My Second Storey

House Porn

2011-07-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

(Amie Weitzman via Design*Sponge)

(covet garden via sfgirlbybay)

(David Prince via Desire to Inspire)

(MFAMB)

Colour choices for the front porch

2011-07-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

I LOVE the last three colours from the palette attached to this photo.

(Shelter)

I also really just like the room in general, as well.

Blinds are up

2011-06-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

So, you remember the bathroom? Egyptian hieroglyphs everywhere... And the laundry room was possibly even worse. Renos to both rooms have been completed for a while and my mom was kind enough to sew some lovely blinds (and pillows!) for both rooms. They were down visiting last weekend and helped us string and hang them. I also painted the cubby for our toiletries and just needs some baskets. Next up is art work.

Before...

Almost done...

Here's my first attempt at figuring out a layout for the artwork I've got frames for.

House Porn - White on white on white (with pink!) edition

2011-06-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite blogs, 2 by design, has a weekly whiteout feature that I absolutely adore. Excellent taste in house porn, she has. The following post will likely feature more than a few photos she's curated on her blog.

If I owned a cafe, it would look very similar to this.

(ristorante tuna via 2 by design)

(decorology)

(plush palate)

(this is glamorous)

(2 by design)

(windsor smith featured in veranda, via the city sage)

(my white room via apartment therapy)

(Elle Interior via Nordic Design)

(Birgitta Wolfgang Drejer in skona hem via automatism)

Eureka!

2011-06-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

THIS is what I'm doing to my upper kitchen cabinets!

(Kiki's List via Emily A. Clark)

Hmm, strange. This kitchen has everything I like in it but I don't really like it much at all. I'm not sure why because all the disparate (and awesome!) elements are pulled together very well. We have the slatted ceiling, wood floors, black and white colour scheme, white subway tile - even the pulls and an orchid. Interesting. Anyways, moving the uppers all the way to the ceiling and then installing shelves underneath, though, is a fantastic idea.

Design Crushes

2011-06-22T15:15:00.000-07:00

I've had design crushes on a variety of folks over the year. I think Tommy Smythe is amazeballs. Like me, he hates boob lights and he loves going over budget. And he's the designer of my favourite kitchen of all time ever. I'd link to his webpage but he doesn't have one. Only a twitter account...

(nest egg)

I also flirted, like all Canadians did, with Sarah Richardson. But, thinking back on it, the rooms she designed that I loved most? Tommy was in on them. Behold, my most favouritist bathroom of all time ever.

And who was the principal designer? I'll give you a hint...

But my first and true design crush is on Suzanne Dimma. More specifically, her first living room. I remember when I first saw it. It was maybe eight or nine years ago. I snipped it out of my copy of House and Home and filed it away in a book. Now that she has become the editor of the magazine, all of the photos of her various residences past and present have been compiled into one gallery. I still absolutely love this space and I think it looks as livable, inviting and fresh as it did so many years ago.

(House and Home)

She's since posted a photo of her living room from her next house. Absolutely gorgeous!

(suzanne dimma's living room on house and home)

From the rest of the photos posted, I agree with her assessment that the front entryway did not flow with the rest of the home. But how absolutely freaking gorgeous is it? LOVE! As you can see, she's continued to hang pictures from iron rods. Kind of still love that idea.

Her show, Style Dept was also a favourite. Pretty much every room they staged caused me to swoon. In particular, there was this one amazing bedroom featured in the episode "Flea Market Style." Unfortunately, I can't find any photos. Boo!

House Porn

2011-06-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

Pretty, pretty!

(suzanne dimma's blog on house and home)

(verhext via automatism)

(shelter)

(google.com via Dear Designer on Pinterest)

The Study is Less Barren... Still Not Painted

2011-06-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we did a top to bottom scrub of the house, rearranged the furniture in the study and then picked up a few plants to keep the place from looking completely barren. I also did an inventory of all of the artwork I have waiting for frames to do the gallery walls... 58 pieces of various sizes. I'm off to HomeSense today to find some nice looking pots for our two trial plants (please kitties don't eat them or use them as a second bathroom like you did their predecessors) and to start the process of collecting picture frames.

As well, I'm starting the hunt for some type of window treatment. I'm thinking floor to ceiling drapes in blue or some shade in between. Or maybe yellow? Not sure if I want pattern...

Here's what it all used to look like when we first after we ripped up the carpet and realized why the original floor had been covered in the first place (oh, and I had been sampling different whites...)

Here it is now, waiting for curtains and artwork...

Here's the stairwell, needing more paint.

I'm still contemplating painting the desk out black and getting an upholstered slipper chair to go with it instead of our very fun mid-century find that we're using right now.

Today Kurt's finally installing the blinds in both bathrooms. No more towels as makeshift window coverings! It's only been a year... As I said, for a long time we were all reno'd out.

Edited to add: Yay! Found an 11x14 so Snow White and the Usual Suspects is now over the sofa. This sofa is new. It does not appear so. As you can see, the cats think it's theirs.

Take your house porn outside...

2011-06-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

Oh, but I love this. *sigh*

(Anna Malin via decor8... see more photos here)

(decorology)

Can I do this to my half story?

2011-06-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned this before. When I'm no longer feeling completely and totally reno'd out, I really, really, really want to rip up the carpet in the half storey and then paint the whole thing out white - floors and all.

(desire to inspire)

But maybe a bit of black?

(desire to inspire)

House Porn

2011-06-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

My house changes as you go from the first to the second storey. The main floor receives very little natural light while the second floor is washed with it. It gives both spaces a very different feel and it's been interesting trying to unify the two.

On the main floor, I'm moving to darker, richer pops of colour on a white background:

Via the decorista

skona hem via 2 by design

(decorology)

(Decorology)

One of my favourite kitchens of all time ever. It's a Tommy Smyth special that was originally photographed for House and Home Magazine.

(via nest egg)

On the second floor, I always want it to feel fresh and airy and kind of like it's spring no matter the time of year:

(Pinterest via Decorology)

(Bright Bazaar via Simply Grove)

(Elle Interior via Simply Grove)

(The Decorista)

(decor8)

(decorology)

Long time since my last post...

2010-12-08T06:41:00.000-08:00

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...

2010-08-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

...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...

2010-07-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

(Gorgessity via Secrets of Domestic Bliss)

(bolaget via escapade)

(la maison boheme)

(Pretty Lovely Things via SFGirlByBay)

OMG! Pillers!

2010-05-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-05-05T22:22:00.000-07:00

... 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

2010-04-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-04-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

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.

Friday House Porn

2010-04-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

It was a good week for house porn.

(Yellowtrace via Apartment Therapy)

(Dress Design Decor via Plush Palate)

(Greige)

(La Maison Boheme)

(Lonny via Secrets of Domestic Bliss)

(Lonny Mag via Yellowtrace)

(Greige)

(Plush Palate)

(and MORE from Greige... LOVE this blog)

(Lonny via Elements of Style... yes, amazeballs)

This really has nothing to do with House Porn but I stumbled across a post on Katherine Westerhout's photography of abandoned buildings while going through some of the recent posts on Yellowtrace. How absolutely gorgeous!

Saturday House Update

2010-04-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

So, I'm guessing we have maybe another week left, maybe two, and then they'll be on to the basement for the remedial plumbing and electrical and we'll be doing final paint touch up! Sweet! Norm had Jeff working offsite for a lot of this week on the closet doors. This was interspersed with floor stain and urethane application. The floor is done.

In other news, our shower in the basement sprung a leak. Not only did Norm fix it. He also laundered our towels we used to dry off the floor just because he knew we didn't have access to our washer and dryer. Stubbs Construction is fantastic.

Here are some shots of the hardwood floor.

(The landing and study)

(The landing and study again)

(The bedroom)

(Another view of the bedroom)

(The bedroom and dressing room)

(The bedroom and dressing room again... they did a fantastic job replicating the original millwork.)

(The dressing room)

And that's where we sit right now. It feels a bit surreal at this point that we're so close to completion.

Friday House Porn

2010-04-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

Brown chicken brown cow. It's cold, grey and windy today, which could explain my sudden desire for a bit of colour. Either that or I'm still a little stoned from the contact high we got off the floor stain yesterday.

(Elements of Style)

(Secrets of Domestic Bliss via Dear Designer's Blog)

(La Maison Boheme)

(Elements of Style)

But at the end of the day, I like going back to neutrals. They just make good spaces feel even better.

(Escapade via Plush Palate)

(Jose Picayo for Martha Stewart Living via Escapade)

(BHG via Secrets of Domestic Bliss)

Close but no cigar...

2010-04-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

Damn I'm picky. It's very close but after sitting with it for 20 hours, I'm still not sure about it. And I'm also not sure if it's me being a little too crazy pants or if the floor is just a little too red and not quite dark enough. We're playing with stain mixes and I'm coming home at lunch to pick a new one. I've asked them to play with ratios of BM's dark walnut and pale pecan. And if none of them are exactly what I'm looking for, I'll vote for me just being crazy and give the green light to clear coat the existing stain colour. Stubb's is being super cool about my indecision.

