I’m going on day 5 of not having any internet access at home, and it’s not getting any more fun. We’re going to pick up the new modem tomorrow, and hopefully that will do the trick. I’m sort of afraid to check my inbox at this point…it’s going to be a busy Sunday of catching up.

We’ve been making a little progress on the bathroom while we wait for our plumber to show up (don’t get me started on that subject, ugh), which is very encouraging. Evan pried off all of the original beadboard, which was unsalvageable, unfortunately, and we started nailing up the new pine planks in its place. Everything will be painted white, of course—we’re not going for a ski lodge theme in the bathroom!

I also did a little repair work to a rotted corner of the window sash in the bathroom, which was very satisfying. This poor window (which actually isn’t as bad as some of the other ones) still needs a lot more work, but it felt great to carve out all of the rotted wood and patch up the whole corner. I can’t wait to see it totally repaired and repainted. This is the first window that I’ve done any work on, and it’s very encouraging even to see this minor improvement. (Only 14 more windows to go!)

Our tile has arrived, too! I don’t have a photo yet, but we’re using white/gray marble hexagons with gray grout. Like the rest of the house, the walls and trim will be white. If I don’t lose my nerve, the outside of the clawfoot tub will be painted a rich, pinky red.

Last week I posted one side of the new office/studio, which is now at the front of the house (where the bedroom used to be). Here’s what’s over by the window on the other side of the room.

My desk is made from the top of my father’s old drawing table. It originally had these beautiful, gigantic, adjustable legs, which are great for drawing, but not so great for sewing or cutting or using a computer (not that I use that ancient iMac very much, believe me—most of my computer usage is limited to the sofa with our MacBook, or at my workplace on a G5) I’ve had the table in storage for years now, because it just wasn’t meeting my needs. To make it more functional and bring it out of hiding, I took the adjustable legs off (they’re back in storage), and added a pair of steel VIKA MOLIDEN underframes from IKEA in their place. Because they are screwed directly into solid wood, the table is now incredible sturdy and perfectly level. I’m very happy that I’m able to use my father’s table again! It holds more personal meaning to me than any new surface could, and I think that’s important to have at least a little of that in every room in the house—particularly in a space that’s use for creative endeavors.

I really really really hate seeing things like scanners, printers, modems, electrical cords, and powers strips. I’ve squirreled them all away in my trusty IKEA PS cabinet (raise your hand if you own one of these! Maybe there needs to be a Flickr group…), which I’ve been dragging around from apartment to apartment to apartment to house for 5 years now. It’s one of the most functional, attractive, and durable pieces of furniture I own. I think it has entered the realm of design classic, and I hope IKEA continues manufacturing these cabinets for a long time.