Tuesday, September 18, 2007

A cozy nook


When we built our house, we planned in a sizable landing at the top of the stairs. I had the idea, at the time, that it would be a neat place for a little reading or sewing area. Well, that never happened. Instead, it became more of an unofficial “office” area. Yes, there was a bookcase there, but as time went by, a desk ended up there, then a file cabinet, then a computer... you get the idea.

Well, now all of the kids are grown and gone. Our son’s room has become a computer room/library, and our daughters’ room became our guest room. Neither of these rooms are completely the way we want them to be yet, but we’re getting there ever so slowly. The desk and computer ended up in the computer room, and the file cabinets finally joined them last winter. At last I could begin to think about my cozy nook at the top of the stairs!

(Please disregard the nasty-looking water damage on the wallpaper. This little nook is in a large dormer window, and this water damage is a result of ice backing up. Someday, Lord willing, we’ll replace the wall covering here, but there are lots of other improvements on the list before that.)

To furnish this little nook, I didn’t spend much money at all. Nearly everything was something we already had on hand. I spent a grand total of around $14 on what you see here, and $13 of that was on the rug. It was the perfect finishing touch to pull everything else together. The other $1 was spent on the table covering -- actually a napkin from the Walmart clearance aisle. Two other napkins are draped over a tension rod to form a “window treatment”, which you can just barely glimpse in the photo.

The chair was a cast-off from the living room which had been relegated to the master bedroom. The little “table” is actually the seat to a cabinet-style sewing machine. We removed the padded seat (there’s storage under it) and just made a plywood insert to fit it and create a “table top”. With a cloth over it, no one would ever guess. The lamp, doily, teacup, family photos, embroidered Hummel picture, and milk can were all in other places in the house originally. I love the way the chickens/rooster in the crewel picture go so perfectly with the rooster in the rug, and how all of the colors came together to work so well with the existing wallpaper. Little things, yes -- but little things that just remind us of how God cares about even the tiny details in our lives. I love to commit things to Him and then just watch Him work!

This cozy nook is everything I dreamed it could be... now if only I could find the time to sit here!

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:37 AM

    I'm glad your nook came out so well. What an intresting story that goes with it.
    Hope you have a wonderful day,

    Love,
    Linda

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  2. It looks lovely! Find a good book and give yourself the treat of some "down time" cozied up there. It is awesome how He works! I love re-using things that I already have in a different way or "remembering" something I have stashed that is just perfect for a new area or need.
    Blessings,
    Niki

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  3. Anonymous10:28 AM

    What a great place for reading a book...wish I had a place like that, maybe when we are finished redoing the craft room I can find room for a nice chair..
    Have a great day
    Blessings, Joann

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Mrs. T,
    It's so "New England" looking. I imagine that it would be a lovely place to sit and drink a cup of coffee/tea while watching a beautiful snowfall.
    How great that you were able to use some of your existing items to create this nook. I liked the price tag:). Yes, God does care about the details. I really "saw" this in our move down here. I hope that you'll find time to sit and enjoy your peaceful retreat.
    I was so excited to read that there are places down here that are open for apple-picking. We are in need of a family outing and this sounds perfect. I love those kinds of activities:). There again, a small detail but God knows just how much I have longed to go apple-picking. It's kind of sentimental and silly but it blessed me. Have a great remainder of the week.:)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi ladies,

    Thanks so much for stopping by to visit. I am very late in getting back to reply to comments. Sorry!

    Linda, it is especially nice to see you here! Please stop by any time! Your house looks as if it is coming along really well.

    Yes, Rachel, I think it would be a neat place to sit and watch the snow fall... or the leaves turn! And I am tickled for you that you have found some places to go apple picking. When my daughter Joanna lived in SC, she and her hubby and friends would always go apple picking in the fall... think they went to NC for that. It was so nice that they could do this "New-England-y" thing even in the fall!

    Joann and Niki, thanks for the sweet comments and the encouragement!

    Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

    God bless,
    Mrs.T

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  6. P.S. I meant to say, "even in the South." I'm sure you knew that!

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