Painted White

2010-04-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

While I vacuumed up construction dust and made the rest of our house habitable again, Kurt caulked, nail filled and painted the bathroom. The window seat and shelves are so pretty. They are pretty much complete save for some decorative millwork on the front of the window seat that will mirror our wainscoting and closet doors.

It's not the right time of day to get a good shot of the entire piece without the picture going dark. I can't wait to see it styled! See?

Over the tub, we're hanging a black and crystal chandelier and I'm going to use the ledge to display art.

In other news, our basement bathroom shower has sprung a big ole leak so we're now relegated to using the tub to get ready in the morning. Horrible, yes? I also can't wait until the diverter is installed and everything is sealed in the main shower. Right now, it just whispers promises of awesomeness to me.

Well, we won't be able to enjoy it for long as it sounds like tomorrow they're going to be staining the floors. They didn't get to it last week as originally planned and Jeff is taking a bit of an extended Easter weekend. After looking at his millwork, he's more than earned it! Remember what we gave him to work with?

That's where the tub is now. Here's another view of the room, where the the window seat and shelves are now located.

And here's the space from the bathroom that we co-opted to make room for the shower.

When Forsyth posted pictures of his bathroom on Facebook asking if anyone had ever seen an uglier bathroom I just laughed. You have no idea, buddy! I can't believe we lived like this for five years... On the positive side, we will totally have the most astounding before and after photos.

A return to Restoration Hardware

2010-04-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the last post, our washstands were installed and one looks great and the other, well, not so much. It's noticeably off from both the side and the front. Like, to the point where I went "oh, yay, they installed the washstands... um, wait a minute" upon first seeing them. Turns out when we broke out the level that the basin is bowed and so that is why it doesn't look right, especially as it is directly beside a perfect specimen of itself.

To facilitate a return, RH has you submit photos for review. Unfortunately, they have a 4 meg limit so we had to send them nine million emails to include all of our photos. Here they all are in one handy, dandy spot.

First up, the non-defective washstand. See how the level sits flush against the basin?

And here is the defective stand. The level shows how bowed the basin is. Sadness...

And here is the other side. That's no small amount of daylight you can see between the level and the basin.

And here is the good basin resting nice and flush against the wall just like it should.

Look at home much of a gap there is with this one...

And it's not an issue with the wall itself:

All of the wowing and bowing results in the basin being unable to sit level in the stand. Look at how level the good washbasin is? That's some level-y goodness right there! The bead is dead center.

And the defective washstand? Yeah, not so much...

And here is a photo of the least of the problems with this silly basin... a divot. I could live with the divot. I'm not so fond of the drunken sailoresque listing towards the wall business and it will bug me every time I look at it. *sigh*

I bathed! In my tub!

2010-04-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, I bathed. In my tub. It was awesome.

This week, Jeff installed the fixtures in the bathroom and the floors were sanded and are ready for finishing. Have I mentioned Jeff is awesome? If I haven't... well, he is. The electrician showed up, installed two pot lights and disappeared again. I think the idea was to get all the light fixtures installed. The rest of the weekend will be spent caulking the baseboards, filling nail holes and painting the trim and shelving in the bath.

My tub!

I love the shower and how it just floats in the space. The modern, clean lines are a nice juxtaposition to the traditional soaker tub and washstands. I think it keeps the bath from being too twee. Still waiting on diverter trim kit and slide bar install.

Another shot of the bathroom!

One washstand basin is defective. Working with RH to have a different one shipped to us as it is bowed, making them not appear level. So unfortunate! They are otherwise lovely.

The floors are ready for stain.

Lots of natural light.

The window in the dressing room.

Well, there's a couple of switches and plug ins installed... This wall is calling for a big mirror.

Thursday House Porn

2010-04-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

There's just something wrong about a post with "porn" in the title on Good Friday. So, here's a little chick-a-waa-waa on a Thursday.

Lovely mornings and soft yellows...

(simon bevan via this is glamorous)

(Emma's Design Blogg)

(La Maison Boheme)

Lazy afternoon and moody spaces...

(Dorte Agergaard via Emma's Design Blogg)

(Ellen Holigstock via Remodelista)

(Etcetera... must buy book! via The City Sage)

Back from sectionals to see progress

2010-03-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, I was in Edmonton competing in the Central Canada Sectionals for the 2010 CrossFit Games. It was an amazing weekend! I'm back now and putting together a game plan to figure out how to take it up a notch and close the distance between me and the women who qualified to go to regionals.

Wait a second! Wrong blog! This one is about the renovation... Well, I came back to find that a lot of finishing work had been done while I was gone. The space is really coming together. What I like best is how it feels up there. The space has good energy.

(baseboards are on save for the finishing trim at the bottom, which will be added after the floors are finished)

(my future study)

(our partially completed ex-stairwell of death)

(we now have a sink in our powder room)

(our original registers are being reused where possible)

(this one had to be ground down to fit and needs a sanding and coat of paint)

(one was broken and couldn't be fixed so we salvaged the decorative cover and reused it in the bathroom shelves... I quite like the profile of the finishing trim)

(the rest of the arch and closet doors are coming up soon)

(the bath is ready for caulking, nail hole filling and a final coat of paint)

(there is a bit of decorative trim to be added to the window seat but this is otherwise completed)

(our washstand bases are now sitting in the shower waiting to be installed)

(I can't wait to see them installed along this wall!)

Today, we're also getting the two basement windows installed. About a year ago, those two big holes were first punched into our house's foundation. It will be so nice to finally have our home safe and secure again.

Friday House Porn

2010-03-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

Loving pink, gold and turquoise this week paired with rich, warm wood.

(desire to inspire)

(the city sage)

(Bolig Magasinet via automatism)

(ditte isager via desire to inspire)

(house and home via plush palate)

(Lusty McLustersons! Design Sponge via La Maison Boheme)

(Rolling ladder alert! I want one for my dressing room... elle decor via nest egg)

(And this is also something we're doing - an island with chandelier over it... domino via nest egg)

Floor is laid!

2010-03-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

A quick post before I go to watch my guilty pleasure. It sure has come a long way since I took those before pictures in January. Look, the pile of hardwood is gone.

Somehow it ended up over here instead.

It really is there under those drop cloths. I checked. You can see more of it over here.

Actually, it seems to be everywhere!

With all those drop cloths, it's kind of like Jeff is suggesting we do something... Hmm, I wonder what it is he thinks we should do. Oh, wait! I know! Paint! Good luck with that Kurt because I'll be off kicking ass and taking names in Edmonton at the Central Canada Sectionals for the 2010 CrossFit Games all weekend long while he is home!

To ease the burden of this bad news for Kurt, I'm including this random photo of The Sneak being cute.

Okay, now I'm going to go watch America's Next Top Model.

More floor!

2010-03-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

There's more floor today! A lot more floor! Jeff was a busy guy...

The study is done!

The landing is done!

The bedroom has started!

It looks pretty with the tile!

Our job is not an easy one! It's all curves and angles.

Our shrinking pile of hardwood!

And so begins the floor...

2010-03-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

Jeff was a busy dude today. When I came home at lunch, the house smelled like fresh cut oak floor planks and slow cooker pork. It was not unpleasant.

Why is it when someone tells you not to do something, you so end up wanting to do it? It took all my self control not to step on the nosing.

The study... don't mind the poor lighting. I didn't get home in the daylight to snap a photo.

I think it looks spiffy! As you can see, the fillets (who knew that's what they're called... well, Jeff did) between the spindles have been removed. They are getting replaced as the floor could not be laid with the originals still in place.

And this last one is for Kurt. Because I know that you miss him...

Milk

2010-03-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

This week was a bit quieter around the house. Jeff was off working on a commercial project for a few days but did manage to complete a lot of the millwork and Matt was by to do more wall repair. We ended up able to paint again this weekend. We've got two coats now on all the walls and ceiling but the bath. All of the trim has at least one coat and some places even have two. We still have a lot more to do after this with the closets needing another coat on the interior and we didn't even start on the exterior yet. There's also the bath, including the built-ins and the entryway and wainscoting running down the stairs.

At first I really wasn't sure about the wall paint. I had a hard time picking a white to begin with. Everything was either too cool, too yellow or too dark. I wanted something creamy, delicious and soft but still fresh. It had to be white. So, I went with my fave griege (OC-14) mixed with two parts untinted base paint. We splurged on Aura and after the first coat I was nervous. I thought it was too yellow and leaned more to beige than it did a white. So, pretty much exactly what I was trying to avoid. D'oh! And with it such a pricey paint, there was no way I'd have any luck convincing Kurt to go with a different white. I'm glad I didn'! With two coats up and the trim painted out, though, I'm exceedingly pleased with it. It's the colour of milk.

Next up, we're getting the hardwood installed!

