Hugely jealous of how fast you guys are moving on this-and hugely impressed w/your daughter's input/decisions as well!

Go go go GO! End is in sight! Totally impressive!

Beautiful “brick” wall and it’s nice with the blue wall color!

Desk came in today. To overhang or not to overhang, that is the question. What do you think?

I vote to not overhang the base.

Beautiful brick wall! The brick is very similar to my mud room brick floors.

I also vote not to overhang, I think it would make getting into the shallow upper drawers annoying. What a beautiful desk top!

also a vote not to overhang. it's all coming together so beautifully! congrats! the end is getting closer, keep up the amazing work!

No overhang….love the desk!

LOVE this project!

Ok, looks like no overhang it is. Thanks for the input everyone. Today we finished seeing the tile and purchased a rug. Tomorrow we’ll seal the tile and sometime this weekend we’ll grout.

Love desk top! No overhang.

This brick wall is the bane of my existence! Sunday we started grouting and it quickly became apparent that it wasn’t going to be easy. The larger grout spaces and the unevenness of the brick tile made troweling really difficult. An all day effort resulted in a third of the wall being done. Ugh…after doing more research, I learned about grout bags…so tonight after work Maya and I were able to get a good amount done in a few hours! I’m guessing we’ll be done by end of the week. Slow and steady wins the race. Over the weekend we also were able to get the baseboard moldings installed and the electrician finished the electrical, although still waiting on two pendants (back ordered).

Oh yeah, Maya is experimenting with a shoshugibon/painted table that we threw together with some left over lumber. The plan is to put the table against the back of the couch.

I should have mentioned grouting tips!! Sorry. You should be fine. We actually used a caulking gun with grout in a tube. Worked well after we mastered how large a cut we needed to not overfill the grout line! Make sure to clean off excess really well. You did seal the bricks right?

This whole project is an amazing story on so many levels! Glad I finally found it. Just a quick FYI - I have a very large home office (not quite your size, but it’s 16’ long). Zoom meetings become an audio challenge for the other people because your voice gets “lost” in the large space. You may need to add one other item to your list - a portable folding screen to “capture” your voice around your microphone. Mine is a four-screen foldable ‘shoji’ type from Amazon.
I love the dark walls, floor choice and kitchen. Your family effort is the most amazing, fabulous part of the whole project. You will all take pride - together - in this room forever.

Hi Flo, yes we sealed prior to grouting, and thank goodness because it makes cleanup so much easier. Oh I wish you would have mentioned caulk gun for grouting too. :) That sounds like it would be a perfect solution.

Hi RedRyder, thanks for the tip. I’ll look into it.

I’m so glad I didn’t know how much work this tile wall would be because I would never have agreed to it, but now that it’s almost done I’m glad we did it. One more night and we’ll be able to wrap it up!

Today I also installed the cabinet handles

Dan, on July 8, you posted the ideas for the space. Tomorrow is Aug 26 and you are about done! For the record, my husband and I would still be debating paint colors. Your progress and family work ethic are an inspiration to us all. Thank you for keeping us all informed while you and the spectacular Maya have created your wonderful new office and hang out space. We are all going to be checking Houzz tomorrow while we should be working!

Following this fascinating and heart warming family design and construction project.

Hi Sarah, thanks for putting things into perspective. Lately I’ve been feeling like the project isn’t happening as fast as I would like, but as you pointed out it really hasn’t been that long. And I’m really happy to say that we just finished the brick wall!!

That looks awesome!

Stunning! You guys are super fast! Great, high quality job too! I just love it. Daughter has a bright future! Love the unique design you have come up with too! So nice to see some color and texture, rather than all monochromatic, neutrals. Big high 5!!!

Looking great!

I can't believe you have gotten so much done. It's looking really good. You have gotten more done in the time it takes some of us to decide what color of paint to use.

It looks so cozy.

Thanks all for the encouraging words. Last weekend we put together the tv stand, installed a couple of pendants above the long table that sits behind the couch, painted the baseboard moldings, and procured an arm chair. Speaking of pendants, I received word from the lighting store that my lights would be delayed yet another month. So I decided to purchase some cheap place holders. I should be receiving the three placeholders that go above the sink counter tomorrow. I hope to have them installed by this weekend.

Here’s a sneak peek at my new chair…

That looks super comfy...not to mention elegant!

Nice chair!

Amazing transformation- great vision!

This is a beautifully done job, and you and Your "team" should be so proud of your achievement!

OMG! What a wonderful job you 2 did. I didn't read the entire thread, but did you do all that work AND make the furniture and accessory selections in ONE MONTH?

What an amazing space! Congratulations on a job well done and cherished memories on a joint project! Looks fabulous!

I've enjoyed watching you both work hard and achieve your wonderful space. Bravo.

Congrats!! Very impressive. You've all reason to be super proud. It looks fantastic!! May you all enjoy the space for many years to come.

Spectacular!!!! This project will be perfect for Maya’s college portfolio. And one that your family can enjoy for decades. It’s so gorgeous, personal and cozy.

I highly recommend having some professional photos taken and make sure you save the drawings in a high res file. Colleges look for 500 word essays….. so go ahead and have her write it up now! She can tweak it in a few years when she’s ready to apply.

Stunning!!! Just wonderful! Love the ceiling getting the wall color too. One of my favorite things to do. I predict many fun memories in your futures! Well done.

Wow! Amazing space. Congrats to Maya!

Sarah already said what I was thinking--put a pin in this for Maya's college applications (I've got a HS senior so I've got college applications on the brain). Great project, great phots, great story.

And your daughter looks just like you!

What a great reward! congrats!

Marvelous job to both of you!

Lovely project and thank you for letting us watch the transformation. Love the smile on both of you!

Amazing space! I can't believe how much you all accomplished in such a short amount of time! Maya, you have a knack for this--I hope you can find another fun project soon :)

Need a close up on Mayas table!!!

Hi Izzy, will do when I get a chance. Here’s some new pics of how I’m hiding the odd ball window. I’ve always loved Jackson Pollock, so decided to give it a try. It’s a 4’x4’ painting…probably not going to appeal to most but it fits my style. :)

Any updates on how you have been enjoying the space you and your daughter designed?

Hi s y,

I can't say how much I love this space! It's been amazing, but there are a few irritations that I need to remedy. One big one is the fact that it's detached from my house, with no good covered pathway between the two.

I often find myself jumping out of bed because I forgot to lock things up, which isn't bad in the summer, but during Oregon's rainy season, well you can imagine. :)

I'm researching solutions that will allow me to remotely control the door lock, heater, music and lights.

I'm looking closely at the Brilliant Smart Home solutions. I think the Brilliant Control panel and switches will be a good start towards what I'm envisioning.

https://www.brilliant.tech/home?tab=system

Glad to hear you are enjoying the your new space, it was fun to follow your family’s progress. Remote locks sound better than late night freezing trips.