Let's talk about the elephant in the room(s).... Covid-19. This year has been rough. And one of the escapes available to me has been to settle at home and work on my home. My world, like many people's, got smaller, as I found myself working at home, exercising at home, and also living at home. This was a whole new ball game. Right off the bat, I finally got rid of the roommate i did not enjoy living with. (Back story... the roommate I loved moved out last October, and a friend of a friend moved in. I had misgivings... I was right. I did not like this new roommate.)
Lest you think I am a monster.... I actually asked her to move out in January, before Covid hit the US. It just took her way to long to actually do it. BUT, I stand by the choice to stick to my guns. I was miserable and avoided being home because I didn't want to be there with her. So, now that I was stuck at home... it had to be this way. And while i missed the income... I have reveled every day in having my own home back. Enough on her, let's move on. I adopted a dog, something i never had time for before.... and I realize i will have to figure out how to manage his needs when I do go back to work... but let's cross that bridge later.
I also began throwing myself into diy projects, and it has been awesome. Let me introduce my Office entry way. One of the projects I have been wanting to do for a while, has been replacing my front door. Let me bring up the old floorplan again...
As you see here, the front door opened directly into the living room. This is not uncommon in modern minimal houses like this. But it does make an awkward, informal space. Just beyond this space, through an uncased opening, is the original dining room... which I have been using as an office, since the kitchen relocation prior to buying the house made it no longer function. It was wasted space.
In addition, the living room is somewhat long and with the door space that way.. it made furniture difficult to arrange. (more on that later, when I introduce you to my living room).
I have a somewhat old-fashioned, neo-Victorian preference for separate spaces for separate uses and a somewhat formal entry way. I've tried to marry this with the midcentury eclecticism of the house. Anyway... I was idly watching online sales for doors and other materials for projects. I actually was planning to do one of the back windows first... but then a door showed up for sale. it was second hand, but not used...and just my style.... and it was cheap. less than half the cost of new. So projects got juggled and I brought home the door. Getting it into the car, was a challenge. it just fit with the headrests removed and the seats folded down. But I had to drive across Dallas without being able to see out the right side windows. (I decided not to post the pic of me in this position, as it was not flattering)
Here's some befores...(ok, I had already removed the casings... i forgot to take real befores!) The window in the office is the same width and height as the door. This made it super (relatively) easy. No re-framing. Just a straight swap.... as they say.
Weekend one, I removed the window and placed the new door. (in July... in Texas. So much heat!). The following weekend, i took out the old door and put the window in. This was actually harder! I almost put it in backwards. But it was in! (pictures)
Then, I kind of went off the rails. I started using some of the scrap wood from past projects to build a wainscoting. I ran out of wood and had to buy more... but it worked ok.
Until i got to the southeast corner of the room where an old floor heater was. It was no longer functional... but was never removed (I don't have a real before picture, but I'll try to find one online to show... here's one:
These old heaters live in the space below the floor and have a fan that is open to both sides of a central wall. So removing it left holes in two walls and the floor!
I patched in the subfloor with scrap lumber and the finished floor using wood flooring ripped out of the guest room closet floor.... that's a later project! The original floors were oak. The floor in the guest room extension turned out to be pine, in the same dimensions. it works.
Above the wainscoting, i installed a peel and stick wallpaper. (link). I loved the groovy garden pattern... it's somewhat referential to classic style with a cheeky update. I told my friends it looks like William Morris meets Dr. Seuss.
Wainscoting is painted in gloss white, whisper white by Behr.
The ceiling got scraped and papered in a textured paper from Lowes (link) and painted the same white.
I finished the crown molding detail with 1x4 lumber stacked to create a deco detail...
I discovered, that both the other door openings had once had doors installed. I put in a craftsman style door between the entry and the laundry room (formerly kitchen)... which is also the dog's room. I got it off of facebook marketplace, it had been used as decor but never installed (who does that??). and it was CHEAP. It replaced a baby gate! to keep the canine containment function going, I converted it to a dutch door. This lets me shut him in with a barrier taller and more solid than a baby gate... but it can still be used as a real door down the road.
The other doorway at the south end of the room goes to the hall, the dining room, kitchen etc. I was surprised to note that it had repairs to cover old hinge pockets. there was a door there too! I like the idea of being able to shut off private and public parts of the house. And, bargain hunting again, I found a new, never installed, 15 lite slab door for 1/3 of retail. Hinges, paint, stain, door knob.... and it's magic!
Other things in the room: My "hall closet" is a vintage hotel luggage rack i picked up 5 years ago at a liquidation center. I always wanted one... I have a weird fetish for old hotels. And it's functional, since there isn't a hall closet! in the corner, is a reupholstered piano bench, because I like to sit and put my shoes on here before I go out.
It's changed so much about how these spaces work. Note the updated floor plan:
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