for the baseboards. We’re probably going to go back around and install quarter-round at base of these boards, but I want to live with it as-is before deciding for sure.
I’ve got all the curtain rod holders up. The curtain rod holders are from ikea, but I’m not using the rods that come with them (they are wood, and a set, short length). Rather, I’m planning on using 1-inch copper pipe as curtain rods. I say planning because I’ve only bought one and am going to live with it for a bit before deciding if that is indeed what I want.
So there it is, my empty studio! I’m travelling to Atlanta to work at Sewtopia, but when I get back, I’ll finish clearing the tools out and moving in my furniture and fabric. I need to paint a few pieces before bringing them up here, but I’m looking forward to it. I’ll post photos of the furnished studio in a few months, once I've figured out what works best in this lovely room!
Resources (some links are affiliate links):
Awesome aluminum ladder: Little Giant Ladder System borrowed from neighbors
Air compressor: Dewalt borrowed from neighbors
Floor Nailer: Central Pneumatic borrowed from neighbors
Aqua paint: Refresh from Sherwin-Williams from Lowe’s (SW6751 or HGSW1306)
White paint: Popped Corn from Behr from Home Depot
Ceiling fan: Roto by Minka Aire
TV mount: Full-motion Kanto mount
Floor: Jasper Hardwood, European brushed, White from Build Direct
Outlet covers: Bought in bulk from Amazon
Switch plates: Vintage, found on Etsy.com
Curtain rod holders: Sannolikt from Ikea, painted white
Curtain rods (not shown): 1-inch Copper pipe from local hardware store.