{"id":25035,"date":"2012-08-01T15:37:08","date_gmt":"2012-08-01T19:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/improvisedlife.com\/?p=25035"},"modified":"2012-08-02T08:45:01","modified_gmt":"2012-08-02T12:45:01","slug":"harlem-reno-first-hang-out-in-the-raw-space-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/improvisedlife.com\/2012\/08\/01\/harlem-reno-first-hang-out-in-the-raw-space-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"harlem reno: first hang out in the raw space + dream"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When I finally got the space in Harlem \u00a0– blessedly empty of the previous owner’s massive furniture – \u00a0the first thing I did was haul up my trusty\u00a0lightweight, reclinable French beach chair<\/a>\"\"\u00a0so I could hang out and just mull. I’d wander the rooms, feeling the space, able to envision its possibilities better now that the furniture was gone. The place was pretty bleak, the wear-and-tear showing on old carpeting and dingy walls.The master bedroom had yellow walls, green window frames, and scary baseboard heating. Yikes!….<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Without furniture, and only an old brown fan hanging from the 8′ ceiling, the second bedroom looked even tinier. What was that little valve hidden in the wall? Could it be moved?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

At times I wondered if I’d made a mistake,\u00a0but then would look out at the view, revisit the original plans<\/a>\u00a0and remind myself that my instincts for places had always been good, that I’d done my due diligence, that I COULD make this into something swell<\/a>. I remembered the motel rooms and problematic rentals I’d redone using whatever I had around.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

One of the first things I did was prop a cheap mirror I’d found in the apartment next to the window, to test my idea of installing a mirror the same size as the window to give the illusion of a corner window<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I tacked pictures that I’d printed out from my “Evernote inspiration journals<\/a>” on the walls…I also banged a hole in the sheetrock to see how the wall I shared with my neighbor was constructed, to see if I needed to think about soundproofing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sometimes I’d \u00a0be in the empty apartment for hours, staring into space, which, if you could see inside my head, was filled with possible iterations, which I’d already been sketching in the months before.<\/a>\u00a0 Just taking the time to BE in the empty space is the key to figuring out the design, whether for something you own OR rent.<\/p>\n

This image from Cabin Porn<\/a> is exactly how I felt, dreaming in an undone place surrounded by beauty.<\/p>\n

\"cabin<\/a><\/p>\n

There was SO much to do. What had I gotten myself into?<\/div>\n

Stay tuned for just that!<\/p>\n

Related posts:\u00a0introducing \u2018the improvised life\u2019s new \u2018laboratory\u2019
\n<\/a>sneak peek: improvised life\u2019s new space + our cool optical illusion design solution
\n<\/a>project + reno lesson: embrace the unexpected\u2026\u2026\u2026 things won\u2019t go as planned<\/a>
\n<\/a>\u202624 hours after \u2018all hell broke loose\u2019
\n<\/a>home planners and other ways to envision a space<\/a>
\n<\/a>harlem lab renovation: \u2018before\u2019 photos
\n<\/a>inspiration journals: walls, books, software\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I finally got the space in Harlem \u00a0– blessedly empty of the previous owner’s massive furniture – \u00a0the first thing I did was haul up my trusty\u00a0lightweight, reclinable French beach chair\u00a0so I could hang out and just mull. I’d wander the rooms, feeling the space, able to envision its possibilities better now that the…<\/p>\nRead More<\/a>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":25036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[100,458,6554,6549,89],"tags":[4911,4912,4910],"yoast_head":"\nharlem reno: first hang out in the raw space + dream<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The best thing to do when you first get a space you're thinking of renovating is to spend a lot of time hanging out in it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/improvisedlife.com\/2012\/08\/01\/harlem-reno-first-hang-out-in-the-raw-space-dream\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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