(The study)

(The study from the other direction)

(The powder room)

(The beginnings of an arch from the master into the dressing room)

(No more yellow paint and some lovely new window trim)

(Kurt's closet in the bedroom)

And as for the resolution of the minor issues with the trim, the meeting went very well. We are reducing the number of switches in the bath, moved over the switch in the landing and doubled up the trim on the interior of the arch so we didn't have to move the plate. We also had some moulding added to finish the top of the shower.

(All good!)

Friday House Porn - Beds and Baths Edition

2010-03-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

Oh, yeah, baby!

( Leibowitz and McLachlan via Desire to Inspire)

( this is glamorous)

(plush palate)

(light locations via caroline ruffini decoration)

(that's my tub! or, at least, the same as my tub at mi casa via plush palate)

(susan anthony via all the best)

(airspace via dear designer's blog)

(leibowitz and mclachlan now via this is glamorous)

(Perfect English via Homes and Property)

(Bhs via house of turquoise)

Weekend Update

2010-03-13T11:05:00.000-08:00

This week saw the start of the finicky trim work. We're also hitting our first minor snag, which we'll have to talk to our contractor about. And, finally, it sounds like we're going to be on hold for a while. Why?

Because this glorious stuff here needs some time to acclimate itself to our house's humidity levels.

We have picked a narrow plank red oak floor to approximate the original main floor hardwood as best we can with today's materials. It will be laid unfinished and then stained and whatnot once it's down. We're going to stick with a similar glossy, dark finish as we chose on our stair treads. The stain mix has an orange undertone so it should work well with our blue-black doors.

We also have our washer and dryer installed so no more treks to our father-in-law's house for free laundry service. Greg's been great but I'm sure he'll be glad not to see us for four hours tomorrow.

As you can see, we have the crown up. Looking spiffy! It also highlights that nothing is even remotely level in our house thanks to the lack of any kind of piles underneath our teleposts in the basement causing everything to sink in the middle over the last 100 years. While the issue is now resolved with the newly poured floor, it wasn't possible to jack the middle of the house up much more than we have without cracking floor joists. So, we've been putting our heads together with Jeff, our millwork guy, to play with how to hang the doors to make things look more level than they are. The other fix is painting the trim out the same colour as the walls (different texture, though, so there will still be interest). It's funky with Kurt's closet, too and there are a few windows that also point it out. Again, though, I'm thinking the paint will make this recede. It's also just something you get with old houses.

And going without crown is not an option. It just finishes a room like nothing else. See? Spiffy!

Jeff, the millwork guy, is awesome. He did great work this week hanging our doors (again, fun times in a house where nothing is remotely level) and then getting the door casings and trim up.

He did a bang up job reproducing the original door trim. Here is a closer look.

It looks really, really good and I can't wait to get a coat of paint on it. Unfortunately, this leads me to the thing I need to talk to Norm about. When the electrician put in the wiring for our light switches, he didn't take into account our door trim.

Yeah... The trim is so lovely and has such an appeal that stuff like this really stands out. I'm super cool with things not being level (it's 100 years old!) but notches in my door trim will bug me like crazy. The interior trim on the other two doors will have similar notches because of light switches so we will definitely need to reduce the size of the light switches and maybe put more lights on the same switch. Regardless, there is more work for the electrician.

And last but not least, we need to figure out what we want to do at the top of the tiled shower wall to finish it.

Not sure what's up next week. Kurt's busy at Norm's shop painting out baseboard trim. I'm hoping we'll get the two bathroom areas finished up. Not that, you know, our temporary basement bathroom isn't awesome.

I have dreams about this tub! Right now, it as a 12" shower head in a box and some dead bugs in it.

Friday House Porn

2010-03-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

Boom chick a waa waa.

(La Maison Boheme)
It's symmetrilicious!

(Remodelista)
There is nothing not awesome about this shower.

(my favourite and my best)

I've seen this before and loved it. Lonny? Or Elle Decor? Not sure. Anyways, I am on the hunt for a similar table that will be covered in similar cat snacks and then placed on the landing of our stairs to the second storey. It will be gorgeous (until the cats kill the plants).

(Elle Decor via Shelter)
Drapey happy place with pink blanket.

(Desire to Inspire)
Lovely, lovely floor. Maybe if the half storey hardwood is in good enough shape?

(Elements of Style)

Lurves this room. I want to sit in that chaise.

(Marley & Lockyer)

Where do I get me one of these antique clothes racks?

(House and Home)
Tripod table goodness!

(House and Home)
A long time favourite. This was a jumping off point for our bath reno.

(Elements of Style)
Mmm, pink flowers in otherwise very neutral spaces.

My attempt at colour!

2010-03-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

Our construction crew left us a note on Friday. "Paint your closets this weekend. We need to install your washer and dryer on Monday." Yay! No more laundromats or taking all our laundry over to the father in laws! I've missed my washer. It goes good work!

I have had a bit of a time picking a colour to go in the closets. I don't really do colour so this was unchartered territory. Originally, I was toying between a strong poppy red or a really deep turquoise. Kurt wanted something more mellow so I settled on BM paladian blue.

Unfortunately, it looked way nicer on the chip and way too sickly green on the wall in the room. It didn't photograph too badly. Trust, in person, it was not pretty. It almost felt a bit institutional. Neither "sickly" nor "institutional" are vibes I'm really hoping to play up in the master suite so perhaps we need a different colour. Or, how about the absence of any colour?

Now, I have a love on for the door colour. Might be kind of ridiculous to paint the interior of a closet black but I do have pot lights going into each bank of closets so I'm guessing we'll have plenty of light to be able to find our clothes...

I'm kind of digging it! I have to say that this paint doesn't quite photograph true. In person, it's quite apparent that the paint has a lot of blue and magenta in it as it is almost more of a deep, deep muted indigo than a black. It is delicious!

And Kurt REALLY digs it!

So he starts in on his closet. This was the paint colour I originally suggested for his closet interior, by the way. He had said I was crazy pants. But I know what's going to appeal to him.

First coat is done! You know, I am so not good with colour. I really, really tried here. I mean, we went so far as to buy the paint and apply it! I thought perhaps putting it in a space that will only be visible on occasion would be a good foray into living with walls that are not neutral. Guess not. The allure of the most lovely of black paints was too strong!

The interior fittings from the closet will be from Ikea. I'm glad I haven't ordered them yet as we were originally going to go with white drawers and shelves. Now, I think we'll go for the solid birch ones, give them a bit of a rough up, install some shaker moulding to the front of them as well as a shiny crystal and chrome knobby and paint them black as well. The cabinet doors and trim will all be in glossy white. As well, the floors are getting painted with the white floor paint we have leftover from the stairwell project. The next morning, we came upstairs to view our handiwork to see the bottoms of the closets covered with dusty kitty feet markings. Considering mine is made to stand in to even reach my clothes, we're going to need something that hides foot traffic a bit better!

Perhaps I've been peeing too long next to the cats?

2010-03-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it's because I've been sharing a bathroom with my cats in the basement for too long but I am really getting excited about our powder room.

It's a teeny little room but I think it has a lot of possibilities. Remember, this is what it looked like before:

Egyptian hieroglyph madness with paint test swatches

And here it is as of today needing a second coat of wall paint, moulding, trim paint, a door, toilet, sink, lighting, mirror and artwork. It does, I have to say, have one heck of a spiffy looking, yet economical, floor that is in keeping with the period of our home. The addition of grout really makes the floor kind of mellow out and improves the awesomeness of the room.

And here’s my inspiration!

(Supermarket Sarah via Design Sponge)

Just think about how much fun it would be to pee in this room! I know! Exciting!

First off, we are doing an art wall. I mean, you need something to look at and enjoy when you're "in the moment" so to speak. We have some exceedingly fun prints from a variety of most talented artists on Etsy. We have a lot of very, very pretty prints. We also have some that just made me laugh. I think it only fitting the powder room features a collection that might make a person tinkle a little from a good giggle. “Gornack feel pretty today” will have a fine new home! She will be joined by the dog who “hearts” various things, a fish doing a Turkish get up and a portrait of a badger. There may be others that are also pretty just to keep it from getting too weird.

(from retrowhale's shop on Etsy... check it out!)

We have a ginormous Umbra hub mirror that has spent the last five years leaning up against the wall in my half storey. And it spend the three years prior to that above a console table in the entry of my first house. It looked hot there, it did! Soon, it shall hang out over my Canadian-Tire-gift-certificate-enabled-purchase pedestal sink and flanked by two simple sconces. I think the mirror will fancy it up a lot.

Here is a photo from Umbra of a similar mirror over a boring black sofa. It's gonna look way better over my sink!

Beside it shall rest our Canadian Tire special toilet that was also purchased via the same gift card given as the pedestal sink. We've been holding onto these for a while as I do believe it was given to us by our realtor when we bought our house five years ago. So exciting, I know. Above said toilet will be ubiquitous chrome hotel-inspired towel holder complete with lovely decorative box to hide things one likes to store beside one’s throne but not advertise too loudly.

And to provide privacy, we're doing a roman blind out of this smart Amy Butler fabric c/o Melody Smartt's Smartt Fabric Etsy fabric shoppe!

We're getting plumbing fixtures installed at this point.

