Now you see it now you don't...

Today I'm joining Metamorphosis Monday with our lovely hostess, Susan from Between Naps on the Porch Thank you again Susan for inspiring such creativity and hosting this fun event! 

This is one of my favorite rooms in the house, its my sewing studio. This was formerly the original master suite when my husband and I built our home twenty years ago. Its at the back of the house, which is south facing. The room overlooks our property of beautiful Pacific Northwest Douglas Fir. It was always a lovely light filled space but believe it or not, almost too bright for a cozy bedroom. So one evening while sitting in my sewing room that was originally on the north side of the house, I had a thought and sketched out an idea...how about switching the two rooms, do a flip-flop. Make that bright, light filled room into my quilting studio and make the north facing room into the master suite! Great idea but Mr, La Bella Via wasn't going for a major remodel at this point in time.
It would mean changing the master bath around to accommodate the new suite...blah, blah, blah! After all, we had only been in the house a few short years, however he did agree to make the switch "someday".
Well..."someday" wasn't soon enough for me, so what was girl to do? I got out the sledge hammer and started the demo on my own! I thought I could just rip out the closet and make a new doorway into the bathroom...NOT!
I soon found out once you start ripping out walls and carpet you better just keep going! So...after my husband got over the initial shock of his wife ripping walls down, he buried the sledge hammer somewhere on the property and helped me finish what I started!
It took a few years but three new rooms later; my studio, our master suite and the new master bath (I'll do a post on that later) turned out perfect!

I knew in my mind what I wanted my sewing room to look like plus it had to be multifunctional. It was not only my studio but would have to double as an occasional guest room so this is what I came up with it...enjoy!

Most of the time my studio looks like this only messier!

For some reason today it was fairly tidy!

But that's not typical. I usually have fabric every where and bits of thread all over the floor...

you can certainly see why I HAD TO have this room for my studio! The sun just beams in here which makes it a really happy room to be in. 

Mr. La Bella Vie built the Cornice board valance and we upholstered it together with my main theme fabric called "Chatelaine" pictured here on my lamp shade.

 

This is looking at the opposite side of the room looking toward my little reading nook. Mr. La Bella Vie built everything in this room for me according to my very stringent specifications:) The shelving area at right displays part of my antique toy sewing machine collection.

The "Wall Words" caption was a Christmas gift from my husband although the phrase is mine:)

(click to enlarge)

below a close up of my Koala cutting table

 

below is just a few of my toy sewing machines. Someday I'll do another post on all of them as well as my pin cushion collection. Again, these are on display in the shelving unit Mr. La Bella Vie built.

 

 

One last peek at what this room normally looks like. 

This is my quilt rack with 1930 Double Wedding Ring quilt hanging on it. I found this vintage quilt on my first trip to the Houston International Quilt Festival ten minutes after walking in the door!

The quilt hanger my sweet Mr. La Bella Vie made for me our first Christmas together to hold one of my antique quilts. He used old door knobs out of an old house on the end of the pole.

The door knobs come off to remove the pole from the holder...

The quilt comes off, the little feet pop out

(see them under the rack?)

it glides down on whisper quiet hydraulics...

 to reveal...

 this...

 oh so clever...

 Murphy bed!

once again, the before...

where there was once a large sewing cabinet is now...

a beautiful guest room!

(Dresden Plate quilt c. 1925 on the bed)

Thank you again Susan for being a gracious hostess on another

Metamorphosis Monday!