Shop Transformation: 5.Assembly Room
"Some assembly required"...that's what this room is for. It has turned into a bit of a multipurpose room, though. The best part about this room is - waaaaaait for it................................................... ........................................................................................................................................................................................the one and only working air conditioner is in this room!!! Did I mention I live in the deep south?! Yeah, it's pretty hot and disgusting for three quarters of the year. And 1,400 square feet of a raised shop with no central ac or insulation is a very unpleasant experience. One window unit has been shut off because it was installed improperly (but I'll not harp on that incident here) and the other in this room seems to be struggling as we finish another summer here. We bought a new and improved unit to be installed soon by Jay (installer of all things electrical). I pray it's finally the solution for this hot box.
Early on, there was an endless supply of Asian ladybugs in the shop. In this room, especially. They probably came through gaps in the door or windows. It was always a bit creepy in here at night after the ceiling and electrical were removed. The sound of the ladybug flying around and then later dead, coating the floor in a crunchy layer (yuk) was just too much for me.
I tried removing the wallpaper border in each room, but it was pretty intent on remaining...except in this room. After I painted, it became wrinkly and fragile. But life, schedules, clients, etc. became higher priority than meticulously removing the border and doing paint touch ups in that room. I never said this shop would look brand new or even nearly perfect. I just kept (and keep) repeating, "paint makes everything look better", lol! And it's true.
When a local, upscale home decor store closed down, I scoured their store for fixtures. They were selling this headboard display stand. I didn't even know what its intended purpose was until I brought it to the cashier. All I saw was "art holder". I took it to a local welding shop and had them cut off the back "feet" so that I could mount it flush to the wall. It doesn't always work this way, but what I imagined in my brain actually worked out great this time, lol! I added boards to give each tier a "shelf" to prevent canvases and frames from falling through. Now, when I buy art for client projects, I can store it safely out of harm's way.
I spent months priming the entire interior. There was a small window of time when I could actually paint. It was around the end of October/November. Because there is no central heat or air, the temperature inside the building is different from exterior temps. A friend rescued me while I was battling my annual major-sinus-sickness-fever-can't-function-thing and used his paint sprayer (that I was way to intimidated to use) to paint the walls white. It was a day where the outside temperatures were good to paint...unfortunately the interior temps never rose to that same proper temperature that week. Once I was well, I was dying to go check out the shop. Sadly, nearly every wall had drips that had dried. Frustrated and sad, thinking my friend had wasted his valuable time, I took a minute to troubleshoot.
Nothing in the shop, thus far, had been easy so I just had to roll with it. Ha! Literally! Room by room, I sanded the drips as well as I could. When you are examining every wall closely in a building this old, you see yeeeeears of damage. I had to cut myself some slack and remind myself, "you don't have time for perfect"! After sanding the drips, I rolled a second coat of white everywhere. Voila!
This photo was taken right before I got sick and our friend, Chad took over with the sprayer. See the Hunter fan box? This room and the adjoining room didn't even have light at this stage because the fixtures were removed when the ceiling was replaced. The fan boxes became a part of our living room for a few months. Seriously. Check out the next photo.
Last year, Brooke and I refinished a ton of furniture for our dear #CanefieldClient in this room. I often am just plain overwhelmed at how God provided this place for my business. Yes, it was hard work. So. Much. Hard work. But, to now be using it for every aspect of the business hits me. I don't take it for granted. We are so blessed and I am so thankful!
Again, Vanissa Murphy took the "afters" here:
I think this is my favorite photo of the shop. I guess because it shows multiple areas in one pic. I do not have an exact before pic. But, I'm so glad Vanissa had the eye to catch this view. LOVE! Also, I reused my son's old skateboard wall rack to house picture frames, etc. And I bought the 3 office art canvases from Home Goods on different shopping trips. One or two were even on clearance!
I also love that my parents' old ice box is in view. I don't remember a time when it wasn't in our home growing up. My parents are still living (praise God!) and they chose to give it to me now instead of leaving it to me in their will. There's a lesson here, my dear clients (ahem): stop hanging on to things that are taking up room for "some day". It frees up space physically and mentally.
Ok, a couple more...
Did you spot the fifth Steelcase chair?! :) It happily hangs out in front of the AC window unit. I added the faux wood blinds and insulated curtains (my Overstock fav) to soften the space, as well as cut down on some of that day time sun. It hits this side of the shop pretty hard.
Thanks for following along!
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