Wall where the tub is going and our shower

More of the shower! You can see where the rainshower head is getting affixed!

Supply lines for the washstands. Not sure why they have little condom thingies on them...

Also, I'm not sure what it means when these following things show up in our house but I'm guessing it's millwork next.

Three saws!

A big ass work table and some wood.

And MORE wood! I think those are for my closet!

EXCITING!!!!

And then there was tile!

2010-03-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

We're about two and a half weeks away from completion at this point. Yesterday, the floor tile was laid. Today, we're getting it grouted. This weekend, we should be able to get in and put a first coat on the bathroom built ins and maybe a second coat in both bathrooms on the walls and ceiling? Will have to check with Norm on that. Don't mind the quality of light in the photos. It was right at the end of the day and we were using the temporary lighting that's installed.

(shower and floor in the bath)

(window seat in the bath)

(powder room)

Kurt also got the first coat of floor paint on the stairs. They're looking mighty spiffy! Not at all like the stairwell of death we used to refer to them as.

Our next project!

2010-02-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

Well, the doors are complete and they look faaaaabulous. Very excited with how they've turned out. Of course, now they're piled in a corner, covered in sawdust waiting for when they can be installed. I know she doesn't read my blog or anything but I just have to say thanks to Door Sixteen's Anna for the blogging about the loveliness that is BM Toucan Black. Look at how delicious it is, even covered in dust. It's my new favourite paint colour. I loves it I does!

The other project, the stairwell, is on Kurt's hit list for today while I am making a big pile of paleo cabbage rolls. It's getting it's very first coat of white paint. We're using a Sico product that apparently can stand up to foot traffic and is not slippery. I also talked with Norm about getting a change order done up to install a small light in the half storey that can be trained on that stairwell to give it a bit more illumination.

And, last but not least, I've managed to come up with a third project for us to tackle over the next few weeks. I'm going to go on the hunt for a second hand dresser that can be painted out and decked in pretty knobs to sit under the chandelier in the dressing room. Yayness!

Here's what I'm thinking of:

(House and Home via Mochatini)

Things are coming along since I last posted photos. We're about three weeks away from completion so we're quite a bit over the original finish date of February 22nd. We're relatively snug and comfortable in our pretend bachelor pad on the main floor so I'm not exactly unhappy that we're taking longer than originally estimated. What's been done this week includes the base for my closet and drain pan for the washer has been installed, Kurt's closet minus the mill work is in, our shelves and window seat are up WITH decorative millwork almost completed (we're doing a hinged top on the window seat to give us some closed storage with shaker style moulding on the front that mirrors our original wainscoting) and we have about half of our shower tiles in. I love coming home from work each evening to see a little bit more done every day. The bath is turning out exactly as I had envisioned it!

Our shelves and window seat in the bath!

Smudge checking out the window seat. He's a perv who likes watching us in the shower so I'm expecting this will be his new favourite perch.

Our future shower.

The start of my closets in the dressing room.

The start of Kurt's closets in the bedroom

House Porn of the Day

2010-02-26T10:04:00.000-08:00

I love herring bone floors and french doors with transoms. And spaces that pair dark, aged looking hardwood with black and white. I just really want this room all for myself. I really wish herring bone floors were in the budget for the second floor reno. I will make sure we budget enough when we do the main floor.

(Roman and Williams via Remodelista)

And a few more rooms with the same colour palette that I'm loving right now...

(Country Living via Apartment Therapy)

(home life via Apartment Therapy)

Blame Canada! Or do I need to just get over it.

2010-02-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

Dead cow on floor + horns in the same otherwise impeccably styled room. My opinion on these design trends has not altered by seeing them together in one space.

(DécorMag via Desire to Inspire)

I am in love with that upholstery on the statement chair, though. GORGEOUSITY!

Edited to add:
Maybe I need to just get over it? Look how lovely the rest of the room is!

(Rum via Simply Grove)

The herring bone floors, the details on the fireplace, the gilded mirror and the casual floor pillows mixed with the clean lined simplicity of the sofa and the modern coffee table all in a subdued palette.... *sigh* ...and then... "moo".

Window Seat Brilliance

2010-02-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

After we're done with the second storey, we're moving onto a little DIY in the half storey. Well, actually, it's sorta DIY but we're using the services of The Boy, who will soon be done his construction course at SIAST so good practice for him and it'll be nice having the aid of someone who is actually trained to do this stuff. Compared to the gut and rebuild of the second storey, it's a few minimal changes with some built ins, the loss of a wall here and the gaining of another wall there and either refinishing the hardwood we found underneath the subfloor or new carpet (it just depends on how banged up it is). In our half storey, we have two dormer windows... one of which is screaming for something awesome to be done to it. The other opens up onto the landing of the stairs so it's at it's full potential providing, you know, a place to stand and not fall to your death.

As I was wandering through my blog list, I stumbled across a lovely collection of dormer windows that make my dormer windows look decidely sad. Nest Egg's Rachel Halvorson also had some GREAT suggestions for what to do with window seats.

Here are two of my favourites!

I want to curl up and have a nap on this one. Gorgeous! And I love how they've created great additional storage for blankets, books and fun little chotckies. I'm a pack rat and, therefore, a sucker for nooks and nitches in which to stuff odds and ends.

(Domino Magazine via Nest Egg)

This second one would work very well in our space.

(House Beautiful via Nest Egg)

We just have the pesky issue of electric heaters underneath the windows to figure out.

And, last but not least, my favourite half storey dormer photo of all time ever care of the first issue of Lonny Magazine.

(via this is glamorous)

*sigh* So pretty! Look at the subtle pattern on the wallpaper! And the hidden storage! And the pops of colour! The only think I'm not so keen on is the diamond pattern on the floor but I think that's only because of the hunter green diamond squares that were painted all over our second floor hardwood.

Okay, we were talking about window seats! Here is another one that is styled very well. This is about the size of the window seat we're installing in our bathroom. Oh, yes, did I mention we're putting in a window seat there? It is already partially installed!

(via La Maison Boheme)

Progress on our projects and some random photos of other stuff.

2010-02-22T07:01:00.000-08:00

Kurt's currently laying in bed, felled by sanding off 100 years of varnish and paint from our interior doors while not wearing a mask. That and eating way too much junk food on the weekend. The good news is he'll have time this afternoon to put a second coat of paint on the doors!

Here's where we're at with the stairwell. We finally found a wallpaper we could both agree on at Yarnton decorating. Also, how have I lived in Regina for 15 years and never heard of or been to Yarnton decorating? That store is super fun!

It's a bit more traditional and muted than I was assuming we'd go for. It's nice and light so the stairs will be fresh and airy. It's also scrubbable so it should hold up well especially considering this stairwell isn't a high traffic area. The pattern is small so we'll have minimal waste. We should have lots of paper left over so I'm eyeballing a feature wall behind the headboard in the half storey as a good spot to use up the rest of it.

We've also finished sanding the last coat of wood fill on the stairs and Kurt got it all primed out. Next up is painting it out! Hey, how handy is it that Kurt's taking a sick day. Maybe he'll feel like painting?

Our doors are also coming along nicely. I love the paint colour. It reads black but when you take the time to look at it, you realize that it's actually a muted, dark indigo (it's Benjamin Moore Toucan Black... Anna over at Door Sixteen recommended it and, sure enough, she was not wrong about it's awesomeness). So pretty and it will look fantastic with our silver and crystal knobs! This is just one coat of paint so the coverage isn't uniform as of yet.

Oh, yeah, I forgot I took a photo of this! Here's my floor plan for the second storey. We went with very few changes to the floor plan and left the toilet in it's original location with the rest of the plumbing lined up with the stack along the west wall to keep costs reasonable. Originally, we had hired a designer to do up plans for this floor but they were all way out of our budget and dependent on building a different stairwell to the half storey. I think the only thing that has stayed the same is the archway connecting the two old bedrooms.

I was kicking around photobucket trying to find photos of my lovely ex entrance way and stumbled across the original second storey plan that cost too much that we scrapped after our original basement "contractor" stole our money after knocking holes into our house...

Oh, Bain Ultra Balneo Naos tub with thermomasseur jets... you were but a dream. A "price comparable to a used economy car with low mileage" dream. *sigh*

Ah, yes, and here is the light fixture we found at Maison in Nelson. We're hanging it in the dressing room. It looks much nicer when it's not flopped onto a few CD storage boxes.

And finally, since I'm now just posting random photos, may I present The Sneak. She is currently on a diet and is a bit stressed about it so has been grooming herself a little too often.

It gets darkest before dawn.

2010-02-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

At least, I think that's the bullshit saying people use when they're sick to death of whatever situation they have themselves in. I shouldn't complain. Things are actually going really, very well. I'm just tired of living on a construction site. It's been a year since Garth first ripped up our basement floor, leaving us with exposed, cracked sewer lines and only partial plumbing to half our house for six weeks.

This is why I'm getting a bit cranky.

Our entry before the reno:

Our entry as of about 10 minutes ago:

Even wrapped in plastic and covered in dust and crap our stairwell is fucking gorgeous. It's why I bought this house.

