Alright, time to put that reclaimed wood on the wall.

First we put floor protection down. Don't want anything to happen to it after all that work. Also, some of you may have noticed that the far wall has been painted dark brown. That was hubby's idea. He suggested I paint it black so that if there were any small gaps in the wood, the lighter colored wall wouldn't show through. I already had the dark brown leftover from another project so I figured, I'd use up what I had instead of buying more paint.

I'd also like to note that the ceiling is not that dark. That is a trick of the light. It is actually a light, creamy beige color, but depending on the time of day it changes. I think it's because the windows have a northern exposure.

Next, hubby cut the jagged, broken, uneven ends off of the boards.

And, then it started going up on the wall. I was so excited to see this part happen and the resulting look!

The lengths of the boards vary from 48, 36, 24 and 12 inches. We used the longest pieces on the top and bottom and the shorter ones on the sides. Hubby also staggered them for some visual interest.

And, it's all up!

It's starting to come together now. :)

I live for these updates!

It’s fabulous! This should be featured in magazines, on websites, on a TV show. 😍

This is so much fun to watch, better than TV. too cold to go out so waiting for updates

Aw, Jilly. You just make my whole day when you leave such sweet comments. Your enthusiasm is catching. Thank you!

Glad you are enjoying this thread, Lyban. I've been trying to post an update every morning so watch for another tomorrow. It's been cold here too; some days I feel like spring is never going to arrive!

The wall is beautiful. I amazed by your hard work, patience, vision and determination!

Beautiful! And nicely done!

How wonderful! It looks so great and so well done! Congrats!

Wow! How beautiful! And Mr. Dawn does nice work as well. Are you going to stain it or leave it au natural?

Thank you, teeda, OutsidePlaying, Annie and blfenton! I so appreciate your following along and taking the time to comment.

blfenton, I will pass your compliment along to Mr. D; he's always been one to take care with his work. I am going to give it three coats of clear satin poly. It will darken the wood a little bit, bring out the beautiful grains and give it the same warm, soft glow that the floor has.

Time to apply the finishing coat to the reclaimed lath. This is a clear, satin poly that won't stain the wood, but it will bring out the beautiful grains and darken the wood slightly. First I taped around the walls because I didn't want to get any of the satin finish on the paint and then it was time to get started. I always find this part exciting.

After it was dry, I sanded the wood:

And, applied a second coat of the satin finish:

And, the process was repeated a third time. If you look at the wood, you'll see small dark areas and some criss cross marks in the wood. The dark areas are rust stains from the nails and the criss cross marks are from the saw marks made when the wood was milled.

BTW, it always makes me a little bit nervous to sand the finish as there is always a part of me that's afraid I'm ruining it. But, it always comes back like new.

Third coat of satin finish is done, and just like with the floor, each coat adds a layer of depth and warmth to the wood.

So happy to have reached this point in this project!

Ooo, came back to a notification that you posted … yes!

Dawn, they turned out beautiful, wow! You have immense talent, patience, and vision. I so love all the marks and history in the wood. You’ve made them beautiful.

I’d smile every time I walked into this room.

This is so much fun! 😁

What will you do with any leftover?

Dawn...looks good! ❣️

Awww, thank you so much, Jilly. I am very happy you are enjoying this thread and I feel the same way you do about the wood. It's part of the history of this old house and deserves to be seen.

There is a fireplace in our living room that isn't really functional. When it's windy, the wind blows down the chimney and makes weird moaning sounds. For a while I thought we had a ghost! When it does that, it also makes a cold draft (which doesn't help our heating bills any) and there were some very old burn marks on the oak floor where embers had blown out and smoldered and they were deep enough that it must have been quite a long time, like overnight. It's a miracle the house didn't catch on fire. After seeing that, we decided it wasn't really safe to use the fireplace. We used it once when we first moved in and when we did it got smoky in the house and it wasn't because the flu wasn't open. I think it's just very old and not a great design.

