The Next Room to Get the Martha Touch
There is one last space in the building we call the Gym Garage that we are finally turning into something useful. It has been used for years as a storage space, but as you know from several earlier blogs, a lot is going on with “storage” at the farm, and as the organizing bug has bitten me badly during this terrible cold, cold spell, so has the “decorating bug.” In the next month or so, you will be seeing some painting refreshing, some new decorations, some newly restored pieces of furniture, and some new spaces created out of older, less useful rooms and places on the property.
Since we have reordered the “headhouse” of the big greenhouse, the place where gardeners traditionally sow seeds, plant seedlings and cuttings, and prepare orders and talk to vendors, we have discovered that there was no longer room to store the growing Gardeners’ Library of research books, no where to store little used tools, seeds, and fine planting pots.
Right across the main driveway from the greenhouse is a long two-story building called the Gym Garage. On the second floor is my wonderful gym, a gift from my daughter Alexis, where I try to work out several times a week. On the ground floor are two bathrooms for visitors, garden guests, and others; a two-car garage; and a very well-organized DIY homekeeping room, stocked with tools, and everything one needs for minor home repairs and picture hanging and packing and shipping. The last available space is also on the ground floor, and once was used to house the goats of Mrs. Sharp, the former owner. It is a perfect heated space for the Garden Office and Library.
Enjoy the "before" photos. More to come as the room is transformed into a much more useful and practical area.
1 This is yet another "snow project"—the fitting out of the last empty space in the Gym Garage: the new Gardening Room. This an old space where goats used to be kept by the former owner of Cantitoe Farm, Mrs. Ruth Sharp. The room has been thoroughly cleaned, and the walls of old cedar wainscoting have been stained dark, as have the Porch columns that help support the second floor, which now houses my gym.
2 The floor is poured cement, and there are just a few windows situated high up on the walls. Cabinet doors made of glass lighten up the space, and we have a lovely plan for shelving, desks and a library.
3 These are my notes for the shelving plan. We are using the beautiful brackets from our Home Depot kitchen line from Masterbrand, and we are also using other brackets from my collection of antiques.
4 We have been moving in all sorts of things that will ultimately find a home in this space. Ryan and Wilmer will now have a good spot to do ordering, have lunch and even just peruse many of our gardening books.
5 The new Garden Room is situated right next to our packing and DIY homekeeping room, which was featured in the magazine in January 2012.
6 The two grey postmaster's desks will be placed on either side of the room, on the concrete floor.
7 I found these beautiful folk art carved decorations years ago, in East Hampton, at an antiques show. I think I can finally find a home for them here in this room.
8 I have to figure out where these will actually fit—any ideas???
9 As we emptied the headhouse, of the large glass greenhouse, we moved items to the new space even though the shelves were not yet installed. The postmaster's desk looks great here.
10 The second desk on the opposite side—the lights are old mercury glass fixtures, which are used throughout this building.
11 The metal desks were purchased many years ago in New York City from an antiques dealer on Lafayette Street. They are French, and I had them sand blasted and painted at an auto body shop. They are wonderful to work at and the mail sorting cubbies are perfect for small items, tools, and whatever.
12 I have a large collection of crocks—many of which I have used for pickles and trash and even curing legs of pork. These I will use as trash receptacles.
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