Basement Office Progress, Kinda Sorta

Do you ever worry that your "temporary" solution to a home improvement project will become permanent? I'm sure that's what really happened with many of our Previous Owner's weird fixes. They didn't mean to do a half-assed job; they simply didn't have time to go back for a more permanent solution.

But I swear, my basement solution is only temporary! Sometime in the next year, we'll get around to finishing it properly.

My office used to be the workshop. There was a grotty old workbench still sitting below the south window when we moved in, as well as an assortment of ugly cabinets, shelves that were falling apart, and, oddly, an old shipping crate for a harpsichord that had been converted into a low shelf. And my gosh, it was filthy. Dirt, spider eggs, and more dirt everywhere. I'm only sorry I didn't get a picture!

Well, we ripped out the old ceiling boards, which had an inch-thick layer of coal dust and tore down some of the drywall. There is one wall left, which we won't tear out until we work on the electrical. I washed down the walls and scrubbed the floor. We replaced the windows, which I'll blog about shortly, and I set up the day bed--perfect for napping on the job--with the super discounted Tommy Hilfiger bedding I bought. And then I tackled the remaining drywall with the same mint green paint I used in the storage room.

Here's a before of the wall:

Here's the after:

The drywall is in total crap condition with holes and gouges, and it was never installed properly and doesn't reach the ceiling. But until it's replaced, at least it will be clean. It was actually hard to get the paint to cover in some areas; I think the wall was used as a way to clean paint brushes of excess paint or solvent. The wall had some ugly splotching.

I got some simple curtains at Target for both windows and tension rods to hang them (this photo is taken with my back to the desk; for an office, it's not looking too officey in these pics, is it?):

And then I used some of the scrap carpet left over from recarpeting my mom's other house to cover the concrete floor:

What we still need to do for this room, besides the electrical and new drywall for the two inner walls, is to install new ceiling tiles, paint the lower half of the concrete walls with masonry paint, strip the gray paint off the solid wood lintels, figure out a way to buff the bricks and remove some of the paint to give them a more whitewashed look, and decide what we're going to do about the floor--I'm thinking Mexican tile with scatter rugs.

But for now, it looks pretty homey, doesn't it? (I'll settle for clean.)

I just hope it's temporary.

Tommy Hilfiger Dharma Bedroom Collection, Basement Office Progress

If you saw my bedroom closet, you'd know I'm not one for name brands and designer labels (you'd also see that it's way too small to share with Ted, which is why we're still living out of boxes until we finish off areas of the basement for better storage). Most of what I wear is folk-inspired, hand-made-things-bought-while-on-vacation, purchased-on-eBay, or generally one-of-a-kind items. (Probably more to do with the cash-poor life of a freelancer than anything else, I think.) So I'm actually a bit surprised at myself for buying Tommy Hilfiger bedding.

After removing the drywall and ceiling boards from my basement office, and vacuuming and scrubbing the heck out of it to get rid of all the coal dust, plasterboard remains, and spiders, Ted and I set up a day bed against one wall. Now the room can do double duty as a guest room, although I know for a fact none of my friends and family will sleep down here while it's still looking too much like a basement. When guests are here, Ted and I will no doubt have to vacate our bedroom.

Even though new bedding was not at the top of the list, I poked around the bed-in-a-bag options at Target, Amazon, etc. I wanted something kind of fun, slightly bohemian, and cheerful enough to distract the eye so you'd perhaps forget, even for a moment, that you're sleeping directly underneath the decorative fireplace upstairs, the bottom of which is now quite visible between the joists. But everything I looked at was just sort of yuck.

Eventually, I stumbled on this Tommy Hilfiger Dharma collection (from 2005, I think). It's perfect--the bold blues and hippie flowers are gorgeous. Originally it would have cost a freakin' fortune--I totalled up over $500 for the odds and ends before I got bored looking up the original prices. But searching on eBay and Amazon, I found all the pieces I wanted--duvet cover, sheet set, dust ruffle, shams, and even the foofy decorative pillow--for a tenth of that, with shipping.

Tommy Hilfiger Dharma Collection. I picked up nearly everything seen here--with the exception of the stripey pillows--in a twin size to fit a day bed.

Damn, I just love a good bargain. Did anybody else get some good shopping done this week?