So there’s been a good deal of radio silence here on the ol’ blog, not that I’m anticipating that anyone has been on the edge of their seats waiting for a post- but here’s a quick recap just in case.
The Wolfpack is growing by one! We’re expecting our first, a boy- VERY SOON- and it’s created a big period of transition on the work front. It was hard to work for the first few months of my pregnancy, just physically, and in the last few I’ve just been puzzling out what the future is going to look like with a tiny woodworker on my hip. It’s all good things, and I’m fortunate to be in a position where I get to shape my own direction in a way that works for my family. I have a lot of hopes for where The OAK Home will head this year.
With all that in mind, the nesting has gone really out of control over here. Thankfully, Ben is very encouraging of all my hair brained ideas, and he’s been such a good partner as we get prepared. I’ve got a lot coming up to show you, so I wanted to share a quick rundown of a few projects that have been a part of this nesting phase- all I’ll be sharing the completed photos soon!
KITCHEN: The functionality of this room has always been great, but there’s a weird area by the back door that we knew could do more for us. Knowing there would be a baby on the way was really good incentive to get our butts in gear and make a change there. Our kitchen didn’t strictly have a pantry area before, just some floor-to-ceiling cabinets next to the fridge, but there was already built in storage for the trashcan there, and that’s how we always used it. Also, I’m not much of a pantry person? I guess it’s the way I grocery shop- intentionally. I make a list of what we’re eating that week, and that’s all I buy. So, we don’t store a ton of food. All that to say- I think things will probably change with kids in the house, and we’d like to have more of a dedicated pantry space. Enter… the awkward nook!
This area is at the end of the kitchen and includes the laundry closet and the door to the back deck. It was clearly very highly organized. All our dog supplies were there, as well as our recycling bin, cleaning supplies, stuff that was between the shop and the house, and laundry gear. And it looked GREAT. It was just itching for a project, so we’ve hacked the Ikea Ivar to create another section of base cabinets under the window, and it is AWESOME, plus it’s a very budget-friendly project that looks like a million bucks. The countertop is still in progress (I’m waiting on some nice weather so I can finally finish it), but the added function is SO GOOD. We used two cabinets, and they now contain our trash, recycling, cleaning supplies and dog supplies, and all in a much more organized fashion. Plus, now I have a workspace for folding laundry! You know, once I finish that part 🙂 This is also the catalyst for a full-kitchen refresh, but it’s a nice simple place to start. And now, we have a tall free cabinet next to the fridge that just needs some sliding shelves to become a super-awesome pantry. #ScopeCreep is so real.
NURSERY: A little background here- for the first 2.5 years that we lived in this house a friend of ours rented the third bedroom from us. So now his very bachelor room has become the nursery! Thankfully, we had already painted it and added a new ceiling fan while he was living here, so everything else is really the fun stuff- including our first foray into wallpapering! The room isn’t nearly done, but we’re planning on keeping the little guy in our room for the first several months anyway, so I’m sure we’ll have his space complete as soon as he’s old enough to form an opinion and want to change it 🙂 But here’s a peek at the moodboard that I started with:
SECOND BATH: This is the only room in our house that went totally untouched for these first 2.5 years. It’s the hallway bathroom, and it was primarily used by our buddy since we’ve got the ensuite in our room. We moved in, hung an old shower curtain, and called it a day. I did puzzle over how I would update it, after having spent too much time looking at the beige tiles, and that was a fun experiment. But now we’re thinking more long-term that we would like to totally update it, but in phases. More of a slow-burn renovation. So I’ll be sharing way too many words about that next!
Otherwise, the rest of the house is getting purged within an inch of it’s life! The nesting is real. Pro-tip, I would NOT recommend cleaning out a crawl space and workshop while 34 weeks pregnant, because at the end of the day you will not be able to move. BUT- it made a huge difference, and I can totally move now, so it all worked out 🙂
It’s good to be back!
