No More Monk’s Room

When we lived on Capitol Hill, I turned a large closet in to a monk’s room in the studio condo. The twin rollaway bed was just the right size to fit the length of the wall. The room had a large window and shelves, along with a hanging rack and enough space for a linen closet/chest. To make it seem larger and brighter, I put a wall of Ikea mirror tiles. Anyone who slept in the monk’s room loved it because it was so “cozy.” When we moved to northern Virginia seven months ago, our new condo has a den. I thought we would make another monk’s room out of it. So I put the rollaway there, along with a chair, and added another wall of IKEA mirror tiles. But it just didn’t seem the same - and I tried several configurations. It’s the first room off the foyer/entryway and needed to look more elegant. So we decided to make it more of a sitting area/den instead. Although it’s not done, the idea is to have a sofa bed instead. Since it doesn’t have a closet, we’ve had a coat rack that holds walking shoes and walking coats and jackets - it used to be in the entryway of our one bedroom apartment. It’s not the ideal set up, but I think esthetically it will look better overall. So we are waiting for the other half of our Ethan Allen furniture to arrive so we can put the sofa bed in the den where it belongs. Right now it’s in the living room until the real living room sofa arrives. Hopefully we will get this all organized soon. That’s what moving from one place to another does - some things work, but others don’t any more. 

The Monk’s Room is Giving Me a Headache

We had a fairly large closet in our Capitol Hill condo so I turned it in to a monk’s room. It had a rollaway twin bed, shelves above it, a very large window with a blackout shade, and a small white vertical dresser. Everyone liked it because it was so cozy but also had bright light during the day time. It’s hard to duplicate something quite like the original, but I’ve tried a few times now to do just that - and it’s not working. Yesterday I moved the bedside stand (that used to be in the living room) next to the head of the bed rather than in the corner at the foot of the bed. But the bed is horizontal across the back of the room instead of vertical to the left as you walk in. The old necessary hallway coat rack is in the rear of the room - used for hanging coats, umbrellas, walking shoes. It’s required when there are no closets, practical but ugly. But the worst part is that it is reflected in the mirror tiles I put on the wall that you see as you walk in to the room. The mirror tiles are nice, but they belong on the other wall that doesn’t reflect the coat rack contents! The DWR lounge chair is stuck in the corner next to the computer stand that we really don’t need anymore. That chair was just exchanged with the rocker in the living room. The printer was moved to our bedroom. I’ve switched out the large framed Persian print with the other one in the kitchen three times now. The bedspread is very masculine, but too nice to get rid of. The Persian carpet came from the old living room and actually is the best piece but doesn’t really go with the bedspread. If I had the guts to do it all over again I would - but my husband would find that very hard to believe and it would mean patching the walls. So I turned the bedspread so the stripes go the other way. When you look at the room facing the bed or the chair it looks quite nice - it’s just on the wrong side of the room. I’m rather content with most of what the rest of the house looks like. But the monk’s room? What worked in DC does not feel right in Virginia! 

Recreating the Monks Room With IKEA Lots Mirror Tiles

In our old Capitol Hill condo we turned a good sized closet in to a monks room. There was just enough space for a twin sized bed, and a small chest. Since there was a huge window, shelving, and high ceilings it worked out nicely. To make it appear larger I added twelve Ikea mirror tiles to the wall. When we moved to Virginia a few weeks ago, I thought it would be a good idea to recreate the monks room in the den. Because we left the mirror tiles on the wall, as well as the padded headboard, I needed to order the same LOT mirror tiles from Ikea for this room. They arrived several days ago and I scoped out the best option. Because the room is twice the size as the original monks room, the tiles needed to be set more horizontal than square. You simply use two sticky pads on each side and press to the flat surface. So I ended up with five tiles across and three down and wasn’t happy with the result. So I ordered another four tiles in one package and added an additional line along the bottom, ultimately using twenty tiles in all. It looks so much better and makes the room look twice as large. It’s taken a few tries to get it right - the huge metal framed mirror was moved to the dining room where it belongs. The three tiny monks are now above the door frame, and a chair and a coat rack complete the space along with a computer stand/bedside table, small storage table with a lamp, and one of our favorite paintings. I was hoping to put my printer in our huge closet but there wasn’t a plug, so it’s got a place there too. The monks room isn’t used that often but it’s a nice added area just in case someone needs an overnight place to stay. I don’t think I’ll be getting another headboard for the rollaway bed. Hopefully it will work out well. 

Monk's Room Update

I never knew what a monk's room was until we stayed at a B&B in New Orleans many years ago. It's basically a closet with a twin bed and nothing more. A few months back we decided our storage closet could be turned in to a monk's room - which transformed our tiny studio apartment in to a one bedroom condo! It has a huge window, high ceilings, a mirrored wall, and great shelves. I even put in some battery operated undercounter lights above the head of the bed, and had black out shades added to keep out the light at night. And of course, three tiny monks are scattered about the room for fun. But the space was still missing a couple of items. So today, the folks who renovated our bathroom, added those couple of things. They installed shelf doors on half of the lower section that provide a bit more privacy for articles we don't want to see, and a dimmer switch that was left over from another project. I wanted to add a white wooden frame around the cushioned head board, but that will have to wait for another time. All I know is we have had two guests stay in that space and they loved it. There is just something very cozy about it. Luckily we have another closet in the apartment that us used for storage. When you live in such tiny spaces you need to make use of every square inch. So if the Murphy bed isn't your cup of tea, there's a monk's room that may do the trick. 

Monks in the Monk's Room

Every square inch of space is needed when you live in a tiny house. When we turned our 70x76 inch catch all closet in to a tiny bedroom - or monk's room - I made a list of all the things it would need to be cozy, comfortable, and whimsical. Obviously, some signage or representation of monks was noted. Luckily the room has a huge window and high ceilings, which makes it all the more pleasant. I have an Etsy shop for digital art, featuring custom pet portraits. I thought it would be nice to support another artist for this unusual request. So I searched Etsy on the word "monk" to see what might come up. As soon as I saw Diana's Dolls, I found what I wanted. They were 2 1/2 inch porcelain penny dolls handcrafted by Diana in Ohio. There were three of them - one laughing, one praying, and one singing. Since they were so small I got all three. They arrived yesterday in particularly cute packaging with the history of the penny doll enclosed. I found the perfect spots for all of them...sort of a "where's Waldo?" approach. If you look hard enough, one can be seen upon entering the room on the shelf next to the plant; another is above the door frame looking down from above inside the room; and the last one is in the corner behind the door next to the window. When the door is closed and you are sitting on the bed, there he is. Neither my husband nor I care for nick nicks, but we thought this was a cute idea. I actually like gnomes more. But that just isn't the point here!