Study-O

Then, it was going to be called my craft studio.

Now that I’ll be starting school, I need a peaceful, calming spot to also encourage studying. Hence, the new name:  Study-O.

That’s quite a lot of names for a room that still looks like this, don’t you think?

Several months ago, I started on the desk that will go into this room by picking up the first of two desktops at Ikea for $20. I would have picked up two on the same trip, but they only had one that wasn’t damaged. The other desktop is now in my possession as of several weeks ago, but that still leaves me with only the desk surfaces – not the support system which will allow me to actually put things on them.

So, to solve the problem, I headed to Lowe’s last night to get some lumber suitable for table legs. I figured that even though I’ve designed my new desk twice by this point, I may not be able to get it exactly as I want before I really need to start using it in January. In the interest of just getting legs underneath these desktops, I purchased four 2 x 2 x 36 inch poplar posts. If you follow UDH on Facebook, you also knew that I was doing this in a dress and heels, which is quite a fun experiment to do in a home improvement store.

You may be thinking that two desktops with four legs each need more than only four posts to hold them up. And you’d be right. Unfortunately, the four I bought were the only four available. I will have to go get four more for the second desk (or build a bookcase as a corner support like in my original plans), and more supporting boards to work as aprons between them (and provide a more stable frame to connect the tops). I’m thinking a basic build like the photo below will be what I’m after.

source

If you see where I’m going with this, I’m also going to have to buy a new tool to get the thing built. And this is the part I’m really excited about. Since I can’t afford to plunk down the $100 just before Black Friday for a full size Kreg Jig, I’m going to buy the junior version and give it a try. What’s the harm, right? It’s got some fantastic reviews and I’m eager to learn a new tool.

So, for this room to eventually become functional, I’ll have a few items to tack onto the November/December to-do list:

• Pick a new paint color (leaning toward a moody navy color – thanks for your input!).
• Borrow Dad’s miter saw again (I love raiding the family garage) and cut down the four posts to desk height.
• Quick makeover (hopefully) of the Craigslist chair I picked up for the room.
• Build the desk, then paint/stain it (which will probably take a while, because I have to…)
• Clean the room, and breathe a sigh of relief that a room is finally coming together.

No biggie, right? Later the fun parts will come, like creative storage solutions, a new rug (or an old one that will get new life), and window treatments.

You know, once all the sawdust is gone.