We are almost there. Really, we are. Stubbes has finished their other job and are set to finish ours in two weeks. I can't wait. Here's where we were and where we're at now...

The Master Bedroom
Our master bedroom really was so gorgeous to begin with, I'm really not even sure why we're renovating. I just found the flower basket wallpaper to provide such a wonderful romantic mood. With the ceiling tile and forrest green painted beadboard, I think the room provided a relaxing, almost bliss-inducing space in which to unwind, read a book and drift off to sleep.

Here we are, part way through our unneeded reno. This photo was taken from the dressing room, looking into the bedroom. The opening has been created to accommodate an archway similar to the one we have separating our living room from our entry. The drywall at the ceiling and floor has been left unmudded as we're putting in 12" baseboards that mimic the original ones that didn't make it through the demolition. We're also doing a sizeable crown moulding. I'm still undecided if we want to take it further and do the picture frame moulding with chair rails.

The Dressing Room

Originally, our dressing room was a teeny, tiny sponge paint explosion. The people who lived in this house prior to us had their poor little boy sleep in this room. I often wonder if he has nightmares of yellow blotches attacking him in the night.

Okay, so it's not looking much different just yet, which is why I don't have a good picture of it yet. Rest assured in a few days, there's going to be some lovely custom cabinets in there and as soon as our washer and dryer are stuffed in said custom cabinets, we can get those walls repaired and painted out.

The Bathroom

Okay, this comes in two sections, but first I want to tell a story. Our neighbours are lovely. We adore them. They are best couple friends with the couple who owned our house in the 90's and, incidentally, are responsible for all of the gorgeous decor decisions we're now eradicating. Our ever so adorable neighbours one day exclaimed to us that straight couples like us LOVE buying houses from same sex couples because gay men know how to decorate. They then looked at us with pity, our hetero natures barring us forever from knowing good taste.

Generalizations are not always accurate. May I present to you my proof:

This little guy and his stenciled friends made their home in my shitter for far too long. Faux Egyptian hieroglyphs everywhere. I tinkled next to the sphinx. I brushed my teeth under the keen eye of a scarab beetle. King Tut perved at me while I showered.

Have you ever seen a more hideous scheme for a bathroom? I am doubtful. Please, prove me wrong and be the first ever to commentate on my blog!

The bathroom has been carved in half. The old tub area is now part of the spa and will soon be reincarnated as a lovely shower with rain shower head.

And the other half will be a powder room with toilet, pedestal sink and no Egyptian hieroglyphs whatsoever.

The Spa!

Our spa used to feature maroon-painted, cat-pee stained floors, gas station bathroom wallpaper and a sponge painted tiled ceiling. Who wouldn't want to spend time in this room!

The "lights akimbo" look is so on-trend right now!

This room I am most excited about. Aside from the giant, separate shower, we're also doing a lovely soaker tub along this wall here.

Our washstands from Restoration Hardware are going along this wall:

And I don't have a shot of it but we will be flanking either side of the window with built in shelving to store towels, toiletries and the like and it will also include a window seat! Yayness!

As for the entryway, it is coming along nicely. Before, it was covered in the residue of an attempted makeover on my part with some wallpaper and hope. It didn't go as expected. The sticky note on the chandelier says "keep me". It's sitting beside our water softener in the basement with a tuft of pink insulation stick on it waiting to be dusted off and installed above our soaker tub.

And this is where we're at with this area today. To celebrate, we finally picked up a settee that will be nestled in the corner. We ended up going with the tight backed button tufted baby from The Bay.

And that's our reno so far! Stay tuned for a stairwell update (we bought wallpaper and Kurt's been busy!) as well as an ode to my husband, the grand sander.

Searching for wallpaper

2010-02-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

Here are more options. This first one I am lusting all over. It's perfect. Of course, it's bloody expensive and takes six to eight weeks to ship within the continental US. I live in Canada. They may or may not ship to me.

(Flavor Paper's Terminal paper in Grasshopper available through 2modern)

This next one is available through an online UK store. I personally think it's lovely, as well, AND it's less expensive than the first option. Of course, I like it just a little bit less. But I still like it! A lot!

(Du Barry Ogee Trellis Wallpaper through Fabrics and Papers)

Kurt will likely very much dislike the next option but I thought it was kind of fun. Also, what other time will I ever have the option of putting lime green and aqua paisley wallpaper anywhere in my home?

(Rajapur Wallpaper through Fabrics and Papers)

Stupid trends that ruin otherwise perfectly lovely house porn

2010-02-17T16:02:00.000-08:00

Just recently, it seems like every time I flip through one of my decor mags or wander around the internet to drool over some quality house porn, my eyes are assaulted by two completely hideous trends. These trends are ruining otherwise perfectly lovely house porn. Yes Darryl Carter, I'm looking at you! Your rooms are otherwise perfect and, therefore, some of the worst offenders!

1. Cows on the floor. Have these people never spent any time with live cows? They're possibly the worlds most stupid, yet delicious creatures. And they smell. Stupid and smelly. Neither of which are adjectives I feel the need to promote in my house.

2. Walls with random horns. I don't really find the idea of being gored by my wall particularly restful. Let's put horns on the wall in our bedroom!

Look at all these absolutely otherwise perfectly lovely rooms. Ruined by cows and random horns.

(Big ole horns via Beach Studios via my favourite and my best)

(Dead cowish type thing befouling otherwise gorgeous room by KML Design via Desire to Inspire)

(Darryl Carter's otherwise dreamy bedroom.. does it make you horny? NO! Elle Decor via My White Shirt)

(Cow detracting from statement art piece via Plush Palate)

(Gorgeous room, better put a dead cow on the floor. Domino via Nest Egg)

(Gorgeous white floor topped with cow care of dos family via door sixteen)

(this makes me the saddest of all as the rest of the room is yum... Sasa Antic via Door Sixteen)

Stairwell Update

2010-02-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

Check it out! Both Kurt and I are procrastinating getting work done for, um, work this long weekend, which is ensuring our fun stairwell project is continuing along at a break neck pace. Here is is denuded of it's grey berber and sanded down to show the various coats of paint applied throughout the ages. Poor thing! At one time, it was army green. The Dilbert-office gray that it is now isn't much of an improvement, either. Someone had the smart idea of white. I think our white paired with risers with attitude will be the best of it's many iterations.

Kurt is off to Home Depot for some wood fill and 1/4" plywood. Next weekend will be paint and whatever paper I decide on for the risers. I've already found two damaskish type papers in blue-green that would work from Home Depot but I don't think they're quite right.

(Home Depot)

Meh...

Perhaps something more vibrant and unexpected is needed. Next up is a trip to The Paper Umbrella to see what they have that might work well. Too bad they are closed today! Now I want to go shopping.

Edited to add: And another option could be wrapping paper from Amy Butler? Wondering how sturdy it would be if it were varnished after application? This one is lovely and you could alternate between the three different papers all the way up the stairs.

(Amy Butler)

My project - The stairs

2010-02-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

Well, we have the first coat of paint on the walls. I have to say the second storey is really taking shape! Next week is going to be even more exciting with the dressing room closets, bathroom built ins and flooring going in. After that will be wall touch ups, another coat of paint, the installation of the rest of the mill work (12" baseboards, crown moulding, the archway between the bedroom and dressing room and window and door casings) and finally all of our lighting and plumbing fixtures going in! Marv, the brick dude from Allied Masonry, has also been hard at work fixing the two giant holes in our foundation to look something more like rough openings for windows.

In the meantime, Kurt and I have started on our own individual projects. Kurt has been sanding down all of our existing window trim to get it ready for painting. After that will be prepping the main floor stairwell spindles and our wainscoating for a paint touch up. He's also learning about how to build a railing around a stairwell opening and installing a handrail. The last part is in support of my project... making the stairwell to our half storey look and feel welcoming, attractive and safe. At present, it is none of those things!

It will be interesting to make this:

(The Sneak and Smudge enjoying our stairs shortly after we bought our house)

(Our stairs as of yesterday)

Look something more like this!

(Stairwell via Door Sixteen)

Right now, I've removed about a third of the carpet, underlay, staples and those strips of horribly pokey wood they use to apply carpet to stairwells - that is totally the technical term for this just so you know. The stairs underneath are in really good shape! The screw-happy homeowner of years past also went to town on the treads but luckily didn't split the wood like s/he did to the fir plank flooring on the second storey. Really, it's going to require some minimal application of wood fill to cover up the screw heads and a sand down to get it all ready for some white paint. We've also picked up some adhesive tape with grit to make the painted surface less slip and fall friendly. I know those strips may not add to the beauty but, as someone who has bit it down this particular stairwell on more than one occaision, I'm going to acquiesce a bit of style for safety. As for the risers, Kurt is going to friction fit 1/4" plywood to clean it all up and then I'll either apply wall paper or hand made paper to give a pop of visual interest and colour. The walls are also being painted out a fresh white and we're attempting to figure out how to install a handrail up the left side. Last but not least, I need to figure out how to light the area a bit better without actually having to pay an electrician to install a new light as that's not in the budget right now. D'oh!

