Room Renovation: Part Two

April 7, 2006 Holly Becker

For those of you that have been following the renovation of the 3 season porch into a studio/guest bedroom space in our carriage house, here are some photos that I snapped this morning after the carpet was installed.

Click here to view the BEFORE photos so that you'll appreciate the progress that we've made thus far.

We ran into a few problems, one being that we couldn't apply sheetrock to part of the ceiling because of the weight - this house is over 100 years old and the roof cannot take it - so we had to install flat drop panels from Armstrong tile that actually look pretty nice for a tile ceiling. Doesn't have that 70s office feel that I was fearing. It came out very nice, especially with the skylight we popped in. Another issue is that there's this old built-in screened door in the back wall. The door doesn't lead to anything, just a solid wall. We couldn't sheetrock over it for various reasons, so I'm trying to decide how to conceal it. I'm thinking of purchasing plywood to fit the space, then applying a layer of cork over it and using it as a floor to ceiling inspiration + project board. What do you think, any creative solutions for me?

As soon as the windows are trimmed in pine, the room will be complete. We started the project in Janaury, so I'm excited that we're seeing the finish line now. Next, I have to sit down and plan the design. I need it to serve several functions:

1) Guest room for sleeping
2) Meeting room for clients
3) Work area for writing
4) Studio space for designing - I need a place to store my paint collections, books, and fabric sample books.
5) Area for sewing
6) Area for a television to keep guests occupied and to entertain me while I'm sewing and ironing.

Here are snapshots from today:

Enter the space from the living room area.

View of part of our backyard and pond from the window. I can't wait until the trees fill out!

I love the new stairs leading up to the storage loft handcrafted in pine.

Here's another view of the room snapped near the staircase

Beadboard above was red and very beat up ? after some sanding and priming - it's as good as new. Remember, all the wood you see in the room except for the door and the stairs
is from 1875!

The back wall is solid pine. I cleaned it and sanded spots that needed repair, then applied one coat of minwax natural stain. The wood came to life. It looks beautiful. This is the door that I'm having issues with - the door that leads to nothing! Your thoughts?