When the floor professional re-did our floors, he did a great job of filling the burn marks with wood putty and they barely show now; they are actually kind of interesting looking and another story about the house.

Anyway, then last spring a bird came down the chimney and we had a heck of a time getting it out of the house. So, for safety and practicality reasons, we decided to have the chimney capped and we are going to put a faux electric fireplace insert in the firebox opening sometime this year . Our plan is to take the rest of the lath and line the firebox with it before the insert goes in.

Thank you, nicole! You're the expert on remodels and renovations so nice to get a "thumbs up" from you! :)

Dawn...I totally get what your going through. My husband tells me we don't have time for me to be running around shopping for deals, going to someones house to look at crown moulding....for instance.....in a snow storm. It's the wrong color wood. How do I know if it's going to be enough...I measured it....:0) .....and on and on....then I get it to the project....lay down tarps...shop for stain....and he loves it! Can't say enough about what a great addition it is....😂 It ALL seems like too much trouble....and then it all works out.

Ha, nicole!

The five words my husband most dreads hearing are..."so, I've got this idea."

Then he grumbles for a bit and eventually comes around, most of the time. And, as you say, he's always happy with the end result! :)

Just had a chance to settle in and read more threads. Your room is just charming even at this point.

I love your willingness to reuse and embrace dings. We also covered a wall with old planks from one of the salvage yards we haunted. I can't believe the lathe wall - that you thought of it and that you both carried it through to such a gorgeous result.

Thank you for the kind words, 3barnkatz4me!

Over the years, I've really come to appreciate materials that have a history, show signs of the people who came before and the patinas they develop. You just don't get that charm and character with brand new.

There were two things that made me want to find a use for the lath. The first was that it was part of the original build of this 100 year old house. I can picture the men who built it working out in the yard and using hand tools to do most of the work with skills that we don't see anymore. The second was that a lot of gorgeous old growth redwood trees were sacrificed to build the homes on this part of the coast and to waste that gorgeous, clear heart wood that is now hard to find just seemed like a sin.

I'll bet your plank covered wall is beautiful too.

So, yesterday got away from me and I didn't get an update posted. Back on track today.

Once the lath was done, it was time to start thinking about finishing details like baseboard.

We picked up some pine trim at the local lumberyard and I stained and gave it the same satin finish that was used on the lath wall.

When it was done, we removed the floor protection and hubby put the trim on. The eclectrical outlet covers also were put in place. Looks so much more polished now. Those little details really make a difference.

It's almost time to move in! :)

It's beeeauuuutiful! I love the green walls with it. You picked a perfect colour to complement the wall and floor.

I love the baseboards! My dad has wood baseboards in his house and they’re great.

I don’t want this to end! It’s so fun checking for updates. :D

I am so impressed by what you have done with this space. You should be very happy with the results of all of your hard work! I really love the green paint with the warm wood finishes on the wall & floors. Personally, I would love to see it with the ceiling painted the same as the walls. I will confess, green is my favorite color.

Love what you've done with your studio! Am so impressed with your hard work and how you salvaged the lathe for the wall. It adds such depth and personality to the room.

Thank you, blfenton! I'm really happy I changed that wall color from blue to green.

Jilly, you've been such a big part of this thread with your enthusiasm and positivity and I thank you so much for that. We're not quite done yet; I still have a few things to show you. :)

girlnamedgalez, thanks for stopping by! I'm not at all opposed to painting the ceiling green and I may just do that in the future. I don't notice it when I'm in the room, but I can see how the all those ceiling angles look different colors in the photos even though it's all the same color. I suppose that would still happen if it were all green, but perhaps all the same color would make it less noticeable. Definitely something to think about.

lizbeth-gardener, thank you! I just love how everyone loves that reclaimed lath so much!

Dawnincal, My LR in my prior home was painted green & I had a 18ft vaulted ceiling with some strange angles. When I had it repainted green & took it up those angels to the final flat ceiling the first thing out of my Paint Contractor DH was WOW, I totally agree with that change. It really hid the angles & brought the entire space together!