Time to break out the Benjamin Moore Aura Paint

2010-02-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

Oh but things are coming along in the second storey. We now not only have banished all knob and tube, completed the plumbing rough in, reinforced the half storey joists, framed out the new walls, installed the rough opening for our arch way, installed the new sub floor and installed drywall. We (and by "we" I totally mean the most excellent crew from Stubb's Construction and not actually myself in any way shape or form) have also now completed mudding and taping (and sanding and clean up!). Next we (and now I really do mean me and Kurt) will be putting the first coat of Benjamin Moore's Aura paint up on the walls. This way, they'll be able to see if there are any inperfections on the skim coat or new drywall that need to be addressed. The second coat will be done after the flooring goes in as laying the hardwood and tile will likely result in a few dings so there's no point making it perfect just yet. And after that, our closets get installed and it is on to flooring. I have to admit, I'm dying to see how the millwork on the closets have turned out.

In other news... The contractor we hired last year to repour our basement floor and refinish the basement (Garth Daku) may have created a serious structural issue to our house. He had been contracted to create two rough opening for windows in our basement. According to the gentleman who owns Allied Masonry, the two holes created in the foundation for the windows were done so poorly he's surprised the side of our house did not give way. The one side of our house is currently being supported by our floor joists. I'm absolutely sick about what could have been. Thank goodness Allied Masonry has fit us in and are putting in steel lintels and other supports right now and the windows are being installed shortly after. With the foundation comprimised, it's possible our house would not have survived the thawing of the ground and the shifting this causes in Regina's soil gumbo. When the lovely gentleman from Allied Masonry is done, our home's foundation should be exceedingly stable once more. And we'll have great natural light in our basement and the space will be ready for development sometime in the future.

I used to think that we were unlucky with finding contractors. Now, I'm thinking that we were more than lucky. Considering how utterly catastrophic the damage could have been, a derelicte chic front porch and trashed front and back yards is pretty minimal. Also, Stubbs Construction and Allied Masonry are reaffirirming our faith in contractors. Take home message: Do your homework before hiring anyone. And just when you think you've checked out someone enough, check them out some more. You can never be too careful who you hire.

Ha!

2010-02-08T13:32:00.000-08:00

I found this over at Elements of Style Blog. Awesome!

We have many of these kinds of furniture stores in the Regina-area. We love UGLY FURNITURE here in my home town. Conversely, and not surprisingly, there are very, very few nice furniture stores. This would lead me to believe that most people here then prefer buying ugly furniture instead of surrounding themselves with things that are nice to look at. We do have a coded idea in our little simian brains that tell us if something is pretty verses ugly. It's not like these people don't recognize the junk they're buying is eye-rapingly awful. So, what is it about living in Regina that seems to compell us to surround ourselves with homeliness?

I'm still having issues!

2010-02-02T10:09:00.000-08:00

I'm still having issues trying to figure out the landing/office area. I know I need some kind of large storage area and spot to put our computer. I also would prefer a really comfy place to lounge, wrapped in a throw blanket instead of some fancy ergonomic office chair. I also really want a lovely art wall as well as bulletin board to keep track of my writing projects. Other than the feeling I want to create, I'm rather stumped with what layout will work best for how I want to use the space. Hopefully my trip to a few antique/second hand stores, etc this weekend with help me figure out a jumping off point.

I DO love this room and am definitely leaning towards something similar in terms of feeling. I does need to feel like a creative, exciting space that sparks imagination.

House of Turquoise via La Maison Boheme

We're already at drywall!

2010-01-29T09:39:00.001-08:00

Holy snot! Drywall is being installed today. DRYWALL! Already!

This is the best reno ever.

Yayness!

2010-01-27T14:30:00.000-08:00

I am filled with squee. Oodles and oodles of squee. A little over two weeks ago, we left on a jet plane to paradise while contractors began gutting and fixing our woebegone second storey. We came home to find the work had progressed very quickly. I have taken the aforementioned awful before photos and, this weekend, will take and post a number of progress shots.

Let me first just say that I LOVE Gord Porrit and Norm Stubbes. LOVE THEM! They do this amazing stuff like call us, do what they say they're going to do, problem solve and take pride and care with their work. They are actually ahead of schedule, if you can believe it. After doing through a renovation nightmare last spring and summer, this experience with Stubbes Construction has been so completely and wonderfully pleasant and worry-free, that I almost feel like I'm leaving in a dream. A dream of renovation bliss. I honestly don't even mind having our temporary toilet installed next to the kitty litter boxes in the basement (the trick is not to make eye contact with the cats).

Right now, everything has already been gutted, the sub floor is in, the joists for the half storey have been braced, the knob and tube is gone, the plumbing has been roughed in, the beam and supports are installed to collapse the two bedrooms into one, the framing is complete on the pony wall and powder room and the electrical is going in today. The Neptune Space shower was brought in to help ensure the lines were installed appropriately and I had a chance to stand on the base. It's absolutely ginormous.

In the meantime, once I get home, I am going to post a few photos from one of the rooms we booked at Casa Takywara on Isla Holbox. It was absolutely gorgeous - my exact idea of what an island retreat should be. A lovely little garden, white washed walls, bright pops of colour and not one but two hammocks so we didn't even have to share! Also, a coffee maker and electricity rounded out the features... fresh ground yuppy organic fair trade dark roast from the Kootenays throughout our stay brewed deliciously strong every morning along with More's fresh baked bread or croissants and ripe, juicy fruit... Mmmm.

Busy Weekend

2010-01-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

What a busy weekend! We spent a good chunk of it cleaning out quite a bit of the second storey to get it ready for demolition and setting up the main floor as an apartment. It actually looks attractive and comfortable. We also got the drapery my mom lengthened for us hung up in the dining room/bedroom area.. One of the things I've learned from living through a few renos is that you can't put a price on order and comfort when you're up to your ears in drywall compound.

Here are a few photos.

Smudge doesn't seem to mind it at any rate. Oh, and on a positive note, setting up the bed in the middle of what should be the dining room helped to settle the question of whether or not we should drop a chandelier into the middle on the canopy bed. While it's a pretty idea, our bed is just way too high. We don't have a lot of clearance at all at present so we've adjusted the bed to put the fixture closer to our feet so we don't sit up into the thing in the middle of the night.

Also, I am in love with our new bed. I feel so cocooned and snugly in it.

Bath Accessories

2009-12-31T06:49:00.000-08:00

I've been playing around with ideas for bath accessories. It's going to be a very neutral room - black and white with chrome and a bit of crystal. I would like to also add some wood elements to ground it a bit. I'm thinking perhaps a rough, wooden step or stool by the tub, some of the artwork frames in wood and, of course, baskets in the shelves. So, the only colour will be through accessories - pretty soaps, bath fizzies, bubble baths and artwork. I enjoy the parallel lush makes between their products and desserts. As a paleo aficionado, I don't have a lot of opportunities to enjoy confections. So, I'm envisioning covered cake plates, vintage crystal candy dishes, silver trays as well as pretty bottles, perfumes, decanters and the like filled with brightly coloured bath products. Yummy!

(mike daines for elle decoration via this is glamorous)

(Valentine Mariner via Desire to Inspire)

(the paris apartment)

(Clive Tompsett via Desire to Inspire)

(Lollia Life via Decor8)

(the paris apartment)

When I was a kid...

2009-12-30T14:04:00.000-08:00

More clippings of photos I love but really just have nothing to do with my second storey renovation... Okay, well, some of them do!

(via this is glamorous)

I so desperately want this bathroom...

(Marie Claire Maison)

(Supermarket Sarah via Design Sponge)

A Dessing Room

2009-12-30T11:16:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the addition of a dressing room to our second storey plans came out of sheer laziness. We don't want to have to trek our clothes and towels up and down two flights of stairs to get them from the basement laundry into our closets and cupboards. Every bedroom could use a closet and we have two very small bedrooms with no closets whatsoever right next to each other. As it's just us in our home, why not fetchingly link them together via an archway and create one big lovely space with enough room for not just any closet, but the bestest closet ever. One that has enough room for our washer and dryer to be hidden away as well as ample storage for clothes, shoes and accessories - items that are currently left all about our house in a mess, usually featuring a cat or two in them making a nest. Other than a closet and a bed, what more does one really need from a bedroom?

I will take some horrid before photos of what will soon become the dressing room, which is currently not-so-affectionately named "The Bug Room" thanks to a leaky window that allows in oodles of maple bugs every fall. Even more so, I am looking forward to posting some, hopefully, productive working photos and, even more hopefully, lovely end photos.

Until then, here's a few lovely dressing rooms for inspiration.

