I have called in the carpenter to build me a workbench with shelving and I need a sink, built in, in the corner. This room upstairs is going to be the work room where the bouquets are being prepared for sale and all the other work is done. Downstairs is only going to be the sales area. The shop is rather small and the florist will just have to keep fit by climbing the stairs all day. :-)
First I wanted light upstairs, so I have found a lamp shade that I have made some years ago. It is a simple beaded shade with little roses worked in. The lamp will have to be easily removed in case I need a new bulb, so I used an old plastic plug that I can plug in into the ceiling contacts easily. I shouldn't have had the wires exposed, but something had gone wrong and the contacts had to be replaced. As I couldn't lift the roof we had to find another way, but it's working fine now (temporarily):
Tomorrow the electrician will fit the wires properly so that I can turn on the lights upstairs and downstairs. I have also put in windows and treated them to look like old glass as I did with my witch's cottage:
As you can see again in the pictures, the building is not straight and I am working with difficult angles. However, it's a learning curve and part of the fun. The shelving underneath the workbench was a challenge, but worked out okay in the end:
I wasn't going to make a cabinet with drawers and doors. Shelving seemed a lot simpler and I like the idea of putting some baskets in with stuff, so this is sort of what it's going to look like.
As a florist needs a wet area with a sink I have fixed one in the other corner, where there is less room. It's where you enter the floor via the stairs. I generally draw my plans and cut them out of paper to see if it works, so here's the new sink in stages:
Now I am looking for some pewter items that I know I've bought some time ago. I do have secateurs and a tap, but they need to be painted. That's the next job. The drainpipe is going to be painted grey and will be fixed underneath the sink, but will be in full view. Upstairs is not a luxury kitchen! I have found a chain with tiny links, but need to find some black rubber or similar to make a plug for the sink. If I can't find rubber then polymer clay will be a solution. Let's just wait and see what's going to happen.
Next is filling the room with all the necessities, like wrapping paper, ribbon, scissors, a bin and everything else I can think of. Anybody with good ideas just leave me a message in the comments... :-)
See you next time
