Happy Friday friends!!
And Happy Fall! We’ve been preparing our home for a fall house tour (virtual of course) and I can’t wait to share that with you soon.
But first I have to bring you the much anticipated Teacher Lounge Reveal…which is long overdue!
Back in August I shared our plans for this new space which included painting the walls, updating the cabinets and countertops, adding a feature gallery wall, and bringing in new furniture and appliances.
The PTO had given the school a decent budget to work with (Thank you!!) and the rest was up to some fabulous ladies at the school, Margie and Barb and myself, to dream and scheme ways to stretch that budget to create a warm and welcoming lounge for the staff.
Let’s start with a quick look at the before’s:
Not real inviting huh? So we started with a clean slate. This room was going to be challenging! It was basically a large brick box with zero exterior windows and the only light coming into the room was from the hallway. Everything was removed from the room except the tables and chairs and we got busy demo-ing and painting along with the help of the custodial staff.
Safety First! And yes I’m representing the Chicago Blackhawks (sorry not sorry Redwings fans).
All the walls were painted Sherwin Williams Olympus White, a nice light
neutral for a space with zero natural light.
So let’s start with our tour in the kitchen area!
Here’s what we started with:
Goodbye pink formica and hello updated cabinets and counters! We removed and replaced the existing hardware with more modern silver pulls. The cabinets were painted Sherwin Williams Alabaster on the uppers and Sherwin Williams Lazy Gray on the lowers.
I painted the countertops with a Rustoleum countertop kit since there wasn’t room in the budget for new counters. I had the rustoleum kit tinted a greige color (light ash). We bought a few new microwaves to replace the older, bigger versions. We also replaced the dishwasher and refrigerator with Whirlpool Stainless Steel appliances.
A small amount of paint and new hardware made such a huge difference in this part of the room!
I never could find a way to cover that vending machine…c’est la vie.
The other area of the room needing some attention was the wall opposite the kitchen area and the adjoining wall. The space wasn’t being used to it’s potential and just had several long tables placed along the wall. We had decided this was going to be the “seating area” of the space.
Unfortunately I don’t have a before picture of the whole wall but you get the idea.
And here’s how we decided to make it all nice and cozy.
I mean….gorgeous! The furniture was purchased from IKEA and the principle and assistant principle assembled it all. This was a team effort! We filled the bookshelves with old and new items and some art projects students had created. Since there is no natural light I really wanted to add in as much lighting as I could to make it warm and inviting. The less fluorescent yellow light the better. My FAVORITE part of this whole area has to be the rug. I knew the moment I saw it it was perfect and it sure is! It’s from none other than Rugs USA. It makes my heart happy!
I’ve saved the BEST part of the room for last! The final wall of this room needed the most work.
The cork board and dry erase board had been attached for who knows how many years with glue. SUPER STRONG glue. And it was all over that wall. So on a very hot and humid day in the room I prepped and prepared the counters and cabinets while the ladies were hard at work getting alllllll that glue off.
Our vision for this space was to create a gallery wall to display pictures and student art. I wanted something fun and unexpected to really make this part of the room special. So, what better than stripes to do that job!
We picked up 8 million about 30 frames from IKEA to create this gallery on a budget. The letters represent the name of the school and add some depth. I just LOVE how it turned out!
Now how about a little dramatic before/after:
What a difference! I can’t thank my friend Ann enough for thinking of me on this project and introducing me to the lovely ladies (Margie and Barb) over at the middle school. You all have a special place in my heart!
Also, thank you to all the staff at the school for helping prep, paint, move and assemble furniture and for the funds to make this come together. It make my heart so happy to have done this for all the staff to enjoy a quit place of respite throughout the day!
Have a great weekend!
Oh my Gosh Colette, you have outdone yourself. The room looks just beautiful and how sweet of you to do this during the summer. I can't believe what you ladies have done to this place! WOW!!!
The makeover is stunning!! I can't believe the before and after pictures. The gallery wall is absolutely fabulous and so fun to incorporate the kids artwork. The kitchen looks brand new, even with just a few updates. I mean, totally transformed. SUCH a great job!
Colette – our staff is in love with the new and SO improved lounge! You have taken it from a dreary room avoided by most to a gorgeous, welcoming and HOPPING place. It's not only filled during both lunch periods, but also used by all kinds of groups for all kinds of meetings. Thank you for sharing your time and talent with us. You've made such a difference! And, it was a blast to work with you. Except for chiseling old glue globs off the wall. Not fun. But so worth it. 💜 -barb
Colette – Our staff is in love with our new, stylish lounge! You have helped us take that space from a dreary, often avoided lounge to a vibrant, warm HOPPING lounge! Not only is it packed during both lunch periods, but groups have been been using it all day for all kinds of meetings and collaboration. Thank you for sharing your time and talent with us. Margie and I had a blast working with you (except for chiseling old glue off that massive wall – not fun). ��. And we made a new friend in the process.
What an AWESOME project! A great cause and you did a great job. The stripes + gallery wall are my favorite detail!
Oh my gosh Colette! This looks AMAZING. The before and after photos are incredible. I love the striped gallery wall. I bet the teachers are loving it!