Shed Series: Bedroom

So, here we are - at the end of the shed series. The shed is small and there are only so many rooms to cover. And the bedroom, that is the last room to visit. First, get ready to get your mind blown by the awesomeness of the bedroom, cause it is pretty darn amazing. Sadly though, this is our last room...but keep checking back to this here blog for updates. A house is not a static thing and lots will change - and I will be sure to share all that happens around the shed.

With all this said - how about we take a look at the bedroom.

Before. Sigh. This image is - again - the only "before" image we have. As you can see there is one window. Since the bedroom (and entire downstairs for that matter) sits below the ground, this is a window well that only lets in a little light. To note: this image was taken at night, it is not this dark all of the time.

Here you can see the former owner's bed - propped up on cinder blocks to provide storage under the bed. The furniture placement is pretty awkward here. This room is small - like seriously small - so to stuff it with so much furniture made it feel even smaller.

A "during" shot. The carpet was ripped out and this is before the walls were painted. Again, before the epic IKEA adventure, some space planning took place.

Following the epic IKEA adventure, a l-o-t of furniture building took place. The biggest project of them all was the construction of the bed. I believe it took about 3 hours total to put this monster together.

And, here I am after the bed was finally finished. Yippee!

So, now that we have gutted the room, installed new floors, painted, and built all of the furniture...let's get a tour of the completed room. Come on in...

Here is the bed. And that is basically it. Honestly. This room is small - minute actually. So all that fits is the bed...which is fine since all you do in a bedroom is sleep anyway.

Everything in here is from IKEA. The headboard was a genius discovery by MCB. Since there is really not enough room for proper nightstands, this headboard has these adjustable shelves that sit off the ground. The photo above the bed is from MCB's friend (and talented photographer) Nick Wolcott. The lamps are ones I had in storage that I had in my apartment in Savannah. These lamps clamp to the headboard - freeing up much needed space on the shelves for other items.

Here is the only closet in the entire shed. The room is too small for a door, so I bought a curtain and a tension rod from Target as a solution to cover up the closet. This closet holds all of MCB's clothes and the large water heater.

So, here is the bed. It is so cozy and comfortable. But...there is a secret hiding in this bed.

And, voila! The mattress sits on special hinges that allow it to lift up and stay up. The room is too small for any type of storage that slides out from the sides or the ends or anything like that. So, this IKEA box spring is genius as it lifts up for easy access.

Here is MCB's side of the bed. He has a random collection of things on his nightstand shelves. Questions about anything? Ask in the comments section.

And, here is my side of the bed. I have my own little collection of things on my shelves too. And, below the shelves...a basket. This is what I am allotted. I have a basket for my clothes since there is very little storage. Occasionally I transfer clothes between my house and the shed, but really, it has been amazing to discover how very little I need and the various combinations of outfits I can create with only a few items.

So, this is the bedroom.

Hope you have enjoyed touring around the shed. Like I said, make sure to check in often as I will be sure to post shed updates, but also to share other projects happening around my house, friend's houses, Telluride, and more.

Thanks for visiting! Plan a trip to Telluride to visit in person soon or swing by the shed if you are in town for that cocktail I mentioned.

Shed Series: Bathroom

Time to enter the bathroom at the shed. I know, not terribly exciting, but hopefully a little bit inspiring. A lot of work was done in here. So, if you need to go, now you now.

Oh how I wish we had more "before" images to share. What you can see...a gross wood/laminate vanity, wood towel/tp bars, the linoleum tile floor, the shower door, and a hint of the door that opens to the washer/dryer closet. What you cannot see...the gross wood/laminate medicine cabinet, a weird wire rack shelf thing (I have no idea how to even describe it), and another horribly painted red wall (off frame on the right side of image). Sure it worked, but it was t-i-r-e-d.

So enter gutting the bathroom. Mostly. The shower stayed. So did the toilet. Everything else ended up in the dumpster - thankfully.

I haven't mentioned this yet, but every light fixture in the house got replaced. There were gross iron type sconces in the upstairs and downstairs were these weird caged things (can you sort of see it here?). MCB ended up getting some new fixtures at IKEA - for both upstairs and downstairs. They are pretty basic, affordable, efficient, and non-offensive. The best part, MCB learned (on his own) how to install every single light. It is nice when you feel like you can do things on your own instead of paying someone...you know?

