The Laundry Room a Piece of Paradise?

I am fortunate to have a large home that we've lived in for twelve years. It's well-worn, and every inch of it is claimed by one daughter or another or by a pet. My husband does his manly man things in the garage and the shed. He also has an office in the garage. My daughters, all four of them, have their own room. They guard the entry of their rooms with a fierceness known by no other. No one may step across the threshold unless she is first given specific permission. The three bathrooms are taken up by, well, use of the bathroom necessity. Since we relinquished our master bedroom to a child in order to have a haven in the downstairs of our home we got the smaller of the bedrooms. It fits our furniture, but there is no place to create a small of my own.

I had even realized that I wanted a place of my own until I realized that I couldn't really have one anyway. Just that thought alone spurred my desire to find a retreat within my home for just me. I walked the entire house. Truly, inside and out. I considered the overgrown garden, as it used to bring such joy to me. Now it was a reminder of another thing on my list of things to get done. I came inside the garage. Nope. Tucked away in each corner was a motorcycle, a freezer, varying bikes of difference sizes for those "just in case" moments when a friend of a different size comes and we have to have that extra bike. There were bar stools, beautiful, but don't fit our bar area. Packing boxes, folded, neatly stacked for that moment when we might someday sell the house and move. Found those in someone's trash and surely couldn't pass this up. Plus it was blistering hot, and in the winter would be too cold to truly enjoy.

A few years ago I had a hideous pink recliner that my mother-in-law was getting rid of. I stuck it in the corner of my dining room, and it overlooked the kitchen. I actually liked that spot, but the chair who had come with a past life of its own, finally really and truly kicked the bucket. There went that spot.

Then it occurred to me. My laundry room and pantry is about 11 x 11. There are three closets without doors and the floor is usually covered with dirty laundry. However, with some careful planning, I could make that room mine. I purchased some inexpensive curtains and tension rods to hide the reminders of what I didn't get done, or needed to get done. Who can have a haven while the cans of beans are staring you down? I dragged in a chair from the living room. To heck with the kids. They're young. They can sit on the floor while they watch tv. I "found" an extra light, an end table from the family room. I even found a mirror, albeit small, to hang up on the wall. I moved a few plants in and there I had an instant space for myself. I plan to expand, maybe add another table if I can find one from the thrift store. I'm going to pick up some candles and then I'm shutting that door. It's mine. My little piece of paradise.