Moving The Thin Blue Line
The blue tape represents where the new “temp” wall will go (right) and a queen-size bed. It is all larger in person. Well, today I was horrified to realize what a mistake I was planning to make!
THIS is how the wall should be! THIS follows the shape of the octagon!
And…allows for a kinda niche for the bed! I LOVE THIS!
Sometimes, small changes can make a world of difference.
I am planning an octagon-shaped rug on the floor, and an octagon-shaped “oculus” painted on the ceiling. I even realized that the ceiling light needs to be re-centered 8-inches to align properly with the center of the octagon.
But the flat wall would have kinda killed all this. Oh, the horror.
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Such wonderful attention to details. Sir Squires would have been proud of you.
Huge difference. I’m so glad you spotted it.
Your attention to detail is always impeccable!
However, I am not in favor of erecting a wall in the Octagon room. It reminds me of breaking up the floor plans for apartments or other uses.
Your ideas are benign & the others allowed most of Cross House to remain intact in spite of change.
So I will ponder this…..
Sandra, the house has been though countless changes in its 126-year history.
Most were, luckily, reversible.
And so, too, will be my new wall.
The Cross House has survived because of this adaptability.
The new blue octagon line looks much better, oh the horror of having a straight line in an octagon room. I am glad the wall is removable, as I was a little concerned when I saw your first “Should I” post. The niche for the bed is perfect.
Does the new corner nearest the outside wall created by your nook align with a corner of the octagon on the opposite corner (i.e. does the little straight section you are creating allow that side of the octagon to match the length of the other sides)?
If so, brilliant! If not, creating the subtle niche for the bed is still a grand idea.
Lastly, I respect your ability to make a simple task (straight wall) into a much more complicated one, adding 6 more mitered corners for your new baseboard, drywall corners, etc. I too share this condition…
Seth, yes, the new wall mirrors the octagon tower, opposite.
I suspected such a stroke of brilliance 😉
I still think the whole wall is a mistake. The second floor of that house flows so beautifully. You have reversed any change you have done for convenience sake as it just wasn’t right. You already will have an air bnb suite on the third floor. With the house next door how many air BNB’s will be needed in Emporia. That house is amazing enough as it is id pay for a room as it sits right now. I think you should enjoy the whole second floor for yourself. For extra income I think you should host wedding rehearsal dinners and pair up with restaurants to cater.
Hello, Clinton and Roger!
Since buying the house in 2014, I have planned to use the Octagon Bedroom as a work/storage room for my business. My office will be adjacent, in the Round Bedroom.
Having a work/storage room is vital to my business.
But…it always bothered me that so wonderful a room would be regulated to such a lowly status, and unseen by people visiting the house or staying in it.
My new idea though, of a temporary wall, is 100% in keeping with the long history of the house (endless changes), and will also allow the best aspects of the Octagon Room to be used and appreciated.
The house will need to earn an income if I am to hold onto it into my old age.
You won’t need an income if you marry well! It is a new decade! I’ll start hunting for you in Wichita! I’m definitely sans wall, enough so I see who Carl knows too. We will get you a daddy war bucks.
Clinton, a “Daddy” Warbucks could solve a lot of my problems!
Just make sure they are kind, too.
I respond well to kindness.
Oh all the maze of new rooms. Makes me think of H. H. Holmes, Chicagos serial killer who rented out rooms during the Worlds Fair. So creepy.
Is this something like you’re looking for?
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/813535899100799/
Wow. Thank you, Jenine! That is easily within driving distance!
Ahhhh better. You are right! Sometimes small changes make a huge difference. I breathed easier when I saw it.
Watching your design process evolve is like watching my dance teacher choreograph her ballet. You both set a goal, start, ponder, try something, rethink, adjust, and refine until it’s just the way you want it. Can’t wait to see how this room evolves as your thinking changes over time. And I think creating the nice to echo the octagon in the wall design is brilliant. Much more fun than the original straight wall.
I love the ballet analogy, Barb!
Love the octagon angles, just wondering if you’ll use nightstands next to the bed or low wall sconces for reading light? The angles might make it a little awkward. Not sure a nightstand or anything will fit in the new angle next to the windows. The washstand “needs” a bowl and pitcher IMHO. Whatever you decide, it will be wonderful.
So glad you reversed the butler pantry door downstairs, but love the idea of making the octagon bedroom available for guests, not simply a workroom for your beautiful light restorations. Make the house work for you. Again, kudos for saving her.
Yes, I plan to use small night tables, Beverly. Likely round because of the angles.
Oh, yes, I will have to get a bowl and pitcher for any washstand! And towels to hang from the rod.
A washstand will go opposite the bed, on the south side.
Just noticed the different pattern on the baseboard near where the new wall will go. Wonder what the story is for that and when it occurred?
Beverly, the room has already been through a lot.
In 1929, it was converted into a studio apartment. The closet was made into a bathroom (extant).
The huge pocket door was covered over with a Murphy bed.
A kitchen was installed along the north wall (the pipes are extant).
A breakfast nook was installed along the west wall, altering the base in the process.
Ross, I am itching to see pictures of the existing bathrooms that were installed in the closets during the remuddlings. Are the fixtures all still there?
I like the angles, but, maybe in the room without the bed, just on that side, it would make sense to square it off where it meets the wall? otherwise you have an awkward little corner that is hard to clean…would certainly make it easier to finish, as well. That little acute angle would be a nightmare to plaster
I was thinking the same thing.
Square it off in your workroom… but in the triangular cavity, hide a printout detailing what you did and why, for future owners to find.
Yes, that makes it better. I couldn’t put my finger on it yesterday, but something just seemed off. Being flexible and sensible with your plans is a good thing; finishing the house and then having to sell it to survive financially would be devastating. We added a 32×40 attached garage to the rear of our house last year, and had custom trusses built so that we could not only add an in-law suite upstairs, but tie it in to the existing second floor. This way, we have the option of renting it out, or when we get old and can’t handle such a large house, we can move into the suite and turn the rest of the house over to whichever of our kids or grandkids that want to live there. It is always smart to plan for the future…
OK, Ross, I think you’ve redeemed yourself with this little alteration!
What I love are the little light prisms that are dancing across the floor courtesy of the wonderful stained glass! As a glass artist I’m obsessed with your windows! And stained glass porn is always welcome!!
Ross, I adore great design thinking! This is delightful.