So, here is the "after." The floors are updated and feel so nice. The vanity, sink, faucet, medicine cabinet, and wall storage thing are all new and simple. It feels so much bigger and brighter in the shed bathroom.

The walls and trim got painted. So did the door to the washer/dryer closet. All that is in here is a stacked washer/dryer - so nice to have this in the shed.

All new hooks and holders from IKEA as well. Above the toilet is the storage cube thing - which is nice additional room for extra towels and other supplies. In the frame are a bunch of Red Cross pins and such that MCB found and put together in a shadow box - he is crafty that one.

And, here is the sink. It is super tiny, but totally functional.

The sink is really deep. It came with hooks on the side to hang towels off of, a soap dish, and this tray thing. When we unpacked it all and put the tray on the sink I remember thinking - "I will never use this." Guess what, I use it all of the time. It holds a myriad of things...rings when I wash my hands, my hairbrush when I blow dry my hair, makeup, lotions, etc. Pretty smart thinking IKEA.

And, remember this? This bag is from Best Made Company (the one who makes all of the axes we saw on the stair post). This gets used as a hamper in the bathroom. And reminds us...yes, everything here really is wonderful.

The last room - the bedroom - is coming up next. And then the shed series will be done. Sad.

Shed Series: Stairs

Let the shed series continue! So, this might not be the most exciting of areas of the shed to explore, but one that I believe deserves its own separate post. Time to go round and round as we spiral down the stairs.

Here is a mid-demolition shot of the top of the stairs, by the front door. This is looking towards the living room (now that you all have toured the entire upstairs). This is a great view of the gross teal trim, the beige front door, and - to the left - the blood red walls that went down the stairs. Also, here is MCB's dog, Anabelle, looking uneasy at the prospect of having to trot up and down the spiral stairs for the next few years to come.

And, here is a shot of the bottom of the spiral stairs. At the top of the image you see the doorway into the bedroom. This image is after all of the carpet had been ripped up (thank goodness). The spiral stairs aren't the prettiest, but they are the most practical for the space - they take up very little room.

And, here is MCB's Pop hard at work. If you don't know Von Wilson, you should probably get to know him. VW is all things - most importantly for this project - he is a very handy guy. In 1.5 days, VW laid every inch of flooring in the shed - including jigging the floor so that it fit perfectly around the base of the spiral stairs. Magic.

And, here is the front door area now. There is one tiny closet in the entire shed (in the bedroom, it also is home to the water heater), so all of the coats are out in the open. MCB purchased another IKEA shelf system for the shed. Living in Telluride means you need a lot of jackets for all types of weather. On the floor you will notice an old crate that gets used to store wet boots. Another crate has since been purchased for on top of the shelf to hold hats, gloves, helmets, nordic boots, you name it.

Blood red wall - gone! Took two coats of primer and two coats of paint to cover it all up - whew.

There is this odd little shelf in the stairwell. Of course, this is the obvious place to store axes (jokes people). The sign there was a gift from a friend - and is illegal for MCB to have as it is a Forest Service trail sign. Shhhh.

Also, no, MCB is not a lumberjack. Actually, MCB does some guest blogging for a great company - Best Made Company - who sends him gear to "test drive" so he can write reviews - hence the axe collection. All of those axes get used too - some wood chopping happened just this past Thanksgiving up in Steamboat with VW.

Looking down the stairs. Thrilling I know. The poster was a gift to MCB from some friends. MCB loves The National (as in lots). I do not (as in lots).

Here we are at the bottom of the stairs.

And, this is me, standing on the bottom step. Wow - I took a lot of stair photos. The door on the left leads you to the bedroom. Off to the right is the entrance to the bathroom. Behind the door is another painting by Michelle Curry Wright. She had loaned it to MCB years ago and just the other day came and swiped it to use in an upcoming show.

And, here we are under the stairs. Storage is a huge issue in the shed. MCB bought a couple of action packers to store bike gear (helmet, shoes, pedals, tools), ski gear (boots, helmets, gloves, goggles), and packs (for biking, skiing, hiking). Living in the mountains means you have so much stuff for all different activities. Outside are additional action packers with camping gear and other such stuff.