I followed for a while but then was away for some time after the floor was finished. Today when the thread popped up, I eagerly clicked to see what was next. Wow! What a beautiful wall with the redwood lath. It's just goegeous, and you work so quickly. I'm in awe....

Dawn, your reply made me see the overlap between my user name and 3katzforme's user name - for the first time! Maybe I should go singular - straight up "barncat" and ditch the "z". We only have one. She won't allow any interlopers into her privileged domain.

I am struck dumb at the work and talent youve put into this. I just read and shake my lazy head in wonder. First all the work on the floors…gorgeous. Now the walls and ALL those laths. Whew! Looking forward to final reveal !!!

girlnamedgalez, I am giving painting the ceiling green serious consideration. I still have plenty of green paint left. If I go that direction, it won't be right away as after all this work, I just want to enjoy the space for awhile before tackling another project. :)

Thank you so much, jab65! I'm glad you were able to stop by.

barncatz, I kind of like the 'Z', it's unique and memorable. My grandparents had a cattle ranch and a barn cat named Mickey lived in the barn. He was a black and white tuxedo and wouldn't let any other cats live in his barn either. Luckily for the other cats, there was more than one barn. Mickey wouldn't let anyone near him except my grandmother who fed him. But, at night, Mickey would show up at the back door, meow until someone let him in, and after allowing everyone to fuss over him, he'd go down to the basement to sleep. My grandmother was an early riser and as soon as Mickey heard her moving around in the morning, he'd come up from the basement and meow to be let outside. He lived to be in his 20s. Everyone loved Mickey! :)

I was out running errands most of yesterday and was too tired to do much of anything when I got back home, but I will have another update posted in a bit.

With the facelift of the room pretty much finished, there were a few details that needed attention. When it reached this point, I didn't do a great job of taking photos because we had a roofing company here putting a new roof on the house. Between the noise and the disruption, picture taking just slipped right off my radar, but here a few.

First, the orange window trim. Back when I bought the orange paint thinking it would perk up the pastel Easter egg blue, I painted the window trim with it. I left it that way thinking it might work with the green, and I think in the right situation it could, but I don't care for it with the redwood. I decided on a darker shade of green for the windows:

Backing up a little bit, a few years ago I set up another studio in our old house and I used a door we had sitting around for my work table. The door had been replaced during a bathroom remodel at my Dad's house and ended up in our garage. It's narrower than a standard door and the perfect size to be a workbench.

First, spackle was applied where the hinges and latch had been:

After the spackle was dry, it was sanded smooth and then the door was painted.

It's blue in these photos because that's the color it was in the old studio, and yea, I know how that sounds about the blue since I didn't like it in this new room. All I can say is that the blue in the old room was a completely different shade of blue, but go figure!

Before the table/door went up, these brackets were attached to the wall and painted green. On a side not, the hole where the doorknob used to be is a perfect place to run cords from lamps, computers, etc., to the outlets underneath the table. It really keeps the cords corralled.

After all this, I painted the door the same darker green that I put on the window trim. And, I finally found a way to use the orange paint!

I also have one little quirk of the room to show you that we discovered when hubby was nearly done installing the lath. He measured that wall every which way except at the top, because who would have thought it would be this crooked?

That dark brown paint is showing so I painted that strip with the same paint that is on the ceiling. That helped but it's still noticeable. I accept that the room is going to be quirky, but started thinking of ways to disguise it. After a closer inspection, it's not the wall that is crooked, but the way the sheetrock was cut. This work was done by the previous owner rather than a professional and either they didn't notice the crooked cut or once it was done they just decided the heck with it and left it.

With the window trim painted and the workbench intalled and painted, moving day has arrived.

Watch for the big reveal tomorrow! :)

martinca, I didn't see your post when I posted earlier. Thanks so much! I don't know why exactly, but the way you worded it, made me laugh. It was a lot of work, but worth all the effort now that it's finished.

