Sneak Peek: Dear Son's Room

Today, I am showing photos of Dear Son's room. Approximately, one month ago we moved to a smaller apartment, a 650 square foot studio apartment to be exact. That is a pretty small space when you are caring for a severely disabled young man who is a bit high maintenance. After all, I have a wheelchair, a hydraulic bath chair, an IV pole, a hoyer lift, a hospital bed and then all of his supplies: 5-8 cases of formula, 200 bed pads, 80-100 diapers plus suction machine supplies, syringes, feeding tubes, oxygen supplies and well, you get the idea. I have rented a small storage unit that is approximately 5 x 4 feet and that has worked well for the bath chair, but everything else I am storing in the apartment. Actually, I leave the wheelchair in the hallway but everything else is here.

As a reminder, here is a copy of the floor plan. It's a reverse floor plan so you need to flip it over to match our space layout. Dear Son's room is actually what is considered the living room on the floor plan. You'll see later in the week, where I put the sofa and how I managed to squeeze a living area into the plan.

Here is a photo of the space before we moved in. What appealed to me about the space was all of the light, the trees and the crown molding. We had it in our other apartment but it still looks nice. I measured all of the rooms and then created a space plan before I moved in. A space plan is nothing more than figuring out where you are going to put your furniture. I created a space plan for the entire floor plan and that helped me identify which furniture I would keep and which furniture I would sell.

One of the first things I did was to place his bed near the wall. Because his hospital bed is an extra long twin and because of the custom headboard and footboard, it's longer and takes up more space leaving less space for wall storage.His nightstand was a bit too small for the new place and I felt a three drawer chest would work better. Here is a photo of his former room at our old apartment.

I had a pair of matching three drawer chests that I had in my former bedroom and I loved them. Instead of getting rid of them and breaking up the set, I used one in Dear Son's room and one in mine. I'd prefer a straight sided three drawer chest however I don't want to get rid of a matching pair of chests. I plan on painting this chest black and adding some chrome handles. House Beautiful showed some boat cleats that looked really nice and they suggested using these as dresser handles although I haven't had time to look elsewhere at drawer hardware.

Since there were three large windows, I had two options that I liked. The first option was more modern; I could add three pieces of molding to the tops of each of the three windows to finish them off. My second option was to soften the windows with drapes. Since I prefer classic, traditional decor, I knew that I'd add draperies. To soften the windows, I used some drapery panels that I purchased from IKEA a few years ago for my tablescaping. IKEA sells each pair for $4.99 so it was less than $10 for drapes for all of the windows. Dear Son's Dad was nice enough to hang the curtain rods and put up all of the shelving in the apartment. Because the space was so small, it was challenging moving around the apartment until everything was installed. That nearly drove me crazy.
I placed the panels between the windows and used a black curtain rod that I already had. I love the way it softens the windows. It's really hard to take a picture of it because there is so much light coming into the room but it looks amazing when you walk in. One of my favorite things is also the trees outside. I can see them from my kitchen when I cook and you can't help but notice them. We can hear the birds singing all the time. It's just lovely.

I took a photo of Dear Son that an artist sketched at our Make a Wish Trip last year and hung it next to the drapes.

You can see more of the trees here. I also used the lamp from our former apartment. I covered the shade myself.

I had to keep Dear Son's Lazy Boy recliner. It's the only chair he can sit in since he can't support himself in a sitting position very well. One of the first things Dear Son does when he gets in the recliner is to use his feet to spin it around so he can look out the window. Last year at this time, he couldn't move his feet or legs at all. Since he's been on the coconut oil, he's regained the use of his feet and legs.

Once I get the dresser painted black and the new hardware put on, I'll take some new photos with some pretty fresh flowers and also put Dear Son's yellow sham on the bed. I was pressed for time so I omitted it in the photos.

I had a full length silver mirror that I purchased from Pottery Barn many years ago that I used in my bedroom. I didn't want to store it since I didn't want it to get broken so Dear Son's Dad suggested I put it over Dear Son's bed. It really reflects a lot of light and once I get the hanging impatients on the patio, it will reflect the flowers in the mirror.

In my former apartment, Dear Son had a small t.v. and I had a larger one in the living room.

For this new space, I decided to move the larger t.v. over near Dear Son since he couldn't see the smaller t.v. very well. He has a vertical gaze palsy making it harder to look up to see the t.v. so this was a better solution. Dear Son's Dad however felt that the t.v. should be wall mounted so he purchased it as a gift for me for my birthday on July 8th. I did strongly suggest that a pampering gift, like a pedicure, would be more exciting to me than a "wall mount" however he really wanted the wall mounted television. I think he wanted this so he could sit in Dear Son's recliner when he was babysitting and watch t.v.:) He was pretty excited about my new gift until I told him that now Dear Son's bedroom looks EXACTLY like a hospital room. I don't think he thought that was funny but seriously, the hospital has a big screen t.v. that is wall mounted, and a recliner, a hospital bed and an IV pole. You be the judge, lol.


The advantage to the wall mount is that you can see this t.v. from various parts of the room. It makes sense once you see where the sofa resides. After living with it for the last week or so, I am glad he installed it. While I don't watch t.v. very much, Dear Son is able to see t.v. much better and he likes it.
Currently, I have a black bookshelf that stores all of Dear Son's changing supplies. I am thinking about installing vertical shelves beneath the television and then storing all of Dear Son's changing supplies in the same baskets that I used in my kitchen. I can't install any shelving with a depth larger than 12 inches and because there is very little room at the end of Dear Son's bed, I'll need to use these longer baskets so I can slide them in/out of the shelves to make it more functional.That gives some continuity to the space. The Container Store has a photo which gives you an idea of what I am thinking about.

Another view of the room.
I think the best part of the room for me is that Dear Son gets to be a part of everything and see all of our visitors. Since he can't sit up for more than two hours at a time, he is in bed a lot. This way, he gets to see everyone versus being in his bedroom. Also, it's nice because we can watch a show together.

I asked Dear Son what his favorite part about the apartment was...he was lying in bed and he looked right out towards his window. He loves looking out the window and since we face east, it's nice and bright. At night, he likes to listen and watch his carousel.

One last look at Dear Son's room.

Sneak Peek of the New Patio

Photo of my former patio, many years ago.

For the next few posts, I thought I'd show some pictures of my new studio apartment. There is still a lot of work to be done but the basics are complete. I moved in one month ago, downsizing from an 850 square foot apartment to a 650 square foot studio apartment. So far, it's been really nice and I am very happy.

Let's take a look at the floor plan. As you can see the patio is very small, only 8 feet x 5 feet compared to the larger patio that I had many years ago in the photo above.
This is a picture of the patio when I moved in.

This is how it looks now. There is still a lot of work to do. One of the things I like is the french door that goes out to the patio. That is a lot prettier than a standard patio door.

One of the things that I would like to do is to add some hanging impatiens at the top of the grate similar to the ones you see in a former patio (see photo below) that I had many years ago.

When you downsize, often you need to use your furniture in new ways. From this photo, you can see I took Dear Son's nightstand and used it out on the patio. The nightstand/table is the perfect size between the two rocking chairs and there is room on the top to hold a drink of iced tea or something. Also, the bottom door opens up for storage. I am storing magazines (Veranda and House Beautiful) in the drawer. I still have Dear Son's drawer liner in there and will replace that with a pretty pink toile paper once I get the table repainted.In the lower part of the nightstand, I put a basket of my patio garden tools along with some organic potting soil. I'd like to replace the plastic bin with something more natural and more green, like a basket, but for now, it's functional. I kept all of my favorite garden tools and kept only the ones I can use on the patio. I also kept my garden clogs since I still trim my former MIL bushes on occasion. I still need to paint the nightstand white along with repainting both of the rockers white. I was also thinking of adding some pillows for color to the rockers. I love these pillows and originally wanted to purchase them for my living room however now that I've moved, I think they would be perfect for the patio once everything is painted white.One of the things I also wanted to add was some prettiness to the patio. I started with a white ceramic clock, then added an iron bunny that I purchased some ten years ago when I visited the Filoli Garden in California. They are the largest formal garden in the U.S. One of my dreams is to travel and visit all of the beautiful flower and water gardens in the world. I also have a pretty little pot for some impatients. Finally, I added this picture of Dear Son. I took it when he was only four years old and it's one of my favorite pictures. I wasn't certain where I would put it however it just seemed right when I added the pink impatiens.

The apartment complex I live in is considered a luxury apartment complex for the area; it is situated on a golf course along the river. There are rent premiums for the golf course view however I have the back of the property for which there is no premium, lol. I still enjoy a view of all of the trees:) And I get to hear the birds singing very early in the morning. They usually start around 3 a.m. This is the view from my patio.


Another view from the patio.I'd also like to add some hanging flowers on the patio similar to the ones I hung on my former patio (many years ago).

One of my favorite parts of my new patio are these pictures of Dear Son. He was only four years old at the time and it was around 8 a.m. in the morning. He had on his Disney shirt and his new "wide leg" jeans in a size 4 slim. It still makes me laugh because I had the hardest time purchasing clothes for him when he was a little boy because he was so slim. The pictures are also my favorite because they are pictures of my two favorite things: flowers and little boys. I used to tell Dear Son that all the time when he was little. Flowers and children are still my favorite things.

These pictures were taken in front of our house.

Let's take a closer look at these cute pictures. "Four" was a cute year! I took pictures of the single photos from this picture so there is a bit of glare, lol.

So to summarize, I have a lot of projects to do:

Paint rocking chairs and table.

Add pillows to rockers.

Re-line drawer with pink toile paper.

Replace bin with a natural basket.

Add hanging impatients and baskets.

Replace cream monogrammed linen coasters with white ones.

There will always be a lot of projects to do but until then, I'll leave you with a photo of my finished patio from many years ago.

Apartment Kitchen Makeover

Shortly before I moved, I decided to make over my kitchen. It was the last room to do but I kept putting it off for fear I'd have to move as soon and that is exactly what happened. Regardless, it turned out really pretty. Here is the after photo.


This is what it looked like before, very plain. I really hadn't done anything with it. It was functional and that is about it. It was too much work to paint, since I'd have to re-paint it back to white when I moved, so I never did anything to it.

My first project was to add a kitchen chalkboard. As you may recall, I took a gold mirror I had, removed it, painted the frame white and then painted the back of the mirror with chalkboard paint. That way, if I ever tired of the chalkboard, I could still use it as a mirror.

Here is the mirror before.

And here it is after. I must say, after using this chalkboard for months, that I absolutely loved it. I use it to write notes for Dad, last minute to do items, inspirational sayings, holiday messages and just about everything. If you are making a chlakboard, I would recommend that you do a large one like this one. Anything smaller or shorter, wouldn't work as well.

Next to the mirror, I added some decorative plates. I fell in love with this pattern and had purchased a platter off ebay and then located these saucers on ebay for my kitchen. Here is another photo of my completed kitchen; you can see the matching platter over the stove.

Let's take a closer look. Since it was an apartment kitchen, I was stuck with some ugly things, namely gold hinges on the cabinets, outdated white hardware, old vinyl floors, a wall mounted phone outlet and white appliances from 1995. So my only option was to paint.

Over the stove, I mounted a platter I had that I liked. To fill the space and to add some interest, I added the words, "Bon Appetit!". I sold my microwave and got a Breville Smart Oven. Actually, my sister was nice enough to purchase it for me since she knew I wanted one. I call my Smart Oven, my Easy Bake Oven because it's so easy to use and the clean up is a breeze. Which would you rather clean, a giant oven or a small, easy bake oven. Plus, the oven cooks great! A close up of the platter.