So, those are the stairs.
And, these now take us downstairs, where we will tour the bedroom and bathroom...stay tuned!

Shed Series: Kitchen

Ok - time to keep the shed series moving right along. I recently asked MCB if I could make a "now we're cooking" joke to introduce the kitchen. He told me that if I had to ask, it probably was a bad joke. He is probably right. So, I have no introduction now except to say - welcome to the shed kitchen.
Let's look around...

Here is a before image - from the kitchen sink. This is, again, from our first tour of the shed back in April. Note the teal window trim, the gauzy curtains, and the dead flowers in the steel thermos. As you can imagine, every bit of this was changed.

Here is another shot from our first visit. Sorry I am in this shot, I had no idea a photo was being taken and it is really the only overview shot of the kitchen from "before" that we have. If you can sort of notice - there is a high bar table with stools on the left side of the image, the previous renters had covered the upper cabinets with makeshift doors with sticks on the front, and pots and pans were hanging from the rafters. I think the best way to describe the space is cluttered.

Here is another before image - of the floor. The linoleum came up and the unfinished cabinets received a much needed face-lift.

An in-progress shot. Matt's Mom, Molly, was a painting fool. Not only did she paint the entire kitchen, she also made meals for all of the hungry workers every day while they were in town. Both Molly and Von (you will see him later) helped out tremendously. MCB is very lucky to have two sets of incredible parents help with this project.

Painting cabinets can be a pain, but well worth the effort.
This image also shows the old counter and sink.

Molly was reading the newspaper one day and noticed an ad from a condo complex that was undergoing renovations. They were advertising a sale for all of their old appliances as they were upgrading each unit. Stoves = $35. Refrigerators = $35. The sizes were perfect for the shed...super duper small. Previously in the shed there was just a mini-fridge that sat below the counters. MCB and I went online to look at larger options and small fridges seemed to run about $400. Not that that is terrible, but you cannot possibly beat $35. The $35 stove was in much better shape than the existing shed stove, so that got swapped too.

Molly decided that the white fridge was fine, but terribly boring. She taped the edges of the doors and gave them a quick spray with chalkboard paint. The black is a nice contrast to the light colors of the shed and the chalkboard is a great place to write lists, notes, and a great way to keep a toddler entertained during breakfast (yes, this has happened).

Here is the kitchen now - clean, bright, and clutter free (as much as possible). All of the cabinets are painted the same color as the trim. New IKEA butcher block counters and a new sink/faucet. Off to the left you can see the fold down kitchen table. When folded, it creates this lovely little shelf for books and keys and such. The rug is a Dash & Albert rug - one of the indoor/outdoor styles, meaning not only can you hose it off to get it clean, but it wears well.

A closer image of the sink area. All of the dishes are from IKEA. MCB likes the Basil Mrs. Meyers cleaner - smells yummy. He has also started collecting jadeite - MCB has two teacups and saucers.

To corral cords, MCB found this old cheese box. I found these flashcards in Savannah (remember?) and gave him one. Also, in a pinch before his big magazine shoot, I put a card in an extra IKEA frame (it says: boy on a bike)...it fits in nicely.

And, here is the table - down.

Here it is up. Remember the stools from the living room? Here is how they get used.

And, here is where MCB likes to work - at the table, with his teacup, and his Eames chair. The sun comes through the kitchen window and provides such lovely light. It is a great little work desk. That's the thing about small spaces - making areas serve multiple uses is key.

Here are the $35 appliances in action. As I mentioned, before, there was only a mini-fridge that would sit below a counter on the right side of the stove. This new fridge is a huge improvement. MCB purchased a few shelving systems at IKEA that have come in handy. In the kitchen, this shelf provides nice additional storage. MCB found the clock at a junk shop in Montrose. The Canada Dry box on top of the fridge (another junk shop score) is where all of the booze gets stored.

