colonial overhaul: kitchen models

I threw together two models for our new kitchen recently and met with a local contractor who had been highly recommended to us.  

OPTION 1 is a u-shaped layout with a long, narrow island.  When I first looked at this house, I loved the idea of taking advantage of the kitchen's length with a streamlined layout that would provide some seating at a long island.  In reality, the kitchen is a bit too narrow to accommodate an island any wider than 30".  This layout also leaves one appliance in a location my husband and I can't tolerate down the road - the refrigerator.  Even with a counter-depth model, it still makes for a crowded entry into the kitchen from the back door.  It could be relocated to the top left corner (in the overhead plan shown below), but it's width would prevent us from opening up this doorway to the dining room - a necessary move since we plan to eliminate the table area from the new kitchen.

The one thing I love about this option, however, is how it divides the main circulation through the kitchen from the cooking area.  It means I would never be tripping over kids and guests who were just moving through or hanging out in the space while I was preparing a meal.

OPTION 2 is very similar to what we have currently, only the peninsula has been relocated to the opposite side of the room and enlarged to provide seating.  The refrigerator would also move to the opposite side of the doorway from the back door entrance, thereby allowing a bit more space at that turn into the kitchen.  We'd gain some "dumping ground" countertop space to the right of the doorway for keys, mail, etc., as well as some nice shallow 12" cabinets for pantry storage.  While this option doesn't clearly separate circulation through the kitchen with that of people cooking, it does provide more cabinet space and relocates the refrigerator.

In both options, we plan to widen the entrance to the formal dining room and install pocket doors in order to better connect the two spaces on a day-to-day basis.  We aren't formal people and I'd like to actually use all of the space this house has to offer.  The pocket doors would still allow the spaces to be closed off, however, if we should ever need to.  Both options also leave the range and sink in approximately the same location.  I like having them close together for transferring pasta pots full of water or draining cooked pasta without carrying a hot pot across the kitchen.

I am still not feeling 100% on either of these options.  I waiver on getting rid of the eat-in kitchen, not installing a double wall oven (though I'm not sure I've ever been in a situation where I would have wanted or needed one), and not making more space for some type of mudroom situation.  We've been talking about the possibility of enclosing the breezeway connecting the garage to the house, thereby creating a mudroom.  If we did this, I could also open up the back door entrance and connect the mudroom to the kitchen space.  

I have also been contemplating reducing the size of the window to the right of the sink.  It's sill and head heights do not align with the other two windows and it's width is preventing some other potential options.  The window faces a solid brick wall of the garage so we wouldn't be losing much of a view.

In any case, I definitely think some more simmer time is needed for this space.  There are plenty of other rooms to think about in the meantime!

e's room

While I mull over the million ideas I have for the kitchen, I'll give you a little peek inside Ella's new room.  When we first began negotiations to purchase this house, I posted a mood board for Ella's new, big girl room.  It was a necessary distraction from all of the other work I knew this house would require if our offer was accepted and it kept Ella excited about the impending move.  Well, three months later and those early plans have changed a bit.

Here's where we started (all sources can be found here):

Ella has changed her mind on a few things, mainly, the color of the bed.  Almost as soon as she chose the raspberry bed, she recanted and became dead set on a black bed and hasn't wavered since.  So we've ordered the black version of the bed above from Land of Nod.  This major change, along with her request for a teal room has shifted my design plan just a bit.  So here's where we are now:

1_In place of the mid-century dresser, we've decided to go with a more muti-functional storage solution from IKEA - the STUVA line in white.  Our setup will differ from what's shown to provide additional space for folded clothing.

2_The (dark) teal ceiling!  After requesting the bed in black, Ella asked for teal walls.  Honestly, a full room of teal with a black bed scared me.  I had bad flashbacks to the NIKE windbreakers I wore in middle school.  I just could't go all the way there.  So I think I've convinced her to let me just paint the ceiling a beautiful, deep teal.  I hope doing this will allow me to add additional color to the room in the form of toys and accessories without it looking like a box of crayons.

3_Now that the ceiling will be dark and the bed black, I thought I might lighten things up with this Possini Euro Design Flower Pendant.  It is a room for a toddler and this was a good place to add an element of fun.

4_I'm still stuck on the Firenze Velvet Tassel Pillow from Anthropologie.  And the graphic, black and white LAPPLJUNG RUTA pillow from IKEA I had in our former living room will be relocated to Ella's new room.

5_Jenny Lind Bed in black from Land of Nod

6_I am having a hard time finding a rug I like for the room.  The previous one just doesn't fit with this new direction.  I'm hoping I can find something a wool rug with a classic, vintage feel in deep jewel tones that will grow with the the room as Ella gets older.

7_The Eames RAR Molded Plastic Rocker in lime from Herman Miller will be following Ella to her new, big girl room.

