Long time since my last post...

The good news is the porch will be covered by insurance.  I'm just waiting on our insurance company to finalize Norm's quote.  Looks like the work will be done in the spring.   In the meantime, there's lots of small projects including way too much painting, wallpaper to be applied to the stairs leading from the main to the second floor and tiling in the kitchen.  Should keep me busy over the cold winter months (well, that and training for the upcoming CrossFit Games season).

While the outside of the house has an air of crack den, the insides are spiffied up for the holiday season.  The tree looks a little bit like it might be drunk.  One of the many reasons I love getting a real tree verses using an artificial one.  Oh, and in case you're wondering.   Yes, the cats knocked it over twice before a 50lb weight vest was added at the base to keep the poor thing upright.

We moved into the bedroom over a month ago...

...and then we decided summer is too nice to spend indoors painting and hanging curtains and pictures so we've been total slackers.  This weekend is supposed to not be particularly nice out (rain, cold) and the gym is closed (but I have a key) so my guess is we will get down to work and finish a room or two.  I'd like to get the study and powder room painted as well as some curtains up in the bedroom.  I'm sure our neighbours would appreciate it. 

To help motivate myself, I've been reviewing some house porn on the internets.

First up, soft white walls, diffused light and natural textures. I want to curl up on the bench with a strong cup of coffee and rub my bare feet on the soft rug.

(Valentin Loellmann via Escapade)

I really like how this half storey was carved up.  Hmm, thinking.  

(Apartment Therapy via Decorology)

If this doesn't get me excited about getting our powder room completed, nothing will.  Hmm, I need to get myself some frames.  I haven't picked up any so far and it's going to take awhile to start putting together a collection of vintage ones...

(Domino via Automatism)

Tea and a good book while wrapped in a gray flannel blanket.  How can you tell the weather has turned and it's cold out?

(The New Victorian Ruralist via La Maison Boheme)

Still renovating...

And it really HAS been for ever.  Ugh!   The good news is we will be moved into our new bedroom and dressing room next weekend.  The final coat on the woodwork was done yesterday and Kurt's putting the final coat on the walls and ceiling as well as installing our face plates and chandelier.  Yayness!  I so can't wait to actually start the fun stuff with styling our rooms.

Some house porn to make me feel better and get me in the mood... for more painting.  The powder room is up next. 

(Elements of Style)

(Herve Pierre the selby via Plush Palate)

(Secrets of Domestic Bliss) 

(Plain English via The City Sage)

(Caroline Rufini Decoration)

(Absolutely Beautiful Things)

(the selby via Sfgirlbybay)

(miss wallflower via Coco + Kelly)

(sneak peak: heather taylor via Design*Sponge)

(New England Home Magazine via Shelter)

House Porn

(Gorgessity via Secrets of Domestic Bliss)

(bolaget via escapade)

(la maison boheme)

(Pretty Lovely Things via SFGirlByBay)

OMG! Pillers!

Okay, these are just... fun.  Jeff did a gorgeous job.  Damn but that man can do millwork!  And I definitely am moving that chandelier to the dining room and getting a different fixture.  The longer it hangs in there, the goofier it looks. 

Uh, don't mind the clothes hamper. 

Here's a view of the millwork on the bases.

The bed that's in the room is down from the guest room temporarily so my parents have a place to sleep while they're down.  The guest room up in the half storey... not so much suitable for guests right now.



Last week, I stumbled across a real find on Used Regina - an antique desk from the CPR rail line.  It's in really good condition and fits perfectly in the space between the exterior wall and the railing in the study.  It's massive.  Originally, I toyed with painting it black but now I'm not so sure.  It's kind of lovely just as it is.

This last weekend, mom took the time to sew the roman blinds for both bathrooms.  We can't string them up, though, until the drywall repair is completed.  We friction fit them into the windows and, yes, they are going to look fantastic!  I love my mom.

She also brought down the velvet drapes that she lengthened.  LOVE!

Now, we wait on the electrical...

Picture Walls

Good news, everyone!  (Please read this a la Professor Farnsworth)

Norm has subcontrated an electrical and plumbing firm to come in and repair our potlight sitchamation and to ensure all our lovely chandeliers are no longer cock-eyed and askew.  Jeff is back from his European sojurn and will be installing the rest of our arch tomorrow.  After that is the remedial plumbing and electrical in the basement and outside and a whole lotta wall (and ceiling) patching.

Now that I can see the end in sight, I'm turning my attention to the fun times that is pulling the room together.  I'm on a hunt for good picture wall examples to get some ideas on how we want to lay out the first of two picture walls.  I'm tackling the smaller one in the powder room first as I'm thinking it will be much easier.

(Domino via The City Sage)

(Tricia Joyce via decorology)

I miss house porn Fridays...

... still on hold.  Still sleeping in the dining room.

(Idenfor & Udenfor via automatism)

(1st Option via decor8)

(1st Option... actually, just go there and enjoy yourself for a while.  I'll wait back here for you!)

