My Own Cozy Nook
/
Believe it or not, for the last two weeks I've been working on one section of the bedroom. One 10 foot X 2 foot area - the window bench! Just a reminder of how it looked when we bought the house (from the listing):
One of the first things I did was remove the maroon blinds and recover my existing shades with No Sew Roman Shades. So we were stuck here for a bit:
One weekend I decided to go ahead and paint so I had to take down the shades so I could paint around the windows. While they were down something happened - I remembered how beautiful the view was.
I wasn't sure what to do about the windows, but I knew what I wanted to do with the bench. I removed pull up drawers (they were so heavy and my fingers had been smashed more than once). I decided to make a bench using wood and fabric I had left over. I wanted a tufted bench so I got to work.
After about two days of a one day job (two words. Winter. Break.) the bench cushion was finished.
So I had a cushion but I still hadn't figured out what to do with the windows. And then it hit me. Most of you reading this are probably thinking "can you just leave them alone?" No, not really. My hubs has funky hours so sometimes he sleeps well into the day. He wants something to keep the light out. When he's up, though, I want to see the view. And that's where my solution came in.
I headed to Lowe's to pick a few things up and came up with this:
I installed black out roller shades. Next I trimmed out the window, but I dropped the trim down creating a type of cornice (so it would cover the roller). This gave the hubs the shade he wanted in the mornings, and I can easily pull them up and enjoy the unobstructed view once he is up and about. The shades I bought were the cheap ones - mainly because I want to see how this solution works into the summer (when the temps hit well over 100 for months). If we continue to like this, I am going to invest in the good quality shades.
So now I had a cushion, trimmed windows and blackout roller shades. All that was left was the little touches that make it so cozy. I headed to the fabric store and grabbed three patterns that I loved. I picked up a fourth pattern but I haven't worked it in yet.
I had gone to the store planning to get something in an orchid shade (since it's Pantone 2014 color of the year) but I just fell in love with the raspberry. Besides, Valentine's is just around the corner. :-)
I made a total of 6 no sew throw pillows for the bench (see the tutorial here). I picked up a throw, some flowers and vases, candles and called it a day. Here is the final result:
And because you know I love side-by-sides...
From the front (sorry for the poor quality but I haven't mastered shooting a window yet):
I still have a bit of work to do. I need to paint the new trim and fix a couple of buttons, but other than that, it's done! I'm happy to have an area that I think does the view justice. Now if you will excuse me, I'm off to read for a bit before bed. :-)
Edited to add:
I completely forgot to upload my favorite pics from the project:
While I was taking pics for the blog, he walked in and said "I want to sit in your pretty room." He hopped up on the bench and sat still long enough for me to get one photo. Then he started acting his normal, crazy self. That's how it goes around here... just the way I like it!
Check my post out at Remodelaholic's Party!