8_Ella's curtains from her former room will grace the two large windows in this room as well.  One pair may require a hem to lift them up above an existing radiator.

9_A big girl bed deserves a big girl nightstand.  I found this one on Overstock - the Atlantic Powder-coated Metal Side Table.  At just under $40, this will be an easy piece to swap out in the future and the basic white table will be a good base for a colorful lamp.

We are currently stripping wallpaper in Ella's room and prepping for paint.  Updates to come!

colonial overhaul: kitchen BEFORE

My computers are unpacked and up and running (finally). I'm back and couldn't be more excited to share with you our new project - our 1928 classic, center hall colonial in Cleveland! Aside from being our new project, it's also our new home and we are settling in slowly but enjoying having a bit more space to spread out in.  

This home sat empty for three years before we scooped it up and it has certainly kept us on our toes since we moved in. Getting an old house back up and running after being largely unused for so long has been quite an adventure. From confusing electrical systems (we have four electrical panels) to ancient appliances, we've had a continuous stream of repair professionals in and out of here the past ten days. And now that most all systems are now running well, we've begun to turn our attention our first big project here - the kitchen. Here she is currently, in all of her 1979 glory.

This view was taken at the door connecting the dining room and kitchen looking towards the back of the house. On the right you can see the corner of a built-in desk that juts awkwardly into the room. The old pine floors are actually quite charming, though I'm not such a fan of how orange they've become.

When entering the kitchen through the foyer, you pass a narrow bar area on the left and a door to the back staircase to the second floor on the right (just beyond that door is the built-in desk). There is a small eating area in the kitchen that will probably be eliminated in the new layout.  It's too small for anything larger than a cafe table which makes the space pretty useless with a kid.

And speaking of the back staircase to the second floor - this is what it looked like when we moved in!  It had been covered by the previous owner and was unused.  Because it's constructed right over the stair to the basement, we wouldn't gain anything by removing it altogether, so we decided to re-open it when we had the wood flooring refinished throughout the house.  I'm hoping that we'll be able to open it up to the kitchen a bit more in the new layout so that it won't feel so cave-like and disconnected from the house.

And here's the view from the back door into the space. There is a small peninsula without any seating and extremely low-hanging cabinets that make it pretty impossible to actually use. One great feature, however, is that the range hood is already venting to the exterior so we won't have to cut into the exterior wall to install one.

The kitchen was originally low on our project list - the previous owner had installed new granite and a new deep sink and sink faucet to make the space a bit nicer for resale. However, despite the improvements, it was immediately bumped to the top while I was unpacking and putting things away. The cabinets were very poorly made and don't provide a fully enclosed, sanitary space for clean dishes and food.  We had originally planned to remove some of the upper cabinets over the peninsula and along the range wall to open things up temporarily, but when we discovered that the cabinets weren't constructed as fully enclosed boxes, we realized that the removal of them would have left large holes in the dropped ceiling space. If you look up inside the upper cabinets, you can see the old plaster ceiling - and it's cracking and drops plaster dust on the top shelf of the upper cabinets.  Even after cleaning them out, I've had to cover everything with towels just to keep it all clean in the meantime.

In addition, we don't have access to valuable storage space in the corners of the kitchen.  The doors to these spaces are all of 6" wide.  Anything small enough to fit through those doors would inevitably get lost in the caverns of the corner cabinets that only contain one stationary shelf.  Frankly, I've been afraid to even stick my arm into them for fear of what may be lurking in places I can't see.

the up stairs

It's been over a month since my last post, and life is chugging, full steam, ahead.  Work at our now SOLD home has stopped and the packing of boxes has commenced.  But some new-to-you updates have happened since my last post, including the newly painted stair walls and carpeted stairs.

As soon as the basement stair update was completely done, my attention turned back to the "up" stairs.  I spent A LOT of time patching and sanding the walls along the stair.  The old plaster walls had a few cracks but mostly, a previous, poorly done paint job was the biggest culprit.  In addition to the expected dents and scratches typical of a heavily trafficked corridor, there were places where all manner of dust, hairs, and globs of dried paint had been painted over - yuck.  

I finally stopped patching and sanding several weeks ago and gave the walls a fresh coat of paint - the same White Truffle by Behr that I've used for the kitchen, dining room, and master bedroom.  I was so happy to see the yellow walls go!  The last room left with awful yellow walls is the living room, which will be painted in the coming weeks.

I moved the Case Study Planter to the landing.  It gets much better light here than in the far corner of the Dining Room where it was previously located.  I also finally hung my Mother's Day gift from Ella and Ted - a new locale print, this one of the entire state of Michigan by Belle & Union.

