badass bungalow
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The two times I viewed this house before the closing, all the blinds were down. VERY cheerful. I think all the boxes were for moving out to let me IN.Because of the jalousie windows and door, you couldn't see out at ALL., But with the way the backyard looked when I bought this place, maybe that was a good idea.I felt that paneling the walls would add a lot of interest to the space, as well as being the most expensive way for me to decorate. I never seem to be able to control myself when I'm the one doing the project. Maybe it's from all those years of frustration with my clients..More expensive wood goes up!, You can see what a difference it makes to change the windows to ones that actually let the light and view in.Here the window casing and baseboard have been added. All I used was a simple 1X4 around the windows. The important thing is to not be too skimpy in the width of window and door casings.White paint made the space feel so fresh and clean. I love white on painted paneling, it's a classic for a reason.The refinished floors came out absolutely beautifully.I had an absolute ball finding furniture for this place. I splurged on the split reed chairs, but went bargain hunting on ebay for almost everything else. The bar cart was from my antique business with my friend Kris, and we decided we liked it too much to sell, so I kept it.This armoire, just like the one in the living room was from...., that's right! EBAY!, I hooked up with a really nice vendor in the midwest, and she put together a shipment for me, I got a whole bunch of stuff shipped for a truely good price.One of my closest friends in Florida is from Cuba, and she was horrified by the peacock desk chair, but I LOVE it. The height makes a good visual terminus at the end of the room.I found the settee at Home Goods and covered the cushions with new barkcloth fabric from Dogwood Fabrics. These were the first cushion covers I EVER made.Finished!!! I really struggled with how I would dress the long row of windows, but felt this was a solution that worked. I feel the room is bright and airy, yet still cozy. I tucked the desk behind the sofa, and used more of the red barkcloth for a seat cushion. Boy, I do love this chair, I don't care what anyone says, I LOVE IT.I gotta admit, I had a lot of fun outfitting the barcart.Being in south Florida, there is no need for everyday coats, like in Massachusetts, where I live half the year, so I installed some hooks by the kitchen door for sunhats and umbrellas.
The house, at one time, must have had a back porch that was later enclosed. It opened off the dining room and the kitchen with a door to the backyard. The original floor was of lovely old Dade Pine that you just can't get anymore. It could have been used as the dining room, with the room that I used for eating as a study (like the previous occupant), but I knew that I could turn it into the gem of the cottage, and didn't want to waste the space on a room that wasn't in constant use. I imagined a room for reading and daydreaming (and hours talking on the phone). I set up an area for a small desk with access to the internet, feeling this was the space where people would want to spend the most time.