Man Room: Sources

Thanks for the kind words on the man room / man cave makeover.  Even though its much more for the Mr. than me, it does feel like a mini vacation when I go down there.  All clean and toyless.   Speaking of the Mr., he will be overjoyed to see so many of you chided me for my resistance to a larger TV.  I will definitely never hear the end of it.  I guess he has to be right sometimes. :)



For those of you that commented/emailed, I've put the sources of all the objects of the room in one place.  Hope you find it helpful.  If you have any other questions about this or anything else, don't hesitate to ask.

Sources

Wall Color: Benjamin Moore Metallic Silver  which is not at all metallic and more blue than silver.

Floors: Porcelain faux wood tiles purchased at Classic Tile. Sorry I don't remember the brand but they have a good selection of wood look tiles there so it would be pretty easy to locate.

Rug: NuLoom Chevron in Gray - which actually looks quite blue - purchased at Overstock but RugsUSA has it as well.  The prices between the two seem to fluctuate a lot so price checking pays off.

Couch: sectional purchased from Jennifer Convertibles primarily b/c their delivery service will rip the couch apart and put it back together again in order to get it down here.

Console: Craigslist score

Posters: Purchased from ebay (seller: noahimage), framed in Ikea Ribba

Map: Vintage, purchased from Hoof & Antler

Alligator Head: Hunters & Gatherers at the Brooklyn Flea 

Coffee Table: CB2

Safety Sign & Globe: Found at Brimfield

Hanging Display Boxes: Boxes made right here, vintage cameras collected over time.

Passport Art: Made right here.

Finshed for Now: The Man Room

It seems like ages ago we started working getting the cellar into a reasonably comfortable man room but I'm finally calling it finished.  There are a few more things I'd like to change and Mr. Limestone seems to think the TV is not large enough (this is a perpetual debate in our house) but I'm happy with how its looking today.


This space is mostly for the Mr. so he picked the finishes (specifically the paint color and floor tiles) and I did the rest with his approval. Obviously its a totally different style than the rest of the house but I like to think it reflects my husbands sense of adventure. Despite there being some pretty big limitations (those poles!  no natural light! lots of doors!), it still feels open and has a good flow.



Added bonus: Its just about the only room in the house where there are no toys or other evidence of living with a 1 year old. Only time will tell how long that with last.

Sources can be found here.

Flea Market Find: Old Group Photo

While out strolling yesterday, I did a double take when I spotted this portrait for sale at the local flea market.  I couldn't resist it despite the price being a little bit more than I wanted to pay ($35).  It has just the right mix of serious and spooky that I adore (you already know I love creepy).

I think its going to look great in the man room if I ever get around to finishing it! 

Man Cave: In Progress

For those that remember Ive gone subterranean to work on mr. limestone's man cave, I thought I'd update you on the progress. (check here for the inspiration board) Still more to do but a few key additions are totally making a difference down there.



We hung the old school map I gave him for Christmas. I love it. And it fits beautifully on the far wall so double score.



Then the rug came and I am in love with it - the perfect bit of mod pattern to break up all the wood, draw the eye around and define the seating area. I know some of you are anti-chevron so avert your eyes. Huge thank you to the lovely readers who alerted me to the fact Overstock had this rug on sale - I scooped it up from them at a nice discount.

Another Christmas gift was the spooky alligator head. What says man cave more than the petrified head of a scary dead animal?

I also picked up a few cheapo travel posters from ebay (which will eventually get replaced with posters the hubs picks out himself on our travels). I haven't had a chance to hang them just yet since I'm working on some other things for the walls as well.

You already know how I made the souvenir tshirt pillows. I might make more of them later, I haven't decided if they are really needed.

Obviously I haven't done anything with the too wee coffee table. I still have no clue how to solve the problem but I dig the shape and the marble top so I'm not giving up on it yet. I'm ignoring the problem for now hoping some genius solution will come to me in my sleep.

So that's how this room is coming. What do you think? Suggestions are always welcome.

Man Cave: Coffee Table Conundrum

So you might be wondering whats going on in the man cave. I was very excited to share the arrival of the new marble topped coffee table with you. I love the movement in the stone and the shiny base. Sadly I never thought to measure the height of the table and I'm left with a big problem. The coffee table is way too low!

The hubs is not happy. It's totally my fault for not measuring the height of the table against the height of the sofa before ordering (Come on CB2. Is there really a market for half sized coffee tables? )



So now I have a problem. I need to make it higher. Casters would help a little but not nearly enough to bring it up to normal height. So what do I do? Help!

