We are extremely pleased with our recent round of room flipping: we’ve created a beautiful dining room from wasted space!
I wish I’d thought to take pictures of the “before”. This truly was a “nothing” space (it’s the space at the bottom of the stairs, right outside the kitchen), and so we weren’t particularly inclined to take pictures of it.
But I did scrounge up this picture from the tapas party we held in December. You can’t see all of the space, but that’s what we had at the bottom of the stairs up until a very short while ago (and yes, the woman in the dress looking the other way is me!):
And this is what this space looks like now (please excuse the set of coasters on the table):
And from another angle (that’s my husband’s cookbook collection, by the way). The honey brown door leads into the furnace room.
As we’re coming down the stairs (that picture’s now up on the wall):
And because I just couldn’t resist one last picture:
The really nice thing is that we didn’t have to buy anything – we already had all the right things tucked away in other rooms of the house!
It’s always so nice when something turns out exactly the way I imagined it would. I think the transformation of this space took my husband by surprise, though – in a way, he was kind of humoring me, moving things as I dictated. He wasn’t at all certain it would work, but I just knew it would.
And the results are exactly as I pictured in my mind!
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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks fantastic — and I’m drooling over all those books! What a nice, cozy space.
.-= Meg´s last blog ..Book review: ‘Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots’ by Abby McDonald =-.
Looks great Belle! I can only imagine Sensei’s expression as this move was happening. A whole heap of “Yes, dear. Whatever you say dear.” I can’t wait to see it.
.-= Steve´s last blog ..Night Series =-.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were eavesdropping as we moved things around
It looks great! I love it. (And I thought WE had a lot of cookbooks…!) I’m impressed. We’re constantly trying to figure out how to use the space well in our house.
.-= aquafortis´s last blog ..Psst! =-.
Wow! It looks great!
.-= Loretta´s last blog ..Quilting 101: A Beginners Guide to Quilting =-.
It looks fantastic! Boy, what a great cookbook collection!
It looks just perfect!
This looks wonderful! I’m jealous of the cookbook shelves, though
My cookbooks are scattered in 3 or 4 different spots.
.-= Janel´s last blog ..Mind Shot: Short Stories =-.
I love it! I’m still pondering what rooms I can flip after reading your earlier post…
.-= Kathleen´s last blog ..Classics for Pleasure? =-.
Ok – I don’t know with which I am more impressed – the fact that the dining area is perfect – and it was nothing but wasted space before OR the gorgeous cookbook collection!
Great job! Are you available for consultation??
.-= Molly´s last blog ..A Page in the Life of…..me =-.
I’d be afraid to do a consult, because I REALLY like to change things up. You might not talk to me for a while after implementing some of my more hare-brained suggestions, Molly!
Wow sooooo great!! I love it. And very nice cookbook collection! The best part is that they are near the kitchen. Mine are upstairs and all over the place.
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..Spotlight On . . . Judith Moffett =-.
It’s beautiful! I love the stones on the wall. And I love the table wood (birch?) Very nice job! And the cookbooks make a perfect decorating accent!
Good eye! Yes, it’s a birch table. From IKEA. We are kind of weird about IKEA – we have been known to (often) drive there just to have lunch!
Loverly loverly use of space!!! But I’m still wondering whether that’s really you in the dress! Ha ha.
I should have dug out those hot rollers, Helena! Then you’d know for sure.
Love the art work on the wall – with the stones – seriously gorgeous!!
.-= Jemi Fraser´s last blog ..Tragedy & Hope =-.
I love it! I am always changing my apartment around and looking for the best possible placement and use of everything. You may have set that bug off in me.
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Book Club Pick: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot =-.
WOW! What a great use of the space. Can’t wait til my next visit. I can see myself sitting at the table browsing the cookbooks already with a cup of steamy hot tea… on a coaster.
Hey! Me too!
Belle! It looks amazing! We really are due for a similar restructuring. We just need a different, clearer layout. I love what you’ve done! :O)
.-= Pam´s last blog ..Sunday Salon: Tummy Bugs and Swedish Thugs =-.
That looks fantastic! I’m envious of your husband’s cookbook collection, too. That’s an awful lot of cookbooks!
.-= Memory´s last blog ..TBR Additions and the Bahamas =-.
That is a LOT of cookbooks! Your dining room looks fantastic!
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..East of Eden, Part III =-.
VERY nice! You are quite talented.
.-= heidenkind´s last blog ..The Book Group =-.
Wow, your house looks so beautiful and calm and clean! Do you want to come move things around in my apartment?
.-= Audrey/brizmus´s last blog ..Review: Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben Winters =-.