ORC Week 2: Wallpaper and Lighting for my Loft Studio

With the tedious job of installing new flooring complete in my Loft Studio, I turned my attention to adding some wallpaper and new lighting to the space for Week 2 of the One Room Challege. This loft space overlooks my bedroom so I decided not to paint the sloped ceiling because it extends to the bedroom and the color already works well for that space. I did decide to have a little fun and add some color and pattern on the back wall with wallpaper since that won't be visible from my bedroom.

I wanted something that was fun but not overpowering and when I saw this Navy Saybrook wallpaper I thought it was perfect. To me it looks like a modernized version of waves from a Japanese Edo-era painting, like Kuniyoshi's "Life of Nichiren: A Vision of Prayer on the Waves". I'm a Senior Engineering Manager at Toyota R&D and have been lucky enough to live in Japan and visit over twenty times in my career so I thought this was a nice subtle nod to that part of my life.

This wallpaper is peel and stick so it was really easy to install. Normally with wallpaper you start in a corner but with this triangular wall I thought it made sense to center the first strip in the middle of the wall. The wallpaper is 20.5" wide so I used my 4 ft. level to mark a plumb line 10.25" from the center. I then peeled off the backing a little at a time and hung the first piece aligned to my pencil line. Once the first piece was in place it was straightforward to hang the rest of the wall paper making sure that the pattern matched at the seams. When I was done I used my utility knife to cut the excess along the ceiling. 

To make the wallplates for the switches and outlets on the wall to disappear I also covered them with wallpaper. I cut out a piece of wallpaper that matched the area a few inches wider than the wallplate. I then held the wallplate in place against the wall and then aligned the wallpaper piece to match the wall pattern and pressed it to the wallplate until it stuck. I cut the excess wallpaper off, leaving about 3/8" and then folded the edges around the wallplate. After cutting out the switch openings it was ready to install. I love that with the pattern of the wallpaper the switches and outlets almost disappear.

With the wallpaper hung it was time to move on to lighting. It took me a little while to find the right sconces because with the slope of the wall they can't be too wide or too tall. I thought brass would look nice against the blue and white wallpaper and finally settled on a pair of brass sconces with white milk glass globes by Elk Lighting. They were straightforward to install and I'm really happy with how they look.

Several of the things that I ordered online have started to arrive, like my yellow desk chairs, and I am excited to see the space start shaping up. Next up, I will be starting on the built-ins along the sides... 

New Master Bedroom Closet Light

After working on some projects for my master bedroom closet, including my laundry sorter and shoe organizer I decided it was finally time to replace the light fixture.

When I redid the electrical when gutting the main section of the house I had to purchase a ton of new light fixtures quickly. In cases where I just couldn't find anything I liked in my price range I ended up just getting a super cheap fixture from Lowes as a placeholder to pass my electrical inspection. In my closet I had a little light fixture that was only $10. While it was perfectly respectable for its purpose, I decided it was finally time to find something a little prettier.

Nice looking flush mount or semi flush mount fixtures can be really tough to find. Also, since my house is originally from the 1800s I like to have my fixtures look classic and not too modern. Add into the mix that I didn't want to spend a ton of money and it seemed like finding the right light was going to be a needle in a haystack type of problem.

Off and on I would poke around a bunch of different lighting websites looking for something that fit. Then one day I found a semi flush up light from Progress Lighting's New Bedford collection on LightingDirect.com. The fixture looked classic and the price was great, too. With a discount code I got it for under $30. The only thing I was hesitant about was the glass shade which looked a little modern. I figured that for the price it was worth the gamble and decided to go ahead and buy it.

After the new fixture arrived, replacing it was easy. I simply switched off the breaker on my house's electrical panel for the closet, removed the old fixture and disconnected the old wires, reconnected the new wires and attached the new fixture. Each fixture is different but the same basics usually apply: black wires connect to each other, white wires connect to each other and the grounding wire connects to a grounding screw on the grounding bar.

I really like the new fixture, but I was right about the glass shade not being my look. The frosted seed glass really looks modern so I am on the lookout for a vintage shade on eBay that I can replace it with. I'd like to get something with a milk glass look like my hall light shades or my bathroom light shades. I do think even with the current shade this is a big improvement toward making the closet look nicer, plus I can put in a higher wattage bulb making the closet brighter. 

Next up in my closet I need to paint the trim and maybe put some color on the walls. I also want to build some crates for the shelves so that I will actually be able to use and organize them.

Have you been doing any closet organizing or upgrading? Do you have a lot of closet space or do you have to be creative to use what you have?