Den’s Reversible Persian Carpet

It is a fairly useless room. The den has no windows and doesn’t offer much. Because of that I used IKEA mirror squares to cover  a wall to make the room look bigger, but also add some light from the foyer. It started out as a “monk’s room” like the one we had in our Capitol Hill condo with a single twin bed, chair, and a place to hang extra jackets - and face masks. But the room needed to be updated to at least look like a workable room. So we got a couch that could be used as a double bed, but it never has. We just moved it to the side wall and the room looked better. Ideally I wanted a Murphy bed with storage closets, but decided against it. The rug is from our Midwest home’s bedroom. It’s a Persian carpet that’s a bit too intense color wise. So I had the idea to flip it. A few months ago we got a Bissell portable carpet and spot cleaner and used it on the right side of the rug. A couple weeks ago we used it on the ottomans that we put in front of the couch. Yesterday we decided to clean the underside of the flipped carpet. Based on the water that was returned it certainly needed it. Because it wasn’t quite dry we put it out on the balcony for a couple of hours. The underside of the carpet is a bit more muted and looks better for that room. So we anchored it in place with the carpet squares that are sticky enough but do not do any damage to the floor. One of these days we hope to get something a bit less bulky for a footstool, but I can’t think of what would look right and don’t want to bother with that now. At least the room looks reasonably decent - for now. When we moved to northern Virginia three years ago we thought we would update the house with chic stuff. The room is mixed with one new piece and a bunch of old and used items from two past households. I guess it will have to do. 

Moving Around Furniture

We moved to northern Virginia three years ago. I never cared for the placement of the bed in the bedroom. The head of the bed was under the window and could be seen from the doorway. But it was the only way we could fit the bench at the end of the bed that made it easier to put the bedspread and decorative pillows on before going to sleep. The den on the other hand, had a couch that faces you when you walk in. I don’t like walking in to furniture and prefer it on the side of the entry. You are also in full view if you are lying on the couch. Ideally I would prefer a Murphy bed in the den but we aren’t interested in spending any money in a room that is only used for extra coat storage. So I finally got my husband to agree that we should move things around. Yesterday we switched the bed to the side of the room under the artwork and away from the window. The bench is now under the window - a bit inconvenient when removing the bedspread but something to get used to. It will make it easier to clean around the window too. And then we moved the couch to the side of the room and put the footstools back in front of the couch. It looks better - to me. It takes a while for my husband to get used to the change. It does feel like we should have curtains on the window, but I’m not interested in getting any. We will stick with the blackout shades for now. We are also looking forward to getting the Room and Board dining room sideboard that we ordered a few months ago. We have a plant stand under the large mirror that needs to be switched out. That distressed white table may go behind the living room couch. We haven’t done the usual makeovers in this house that we had done in our Midwest and DC homes. So every little bit of minor improvements helps - especially since we are in the house all of the time. 

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. 

Ikea Mirror Tiles and Bedspread Swap in the Den

Something just didn’t look right. The den in our new condo has been driving me crazy. I tried to make it in to another monk’s room, like the one we had on Capitol Hill. But this room is larger, and has no windows. It also has the living room carpet and chair that didn’t match the black and white bedspread, along with the clothes rack/bench from the hallway. A new bedspread just didn’t look right either. I thought about hanging curtains to create an illusion of a window but decided against it. So trying to lighten the space up was a priority. One way to do that is with mirrors. I put several Ikea mirror tiles up when we first moved in, but that wasn’t enough. So I added a few more a few weeks later. It was better but still not good enough. Then it dawned on me to cover the entire back wall with the mirror tiles. We picked them up last week and it made a huge difference. We also added a spider wall sculpture to add a touch of whimsy. When all was said and done, the black and white Restoration Hardware bedspread and pillow were resurrected. It just looked better - more serene and clean. The red one looked really out of place for our neutral style. But the stripes of the bedspread were placed horizontal rather than vertical to break up the long vertical lines of the carpet. I’d still like to switch out the kitchen wall art with the red border wall art hanging there now - but my husband likes it the way it is. The room definitely looks better - one can’t expect much when you’re using pieces from the old house.  Having a reflection from the foyer really helps. I just wish I could add a bit of natural light. In the ideal situation the room should have a desk with file cabinets and a Murphy bed option. But that will have to wait. 

Woolrich Sheridan Comforter Set

Our “monk’s room” isn’t looking as good as it did in our Capitol Hill condo. Our converted Virginia den doesn’t have windows and is larger than the big closet that housed the rollaway twin bed. It was essentially a black and white room, so the bedspread didn’t look quite right with the additional chair, small living room carpet, and artwork. So I’ve been looking for a replacement that might add a pop of color. I found a Woolrich comforter that arrived last week. It has a bedskirt, throw pillow and sham. The idea seemed good, but now I think it may be too busy for the space and I am surprised that my husband likes it. The black and white blanket had a matching long pillow that looked quite nice. Now I’m conflicted and not sure if I should switch it out - again. Technically what this room calls for is a desk, file cabinet and Murphy bed. But we aren’t in any hurry to change it up. So in the meantime I think I’ll add a few more mirror tiles to help increase the light in the room and fill in the back wall. Maybe that will help?

Ginkgo Gardens Giant Spider

I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with the den since we moved to our new condo in Virginia almost four months ago. I now think a small desk with a Murphy bed would be best. But until anything permanent happens, I just basically tried to replicate the “monk’s room” of our Capitol Hill condo. But it didn’t feel quite the same and the bedspread didn’t match the small rug from the living room - the colors are different. It’s kind of dark in the room because there are no windows. It also serves as a coat rack and storage space for umbrellas and our walking shoes. I did add the IKEA tile mirrors to the far wall to “brighten it up.” The bedspread was finally switched out to something that “goes” more with the rug and the wall art that has a red mat. We removed the lucite computer stand to free up space. But something was missing. We didn’t need another piece of art/painting. But we could use a bit of whimsy. So Ginkgo Gardens came to mind because we would be driving by DC for lunch. It’s our go to place for anything garden or metal work related. As soon as we walked in the door my husband spotted the perfect sculpture piece - a huge spider. Neither one of us cares for insects, but this metal/rock piece fit the bill. It was the perfect size for the space. It’s certainly not something I would have put in our 1890’s condo, but in this new 2019 space it wouldn’t be taken seriously. The room still isn’t quite right, but the spider brings it to life.