The Heart Of A Trunkhouse

It is often said that the kitchen is the heart of the home. I believe with all mine that this is true, even if that home is in the trunk of a tree. In light of that, I had to be sure that Roz's kitchen included all the aspects of a good heart: warmth, lightness, openness and welcoming to everyone. I think with it's bones, at least, this kitchen imbues those qualities. Let's explore how it came to be...

Before I proceeded any farther than the wainscoting and windows, I wanted Roz and Rozario to get a feel for the space and to share some of their ideas. They were so excited to imagine starting every day together here, and to dream about gathering in this space for dinners with friends. Roz's only instruction was to keep it predominantly "treehouse" feeling, with only subtle clues that a Fairy Beary Godmother inhabited the place. Roz believes it is a bit distasteful to be too "on the nose", especially if your favorite color happens to be purple.

I pointed out how easy it was to blend in the window seams with worm rolls of Paperclay, smoothed and blended with water. I also had to make sure that she thought that aging the walls and wainscoting with washes was the look that she liked. She thinks the "lived in" feeling is charming!

Of course, in honor of complete transparency, I had to point out a few mistakes. For example, in hard to reach (and see) places it is easy to become overzealous with the washes. Or to miss painting places completely! I assured Roz that in reviewing photos every week it would help me catch and address any issues. She's so kind! She told me that she knew I was meticulous and not to give it a thought! 💗

With Roz's enthusiastic endorsement of the kitchen's direction, I felt confident to keep going. That meant it was time to install the ceilings. For the breakfast nook, I needed to crate a template for the oddly shaped room with what else but... cardboard!

Once the template was fitted, I added rough wood strips...

Then wood beams. It seemed easier to leave them long, glue them on and then trim them to the curved ceiling shape.

I matched the color of the ceiling's floorboards (lol) to the wall color and the beams to the wainscoting. This will keep the feeling light in this tiny nook.

And speaking of light, I installed the fixture. It seems like a nice size for the room, though I actually had to install it twice. The first time it hung so high that you could hardly see the fixture. This was a bit maddening as I distinctly remember measuring, planning and testing exactly how low I wanted it to hang. Something went awry in spite of all that, so, I pried the fixture off, added a length of chain and reinstalled. Luckily, the repair went off without a hitch.

Yes, that is Rusty's empty bed to the left.
Much of this second floor work has been best
accomplished by my sitting on the floor.

Because of the height of the second floor, when the trunkhouse sits on my table I have to work standing up. After a long time standing, I really need to sit down. I move the entire operation onto the floor. Rusty is usually right at my feet while I work, but whenever I move to the floor, he insists on being right next to me (and even touching me). Talk about warm hearts! He's the sweetest boy ever!!! And yes, in spite of his wishes and pleads, he is on a diet plan. 😊

Woodson (Wubby) is never far away, ether. He gets up periodically to tell the neighbor kids, through the screen door, to get off his lawn, lol. They just love to tease him!

The boys are especially lazy today as it s hot. I have a floor fan that blows cool air directly on them as they lay there keeping me company.

Back to the trunkhouse... Because I already had the kitchen ceiling/bedroom floor cut and covered, installing it was easy (after I added its beams and painted everything to match the nook). To decide where to place the sconces, I got out the Chrysnbon Cook Stove Kit to measure for size. There will be a sconce on either side, as well as a centrally placed ceiling fixture. I am leaving the option open to add additional lighting if it seems necessary after I add all the furnishings. It is so hard to tell the amount of light you'll get at this stage when you are still testing on a 9 volt battery.

Testing all the fixtures at once... Yippee! Everything works!

With the second floor kitchen now ready for furnishing, I am free to get started on the final floor of the trunkhouse! It will include Roz's bedroom and Rozario's sleeping nook. Roz has generously allowed me a bit more freedom to personalize this space for them. Hopefully, with a little creative thinking (and a little luck), they'll both love their spaces! Rozario's unusual ceiling is definitely going to test my brain cells! 

Be well, my friends, and put your heart into everything you do!

xo xo,

Jodi