A Room of One's Own

A space to write and daydream...

For my entire life, books and writing have defined me. Every bed I've ever slept in has had a stack of books beside it; every kitchen I've ever cooked in has the collection of recipe books and every coffee table, magazines and picture books have covered the surface. Books are comfort food for my soul.

I remember being beside myself as a child after trying and quitting so many extra curricular activities and never knowing where I fit in. But I could always retreat to the comfort and safety of my very lovely childhood bedroom (thanks Mum). There I could magically escape through some wonderful form of the written word. Sometimes it was a novel or coffee table book, other times a hopelessly romantic issue of Victoria Magazine or an exciting foray into the world of fashion via the most current Vogue or Elle. No matter what it was I always have and always will seek solace in the knowingness that someone cared enough to string together a few words so engaging I could quite literally lose myself within the pages. It is why I love to write and why I continue to read as much as possible still today.

Because of this obsession with words, books, reading and writing, a space dedicated to my passion must be etched out in our new home. But where? This is our first foray into the world of detached dwelling-dom. We're not quite at the point of living in a charming beach house with sweeping ocean views from a sunny attic loft (converted into my own personal light-filled sanctuary, of course). And the kids are a long way from college, so we are doing our best here in the middle of suburbia to create a home that feels authentic.

I am fortunate to have a southern exposed front room with vaulted ceilings. I love, love, love how the sunshine pours in all day (that is, if the weather cooperates) and floods across my new dark wood floors. In another era this would have been a formal living room where company would have been received and tea served et cetera. But this is the age of multifunctional spaces and so being a seeker of light, this space, after careful consideration, will also double as my writing room.

I should mention there is an office in our home, but I foresee it becoming a man-den for my husband with masculine paint colors, framed and autographed sports memorbilia and many, many electronic devices. As happy as I am for my hubby to have his retreat, I need my own space and don't want to share. I need light, beauty, and a window on the world so a lovely glass topped desk facing the street should fit the bill. A comfortable, beautiful chair upholstered in a stunning and might I say elusive fabric, (as pretty fabrics are proving very hard to find locally) and a sparkly lamp or two. This space will be integrated into the formal living room, but lets face facts, who uses their formal living spaces with any regularity? Kind of a waste, if you ask me. This way I can still keep a finger on the pulse of our household and be surrounded by beauty and drenched by our fleeting moments of west coast sunlight.

I contemplated a writing nook in our master bedroom, which has more than ample space, but it kind of ruffles my feathers to go against my self-imposed and frankly, rather strict rules of engagement governing what bedrooms are for and that is the three Rs (rest, romance and relaxation). Plus, our north-facing room doesn't get the light I crave and my husband works two night shifts per block. I then considered our bonus room, which is vast, but primarily a playroom. Home to a variable fleet of toy trucks, cars, fire engines, my daughter's art supplies and the kid's television and DVD collection. I cannot imagine even a moment's peace let alone a burst of inspiration happening in there. The kitchen is lovely, but too busy and the family room is, well, for cozy family moments and so that leaves me here in my sunny alcove of dappled light. Happily.

Perhaps the biggest challenge in this space will be keeping organized. Fortunately, most of my inspiration comes from images of beauty so a coffee table book left open to a beautiful image will work in here. But what to do with all the magazine clippings, Post-Its and bits and bobs? I suppose an inspiration board of some sort is eminent. And a bookshelf, of course. I have an Ikea one in here now, but it has seen better days after years of multi-tasking in our busy little townhome. It would be fabulous relocated to the playroom for toys and I could graduate to something more grown up in the living/writing area. Maybe real, live built-in bookcases! Not a shelf, but an actual bookcase that is an integral part of the architecture in the room. No more faking it! A girl can dream, right?

Then there is the other furniture in the room. Since it is technically a formal space I would adore a dreamy antique sette with mushy down-filled cushions and a cashmere throw draped across it. Then Louis chair or two, maybe a chaise, and of course, a coffee table (stacked with books, of course) achored by a stunning wool rug and I am set.

In the end, this room is representative of a personal lifestyle shift. I am inching ever closer toward a more grown-up existence as my children get older. I am nearing a time where moments of solitude may actually be attainable instead of merely an internal longing. My writing room may seem like a desk and chair under a window, but for me it is a metaphorical new chapter in my life-- one I can't wait to start writing.

Lavender dreams

It has been about a month and I am embroiled in a love-hate relationship with our new-old house. I look around and am intoxicated by the airiness and space all around me. Then I am overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work ahead of us and I want to get intoxicated.

It seems in both life and renovations certain things must happen in a certain order before one can actually proceed with the project of desire. I call it the can of worms effect. Let me give you an example. We would like nothing more than to replace the mish-mash of worn, outdated flooring throughout the main. But, we were warned, don't bother putting down a beautiful new floor until you fix that ceiling, which would mean new drywall and don't forget the potlights, which would mean we might as well get the plumbing sorted out for the master bath located above said ceiling, which could potentially mean gutting our bathroom to start fresh, which could mean doing the kids bath since we'll already have the plumber handy.... and so on.

So, in an effort to stay positive, upbeat and sane I decided to start small and work on rooms that require no modification to the structural, electrical or plumbing. This is how my daughter's room was elected to be the first finished room in the new house. Besides, she is the one adjusting to a new school, new friends, new surroundings and it would be nice for her to have a little sanctuary to retreat to when she gets home. It seemed paint was a logical place to start. Initially she wanted her same paint colour, a pale lavender, then it was light blue and hot pink polka dots, then back to lavender. This was much to our relief. Turns out neither my hubby nor I were quite prepared for our little girl to have a blue room, however girly the shade. I showed Sofia all the tear sheets I had collected from design mags before she was born and shortly after. Everything was lavender, lilac, pink and white. She seemed impressed that I had collected all these images with her in mind. The next day she tapped my arm and said, "Mum, I think I still want a lavender room."

I found myself at the paint store buying what I thought was the same paint as her old room. It was not. It was more akin to grape hubba bubba than lilac or lavender. I added more and more white, mixed and mixed and mixed and finally matched the paint to the original swatch from her old room. I will not disclose exactly how much white paint we used, but if anyone is in need of purple paint, let me know, I have gallons! Another tricky paint discovery: her new room, though larger, has a smaller window and different directional exposure. This means the identical paint looks darker. It's crazy. But with crisp, white bookshelves, crown moulding and baseboards and white painted antique furniture with sparkly glass knobs, let's face facts- it's going to be adorable. Her vintage crystal chandelier is already up and sparkling and her Eiffel Tower collection is just waiting to be displayed.

Confession: I have a feeling Sofia won't be the only one enjoying the restful lavender tones and the prismatic glow of the chandelier after a long, hard reno-filled day. But only one of us will be sipping a chilled bubbly rose.