DIY: Make a Souvenir T Shirt Pillow

I'm not sure who said it first but I've always agreed with the adage of adding something unexpected to a room's decor. What better way to repurpose some souvenir tshirts than turning them into little personality pieces in the man room?



This has certainly been done before but I've put my own twist on it by using souvenir shirts picked up while traveling as well as adding interfacing to make the flimsy tshirt material a bit sturdier for use.

If you are already a pillow making pro, feel free to skip right to the end. But if you want to know the details read on...

Start off with a few of your favorite travel tshirts. I used XL shirts to make 17 inch square covers for 18 inch pillow forms.



Cut the front of the t-shirt to 17.5 inches square. If you want to make a standard pillow, just cut an equal sized piece of material from the back of the tshirt. But if you would like to make an envelope style pillow cover (as I did), you'll need two pieces: one strip made from what is left over of the front bottom hem as well as a larger piece cut including the back bottom hem. Specifically, I cut a 17.5 x 6 inch piece from the front bottom hem and a 17.5 x 15 inch piece from the back. Using the already hemmed bottom band of the shirt will save you on some sewing to form the finished edges of the envelope closure.



Ok, the math part is now over! Phew. Next, I ironed-on interfacing (I happened to have medium weight handy but heavy would have been even better) to the wrong side of all three pieces of fabric. This did two things: it gave the material more weight as well as negated some of the stretchy quality of the t-shirt fabric so it would be easier to sew.



Now that was done, all I had to do was pin the cushion together wrong sides together, sew it up and flip it outside in.



Voila! One conversation starting, memory jogging pillow cover.



Meet your new life partner, 18 inch pillow form.



It was so easy, I even made two!

It should be noted that I can not cut nor sew a straight line to save my life and this project is quite forgiving. Very good for any novice.

Now wouldn't one of these make great personalized gifts? Maybe a tshirt of an alma matter for a new graduate's first apartment? A honeymoon location for newlyweds? An ironic saying tee for your favorite hipster? The possibilities are endless.

Have you ever cut up a favorite souvenir for a good cause??

Man Cave Inspiration Board

Ugh, Monday - back to the grind. So what better way to take my mind off the dull drudgery of work than with some home decor?

I'm all revved up about making over the man cave. I'm putting myself on a deadline - 90 days or bust. It shouldn't be too hard - its only a few cosmetic changes in here - but I seem to be able to put off those final few things longer than any of it.


sources: wall color; faux wood tile floor; chevron rug; marble coffee table; console table; sideboard used as media table purchased used on craigs list; sectional; safety sign; globe; travel posters

I'm in love with this slightly askew chevron rug - its on backorder but I'm willing to wait. Also, I think I'm going to break down and replace the coffee + console table with this sleek round marble job. I've been back and forth on painting them but I know I think its too heavy looking AND I don't love the shape. And of course I have a few tricks up for some accessories to add personality. The first of which I'll be sharing in a tutorial tomorrow. I'd like to add a chair in the corner as well but I haven't found anything I really love so that will have to wait.

So what do you think? Suggestions?

And the real question is: should I put the coffee and console table up on craigs list? Both are solid Pottery Barn pieces so they should be worth a couple of bucks right? At the same time, I'm a little worried about being murdered by would-be furniture shoppers. Anyone want to weigh in on that pro / con?

What to do with the man cave?

Meet my room archnemesis - the basement, aka man cave.



Before a single stitch of renovation work had started, the hubs struck a claim on the space like gold rush prospector. Not only did he claim this space as a testosterone zone, he made the decor choices as well - the paint color and the flooring. Hooray for bonus space.



As you might have surmised, this is a problem room. No natural light (no duh, its underground), low ceilings, an odd layout (lots of doors and a stairway) and those inconvenient (but important) pillars that cut off the room - nuff said? Having the extra space is definitely awesome but outfitting it? Not so much.



I believe this shot, taken in 2008, was the last time I took a proper photo in here (could that be more unlike me?). After it was finished, the room got an infusion of old furniture we had from our last house (the coffee and sofa table), a craiglist find (mid century sideboard turned entertainment center) and finally a blue sectional sofa from Jennifer Convertibles.

sorry for the penguin lair angle, took a quite snap with my phone

What does this room scream to you? I'll tell you what it screams to me: BROWN! BROWN! BROWN! AH! The hubs has had his chance (3 years!) but its time I pay a little attention downstairs. It will still be his man cave but it needs some color and some fun. It definitely needs a rug. And art! And pillows (manly ones of course!)

Have you finished your basement or tackled a problem area that might lend some inspiration? Any suggestions for improvement with the existing pieces? Please share! I could definitely use the help.

Edited to add: I did post a little about the basement renovation back in 2008. Read all about it here.