I Could Be on TV!

You know in the decorating shows how there is always that last minute rush to get finished before the time is up? I totally did that in the master suite yesterday. I literally swept tools/hardware/old stuff I'd removed/extra parts from the new stuff I installed into a laundry basket and shoved it into the garage.

Let me back up. As I have mentioned, T has been in Austin for training. For three weeks. I thought it would be nice to surprise him with a completely new 'man's closet,' updated bathroom and finished master suite when he (finally) came home. So once I got over my close encounter with the flu bug, I really had to get my rear in gear.


I found these really cool closet systems by ClosetMaid at Lowe's. You start with a tower of shelves and add rods between the walls and the tower. You can add all sorts of accessories like shelves, drawers or shoe racks. I kept it 'simple' with just drawers and shelves. And hooks. LOTS of hooks. (My house would collapse with out 3M Command hooks.)

I constructed his closet in the strange little office off of the master bathroom. It was supposed to be my office, but it really wasn't practical for my office to be so far away from the hell spawn children. So I took one for the team and donated it to the Closet Cause.

For his closet, I used two towers, 16 and 25 inches wide. The way the room is set up, with a door on three walls, I could only put hanging rods on one side of each tower. But he ended up with something like 16 feet of hanging room. I put drawers in the wider tower to accommodate the man's ridiculous number of socks. (On average, T changes his socks three times per day and I don't do laundry quite as regularly as I should, so he has a LOT of socks.) He has nine shelves to contain his equally huge collection of t-shirts. (He has shirts dating back to the '80's. Think giant technicolor prints of wolves and elk and woodland scenes. Shudder.) I even put in a special shelf over the hanging rod to fit his cowboy hats.

There are hooks for every purpose, too. I put hooks on the back of the door for him to hang his sweaty running gear. I am so relieved not to have to look at his grungy, erm, support garments all day! There are hooks for his baseball hats, too. He has at least three in rotation at any given time: one for working in the yard (read: sweaty and gross); one for wearing around the house (to keep his shorn head warm); and a 'fancy' one for wearing out. Hooks for all! Plus one to spare. Also hooks for his lounging/pre-bedtime ensemble that doubles for the clothes he plans to wear again the next day. I think I covered all the bases!

In the bathroom, I hung the medicine cabinet, which I had embellished with clear glass pebbles to hide the fact that I had messed up the face when I was attaching the mirror. It hung in Small Town for five years with the tips of the screws showing. I also hung up the TP cabinet in the throne room. It is nice not to have to make the drippy dash for more paper if the person before you didn't change the roll! I also removed the dusty ivy/flower garlands that the previous owners left for our enjoyment over the bathroom mirror. I totally understand why they had them up there, but they are totally not our style.

It is funny how the smallest changes can make the biggest difference. I have complained about the pink porcelain in the bathroom. It extended to the pulls. 20 pink porcelain pulls. Blech. I removed them all and replaced them with some brushed nickel egg-shaped knobs and some simple arch handles. SO much better. It changes the whole feel of the bathroom! Ironically, T didn't even notice. Even with the obvious patches where the old holes had been. Men!

In the bedroom, I got rid of all the boxes, hung the curtains, added art work, and brought in plants. It looks like something out of a magazine (if I do say so myself)! All it lacks is the headboard I have been meaning to make since 2002. I have big plans for a totally cool piece of antique pressed tin. I have the design all made, but I just haven't ever gotten around to making it. Hopefully, it will happen before we move to our next house.

T was suitably impressed with my industry while he was away. He loved his new closet and was completely surprised. As for me, it is SO nice to have a retreat from the chaos that is the rest of the house. Someday the rest of the boxes will be vanquished, but until then I can retreat to my lovely bedroom and ignore the rest of the house.