My oldest boy moved out last July leaving me with a spare bedroom and in a quandry about what to do with it. The first time he moved out, I moved the pool table from the living room into the bedroom. He painted the room RED, put CDs all over the ceiling (for effect I reckon), and we hung movie posters all around the room. We transformed it into an Entertainment room. It was a lot of fun and it gave us something to do when they came to visit.

Well, he moved back home a year later (long story) with a one-year plan that turned into a three-year plan and I put the pool table in a friend’s garage. It’s been there for 3 1/2 years now. I thought about reviving my Entertainment room, but seriously, the room was really too small for it. So many shots couldn’t be made with a regular pool stick. AND if something happened again and one of my boys had to move back home, the thought of moving that pool table ONE MORE TIME just sent me running for the hills. That sucker is heavy! So for the last six months, the room has just sat with no real purpose. No identity. And it was starting to collect STUFF.

After thinking about it for six months before he moved out and six months after he moved out, I FINALLY decided (Hey! I take my decision-making seriously) and I was ready to put my plan into motion. Only Christmas was consuming so much of my time for awhile and then I had computer failure that almost sent me to the looney bin that it took me awhile to actually begin with my new plan. But the time finally came.

I began with a coat of paint. Well, several coats of paint. This is what it looked like BEFORE.

This is what it looked like after an entire can of primer.

And this is the final product. Welcome to my new office!

Yep! I decided to move my office from my upstairs loft to the spare bedroom downstairs. With all the cooking I do (downstairs) and all the photography I do (downstairs), it only made sense to bring my computer and all my photography equipment and software and cookbooks and everything downstairs.

It’s still a work in progress. The boys moved the desks and I moved everything else downstairs this past weekend. My thighs ached after 268 trips up and down the stairs. After the 217th trip, I was rethinking how many books one person should be allowed to own.

I’ve picked out this loveseat that I want to put against that empty wall and then I’ll bring the TV from upstairs and set it up in my office. I’ve got some things I need to hang on the walls too, so it’s going to take a little more work. Then, the room will be my little oasis. It will be comfortable and cozy and functional. I’ll have everything I love all together in one room (and closer to my second favorite room – the kitchen) and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. . . my fresh start in my new office.

Now what to do with an empty loft. . . .