And here is a detail shot from above the stove - the "coffee station." On the little shelf there houses a cream pitcher, the shuguh bowl (from my house), and coffee spoons. The espresso pot painting was a gift to MCB from a local artist, Michelle Curry Wright. I have one of her paintings as well - she is great. To the left of the painting is a photo of MCB as a kid drinking coffee. Molly put together this photo with a cute little saying in a frame. It is adorable.

So, that is the kitchen. I wish I had more before images for you as the transformation has been so dramatic. It is cute, it is cozy, it is actually really comfortable to cook in this kitchen.

And, basically, between the kitchen and the living room - we have concluded the upstairs.
There is plenty more to share though...don't worry.

Shed Series: Living Room

Ok. So now that you have seen the outside, let's take a tour of the inside. Come on in...

Welcome to the first room we will visit - the Living Room. You all have seen this image before - when discussing to paint or not to paint rafters. This is the before image from the first day MCB was able to tour the space. It is not the best image, like I said I didn't get a chance to get many "before" shots. Note the teal trim color - and what you can't see is that the window trim inside the molding is a deep purple color. Oh yeah, and that red wall in the spiral stairwell...the combination was, well, interesting to say the least.

This is why I don't have more "before" images. The day after MCB bought the shed, his Dad (who happened to be in town) started ripping everything up. Which was so very wonderful. The disgusting carpet (so gross) and the linoleum got pulled up immediately. Chris was a workhorse - demo and painting until the wee hours of the morning. Becky, MCB's step-mom, did an amazing job of keeping everything clean throughout this phase of the project.

The dogs monitored our progress. For a while, the mini-fridge and the stove from the kitchen got moved to the middle of the living room so that the counters and sink could be installed. As you can see, prior to our trip to IKEA, I did a little space planning. I measured out all of the furniture using the dimensions provided online to make sure the furniture MCB was planning on buying would fit in the space. Outlined are the sofa and TV locker.

We were painting fools. The hard part was working long days at our jobs and then coming to the shed at night to work well into the morning. Exhausting. MCB picked out all of his own paint and I think he did a pretty great job. All of the trim (goodbye teal and purple!) is now "atrium white" and the walls (goodbye blood red!) are now "ashwood" - all Benjamin Moore. Clean, fresh, lovely.

There was a LOT of IKEA furniture building. MCB literally had no furniture - nothing. So, we bought everything. And then we had to build it.

After all of the demo, painting, installation of new floors, furniture building, and so on - we finally had a chance to hang art. MCB has a great collection of art and I think for him, putting it on the walls made it feel like things were getting accomplished.

Now things are done, in place, and (for the most part) finished. So, here is the final result. The art is on the wall. There are various prints here - from Ben Knight and Nick Wolcott. MCB also recently purchased a print by Dan Budnik, a well-known civil rights photographer. Also on the wall is print from a WSJ photographer of a man in Afghanistan. MCB's close friend is a reporter for the NYT and has been reporting from Iraq and Afghanistan this past year. This print was a surprise housewarming gift and is such a lovely addition to MCB's collection.

Across from the couch is the Eames chair which is no longer on spec and is now a permanent fixture. Also, the TV. What gets watched? Honestly all we watch is football and Chopped. Next to the TV is a lamp I had in high school - there is no place in my condo for it, so glad it has a home at the shed.

Here is the sofa - IKEA's Karlstad. The dark gray slipcover hides a variety of sins. And, this sofa is comfy. Like so comfy, a certain blogger may fall asleep on it every night.

Next to the locker is another Karlstad item, a little chair. We also bought a stack of stools that we use at the kitchen table (more on that later), but they also get used for additional seating. The lockers were attached to the back of the shed and housed paint and other random items. These got cleaned up and brought inside. They now provide much needed storage for shoes, ski gear, bike gear, hats, and other miscellaneous items.

Above the chair are these prints. One is a photo of a power plant outside of Craig, CO that we recently drove past - the photo is moody and cool. Remember this scary junk shop? MCB picked up some of these rusty stars there and nailed them into the wall. Also hanging is a sweet photo of MCB and his grandfather heading out on a fishing trip when MCB was a little boy.

Just another shot of the locker, chair, stools.

And, remember the rafters? They stayed unpainted (thankfully).

That is the Living Room. It is very cozy and very comfortable for entertaining.
Come by for a cocktail sometime, won't you?