Sewing Room: Before & After

Who is up for a before and after reveal?!?

I don’t know about you, but I love make-overs of any kind! Therefore, I am sharing with you my recent sewing room renovations!

I have been working on this room for what seems like forever and I am finally ready to open the door for all to see!

I have several small things I would still like to do for the space. This list includes finding the perfect light fixture, an awesome rug and maybe, just maybe, finally remember to pick up a light switch cover next time I’m in a home improvement store! (If it doesn’t make my list I get scatter-brained and completely forget why I even walked into the store! Even worse when I forget my list at home! Am I the only one!?!)

I chose the smallest room upstairs for my sewing room. I tease Dan that it was meant to be my space because he has to duck to walk through the small century-old, farmhouse doorway!  They made everything my size back then!

BEFORE:

 PROGRESS:

The room needed a complete paint job. The old floors had already been painted so I chose to use a dark grey porch paint to cover all the blemishes. I also painted the walls a light grey and made the original trim white to complete a fresh and clean space. For some added spunk and a modern twist, I finished the backside of the old door with chalkboard paint. Here you will find my greatest ideas! Muah-ha-ha-ha!

MORE PROGRESS:

The painting process took a long time as I had to paint every square inch of the room – 360 degrees of paint – floor to ceiling – the whole shebang! I’m all about painting… until I get about thirty minutes into it and decide it is worst activity ever! It never fails, I get hurried, sloppy and downright grumpy by the end of day one. I dread day two and by day three I’m just ready to see the light at the end of the tunnel! Luckily, it turned out just fine and my room was transformed into an actual working space!

My favorite part of the entire process was filling the space with my favorite sewing and crafting items… and maybe acquiring a few new ones as well.

AFTER:

Here are my top 5 favorite items in my new space:

1. My sewing machine: My grandmother (my mom’s mom) let me use her extra sewing machine when I was still in grade school. I have used it ever since and I think that still makes my grandma proud. She has been a seamstress for as long as I can remember and I am so fortunate to share in her passion.

2. My grandma’s (my dad’s mom) old sewing chair: I was so excited when I asked my dad about the chair he had been storing away. I didn’t realize at the time it was a sewing chair complete with a compartment under the seat for thread and supplies. I honestly just thought the color and design was awesome. He thought I should have the chair for my room. I was honored and think of grandma each time I am in my room. She is no longer with us so I value this piece and love to showcase it. I think she would be happy to see it in my new space!

3. My thrifted ironing board desk: I came across this old wooden ironing board in a flea market as I was renovating this room. I just knew I had to use it for something! It makes the perfect high-top desk with a vintage ice-cream parlor stool (also thrifted). It is not a large space but it is perfect for drawing and working on my laptop.

4. The chalkboard door: I love this extra touch of charm! It will be fun to jot down ideas on the back of my door! The old door is very thin and small. I would had to have a custom door made if I were to replace it so I thought with a little paint I could make it work… and work well! Talk about maximizing a small space!  

5. Mason jar organizers: I had a lot… okay, maybe a TON… of mason jars left over from our wedding. I used some craft wire to hang the jars on the old shelf that was originally in this room when we bought the house. They are now a catch-all for my scissors, paint brushes and pencils. I also used jars to display some cute adornments I’ve collected over the years. Now that these are on display I’ll be more likely to use them on up-coming projects. I placed the adornment jars on a picture frame painted with chalkboard paint for an artsy display.

I hope to share many more “before & after” photos with you as we continue to make our farmhouse our home sweet home.

Thanks for reading as always!

-Rustic Honey