Shared Spaces BEFORE

Our house is too small, for us, at least.  Moving isn’t an option right now, so on top of vowing to not bring anything “large” into our home this year (grandparents were warned pre-Christmas that any gifts larger than our child would stay at their home – forever), we’re going through each room and trying to find ways to repurpose, multi-purpose, and in general, just liven things up.

For the past 8 months my husband has been self-employed and working all day every day from our home.  Our home doesn’t have a designated office, so 8 months ago we converted what is supposed to be a formal living room into his office.  It’s the first thing that you see when you walk in the front door, so keeping it presentable has had its challenges.

Welcome to our office home.  To the left you’ll find my husband’s oversized computer, industry publications, sketches, notes – oh, and there’s his little planner where he tracks all of his hours.  And try not to trip over his industrial-sized printer that weighs more than a small child.

Oh, you like trains?  Well you’re in luck, because we have a train table the size of our dining room table for your enjoyment.  Why is it in the office/living/dining room?  Don’t ask.  I don’t know.  I’m borderline convinced my husband plays with it during the day.

I dare you to sit on that couch, it belongs to the dogs, I haven’t sat on it since it entered our house 2 years ago.

If you can see past all of that, you’ll find our formal dining room:

Well, we use that table about 4 times a year.  When we do host dinners with friends, they are typically friends that are like family, so we end up sitting around the table in our kitchen laughing and drinking wine in a less formal setting.  It’s also further from Eli’s room, so we can laugh as loud as we want and not worry about waking him.

*  Don’t judge the orange wall, I was going through a “Moroccan” phase.

Well, this whole area has gone through a massive makeover.  So massive (and exciting) I can hardly stand it.  BUT, the main pieces that I’ve ordered haven’t come in yet (believe me, I’m checking the shipping information twice a day), so you won’t see the after post until at least next Tuesday.

I’ve thought about writing into one of those HGTV shows screaming “Help me!  I have this awkward space that needs to serve so many purposes and I don’t know what to do.”  But, I’ve figured it out, all by myself.

But for now, here’s a sneak peek at my mood board for the room(s).