Garage As Still Life: What to Do in the Downtime

Don’t tell M&J, but this week was pretty boring.  As I watched the progress and got the update, I really wanted more.  Several weeks in to the project, framing on the garage continued, and the stuff going on inside just didn’t seem all that exciting. 

Time to Decorate. Or at least plan for it.

Of course, this is all a matter of perspective.  If you love the details, then the inner secrets of your plumbing, wiring and framing are fun to keep tabs on.

But as M&J stand in the doorway blown out between the former garage and the kitchen, we are having discussions about where the breakfast table will go and how the step down in to the family room will look.  Our eyes keep drifting to the ragged paint swatch painted like a flag on the far wall.  And, oh my, we are both consumed by the fact that there is no coat closet at all on the first floor.  We want to get to the DECORATING! 

Now, M is already there.  She bought her inspiration peice, a large painting, in one of her favorite shops months ago.  She has furniture selected and already on order.  She’s keeping tabs on the changing shape of her new family room so that she can pounce on any decorating decisions.  (No, thank you, we won’t be keeping a small patch of exposed brick.) 

This is the time to keep planning.  Decorating magazines and websites can still offer plenty of input to her emerging plan.  Custom furniture and accessories can sometimes take 6-8 weeks.  Desired items can be on backorder for waht seems like forever.  So as the foundation work continues, this “downtime” is still useful for planning, ordering and testing combinations of items.  Of course, she has precious little space to store things when they come in, but this is temporary.  The end will be here be here before you know it.