(Anna Sui's Dressing Room via Elle Decor)

(And this one from from Domino via Pretty Lovely)

(simple blueprint, designfragment & hemnet.se via this is glamorous)

(simple blueprint)

(Laura Resen via Dress Design Decor)

Black and White with Wood

2009-12-29T10:06:00.000-08:00

Kurt is worried that pairing wood floors and furniture with black painted doors and window sashes not to mention black chandeliers and other accents will look silly. Personally, I really like the look when mixed with pops of soft colour and chalky white walls and millwork. Black and white just looks too stylized for my taste - I'm a bit too rumpled and messy to really pull it off. And going with just wood everywhere is, well, boring.

Behold:

(Coco+Kelly via Plush Palette)

(Lili Diallo via Plush Palate)

(House Beautiful via Plush Palate)

((Marie Claire Maison via Plush Palette)

(The English Muse via Plush Palette)

(Velvet and Linen via Plush Palette)

(Design Sponge via Create Girl via Plush Palate)

(Ferm Living via Plush Palette)

(Darryl Carter via Elle Decor via Plush Palate)

(Domino via Pretty Lovely)

(Domino via Pretty Lovely)

I want to sit in one of these chairs and look out the window. While drinking tea, I think, and listening to music by one of the various Sarah's on my ipod.

Update: Kurt liked it very much! All I need to do is show photos and "no's" become "yes'" magically!

Moulding Options and an Update

2009-12-27T09:08:00.000-08:00

Things are coming along. Right before we toddled off to mom and dad's for Christmas, we signed the contract with the construction company. They are starting on the 11th! Our bed arrived the day we left and, from what we can see of it, it is gorgeous. We also took the incorrect floor tile we received back to Parkland and Jamie ordered us the right stuff.

While here in Nelson, I stumbled across an absolutely gorgeous light fixture at Maison. I love this store and could do a lot of damage to our credit card balance in it. I am proud that, while I did pick up two of the lights, I did leave behind the black silhouette coo-coo clock, series of floral oil paintings, soft pale blue throw and a black wrought iron birdhouse. On second thought, perhaps that coo-coo clock will be coming home with us. Back to the chandeliers... I'll be placing one in the dressing room and the other in the landing. Our existing chandelier will go into the bathroom over the tub. Now, all I need to pick up is the swing arm lamps for the bedroom, one additional bath sconce and all of our pot lights. And as for the swing arm lamps, I've decided to go for the ones from Home Depot but then will spray them out a matte black and will replace the shades with some beautiful ones from Etsy.

Onto the photos! I'm collecting shots of different styles of moulding to help us figure out what we'd like to do in our bedroom, dressing room and bath. To save money, we're doing the wainscotting and picture frame moulding as well as bookshelves and desk in the library but are having our carpenter do the archway, closet doors, built-in storage in the bathroom, door and window trim, baseboards and crown moulding.

(Haute Design via Plush Palate)

(La Maison Boheme)

(Homes and Gardens via Plush Palate)

(House and Home via coco+kelly)

I stumbled across Plush Palate the other day and can't get enough of her blog. And I now really want a set of 2009 Sucked Ass Christmas cards. Except 2009 was a reasonable year for us. Aside from our house nearly being destroyed by the worst contractor of all time who, as an extra kick in the back when we were already down, then took off with a good chunk of what we had saved up for our whole home renovation, we've actually enjoyed 2009. We had lots of fun together, took a fabulous trip to Cat Island, made many good friends and learned a lot. I mean, in comparison to that, what's a bit of contractor larceny mixed with a concrete truck running into the side of our house or our front porch caving in after being smashed by a bobcat.

Bedroom Inspiration

2009-12-22T15:18:00.000-08:00

I love the pops of colour on the all white background. The first is definite fave as I like the freshness. The second works because of the pops of black.

(Design & Inredingsbloggen via Desire to Inspire)

(Lucinda Symons via Desire to Inspire)

(Kim via Desire to Inspire)

I have this exact spread. It was salvaged from my Grandma's house before she moved into The Bentley. It will be perfect layered over top of our duvet..

I love rumpled, unmade beds. I also hate making beds. So, I'm thinking this look completely works for me... ha! Oh, and I am obsessed with four posters. Obsessed.

(From La Maison Boheme)

(Marie Claire Maison via Desire to Inspire)

(Society Limonta via Remodelista)

I also want a wall of artwork that inspires and entertains.

(Elle Decoration via Desire to Inspire)

(ngoc minh ngo via Desire to Inspire)

I just bought this piece today from the Yumi Yumi Shop. Her work is beautiful. Please do go take a browse through her shop!

I've ignored the bedroom...

2009-12-22T09:47:00.000-08:00

I've been ignoring the bedroom as I've been wrapped up in the bathroom, which is now finalized, as well as the library, which is not. The bedroom is actually going to be comprised of two rooms - the actual bedroom and then a dressing room. The two will be joined by a columned archway. To achieve this, we're collapsing two small bedrooms together to create one, larger combined space.

I know having a dressing room sounds ridiculous but I really didn't want to have to go back to having our laundry in the basement and, for reasons of laziness, our laundry never seems to make it from the washer and drier back into the closet. The result is clothes strung from one end of the house to the other - usually with cats left nesting in them. The solution is a dressing room.

We're doing a nine foot expanse of floor to ceiling cupboards along the east wall. They'll be large enough to hide our stack-able washer and dryer in. From there, clothes will get easily transferred into the Ikea-outfitted cabinets on either side. I'm thinking that a pretty touch of painting the interior of the cabinets a different colour might be kind of fun. Since the walls will be a fresh, creamy white, I thought a hit of Benjamin Moore's Woodlawn Blue or Palladian Blue would be interesting.

This will leave enough room for a nice bench or ottoman in the center of the room as well as hooks and whatnot for additional storage as well as a proper full length mirror. It'll also be pretty, which is kind of nice. There will be an additional five and a half feet of Ikea outfitted cabinets in the bedroom, itself, for additional storage for clothing, as well. We're really hoping that this will help to clean up the second floor and keep us better organized. The doors will have trim work that mirrors the woodwork in our wainscoting in the entry and stairwell, so we think that will be a nice nod to the original bones of the house. We've also asked that they use exposed hinges, as well, and have picked pretty crystal knobs.

Here's what we know we're using for finishings for the room:

Vintage velvet drapes in light silver sage from Restoration Hardware
Estate crystal finials and silver finish rod also from Restoration Hardware
Crystal pulls from Hope Depot (no photo)
Crystal and silver finish door knobs from Anthropologie
Durham four poster bed from Fiorante
Bedding includes soft white bamboo sheets, a waffle weave white duvet cover, copious pillows and fuzzy throw blankets (not pictured)
Gorgeous picture frame molding with chair rail

I am also on the lookout for a few additional pieces. As for the ottoman, I've got one in mind through Willow Design Studio. It is button tufted with crystal buttons. Gorgeous! That one might be a bit of a hard sell. A small, round table would work as well. I also need to pick up a chandelier that will hang over the ottoman/table. I'm also on the hunt for swing arm lights (here's a nice one from Home Depot that would look smashing with black piping on the white shade).

That dreaded word...

2009-12-21T15:12:00.000-08:00

That dreaded word... comprimise. Kurt didn't like the look of the Decor-Rest button tufted settee. He wants something cozier. We've reached a middle ground with a few finds from The Bay. The first is from Bretwood Classics and is available in a small love seat and the colour purple. I wanted some colour.

See what colour can do?

(La Maison Boheme)

(James Merrell via Plush Palate)

The second is a button tufted sofa that is, apparently, also available at Macy's down in the states. Unfortunately, it is NOT available in purple. But, I do love the velvety texture and I could cover it in bright coloured throws and pillows to MAKE it exciting. And then mount a big piece of art right on top of it. I also found a table from Ikea with the correct dimensions and attractive lines. We could also go with the Docksta table from Ikea as a placeholder until I can splurge on a small Saarinen table.

(Ikea)

The Porch

2009-12-18T09:16:00.000-08:00

The guy we hired to repour the floor in the basement and replace all our sewer lines ran into our front porch with his bobcat. I won't get into all of the horrors associated with that particular renovation. Needless to say, after we take care of the second floor, we'll be moving on to addressing our veranda woes. I stumbled across a lovely porch renovation from Door Sixteen. Am likely going to shamelessly steal some ideas such as what they used to create the new ceiling (tongue and grove pine beadboard), the lovely latticework at the base and a variety of other things. Love the black colour but we've already decided on a palette of soft grey, navy and cream.

(Door Sixteen)

I wonder what's under the carpet on the stairs and other ideas

2009-12-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

I wonder what's under the carpet on the stairs leading to the half storey... I wouldn't do this to my main set of stairs but I think painting out the steps and wallpapering the risers might be a neat idea leading up to the (future) lounge and guest room. Well, at least until we can replace the stairwell of death with something safer...

Also, I must remind myself when we start painting that the interior of our closets will be a colour other than white. Kurt may not like this. Seriously, it'll look good. I promise!

Also, we will be painting our window sashes black. Kurt may also not like this. But, since we're planning on replacing our windows anyways, I likely will be able to convince him. A paint choice could be Benjamin Moore Toucan Black (apparently, it has a good, navy-purple-y undertone.

