2026-04-07 When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange (*IYKYK)

 

We realized we didn't share the front door/entry to the building.  Some of you may have seen the front door from the street views we've posted, but images don't do it justice; it really is quite a piece of ironwork.  The inside is so pretty! The image is taken from the top of the first floor (duh) and our door on the left; you can kind of see the coat rack in the open doorway. There are 2 floors above us and the building itself is pretty quiet. We 'front' the building on the street side and there are other units that 'front' the courtyard/back of the building. We don't have access to the courtyard which is a shame because it looks lovely.

We are clearly feeling a lot better as we looked around and just had to move furniture to make it more how we use the space.

This is the view now from the kitchen.  We turned the kitchen table 90 degrees and moved the 3 drawer cabinet from under the air conditioner towards the living room area. 

Currently, the art/images we brought are lining the area where we can put a shelf/desk. 

This will leave enough space to put a shelf/desk under the AC (where the chair is currently). Then we can hang the art/images.

We scootched (design term) the couch down so the TV is more centered and there's room for the beautiful teak table that should be outside, but is too big for the balcony.  The four drawer square table that used to sit where the 3 drawer dresser fits superbly in the area between the wall column and the balcony door. Now we both have a horizontal surface on which to put drinks, etc. This space feels more comfy/homey.

We repurposed the shelving unit that used to be in the bathroom for Stacey's shoes. She didn't bring many, but there really wasn't any access in the armoire. Again, this unit fit perfectly between the armoire and the balcony door. There's a kerfuffle over a full length mirror that was sitting in the dining room, which got moved to the living room which is now facing the wall in the bedroom.  Stacey hates a mirror, but JR enjoys one. This seemed to be the compromise to face it to the wall. Conveniently, there are hooks on the back to hold the few purses I brought which frees up some space in the armoire. Again, this fits perfectly in this alcove. Peep the Azulejo tile on the Chapel of Souls across the street.

Moving on to the pièce de résistance, the reimagined bathroom. We had purchased some window cling to help hide the condenser units on the balcony at our bedroom (see above) but they turned out to be too transparent for that use.  FEAR NOT! We decorated the shower stall - after JR spent two separate sessions scrubbing everything to remove all the mold and yuck from previous tenants. It looks like you're standing in a flower patch when showering and we really enjoy the whimsy of that.

Space is at an even more premium here. As mentioned above, we were able to take the shelf out and use it in the bedroom. We purchased an above the toilet shelf which of course, never works exactly as planned.  The toilet tank is screwed into the wall and there is not a way to use the 'x' bracing. Fortunately, we can use the bottom sturdy brace and use velcro, 3m Command strips to hold it to the tile in the back. We also purchased two shelves that, again, stick on the wall, to house our dental equipment, because once you become a certain age, it's obligatory.

Stay tuned for the addition of the desks and art/images :)

*(IYKYK) - This line is from the Brady Bunch's song, "Time To Change" when Peter's voice was changing right before the big song competition.