Hidden Work Spaces

Growing up, I was obsessed with the Brambly Hedge book series by Jill Barklem.  I loved the elaborate and tiny illustrations of the mice homes.  My favorite story was The Secret Staircase, a story about two mice children finding the abandoned royal hall of the hedge they inhabited.  The children find the key to a secret door that leads them on an adventure.  It's not an uncommon theme for children's books, but this was before I was capable of reading about Narnia and long before Harry Potter was created.

As an adult, my love for the secret spaces had translated into a love of hidden away work spaces and convertible furniture.  I love the idea of being able to hide the television or computer when they are not in use.  Also, I know that my desk always tend to be organized chaos and I like being able to hide my piles of paper away when they are not in use.  Recently, I've seen a lot of people converting old wardrobes, dressers and entertainment units into work spaces and I love this idea!

  

I love the cheerful bright pattern inside this one!

An idea for a pattern on the outside!

To be honest, I don't like color or pattern here, but the idea is clever.

Or a giant, unused(?) closet can be transformed into an oasis.

images from their respective owners

Light Bright

Last spring while shopping at a flea market I bought a giant glass lamp. I was attracted to the design in the glass and was sure it would look lovely when lit up. It was only $20 because the wiring was faulty, also because it weighed a lot and I am sure the seller just wanted to get rig of it. The lady who sold it to me urged me not to plug it in as it would cause the fuse to blow (I think she learned this the hard way). I heeded her advice and was sure my dad could teach me how to rewire it. It only took me about 6 months to buy all the supplies and get a lesson from my dad.

It costs an additional $15 to get the new wire, a more attractive chain, a new plug and a switch. I also had my dad help me hang the lamp to make sure the ceiling wouldn't fall down, but here are the results and I am quite pleased! Not too bad for a $35 investment and a little elbow grease!

Changing It Up

Spring is in the air (or at least I hope it is) and I've been gearing up to do the annual spring closet purge and try to sort through the detritus I seem to gather. I have a bit of a hard time getting rid of stuff and always feel daunted with the piles of stuff that accumulate around me.

As I was trying to sort through stuff I realized I wanted some sort of change in my room. It came in the form of a new bedside lamp. I purchased a couple lit branches from the University Bookstore and put them in a vase I had. The pictures don't quite do the best job because I had to turn off the flash for the "after" shot, but hopefully you'll get the idea.

Before:

After: