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All Things Home

All Things Home

Finished Staircase & First Floor Home Tour

Our staircase is finished and it’s one of my favorite makeovers to date!  Well, it’s hard to say that because we’ve done so many things to this house that have customized it to our liking, but this staircase is a central feature in the home and it’s nice to have it looking so timeless and beautiful. Originally, I thought the foyer would be one of the last projects we would tackle.  I mean, it’s not a “real room”, so why spend the time and money on it?  But as we lived in the house, I realized how important that space was.  It connects all of the other spaces on the first and even second floor and having it undone made the house feel a little disjointed.  So, we bumped it up the priority list.  The plan was to hire out the painting (since I don’t do tall ladders), hire out the

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All Things Home

office details

Welp, yesterday was yet another snow day in Minnesota!  We didn’t have much snow through December and even into January, but we have been having one of the snowiest Februarys on record and another storm is expected this weekend.  I actually love getting snow, but I am getting weary of having everyone home during the day while I’m trying to work.  I love my boys, but I need that time!  I do enjoy watching their excitement about the snow days, though, waiting with anticipation to see if Rochester Schools end up on the list of cancelations.  And it won’t last forever.  Spring will eventually come. Anyway, today I’m showing another wall in my office.  I shared the bookcase earlier in the week… …and this is the adjacent wall.  It’s between one small window and the french doors that serve as the entrance to the room. I knew I would move

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All Things Home

the other side of the studio

I showed the right side of the studio in yesterday’s post and today, as promised, I’m sharing the left side.  This side is tricky, because of all of the windows, the mini-split (heating & cooling unit), and the fact that it’s the part of the room that’s most visible from the kitchen. From the moment we first moved in, I felt like I needed to put the hardware cabinet under the window.  It is, after all, one of the coolest pieces I own and I wanted it to be the focal point!  But, it was a clutter magnet and almost always had stuff stacked on it and the stuff on the adjacent wall (the chair, table, etc.) obscured the view. When I made the decision to move it over to the “big wall” and stack the bookcase on top, that meant I would need to find something else for the

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All Things Home

the bookcase & the hardware cabinet

Today, I wanted to show you how the marriage between the hardware cabinet and craigslist bookshelf look in the studio now that the piece had been organized and styled. When I first sketched out the idea, I thought it might work and it was at least worth trying.  There was some doubt, though! When the bookshelf was set in place on the top of the hardware cabinet, it confirmed that these pieces at least worked together.  The wood tones and the patina on the pieces looked like they could’ve come from the same place. (As a note of safety, the first thing we did was attach the bookshelf to the wall with L brackets at the top.  You can see the edge of one sticking up on the right side.) And now that I’ve moved in, I am sold. Even the lamps and ironstone milk pitchers and brushes worked just

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All Things Home

hanging art on a bookcase & styling tips

Since Jeff did all of the furniture moving for me last week I have been working on moving back into my office and studio.  Don’t worry!  I’ve been pacing myself, taking lots of breaks, and working mostly with my left arm.  It’s been slow going (like moving one or two books at a time), but I can’t tell you how awesome it’s been being productive again.  I just am the sort of person who needs that in my day. So, one of the things I worked on over the weekend was moving into the new bookcase in my office.  It’s the from .  It’s sold out right now but will be back in stock in June.  (They also have this bookcase in a and .  Use code “GEORGE” to get 15% off for President’s Day.) Anyway, this bookcase has been sitting in my cart on Birch Lane’s website for weeks,

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All Things Home

furniture scooting in the studio

Yesterday, Jeff made the ultimate show of love by moving furniture for me!  Since I have only one fully functioning arm, Jeff enrolled the help of a friend to move six pieces of furniture around our house.  Most of the pieces were moved from the studio to the office or the office to the studio, but some of it ended up in the garage, too. That latest round of furniture rearranging and adding new, more functional pieces to the office, has me more excited about my workspaces than ever. The move that felt like the biggest gamble was putting the shelf from the office on top of the hardware cabinet in the studio… And I love it!  I can’t wait to get it filled and styled. I was nervous that the two pieces would work together in my head and then look stupid in reality and, the only way to

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All Things Home

five recliners I’d have in my house

As many of you know, I’ve been having issues with my right shoulder for a couple of weeks.  At first, it just slowed me down a bit, but then it stopped me in my tracks as the pain intensified and started involving my bicep.  My days and nights have been focused on pain management and doctor’s appointments to find some resolution.  Yesterday, I had a procedure to remove the calcium deposits embedded in the tendons in my shoulder and had a cortisone shot to relieve the inflammation.  I’m now resting and allowing my tendons to heal.  I know it’ll be several weeks, maybe even months, before my shoulder is completely back to normal, but I hope to be feeling much better in the next few days. The good news is that a calcific tendonitis flare-up, while painful and debilitating, is treatable and temporary.  Even at my lows, I tried to

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All Things Home

home office plans

I’ve already shared the plans for two spaces we’ll be working on this winter and spring (the guest room and studio) and today, I’m sharing the plans for my home office. This is a space made up of a mix of pieces, most of which were brought from our last house and my former studio.  I bought the shelf second-hand off craigslist almost a year ago and the small table used for my printer at a flea market.  While it all looks good, I’ve realized I don’t have the kind of storage and function I really need in a home office. I found myself increasingly frustrated with the workflow in my office that I finally sat down and made a wish list of things would address the issues… Larger desk surface, so I can have my larger monitor and a couple of “working piles” out and still have free desk space.

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I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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