Ready yet?  A bit more time?  Okay...

Time to carry on.  You can always go back.

(Adore Vintages Flickr Photo Stream via Simply Grove)

(Black White Yellow via House of Turquoise)

(Belle Maison via Dear Designer's Blog... I love Carole's blog)

(Amy Morris via nest egg)

(La Maison Boheme)

A bit of a lull

We are into a bit of a lull.  Our carpenter is enjoying his vacation (we hope) across the pond in England.  And our electrician is taking care of some family stuff right now.  So, we are on hold until the pot lights can be moved and wall and ceiling repair is completed and the arch goes in.  With that said, we are chipping away at small projects.  Of course, by "we" I mean Kurt.  I went to Saskatoon this weekend for a gymnastics seminar with Jeff Tucker.  He was home making the half storey stairwell look all purdy.  Check it out!

Here's it's woebegone "before" shot.  Those are some ugly ass stairs.  Also, how cute are my kitties!  They are just teeny there!

And here's what they looked like at the beginning of the reno.  Fug.  Fug.  Fug.

And here we are now.  Almost done!  We need to caulk, nail fill and paint the trim, install a handrail and get another coat of paint on the walls.  But what a difference already!  So pretty!

Here is a close up of the stair risers.  Pretty!  Pretty!  Pretty!

Other stuff we need to sort out includes different sconces that don't look like horns above the mirror in the powder room.  Sarah wanted to see a photo and here it is!

And here is our next little project.  We need additional seating in our living room.  Found this solid mahogany coffee table on Craigslist for $20.  It's going to have it's top upholstered and then will find itself becoming a lovely bench that will sit between our living and dining rooms.  I loves it!

I'm also questioning some of my lighting choices.  I love the lights themselves but I'm not liking one of them in the room. I think I'm going to move the chandelier from the dressing room down into the dining room and then find a new chandelier for that room.  The small chandelier that I've been holding for the half storey will replace the light we've got in our entry.  This will be all in good time, however.

No Friday House Porn

My one track mind has switched back to CrossFit as I'm back in my groove back with training.  I've barely checked my design blogs at all this week and have mostly been all about getting ready for our gym's team to compete at Nationals.  Instead of looking for rugs and light fixtures online, I've been sussing out tall socks and wrist wraps.

I'm sorry but how pretty is this?  That was my own private squat rack a few months ago at the gym.  Not a personal record but I remember it felt like a decent set at 185lbs.

The reno is going very well.  The divertor trim kit came in and so I got to enjoy my first shower today.  The rainshower head?  Phenomenal. Lately, I've been on the hunt for accessories.  Hopefully starting with a small antique table for beside the tub!  The paint covered old piano bench is not ideal.

The arch is coming along.  We saw one of the boxes that the pillar will sit on and it looked gorgeous.  Jeff is off to Europe on a much deserved vacation for the next few weeks so it will be installed when he gets back.  In the meantime, there's ceiling repair to be done (poor Matt) and repositioning of the pot lights.

I heart my contractor

Brought up my concerns with Norm about the placement of some of the electrical and... done!  Getting fixed!  Seriously, these guys are so easy to deal with and just awesome.  We are totally spoiled.

One more week...

We have about a week left to go.  So excited!

We now have mirrors up and sconces installed.  The left one needs to come in half an inch.  The busted up washstand basin even looks okay (not okay enough not to get replaced).

The sparkly chandelier is now dangling over my tub.

We hung up the mirror in the small bath.  Not included in the photo are the sconces, which are mounted too high, and just need to be switched out because they look like crazy horns on the mirror.

Some of Jeff's awesomely awesome handiwork.  I LOVE the doors.  Still to come is another coat of paint (they got some wood fill and sanding action this weekend), crystal knobs and some magnetic clasps to help them lay flush.  Don't mind the cockeyed chandelier.  It needs to move over about two inches and be put together properly. 

 Here's our bedroom with our swing arm lamps all installed.  Yay!  And in the box to the left?  A pillar!  The second one is hopefully coming this week.  Jeff's next project is the arch.  He said he'll put it all together this week and insert the other pillar when it arrives.  I can't wait to see what it will look like.  Jeff's work is beyond good.

A nice shot of Jeff's handiwork on the closet.

Aside from sanding the closets and hanging mirrors, Kurt also played around to see how my wallpapered stairwell beautification plan would work.  Quite well, I'd say.  We'll have to finish our way up the stairs and then there is the trim detail to go on.  Mom has also requested a handrail before she arrives mid-May.  I think this stairwell is going to look nine kinds of fabulous when we're done with it.  There was no need to rip it out and replace it with another.

On the floor are the start of our fillets to go between the spindles on the floor.  That'll be a big, finicky job!  The chandelier is up as well.  It needs to come down a wee bit, I think.  Maybe centered in the middle of the top pane of the window?  It's these kind of details that I suck at.  I'm going to have to go look at my collection of photos to see what peeps do for random chandelier height.