Space.
Well, I’ve already narrowed it down to two wallpaper options from Ferm Living for the guitar wall.
It might sound strange, but one of the biggest challenges I’ve had to deal with since we bought our house is exactly how to deal with all this SPACE. Door Sixteen measures about 1800 square feet, which is “small” by overall 2007 American standards, but positively enormous as far as I’m concerned. I grew up in small, old houses, and before moving to Newburgh, I had a series of small apartments in Brooklyn. Space has always been at a premium for me, and I’ve long prided myself in being a master of space conservation.
So what happens when someone like me winds up with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, a dining room, a big hallway…and a kitchen? Honestly, it’s hard to know how to handle it. I don’t want to waste space, but I also don’t want to wind up with three empty rooms (or three rooms with no purpose or function). It’s stressful. I don’t want to screw up.
There’s a small bedroom (probably intended to be a nursery) adjoining our bedroom, and we’re currently using it as a dressing room. Given all the empty space in our enormous bedroom, this seems like a ridiculous waste. It feels unnecessarily luxurious, something that makes me feel uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, Evan has a very large comic book collection, as well as a bunch of amps and guitars and other geeky boy stuff. It’s all just in limbo now, getting pushed into corners and in-laws’ basements, hanging over our heads and making us feel like this gigantic house is somehow too small for two people and their 10 pound dog.
I’m thinking the dressing room needs to be converted to a comic book/music room. We don’t have a ton of clothes, and there’s really no reason why we can’t relocate what we do have to the bedroom closet (though it might need some modification for maximum efficiency). So a needless luxury will be replaced with a practical luxury. I feel good about this.
9 Comments so far
Leave a reply
I love the dressing room. I think I have dressing room envy. But a comic book room is good too!
hi anna. i know exactly what you mean about the too much space = discomfort. makes me nervous. glad to see you blogging again. your home is looking lovely, and is so friggin’ NEAT, it’s inspiring. :)
x’s and o’s
Lesley! Hello!
helllllloooooo! :) how HAVE you been? seems good…
fwiw, I like the wallpaper on the left better. I think. Wait, maybe the one on the right. Ummm… see, this is why, 7 years later, my house is still not “done”. Too much cool stuff out there!
Oh! So you kept that cool house after all…?
I did! And I’m glad. I’ll send you some pix. It’s in constant transition since I buy & sell furniture for part of a living, but constantly “getting there”. I look at it as carving through a layer down to the One True Perfect House every time i swap something out. Heh.
I think a couple of kids will help you with the sapce issue right away :)
Yeah, that’s a good one, Val!! Hah.
Lesley, I’d love to see photos of the house! anna [at] doorsixteen [dot] com ! :)
I love your wallpaper choices, I’m smitten by the one on the right. And you’re making me feel better about our tiny house, so thanks for that.