My Latest Projects - Secret Room

Mommy's Secret Room
November 2009

When we bought our house, I was excited because there was a room in the basement that was separate from the main space. It was designated as my craft room,
or as we like to call it,
mommy's secret room.

Plans were formulated from the beginning for

lots of storage

and a

large workspace.

I had no idea that it would happen so fast.



First came the planning and convincing my sweetie that I was
confidant in my abilities
and knowledge to get it done right.

Then I peeled back to carpet to cut the carpet pad out and remove tack strips so the cabinets could sit on the solid concrete floor.



Next was more planning to see exactly where to put the cabinets.

Do the wall cabinets all line up with the top of the tall cabinet?
Do they go up against the ceiling?
How much space is usually between a counter and the wall cabinets?
What will need to be cut out to accommodate the intrusive AC pipes?

Then we realize that the base cabinets are designed for a
kitchen counter height,
not a desk!!!

They will have to be cut.

By me.

Let's go buy a router!!!

My router somehow did not complete the trip from our house in Florida, into storage for two years and then back to PA. We're not sure a which point it decided to jump ship, but it was
MIA on garage unpacking day.

Anyway, I got a new one
(upgraded, of course)
and got to work.



We had already bought all the cabinets and moved them into the basement, so we carried them back to the garage to perform the surgery. I cut off the top drawer of the cabinet so I didn't have to use a tall stool to sit a my desk.

PROBLEM SOLVED.



We ran into another little problem when there were no studs across the wall where I planned to hang the cabinets.

For some reason, whoever framed the basement put a header across the top of the wall, leaving just drywall where I needed to attach the wall cabinets.

So we moved the cabinets down four inches and went straight across the base of the header. This left the ugly AC pipes more exposed, but another

PROBLEM SOLVED.



Then came the countertop.

The 7 wall cabinets are 18 inches each, making the need for a 10'6" countertop underneath.

I found one that I really liked, but it was on clearance and wasn't quite long enough
(I was hoping for a 12 foot section, and it was only 10).

I went back and forth from multiple Lowes and Depots looking for the perfect countertop. Most were too yellow or too light.

Then I came upon one that I really liked. It was darker than all the others
(to hide glue spots and the inevitable marker mishap)
but still not a solid color.

I flipped it over to see what it was called and there it was:
Brazilian Granite.

Then I realized that it was the color of all our countertops in bathroom and kitchen in our apartment in Brazil.

Who knew?

Then I realized that the longest countertops came in 10 foot sections.

That was ALL of them, not just the one I loved.

Drat!

Another unforeseen problem.

We bought a 10 foot section and a 4 foot section of countertop and decided to make it work.

And it did.

PROBLEM SOLVED.

One last problem was power.
The outlets were beneath the desktop.

Us crafty types always have gadgets and some of these need to be plugged in.

So I bought a book and
read up on my electrical circuits,
cut a hole in the wall
and installed an outlet
(or 2)
above the desk.

FINAL PROBLEM SOLVED.



My sweetie installed
over and under cabinet lighting
on separate switches and I
trimmed out the cabinets
to get this final look.

I also have my HUGE file cabinet back to work, helping me organize my creativity.



We put the spare bed in the room so Amber has somewhere comfy to rest while I am creating. Also for kids or mom to watch the TV that dad
MOUNTED ON MY WALL.

And I have my favorite Brazilian art on the wall for inspiration.

My sweetie built a set of shelves in the closet to store some of my heavier supplies, too.

It is an awesome set up,
if I do say so myself.