A couple of months ago, Holly from See Jane Work helped me get my office organized & ready for the school year. And I was certainly in need of help because I tend to make (large) piles with all my bills, receipts, school papers, and mail. It drove me nuts to have to sort all my piles to find one piece of paper. 




I've changed a couple things around in the office since this summer. I moved the rug to the other side of the room and changed up some decor.








This post was inspired by WeWork, which offers community of co-working office spaces to connect with other creative people at locations all around the country. WeWork is great for freelancers, startups, and business owners who want a dedicated work space within a creative community. Check out their growing list of co-working spaces to see if it would suit your creative venture.

Sources:

Wall Color // Terrarium // Chair (similar) // Bulletin board (similar) // Butcher Block // White Cabinet (similar)(similar)(similar) // Letter tray // Wall file // Engraved binder clips // Striped binder clips // Stapler // Art box // Desktop Easel // Pencil Cup // Canvas Ampersand // Rug // Printer

Hey there. So where have I been? If you've made the assumption that I've been off painting and raising children, then you are correct. As always. 
Summer is in full swing but before I even comment on that, let's talk about the basement. People have been stopping me in the street, demanding to know which color I chose for the ceiling. Forks drop at restaurants when I walk in and the mob swarms 'round me, insisting I show them photos of the pocket doors. It's just hard being a little-known blogger in the midwest, you know.
So let me put the basement fever to rest and get to it.
When we purchased the house, the basement was a tragic mess of mold and general filth.  It wasn't really the selling point of the home, but it makes for a good story. 
We drew out plans for the basement using mad design skills and construction began. The basement plan is pretty simple: a family room, playroom, laundry room and storage room. We also decided to leave the ceiling exposed to save money and headroom. 
There are several unavoidable quirks about our basement, but the one that kept me up a night was the giant sewer pipe in front of the fireplace. There's just no hiding it.

The pipe got a fresh coat of matte black spray paint and I hoped for the best.


I also saved some cash (and added some awesome) by reusing some original doors to the house. They turned out so lovely.



 My father-in-law attached the plywood planks to the playhouse and it looks amazing!


We repeated the plank wall just to make the pipe appear slightly cool and totally there on purpose.


This door was a Restore find that I painted black and had installed as a pocket door. On the other side of the window, you can see a peek of the laundry room, which isn't finished yet but is fully functional.

We kept the original fireplace as is for now, except for the brick in front. We replaced that with fabulous patterned tile.








And the pocket doors. There are just not enough words to describe how cool they make the room.



 Sigh.

Old doors just make a room better.

So let's talk about the family room today.

This room has been a challenge.  It was one of the, if not "the", most damaged room in the house.  The floor boards were buckled.  There was a hole in the ceiling from the leaking patio above it.  It had three layers of wallpaper.  Critters had obviously been inhabiting this space.  And it has this light fixture (audible gasp).