(Design*Sponge via Door Sixteen)

(Door Sixteen)

Speaking of things being painted out black, what about doors? This entire collection of gorgeous black and white interiors features any number of doors painted out a lovely black...

And below, here are some photos of what we have in store for our stairs. These photos are via Door Sixteen.

(Sugar City Journal and Ferm Living via Door Sixteen)

Figuring out the landing...

2009-12-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

Decor Rest Settee

A wrought iron and crystal chandelier. How I love wrought iron and crystal chandeliers.

Settee Lust

2009-12-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

I'm really leaning towards either two oversized chairs or two very small settees flanking a nice sized table in the library. So pretty and I'm thinking likely more comfortable than an office chair. And, of course Elte has the perfect settee but it's likely nine million dollars and are located no where near Regina. *sigh*

(Elte)

(Elle Decor)

When I was a kid...

2009-12-15T06:09:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, I used to go through all of my parents design magazines and clip out pictures of rooms I liked. I kept up this habit as I got older and now I have three separate albums filled with clippings. I guess that's what this post is... clippings I've found recently of random rooms that aren't libraries, landings, bathrooms or bedrooms that I enjoy!

Ps. I really miss having house plants. So pretty! Unfortunately, our cats eat the leaves off of any poor plant that we bring into the house and then crap in the pot. Plants. Not happening...

I am going to need to start separating out this post into rooms as this is getting HUGE!

(Elle Decor)

(Velvet and Linen)

(Envelope A+D via Door Sixteen)

(Joseph Dirand via Door Sixteen)

(Laura Resen via Desire to Inspire)

(Domino via Pretty Lovely)

(Todd Yoggy via Desire to Inspire)

(House Beautiful via Plush Palate)

(Todd Yoggy via Desire to Inspire)

(Laura Resen via this is glamorous via Plush Palate)

(Katy Elliot via Plush Palate)

(Laura Resen)

(Melanie Acevedo Photography)

(Flopes Flicker via Desire to Inspire)

(Trevor Dixon via Desire to Inspire)

And after all that...

2009-12-14T13:07:00.000-08:00

As I noted earlier, this weekend was spend splashing different white paints all over my second storey to see how the paints worked in our light. Well, after much consideration, none of them worked. I then took my swatch of tile, hardwood and selection of fabrics and whatnots and placed them up against the stairwell wainscoting, which is two thirds untinted white paint mixed with a 1/3 of my fave warm gray (BM OC-14), and it's perfect. It was literally staring me in the face the entire time.

I've already warned my husband we'll likely be painting the first storey white as well after we finish the second storey...

More etsy finds... I love these. They're from Drawings and Paintings by Yellena. I am very excited to see what these will look like in person!

( Drawings and Paintings by Yellena)

More finds...

2009-12-13T08:28:00.000-08:00

I said it was an addiction. These are from Nancy Tobin's shop...

Paint Samples Galore

2009-12-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

I've been busy trying to get a few additional things done. I've got eight different white paints to test so today I'll be painting splotches over our walls so I can see how each looks in different lights. Faves so far are Benjamin Moore's OC-17 White Dove and Ralph Lauren's Cove Point, which is an exact match to Restoration Hardware's Sanddollar (if you ever want an RH paint, RL is the manufacturer).

Meanwhile, our hardwood has been loaded on a truck and is on it's way. Our washstands, however, are now on back order until the end of January. I'm okay with this as it'll give us a chance to get back from Mexico and install wainscotting in the evenings (we're doing the finicky trim installation to cut costs - it's easy but labour intensive). I was not looking forward to installing it behind already-installed sinks.

I also stumbled across a fantastic idea in a back issue of House and Home magazine. This fall, when we were going through my grandmother's house, we found a massive collection of doilies. Some were one's she'd made, some were made by my Auntie Donna and others were from my great grandmother and great, great grandmother. They're beautiful but I was at a loss about what to do with them. I'm going to frame them in black frames on black matting and then display them as a collection. I don't have the picture from H&H digitally but here's another I found that does the same thing. I don't quite like the presentation as much, though.

(The Newlywed Diaries)

More etsy finds...

2009-12-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

Newfound addiction...

These are from Serpentine's store. So beautiful. This might be a real possibility for a custom piece over the tub.

My future bathroom...

2009-12-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

Of all the rooms we're doing, right now what has me most excited is the bathroom. I really, really, really hate our existing one. It's cramped, ugly and features some hideously ugly faux Egyptian hieroglyphs. Right next to our existing hideous bathroom is an equally hideous laundry room. It has red, painted wood flooring, striped wallpaper that wouldn't be out of place in a gas station bathroom and sponge painted ceiling tiles. It's also a nice size with a big, gorgeous window. So, it has possibilities! The plan is to gut both rooms and turn the bathroom into a powder room and the laundry into a spa bathroom with separate tub and shower. I haven't yet decided to create a pass-through between both rooms. Pros... improved functionality. Cons... less attractive.

I'll post a before photo when I can also post a progress photo.

For now, here's our fixtures and a source guide. We purchased the toilet and pedestal sink for the powder room five years ago from good ole Canadian Tire (we had a gift certificate). So, no pictures of those items...

Wolsely Kitchen and Bath Classics (Shannon is awesome!)

Rhapsody Soaker Tub (Old Fashioned Faucets)
Space Shower (Bains Neptune)
Catalina Faucets, Slide Bar and Diverter (Price Pfister)
Rainshower Head (Aqua Brass)

Restoration Hardware
Park Collection Rounded Metal Washstand
Traditional Drain Traps and Supply Lines

Parkland Carpet One
Floor Tile Chloe Satin White and Gloss Black Tile (American Olean)
Wall tile in the shower Rittenhouse Square 3x6 Subway Tile in Matte Arctic White (Daltile)

Rona
Simonna Vanity Light

Urban Outfitters
Indigo Velvet Curtain

Anthropologie
Tea House Door Knob

All that's left is to source out are black framed mirrors, a large piece of artwork to hang over the soaker tub and a black and crystal chandelier! Oh, here's one that's pretty through Elizabeth Embelishments. I wonder if the store ships to Canada as the price is right, too:

Things are happening!

2009-12-10T19:21:00.000-08:00

We've agreed on a price with our contractor and we start on January 10th! Our hardwood has been ordered and is being loaded on truck out in Montreal tomorrow. Our tiles have arrived as have our drain traps and supply lines. We're still waiting on other items to make their way to us (our bed, washstands, shower and fixtures) but it's exciting to see things happening.

Lately, I've been amusing myself with Etsy, slowly putting together a collection of art for our second floor. Here are a few pieces I've found. These are from Bad Bird. The first is Snow White and the Usual Suspects. The second is Gornack Feel Pretty Today. I love the attitude in the first. The second made me laugh.

Hmm, artwork...

2009-12-09T16:09:00.001-08:00

I've been having fun looking at different pieces of art. Here are a number that caught my eye. Gorgeous! I absolutely love the first one by artist Amy Butler.

(Amy Butler)

(Soraya Chemaly)

(Shelter via Plush Palate)

(Amy Butler)

I stumbled across Hadley Hutton's work on Shelter and I do believe a purchase of her beautiful prints is in my future.

(Hadley Hutton)

Libraries, Landings and Art Walls

2009-12-09T16:07:00.003-08:00

I am just collecting some ideas for our landing and library area. Right now, I'm thinking that we'll do an art wall on the east wall coming up the stairs as that area is so blank at present. On the north wall, which has a lovely window, we will do flanking book shelves. In front, I see two big, comfy chairs or even very small sofas with a table in between that can be usable as a workspace. I'd like the walls to be a creamy white to allow the artwork to pop. I'd also like to go with a rich colour for the window treatment and upholstered furniture. And, of course, I'd like to hang a sparkly black and crystal chandelier above the table.

(From Ando and Friends via Pretty Lovely)

(Melanie Acevedo Photography via Pretty Lovely)

(Elle Decoration via Desire to Inspire)

Also, some helpful reading thanks to Discover Interior Design on hanging art. Part one and Part two...

Paint Colours to Test

2009-12-09T15:31:00.000-08:00

I've been doing some research on the best whites. This weekend, I'm heading to Benjamin Moore with this list of paints so I can get tester pots. Then, I'll be painting swatches of my walls to see what whites work best in our light. Here is the list of the best of Benjamin Moore white paints by Apartment Therapy:

Benjamin Moore Super White
Benjamin Moore Linen White
Benjamin Moore China White
Benjamin Moore Ballet White
Benjamin Moore Cloud Nine
Benjamin Moore Decorators White
Benjamin Moore White Dove
I'll also need to track down my April 2009 issue of House and Home as there is a great article on Lynda Reeves favourite whites! In the meantime, here are a few other House and Home white paint pics.

Benjamin Moore
Floral White (OC-29)
White Dove (OC-17)
Cloud White (CC-40)
Oxford White (CC-30)

Ralph Lauren
Picket Fence White (WW57)
Poncho White (WW58)
Mother of Pearl (WW21)
Studio Cream (UL01)
Sail White (WW49)