The Trunkhouse's Unusual Ceiling

Hi Guys! There's lots to share this week and many photos, so grab a snack and settle in for a while.😊 To refresh your memory, the last room to prepare for future habitation was the top of the trunkhouse's tower: Roz's bedroom (which also includes Rozario's sleeping nook). 

There were three final windows to install: two in the nook and the round window in the main bedroom. I also affixed the cardboard cereal box "timbers" to the walls, as well as cardboard trim to the windows.

Since Roz was okay with personalizing the bedroom, I went with her favorite Wisteria paint for the timbers and window trim.

The last tasks for completing the wall prep were Paperclay stucco, aging washes and chalk highlights. Yippee! All the walls IN the trunkhouse are now ready to go!

Finally, after weeks of pondering, it was time for the "creative thinking" I had to come up with for the nook's ceiling. Heaven Help Me!!! 😵

From the beginning, when I added the nook pop out, I'd had a specific look I wanted to achieve. It's been floating in the recesses of my mind, but I didn't have terms to describe it. Here's the nook's ceiling opening. It's a little tricky because the doorway and the top of the wall are at varying heights. What we won't put ourselves through to make our mini structures more interesting, right?!?

Thanks to several imaginative search phrases, Google found a few images for my vision! Turns out I needed to create a sort of Half Domed Arched Vaulted Ceiling! Oh boy! This was going to challenge me!!!

I needed elements from each of these types of structures.
The photos guided my ideas for how to achieve the roof/ceiling  I needed!

I wasn't about to put myself through a bunch of mind bending math equations to make it happen, so I opted for good ol' hillbilly ingenuity. Luckily, it's only a trunkhouse, for Pete's sake. Not the Taj Mahal! And nobody who bleeds is actually going to live here. 😉 Having that in mind gave me the freedom to fail, if need be.

I cut a half circle strip contoured to the curve of the trunkhouse. From there, I could hold it against the wall and cut it down to a better, smaller half circle shape. I also cut a wide bottom structural base strip and some "ribs", all from cardboard. 

I hot glued the base strip and the contoured half circle where they needed to be positioned on/over the nook's opening. Then, using wood glue and clamps, I affixed the cardboard ribs at intervals.

Once the ribs were dry, I loosened the hot glue and removed the roof piece to continue editing on my table. The shape of the "half circle" nook is not exactly symmetrical, but the half Sonotube addition was the boss of how it wanted to bend, no matter how I argued. Good thing I am working on an "organic" structure or the asymmetry might drive somebody nuts! Probably me!

I added a skin of masking tape to the outside of the structure to act as a brace/barrier for the...

Layers of support strips and Paperclay I added inside, building it up until I had something that looked ceiling-like. By the time I was ready for the Paperclay, I had a stiff, solid piece to work with. The paint helped to seal the cardboard.

Once dry, I could paint, age wash and add subtle chalk highlights to match the walls.

And finally, here it is installed over the nook.

The outside of the roof will remain like this until I begin the "bark" process on the exterior. It may end up looking like an actual roof or it may become a mushroom cap. We'll see where the ideas lead me then...

While all that was in the drying process, I made the "wood beams" for the main bedroom ceiling. I bought 1/2" x 1/2" x 12" balsa (super fast shipping, great product) for this purpose so that I could carve them up a bit. I cut the balsa in half, lengthwise, roughed up, added grain marks and took chunks out. I applied a black wash, then a brown wash, then installed onto the ceiling.

While the ceiling was being affixed with gobs of Tacky Glue and weights, I installed the light fixtures. There will be one ceiling fixture in the nook and two sconces framing the door of Roz'a bedroom. I will likely add a bedside lamp when I begin the interior furnishings.

Hopefully, once the lights are hooked up to a strong DC transformer, they'll give off much better light.

Looking through the future balcony door opening.

I added the same beams to the living room, as well as a couple sconces above the windows. This room will get a lamp or two later, as needed.

Here's a look at the exterior of the trunkhouse now that the final ceilings/roofs have been added... The treehouse will sit on top with some sort of decking in between.

In order to call the interior "bones" finished, I only had to adorn and install the front and bedroom doors. For the front door, I made a kick plate using cardboard, Dresden "lace" (cut in half lengthwise) and metal domes to act as rivets.

Along with several other adornments, I gave them a rusty, rustic finish with layers of paint and glazing medium. I aged the doors to give them a more "forest-y" feeling. I still can't capture the contrast between the metallic trim and the main door body color. Somewhere in this post is a photo of the bedroom nook's "leaded" windows. That photo shows the contrast well.

Roz's bedroom balcony door had just the right amount of space in the exterior panel to subtly advertise her "wish granting" service's trademark. 

The door's interior is a little more plain.

The front door also subtly suggests that a person possessing a magic wand resides here.

While the interior is more understated, as well. The wavy but clear glass effect really adds to the mysterious feel of the door.

Roz is simply thrilled with the way everything is coming out and that makes me so happy! Having the doors installed will signal a big step closer to being able to move in, but I have more aging and refining to do before I can install them. She said not to worry about the drafts coming in through the door cracks. Her magic spells create a negative pressure effect, kind of like what they have at casino doorways.

It's up to me now to get the doors and doorways installed, junction all the wiring and begin the process of making all the fixtures and furnishings. Hopefully, next time we meet, I'll have exciting progress to share!

xo xo,

Jodi

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