The Studio Project – What I Learned From The Studio Project

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend! I promised I’d do a little bit of reflecting on this process as a whole now that we’re working on getting ourselves moved in. Can you believe it? I never thought this day would come. Lol…

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We broke ground on the studio project last year at about this time. After I unexpectedly ended up pregnant with the little guy, I gave up my space so he could have a bedroom.

You know, because that’s just kind of what you do. Lol… In hindsight, I probably should’ve just put the crib in our room for a while, which was what everyone told me to do anyhow, but instead I decided it would be a lot less crazy to rip apart my entire creative space and put together a nursery.

What did I know at that point? Fun times! And nope, that’s not sarcasm. I actually rather enjoyed it.

It didn’t take long for me to start to miss having somewhere to make stuff, though. Fast forward a few months and this is kind of what settled on. It was either this or the basement and I don’t do basements. I have yet to step foot into one that doesn’t feel drab and dreary.

I like light and lots of it. Not surprising, right? If you’re interested in reading more about how the studio project came to be, let me know in the comments. 

I was just joking around with someone not too long ago that I thought we would’ve been finished with this in about six months. Needless to say, I’m not one of the most patient people in the world and I obviously had absolutely no idea going into this how long it would take.

I really didn’t help much at the beginning when the guys were working on the footer and the foundation and framing. As far as I was concerned it was cold and aside from the one night we were on a deadline, I stayed in the house with E. Yep, I’m a smart mama. I’m also not big on being uncomfortable, but I digress.

Let’s talk about what I love and what I hate. I’m kind of lukewarm on all the windows. Note: I love the natural light, but I hate having absolutely no wall space. Win some, lose some.

I’m not so sure I’m in love with the tint, but it serves it’s purpose and that’s to help regulate the temperature by reflecting some of the heat. It also, unfortunately, reflects a little bit of the natural light and once in a while, I open all the windows just to take a few pictures.

And then there’s the distressed plank wall. That was a project in and of itself. And the first time through, I hated it. I swore I was going to either rip it down or paint the entire thing white. I actually cried over it. Lol…

After thinking about it for a while, I ended up spending three hours in here sanding and distressing even more. That definitely helped. The ironic part is everyone else loves it. We’re constantly getting questions and compliments both online and in real life about the plank wall. And with time, it sort of grew on me, which means it’s obviously still here.

My next major remodeling-related meltdown came in the form of a tantrum over the heat/ac unit. I hated it then and I still hate it now. This is one thing that I will never do again. After we had this unit professionally-installed, I realized the company that makes this one also makes a ceiling-recessed version.

Sure, it’s more expensive, but it’s better than the alternative, which is losing valuable wall space in a room that doesn’t have enough of it as it is.

As much as the distressed plank wall was my personal side project, the hardwood floor was my husband’s. He’s the one who did most of the sanding, staining, and sealing. His opinion? He loves it and would totally do it again.

We saved a ton of money by doing it ourselves and it really wasn’t all that complicated. The worst part was waiting for it to completely cure. I can’t get over how awesome it looks, though. Definitely worth it!

Overall, I’m completely head over heels for our new space and I never want to leave it. Literally. As in the little guy and I have been in here constantly for the last few weeks. This is exactly what I always wanted.

So there you have it. What I love and what I hate along with what we’d do again and what we wouldn’t.

What’s next? Getting ourselves moved in and working through the 52 Weeks to an Organized Workspace challenge. I’d love for you to join us.

If you missed the most recent update, you can find it here and don’t forget to sign up via email and/or follow The Keeper of the Memories on Facebook and Pinterest. If you’re interested in seeing where we stand with getting ourselves moved in, you can find those posts here.

Psst… Are you frustrated by how disorganized you are and how little you’re getting done? You’re definitely going to want to come hang out with us in the 52 Weeks group and chat about workspace & workflow and living an inspired life.

Thanks so much for visiting and have a great week!