Hey Ya’ll!  So, last we left off with No Man’s Land (our spare room), I had just stripped and painted the new craft table.  And now, I’m happy to announce that the space has a functional new lay-out.  Woo-hoo!

Let’s recap our journey thus far…   The room began as a veritable Monica Geller Closet, which I then lovingly dubbed “No Man’s Land”.  Because, I mean really.  Just LOOK at it….

Didn’t it scream “Enter and never return!!”??   It was wrong.  Just so very wrong.   Then, one day, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I cleared it out and organized the dickens out of it.  Which basically transformed it from the Pit of Dispair to a glorified waiting room due to the hodge-podge of leftover furnishings….

And now, it looks a little something like this….

I replaced the generic, ugly light diffuser-thing on the ceiling fixture with a simple white shade for a more streamlined, custom look.   It was an easy switch that involved unscrewing the diffuser and screwing in the shade.   Ignore the table beneath the table.  My little mid-century gem is there temporarily until I can move it into the garage (some crazy stuff is going down in there right now, so I didn’t want to risk this little guy getting scratched up).  I probably should’ve removed him for these shots, but honestly, I’m just now thinking about it.

The table now lends a nice work space for projects…  Aaaaahh, function.  Such a beautiful, beautiful word.  The way the table is situated also allows it to extend easily to accommodate the extra leaves as needed for even more surface space.

To the top of the table, I added a lamp that I already had (would love to change out that shade, though), along with a tray containing books and thrift store sundae glasses filled with sharpies and colored pencils.

In the adjacent corner, I decided to leave the little sitting area that was there before…

I would love to recover that wing-back chair someday.  Mac did an amazing job covering it in the brown microsuede fabric when we moved into our first house, but alas, my love affair with brown has ended.  I’m craving some color and subtle pattern. Something a little more fresh.  The small end table actually came with our coffee table in the living room when we purchased it off Craigslist.  I can’t help but think that it would look super awesome painted a bold color.  One day I’ll get to it, I’m sure.

And just in case any of ya’ll were wondering what ever happened to my chicken-wire-hacked cabinet (don’t lie, I know this question has haunted your dreams), here she blows…

I simply topped it with a “To Do” board that I made by framing some fabric.  I just used dry erase markers on the glass.   I added lamp, a few books, a faux plant… and called it a day.  I also traded out the previous high-water brown curtains for a white grommeted pair that I already owned.   They really add some much needed softness to the room while keeping the space feeling light and bright.

Across the room, I moved my shelf for additional storage…

I would love to paint the walls, switch out the art for something more colorful and inspiring, and make the aforementioned changes to the chair and end table, but honestly, I’m just happy that the room is now a usable space that we aren’t embarrassed to show people.   Total plus in our book.

So, as of now, I officially remove the moniker “No Man’s Land” from this space and replace it with “Craft Room”.  (sniff!)  I thought this day would never come. 🙂

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