You two are so creative, I LOVE the door idea! I’d never have thought to do that. It looks so cool there and of course will be useful.

The green trim … chef’s kiss. Perfect. 🙌

Can’t wait to see The Big Reveal! :)

This is going to be such a happy room. I'm excited to see the final reveal,

It’s looking great. I understand crooked houses too.

Thanks, Jilly! One of the reasons threads like this are fun is that things are posted (like the door) that give us ideas we might be able to use or that might spark inspiration in some other way.

blfenton, a happy inviting space was one of my goals - I'm glad you're seeing that. Makes m happy to spend time there. :)

1929Spanish, thank you! There's a certain kind of charm found in crooked little houses...

OK, are you ready? Here we go - TA DA!

First a before pic to remind all of us how this started out:

And, after:

I'm a big fan of recycling or re-purposing and most of the furniture in my studio is stuff that we already had or was purchased at thrift shops, flea markets and garage sales. This is a working studio, so while I want it to be cozy and inviting, it also has to be a practical, functional space that's usable and that gets messy when work is being done in here. Paint might get spilled or something.

The metal shelf units are old General Fireproof furniture that was in the office of my first job. It's probably from the 50's. When my employer moved and upgraded(?) to modular units, they were getting rid of all this stuff so we took quite a few pieces for hubby's garage/workshop. He wasn't using these two shelving units, so I took them for the studio. Their original color was a sickly pink/beige and we spray painted them burgundy.. They weren't going to get painted again, so this color has to work in the new studio.

This holds paints, resin, epoxy, etc., and is also the tea station:

The teapot lamp came from a second hand/consignment shop. It needs a new shade (with fringe maybe?), but I think it's adorable.

The butterfly tubs were from the school where I worked before retiring. They held curriculum samples left by a textbook seller and had ended up in the school's storage shed. No one wanted them and they were going to be thrown away, so I asked if I could have them. They were plain white and I found some cute butterfly stickers in the right color scheme to put on them. Works for the woodland vibe too! They hold all of my jewelry inventory.

The old trunk belonged to my great grandfather. He brought all of his belongings in it when he left Germany in the 1800s to come to America. I use it for my shipping supplies.

My temporary solution to disguise the crooked wall. I kinda like it and might just keep going with the silk leaves all the way across. It's an easy fix.

Aside from that, hubby built the drafting table for me many years ago as a Christmas gift. That's where I paint. The dresser was hubby's childhood dresser. It was in pretty bad shape, but we stripped it and refinished it a few years ago.

I want to recover the stool by the workbench with a fabric that has the same color scheme as the studio. There's nothing wrong with the stool being used with the drafting table except it looks kind of dated so might just recover it too.

A few more photos just for fun:

I purposefully went with a small rug as I did not want to cover the floor. I enjoy looking at the floor with all its dents, dings and character. While I love the rug, I am thinking about tea dying the white fringe. Although, the white fringe is staring to grow on me, so we'll see.

I think that's about it. Enjoy and thank you for sticking with me through this very long thread! :)

And, Jilly, this is for you. A special thanks for all of your support. It's not up on the wall yet, but it will be soon.

Which reminds me that I neglected to mention that there is still art work to be hung in the studio. Thanks so much, Jilly!

You have created a wonderful space for your craft! So cheerful and comfortable. Love the work table in front of the window. You must be loving this little get away spot!

THE REVEAL! 🙌

First, I‘m honored that you’re hanging your Wonder Woman art up. It’s so you! 😍

I’ve really enjoyed looking at every picture and reading about the meaning behind each one —this room is my favorite kind. It’s personal, meaningful, charming, happy, cherished. I would love to work and play in there.

You have such wonderful treasures, it’s like this room was waiting all this time for them, and for you and your DH to bring it to back to life.

You’re so creative and imaginative! I can imagine that quality really comes through in any art you make.

