I’m about to tell a little story, and not one of those stories where you have to find twenty dollars at the end of it just to make the story good. I’m very familiar with those stories…they’re my specialty. Except I usually have to find one-hundred dollars at the end of my stories because they’re that bad. Maybe not so much bad as rambling and totally off topic. Kind of like I’m doing now…anyway…the story.
Back in February and March, we were pretty gung ho about finishing up the guest bedroom. There were sheet rock sanding, painting, flooring and trim adventures going on. We had finally pieced together the room after demoing it last spring and it was starting to look mighty fine.
And we were just getting to the good parts in the room makeover. You know, the fun decorator-ie parts where curtains go up, guest bed shopping starts, art is hung on the wall, etc. But then starting in April, we got completely sidetracked, forgot about the guest bedroom, and started re-doing the bathroom thanks to a Craigslist buffet find that we converted into a bathroom vanity. Let’s just say, the vanity project spiraled into a complete bathroom makeover, which is still underway.
Story over…segue time. Now, when we’re oh so close to finishing up the bathroom (all that’s missing is a little bit of art, a mirror makeover, and some bead board/shelf painting) it’s distraction time again. But this time, it’s out of necessity. I’ve kind of taken over the house with Etsy shop projects (production, shipping, R&D, etc.). It’s probably the biggest, most sustained mess I have ever made, spanning the kitchen table, dining room table, and even our his/hers desk space in the parlor.
There isn’t a work surface in our house that currently isn’t dominated by Etsy stuff. It really doesn’t help that there is so much dry time involved in iPad stand production, for the staining and polying part. So last week I set out to put an end to the mess and moved the “Etsy office” from the first floor kitchen/dining room/parlor and into the craft room.
I was able to easily store items I needed for shop production/shipping just fine. But using the space wasn’t so easy. That desk is tiny and there was a reason why I had completely covered both tables and a desk downstairs. I needed a large work surface. So I started planning a craft room makeover so that I could incorporate a ginormous, beefy, deep, wall to wall work desk in the space. But the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t like the idea. Our bedrooms upstairs are tiny and putting a huge desk in the craft room meant one of the windows would get covered up and the leather couch (which folds out into a bed for guests and is also “Goose’s bed”) would probably get the ax. So then it dawned on me. Why not keep the craft room as it is. It’s a finished room and a space we love and not one we really wanted to start re-doing. We should flop the craft room with the guest room, turning the current craft room into the guest room and creating an Etsy office in the guest room. Did I lose you yet? Here’s the visual:
The craft room becomes the guest bedroom since it already has the ability to house guests (which are infrequent at best in our home). The craft/Etsy supplies will come out of the room but the desk, chair and couch stay to be used by guests (and Goose). Then, instead of taking the empty room and turning it into a guest bedroom, we’ll convert it into an Etsy office complete with a HUGE work surface. The beefy desk would fit much better in this room since there is only one window, instead of the two in the craft room, meaning the desk wouldn’t block a window. The other bonus of having a room 100% dedicated to being an Etsy office (and not also a guest room) is that it makes the room a home business space…hello tax deductions for the shop!
I’ve already started scheming plans for the space and I couldn’t be more excited. Here is some of the “Pin-Spiration” (thank you Pinterest) for the work zone.
- Industrial office desk with metal pipe legs from Jute Home
- A wooden work desk with industrial stool from Country Living
- Rustic plywood and cast iron industrial work space from Baubau Haus
Can you tell I’m going for an industrial feel in the space? It would be perfect for my Etsy space because I really want something rustic, that doesn’t feel too precious, and a work surface where I can spill. I don’t want to worry about laying down protective plastic when I start staining an Etsy project. I just want to wipe and go so a chunky, wood desk top would be perfect. And I’m totally in love with those black, cast iron pipe table legs. That was until I learned they cost about $50 per leg new! Crazy town! I thought about DIY-ing a knock-off version using spray painted PVC or trying to find some salvaged pipe, but we nixed those ideas since we wanted to start building it ASAP. Since it rained ALL weekend, Colby and I were stuck inside and had the building itch. So we impulsively ran off together to the lumber yard (romantic, huh?!) and came home with lumber to build the beefy desk. AND we built it too!
I’ll have more info about the beefy desk (which measures 32″ deep x 9’6″ wide x 36″ tall) later this week, complete with the how-we-did-its. But for now, the desk is sitting its new home “drying out” before I can stain and poly it. Some of the wood we used for it was pretty wet (did I mention that it rained ALL weekend) and Colby suggested I leave it be for a week before finishing it. It is killing me softly not being able to use it right now! Especially with orders rolling in and production at an all time high. But be patient grasshopper…your time will come.
Pssst…How did you all spend Memorial Day weekend?! Any projects? Beach trips? Moments to remember those who served and gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country?