I wanted a vintage type feel to the kitchen, so I replaced the white ball hardware with some glass knobs. With concerns over BPA, toxins and just generally trying to be "green", I tried to use all natural materials for my kitchen makeover. For this makeover, I used a vintage platter and saucers (reused), natural materials like glass for the hardware and then woven baskets. I also reused or repurposed my mirror into a chalkboard. Here is the glass knobs that I used.

I used an antique chandelier that I had and had it rewired into a hanging lamp. That is another way that I stayed "green" so to speak.

Moving around the room, on top of the refrigerator I used a woven basket. I needed a large one to store Dear Son's feeding bags. This basket stores two weeks of bags.

On the left side of the kitchen, is where I keep Dear Son's medicine and formula. The basket on the right, stores his formula and the basket on the left, stores his medicines and syringes. I forgot to take a picture of it before I moved. This is one of the few pictures that I had of this.

I moved into my new apartment so quickly that I didn't realize I didn't have any photos of this side of the room...hence these photos with the oranges, lol.

Here is the before photo. I relocated all of the bins on top of the cabinets to the laundry room by adding more shelving in there.

Here is a pretty after photo. You can also see the pretty glass hardware.

Here is the formula that is stored inside the basket.

Another view...I just love the colors in this kitchen. The soft green walls, the white roses, the white cabinets and the natural baskets.

I also wanted a pretty kitchen. Here I used one of the vases that I got a long time ago when I received some birthday roses. I thought it would be pretty to use to hold kitchen utensils. Not only is it pretty, but no one else will have one like it. I also think it's romantic.

Here is some more detail.

Here I am in my kitchen...o.k., not really, but I do wear my hair like this a lot in the summer. Also, this is how I'd like to look in my kitchen. You have to admit, the apron is very glam. Photo credit: Haute Hostess Aprons...Glam It Up Luxe Apron.

Let's get cooking shall we. In my kitchen, I try not to use unhealthy pots and pans...no teflon, no aluminum, etc. My pots and pans are stainless steel.

My kitchen even looks pretty when I am cooking. I love the stainless steel with the pretty green paint color. Looks very fresh.

I used vintage glass relish trays, that I purchased for $.99, as spoon rests. It completes the vintage feel of the kitchen, plus it's made of glass, a healthy kitchen material.

Aren't they pretty?

One thing I would love to have is this Kitchen Aid mixer. I love the paint color plus this mixer has the internal gears made of metal, not plastic.

Here is a view of the kitchen looking out into my living room. This is the before photo.

And this is the after photo. I used the lamp for task lighting but I was able to replace the lamp with the chandelier for task lighting. On this side of the room, I had a crystal clock, again keeping with the vintage theme. I also used some vintage glass dishes to store yeast and salt for breadmaking. The white sugar bowl is from my fine bone china set; it's Spode Mansard. I love that pattern as much today as when I purchased it. I also think the glass dishes are more interesting than if I purchased a modern set of three matching bowls/dishes. And definitely, much prettier.

One project I wasn't able to get done was to replace the faucet. My sister had a polished nickel faucet with crystal knobs that she had purchased for her home but later changed. Once I decided to move, I didn't change the faucet. Next to the sink, is a soap dish. It's new and it's glass. I purchased some vinyl lettering in a script font to add some elegance to the kitchen. Here is a close up.

A view from the opposite direction.

One other addition was a polished nickel towel bar to hold my dish drying mat. I use, "The Original Dish Drying Mat". It's a microfiber mat that wicks the water away from your dishes allowing them to dry faster.
Here is a close up of the polished nickel towel bar.


To complete my kitchen makeover, I added a monogram to my dust pan. It's the same Edwardian script font that I used for my soap dish and for the "Bon Appetit" lettering. I already had the black and white broom. Who says housework needs to be boring?

Here it is hanging in my laundry room. I loved seeing the monogram when I opened the door.




And that completes my apartment kitchen makeover...
Bon Appetit!

One last look!

Linking to: Delightful Order Inspiring Thursday Party, My Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday, Just a Girl Show and Share Day.