Wow, it’s just wonderful. Every bit of it. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing project — the step by step was fun! :)

I did notice your attempt at covering up the crooked wall and laughed out loud. And I don't mind your white fringe - it kind of ties in the butterfly boxes. I too love to repurpose things because I love the stories that these things could tell and if I hold on to them then the stories remain relevant. It's why I like antiques even if they're not those of my own family.

It all looks so marvellous and it is indeed, a happy place.

Congratulations!

What an amazing transformation into a fun, creative space. I'm so envious of your rate of progress. This would have taken my YEARS to complete. Thanks for taking the additional time to share all of this.

What a bright and happy space. I loved following along and love the final reveal. I hope you enjoy this wonderful space.

thank you for sharing your project! I joined houzz because I thought it was a place for DIYers, and was wrong about that. so I do love when I come across DIY posts. you did a wonderful job!

I love Jilly’s description. The space you and your DH have imagined and created is just beautiful and special. And the speed at which you did all this amazes me. I know you will enjoy many, many years of creating beautiful things here.

What a transformation! Enjoy your new space!

Dawn, I wasn't able to keep up with your incredible work speed and transformation but the result must be so rewarding! Love that you took it on and made it happen and it's yours to enjoy!

Love your space! So happy you have by your own vision and hands created a wonderful warm place for your creative endeavors. Can't wait to see it with all the art up too. It is just a perfect backdrop for art and for creating artistic pieces.

Thank you so much, teeda! The only problem with having the table in front of the windows is that I sometimes get caught up in watching the neighborhood comings and goings when I should be working! I do love it, but until recently have been finding it difficult to find the time to spend in the room - there always seems to be some other task that needs to be done. I'm trying to put studio time at the top of my priority list more often rather than at the bottom. The chores will wait. :)

Awww, Jilly. You are so sweet, kind and generous. What wonderful words you have written here to describe the room and your reactions to it. It's been such a pleasure to have you on this thread.

Ha blfenton! There is a touch of whimsy in that enormous tissue paper flower! I haven't always appreciated the charm of previously owned items and the value in re-purposing them, but as I've matured over the years, I finally "get it."

Thank you, Feathers! Work on this project started in December, 2021, so it took about two years to get done. It wasn't being continuously worked on during that time though as I'd have to stop working on it to work on other projects, such as the bathroom remodel, Finally last summer, I told hubby that I really needed to focus on getting it done so that I could get back to making jewelry. Once I was able to to that, things came together fairly quickly. But, I know it's hard when there are other things that have to be done and sometimes life gets in the way of us following through.

Thank you, texanjana! In the last few weeks, I've been able to spend more time in the space and it has really been like a dream come true.

Seattle, thanks! I hear you about DIYers. There is a great deal of satisfaction to be had in doing work yourself and successfully competing it, especially if you don't know what you are doing. I always enjoy looking at and participating in these kinds of threads because they often inspire me or get me to look at things in a new way. I think we sometimes get tunnel vision and seeing what others do can really open our eyes to the possibilities. Youtube has been an invaluable resource to me many times; the people who post videos over there are very generous with their time and knowledge. I've also learned a great deal from my hubby who is an electrical contractor and who has worked in the construction industry his entire adult life. There are very few things he won't do himself, although he is also able to recognize when he needs to call in a pro.

Outside Playing, I agree with you about Jilly's description, and I thank you for adding your comments as well. I'm glad you enjoyed the thread.

Thank you, porkandham!

Arapaho-Rd, when I look back at the state the room was in originally, it's a very rewarding feeling indeed! Over time, I forget and the photos really remind me of all that was involved. Thank you!

yeonassky, it is good to "see" you here! Thank you for your kind words. Of all the projects I've taken on over the years, this has been the most satisfying to me.

So...future plans. There is art work that needs to go up on the walls. Some of what I had in the old studio won't work in here, so I've got to sort through it and decide what stays and what goes.

