www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
We moved into our present house
not;knowing;that;we;would;be;home-
schooling, but God knew! He provid-
ed the perfect place for it! It’s perfect
because;the;house;sits;back;on;a;large;lot,
and;downstairs;contains;space;for;an;of-
fice;and;a;schoolroom.;God;was;amazing
how;He;worked;out;this;move,;because;it
is;truly;a;miracle;that;we;live;here!
Our;schoolroom;started;out;with;this
one;idea:;to;take;my;childhood;mementos
and;display;them;in;a;creative,;fun;way.
The;downstairs;family;room,;where;the
schoolroom;is;now,;had;a;strange;layout,
featuring;a;square;column;right;in;the
middle;of;the;room!;But;it;also;featured;a
small;kitchen;so;I;knew;it;would;be;per-
fect.;Overall,;it;had;a;very;80s;design.
From;the;beginning;I;set;out;to;make
it;different.;Why;have;plain,;boring;white
walls?;I;took;my;most;treasured;child-hood;toy,;a;gypsy;wagon,;and;decorated
the;room;around;that.
Since;one;of;my;favorite;color;combi-
nations;as;a;graphic;artist;is;lime;green
and;purple,;I;decided;I;would;put;it;on
my;walls.;Now;that;would;be;stimulating!
It;contrasted;perfectly;with;the;wagon,
and;I;matched;the;same;color;purple;for
the;walls.
I;created;a;chair-rail;border;of;soft;yel-low and painted the trim and kitchen
cabinets;the;same;light;yellow,;accented
with;purple.
A restored Pottery Barn wardrobe
serves;as;the;entertainment;center,;and
a;curtain;I;made;from;a;childhood;sheet
hangs;from;the;top.;I;also;restored;some
bookshelves;and;painted;some;crates;that
hold;more;books.
I;took;great;delight;in;painting;a;bench
in the main colors—purple, red, and
light;yellow.;It;sits;between;the;garage
door;and;sliding;glass;door;so;it;is;very
convenient.;Nearby,;a;coat;rack;and;bins
contain;storage;for;those;items;that;need
to;go;in;and;out;of;the;house,;especially
jackets,;gloves,;and;dog;leashes.
I;filled;the;room;with;more;childhood
mementos—my favorite picture from
childhood,;my;plastic;horse;collection,
my;piano;competition;trophy,;and;a;pas-
tel;drawing;my;mom;made;of;me;when
I;was;17.;On;top;of;the;bookshelves,;I
draped;a;quilt;that;my;grandmother;had
sewn;for;me;when;I;was;a;child.;Full;of
crazy;colors,;it;may;very;well;be;what
started;my;hankering;for;wild;color;com-
binations!
For;my;birthday;not;long;ago,;my;mom
gave;me;a;large;doll;that;was;very;similar
to;the;one;I;had;as;a;child.;I;clothed;it;in;a
dress;I’ve;saved;all;these;years;from;when
I;was;three;years;old.
Then;I;took;all;the;unused;items;from
my;son’s;nursery—a;Raggedy;Ann/Andy
theme—and;incorporated;them;into;the
room.;It;turned;out;that;I;had;many;yards
of;leftover;material,;so;I;sewed;valances,;a
desk;skirt,;and;a;couch;cover.
I also incorporated mementos from
my;travels;over;the;years—the;backpack
that;I;used;when;traveling;across;eleven
European;countries;in;two;months;after
graduating from college, a paper um-brella;I;got;from;Chinatown;in;San;Fran-cisco,;and;an;embroidered;cloth;a;friend
from;Romania;gave;me;after;she;accepted
Christ;as;a;result;of;our;getting;to;know
one;another.
My husband built very basic, sturdy
shelves;for;our;school;books;out;of;low-grade;lumber.;He;also;built;a;desk;around
the;window;and;column,;which;is;my
favorite;feature;of;the;room.;It;includes
space;for;our;school,;for;artwork,;and;for
my;sewing;and;crafts.;Big;and;spacious,
The best thing about our
schoolroom is that it is a happy
and bright place in which to
study and work.
ABOVE: The desk where most schooling takes place. Dana’s husband built the
desk around the column.
ABOVE: The Beasleys all decked out at a
family wedding.
