Library Finished

As you remember...we began this project with delivery of the lumber (of course the actual start was moving everything out of the room!) This was Miss Janice's craft room, but had fallen in status to the "catch all" room and needed a good make over. Since we took out the carpet across the hall...this room just looked tired and outdated, or rather not in keeping with the "age" of the house!

Mike and Peter pushed themselves to finish the floor in one Saturday, along with the first coat of stain, due to a bridal shower scheduled for the next weekend. We knew we only had one week to put the room back together before the shower.

Once it was laid we taped off the border area that would remain the lighter pine color.

Mike, Emily and I got the stain on the floor that evening. Once it dried I came back and put down a coat of sealer. It looked good in initial pictures, however I didn't do enough stirring of the product and it did not look like this when it completely dried. It looked flat, dull and incomplete. I knew I'd have to put another coat on the floor...but the time table of the shower was dictating our actions...so we put the room back together.

It was a rush, but Ashely and I got the pieces of furniture back in place and unpacked a couple of book boxes to make the room look put together, but we knew...another coat of sealer meant removing the furniture again!

Shower over...Ashley and I moved all the furniture back into the hallway so I could put another coat of sealer over the floor. Ashley was very diligent in making sure we kept the product stirred and directing me in covering the floor evenly with the sealer.

Now that we were no longer under the pressure of an event - we had time to leisurely put the room back together. Miss Janice was able to touch up the walls where we pulled nails out. Peter and Emily put the quarter round down to finish off the floor and we touched up the white paint in the room.

Ashely and I brought back the furniture and then began unpacking the book boxes we'd stacked in Miss Janice's bedroom. We knew many of boxes were filled items we'd packed up from the original move of the bookcases, but there were also a lot of boxes Miss Janice had not gone through that she brought from her dad's house when he passed away. We left those boxes for her to decide what was of value to her (although we did pull out a lot of older books that we wanted to use in the library.)

One last item i felt needed to be changed were the curtains. I made them in 2003 for Miss Janice and they fit the feel of the room at that time, but I knew I wanted a little more sophisticated look and feel for the room since it was going to be a real library for her. These are the original toppers she had over the two windows in the room. You can also see them in the pictures above as we worked on the floor.

This Sunday afternoon we went to the Red Barn Antique sale and there was our answer. Six Waverly panels - offered at a discount...and a greater discount if we bought all six! Emily bought one (she will be moving into a carriage house in the historic district in two weeks...more on her decorating later) and Miss Janice purchased five.

We took them home and hung them right away. What do you think of the difference it makes in the room? We will still have to figure out what to do with the middle of the rod that shows...couple of ideas rolling around in my brain. I would also like to update/decorate the shades. Always a project in my mind!

Now to the room reveal....Miss Janice loves suitcases and has many. They had been stacked in the foyer, but I moved them to the shelves above the desk and moved the others into the room to use as displays.

Right side of the room as you enter....

Desk area...

Seating and bookcases....

Suitcase used to hold various books...

I enjoyed creating this room in every aspect...from the floor to the drapes. I hope you will enjoy you peak into Miss Janice's 1917 house. SO...till the next project...the bedroom makeover! However, that will have to wait until after the wedding. Much to do around here, along with Emily's move into the carriage house, then we can begin a new project at Miss Janice's.

Tomorrow I hope to reveal my aprons for the apron swap. Have to wait until my "partner" receives her package!

debi