Above the door/table, there is going to be a shelf the length of the door and six inches wide installed. I'm finding that a lot of little fiddly things are landing on the worktable and creating clutter. I'd rather it not turn into an area cluttered with little fiddly things. Rather, I want it to be a mostly clear space with room to work, but I also want the things that are finding their way to the table to be handy and I hope the shelf will solve that issue.

Originally, I was going to put roller shades on the windows, but I'm thinking of leaving them bare. The room is on the second floor, no one can see in and I enjoy being able to look out the window.

On the back wall of the studio, there is a funky closet that is going to come out when we do the upstairs remodel of the master bedroom and bath. The doorway is going to move from where it is now to where the closet is in order to enlarge the bathroom which is now quite small. At the same time, we are going to build a small closet with shelving in the studio which will give me more storage room. I'm not sure exactly what all that is going to entail, but I know that it will mean doing some re-painting. There is also parquet flooring in the closet which will probably have to come out. Because I knew this was coming, I didn't put the satin finish on the floor near the closet as I wanted to wait and see how all this shakes out first. I didn't see the point in doing the work if some of that flooring is coming out or might possibly get scratched up during the tear out. That work is scheduled to happen this spring and when it is finished, I will re-visit the floor..

Then there is the ceiling. I have to decide whether or not to paint it green like the walls. I'm giving that serious consideration, although at the moment, I'm taking a break from doing any kind of work.

And, the last thing is this triangle that is part of the ceiling.

I have some friends who are lobbying for a small mural on the triangle. At the time they suggested it, I was thinking about doing something like that too. I know not everyone cares for murals, but they can be fun and I like them when they are done well. The contender for the mural is this photo I took of a young fawn that was bedded down waiting for his mother to return. Keeping with the woodland theme, I would surround the fawn with grasses, leaves and ferns. It just might solve the problem of the crooked wall too.

I think that's about it. The studio is done, but it's not really done quite yet. :)

I've so enjoyed this DIY thread! Thank you for showing all the work and documenting all the many little details!

When you came to the part with installing the lath on the wall, I thought you were going to keep going all the way to the peak. Then I noticed the 'problem' that arose from it not lining up and thought that you might consider going all the way with perhaps a painted PVC pipe or 2X2 at the seam (starting the lath at the top and going down)... but I also like the idea of a mural too that I'm sure would disguise the small snafu.

About painting the ceiling, you might consider a few shades lighter of the green, or my favorite would be a very light blue to mimic the sky.

Thanks again for sharing all the talent!

It has been my pleasure to share the entire project from start to finish, Kelly. Many of the suggestions and comments have given me things to think about and perhaps the thread has inspired someone else in some way. Like maybe Arkansas Girl has decided to use Citristrip to remove the peeling paint from her concrete porch before re-painting it. Wouldn't that be cool? :)

Hubby and I discussed going all the way up with the lath, but he doesn't have the proper saw to make the angled cuts that would be needed and he didn't feel he could do a good job of it using the tools he has. It's kind of funny that for all our planning, that unexpected crooked wall has been a snafu, but I think it will be ok one way or another.

You've given me more to think about regarding the ceiling. So many great ideas that I hadn't considered.

On a side note, seeing your user name gave me pause as I was just this very moment watching a Youtube video by Kelly Jones Jewellery. It gave me a bit of a "Twilight Zone" moment - ha! :-)

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts; it's very much appreciated.

@DawnInCal it's adorable and I love your lamp! I had to laugh at your drywall comment. The next owner of our house will probably be posting exasperated Houzz threads full of our similar "oh good enough" moments.

I loved Mickey's story. Our kitty was left in our hay shed by his mother, who came and went and who we never managed to tame. We started to feed her when we noticed she was alone. It took about a month to tame her, I'll never forget the day this tiny ball of fur first ran into the barn, zoomed around DD and I, and hightailed back to the shed. We heated the tack room for her and she gets fed there and she's never shown any desire to come into the house.

I love the dark green touches you chose and the orange shelf trim. When you get up steam, I'd vote yes on a green ceiling, maybe lightened just a bit from the wall color. What a darling workroom.