Utility Area - Before & After

We have this room, we call it the playroom.



It's not a playroom at all, definitely not a room for children.
It's a workshop/studio/office/sewing room/potting shed and also a little bit of a utility room.


As it serves so many purposes it's been a bit ignored and has ended up feeling more and more like a dumping ground, the room where we shove things and shut the door so we can pretend our house is tidy really. But since my big sort out on the bank holiday weekend a couple of weeks ago I've been on a mission to get it ship-shape.
This was the main motivation behind my Ikea trip this week and in a shockingly uncharacteristic move I actually completed a crafting goal and made some very simple curtains to hide the washing machine and freezer.

Before:



(Check it out - I'm actually doing my dirty washing in public)

After:



I remembered as I was in the process of making these curtains that I had planned for a much more parred down, utilitarian chic (a kind of Labour & Wait / 1950's beach hut style) for this little area - but I'm not sure that look comes very natually to me, I'm just very drawn to colour, so it's more circus tent; which I can live with - and if I can't, then I'll just change the curtains, as when you only pay £13 for the fabric and £1.99 for the hooks and wire, you can do that.



But for the moment I'm very happy, mainly as I've actually done something I set out to do, but also as it does soften the room a bit and it's one step closer to having this room feel like it's really part of the house rather than a place we try to pretend doesn't exist.

Fabric: Ikea
Enamel pots: From my Granny's house
Print: Bold&Noble
Metal Letters: Anthropolgie
Hang it All (not longer hanging it all... location for this needs to be decided on, it has been sitting here for a while, but but a happy co-incident it's a pretty good match for the fabric)
Tiles: Savaged from a fireplace in what is now our kitchen

----------------- side note ------------------

When I first started my blog I thought it would be full of wonderful before/after projects.
Ha, the grand dreams of a naive blogger!
In reality, even if I do get around to doing a DIY-ish project I either forget to take before photos at all, or the 'after' photo isn't quite what I imagined in my head. Most often what happens is I INTEND to do some grand project, I buy the stuff to it, start it and then mid way through I change my mind or decide I didn't really want to do it or I just stop and the project sits half done taunting me until I HATE it and it has become the most annoying thing ever and I never even want to finish it.

The irony is I still I look at all these super-duper websites and blogs and I think 'I could do that' the only problem is that I very rarely do.

So enjoy this post, as you won't be getting another one like it for a while - that is unless I actually finish our bedroom blinds for which I bought the fabric nearly 3 years ago and actually started making two months ago… you never know, I might find a window (excuse the pun) of opportunity this weekend and if the stars are aligned correctly I might even be able to beg Hugh to put them up, but it is very very unlikely.