Transforming a Garage into a Bourbon Lounge! Oh My!

From the moment I saw this space, I saw a challenge I needed to tackle. I immediately thought to myself, "How will I get anyone to enjoy this room?!" I had seen this house through multiple homeowners. One time it was a baby's bedroom, another it was a crammed family room with over-sized furniture, another owner of the house had a large screen TV at the back and two large chairs in front of the TV. At no time was it a room in which I wanted to spend any time. Here is a before image that shows the beyond nasty ceiling and the dated flooring, which I JUST hated upon first site and luckily so did my client. It was just a room that leaves you cold, like taking a cold shower with a wet poodle, you know?

I created a plan that I showed my client, complete with inspiration images and a floor plan.

A CAD drawing I gave my client, Ben, showed him the idea of how I wanted to use the space. At first, I was happy to include the window in the back of the room and planned to put a brass and glass shelving in front of the window. Upon more measuring, we realized that the window was only 18" off the floor, so there was no way to put the counter in front without blocking it. The solution was simple. Lose the window! We closed the shutters on the outside so you only see the interesting design of the shutters. On the inside we now have the opportunity to put a beautiful quartzite on the counters AND the backsplash. Once again, my ace of a client said, "let's go for it!"

Now, it was time to make selections. Wall color, cabinet color, flooring color, and of course, counter top selections.

I'm in it to win it, for sure. I looked at 20 different slabs and this one just kept coming back to me.

It was by far the most beautiful piece at the stone yard.

BASE CABINETS, ONE STEP AT A TIME!

It gets exciting when cabinets start getting installed and now you can see where we totally covered up the window. No loss, for sure. The idea and challenge was to create a reason for people to use the entire room, and especially this back area. Well, I certainly have a plan for that! Adding wall cabinets, brass and glass shelving, accent lighting, and the show-stopping quartzite countertop and backsplash. All of these features bring this space to life more than that silly window could have ever done. Now, let's get back to the quartzite. Not too many people know that quartz is the manufactured version and QUARTZITE is actual stone. Which in my opinion, rivals granite because it has dimension that granite does not have. You can actually see light through it and is absolute magic. Always look at quartzite when you are considering granite or any other stone.

WOW, LADIES, WE RULE!

I can't tell you how impressed I was at this woman who installed the carpet totally unaided. It was an amazing thing to see, I can assure you. Again, I was in it to win it and spent a bunch of time picking out just the right carpet for the space. Now, this black flecked carpet is a stunner in this space!

Bourbon Lounge De Jour

We are finished for now on the main parts of Ben's Bourbon Lounge. The final finishing touches will be the pelts and art we add to the walls. I can't wait for football season to get here, so I can put on my fluffy slippers, invite myself over, crash the Bourbon Lounge, grab a glass of Buffalo Trace, sit on the FABULOUS "cuddle corner couch", and cheer on my favorite team, the New England Patriots.

The moral of the story is that you can transform ANY space. Be it a side porch, front hallway, or garage, and turn it into a much-loved, much-used space.