Thursday, December 31, 2009
Bath Accessories
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!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
When I was a kid...
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)
I so desperately want this bathroom...
(Marie Claire Maison)
(Supermarket Sarah via Design Sponge)
A Dessing Room
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.
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)
(simple blueprint, designfragment & hemnet.se via this is glamorous)
(simple blueprint)
(Laura Resen via Dress Design Decor)
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Black and White with Wood
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:
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!
Behold:
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!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Moulding Options and an Update
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Bedroom Inspiration
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.
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.
I also want a wall of artwork that inspires and entertains.
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 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)
I also want a wall of artwork that inspires and entertains.
(Elle Decoration 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...
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).
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).
Monday, December 21, 2009
That dreaded word...
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?
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.
OR
See what colour can do?
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)
OR
(Ikea)
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