And the carpet just went in last Friday! I was hoping we could do a runner but I started to stress about the gaps in between the string board and the treads and risers.  The house is old and everything has settled, expanded, and contracted.  Our options, as I saw it, were to live with the gaps (wide enough to push plenty of cheerios through),  add additional quarter-round at each stair, or rebuild the stair all together.  With the latter not being such a practical option, we opted for the most cost effective route - to run the carpet the entire width of the stair.  Not at all what I would have preferred but it has been SO NICE having carpet back on the stairs.  I chose a light grey, low pile, wool loop carpet with hints of warm brown and cream to blend with the walls and wood trim.  The wool is so soft underfoot and I'm not longer worried about Ella slipping down the bare wood steps.  I was also ecstatic to say goodbye to the clicking of Henry's nails on the stairs announcing to everyone, even at 2am, that he still lives in this house (poor, neglected pooch).

The upstairs landing was also carpeted as it had previously been, up to the thresholds of each bedroom and the bathroom.  I hung Umbra's large clipper wall hooks up on the narrow strip of wall between bedroom doors to showcase some of Ella's artwork from school and home.  Since I like to keep my fridge uncluttered with things and because this house has a serious lack of wall space (there are so many windows), this seemed like the best place to show off her work.

Still on the touch-up list: to remove the white paint from the stair base trim at the top of the stair.  Oops!  I once had dreams of painting all of the trim in this house white. 

basement stair update

Our house will be hitting the market sometime in the next few weeks and I have been racing to finish my entirely too long punch list.  If I didn't know it already, my long list of projects to start and outstanding projects to finish are quite enough to prove my tendency towards procrastination.

The basement stair update is one of those "projects to start".  The stairs were unfinished, builder grade lumber with small carpet treads.  Because our basement is definitely a basement in the truest sense, the stair never bothered me much, per se, until we completed the kitchen renovation which included new wood flooring and stairs from the dining room to the side door.  When the hall to the side door and basement was opened up, I wanted them to look finished.  Since all major construction has ended, I've given the walls, trim, and the side door (previously blue) a fresh coat of paint to match the dining room and kitchen.  But the view into the basement when coming and going through the side door was miserable.  So I decided a little update was in order - a fresh coat of paint to match the white trim throughout the house and an indoor/outdoor runner for the stairs would help improve the look and comfort of the stair in a big way.

I had been looking for an affordable carpet runner (because I was going to need two for the length of the stair) for some time when I finally spotted the LYNAS at IKEA.  It's dark grey and will hide any dirt and should vacuum easily.  So I grabbed two for the low price of $12.99/each to cover the length of the basement stair.  I could do without the raised squiggle pattern in the rug, but it met all of my other qualifications.  It was difficult to find something narrow enough to act as a runner on these stairs.

I left the existing carpet treads on the stair to act as padding and simply stapled the runner along the edges (mostly) to secure it in place.  I had to trim the first runner about three-quarters of the way down the stair where the riser meets the tread and begin the second runner in order to complete the contiguous installation.  I still need to finish painting the balusters white (a laundry table must be moved out of the way in the basement for better access to the sides), but for now, I'm checking this off my list.

bathroom adjustments

The bathroom is mostly complete.  The contractor packed up his tools on Friday and won't return until the linen closet door is finished and ready for installation.  So while I wait to take the official AFTER photos, I thought I'd give you a sneak peak into the space and some of the adjustments we made during construction.  If you're curious where we started, you can check out the original lookbook here.

We used a marble mosaic from The Tile Shop on the floor instead of the black and white ceramic mosaic originally planned.  And because of this, I don't think I need to add the Aztec Diamond bath rug.  We'll continue to use our basic white bath rugs that won't compete with the loveliness of the floor.

I painted the walls Heaven by Benjamin Moore, matched in Valspar Ultra.  It's probably a bit too lavender for my husband's tastes, but I think it suits the pops of citrine on the shower curtain and stool well.

I ordered the Miley scones shown in the original lookbook for the room but didn't end up using them.  The Miley sconce is an up light, where the shade sits on top of the fixture and directs the light up.  My initial design provided for a sconce where the shade hung down from the fixture, or a down light. The mounting height for the down light was 6'-3", higher than where I would have located an up light sconce.  When I picked the Miley sconce, I never revised my elevation drawing to show a new mounting height and so when I returned from vacation and the electrical rough was already done, I realized that I needed to find a down light fixture to use instead.  I ended up with the Moen Iso Vanity Light in chrome.  They are larger than the original sconces I selected and so help to fill the space flanking the mirror better.  And they worked with the rough height I originally specified in my drawing.

I also eliminated one row of wall tile to bring the overall height of the wainscot down.  The bathroom doesn't have the highest of ceilings and I didn't want to make them feel even lower by taking the tile too high.  The final wainscot height ended up being about 42" above the finished floor.  Instead of being capped by a two-inch high bullnose tile, I used the full size bullnose tile available in the same line as the wall field tile, Daltile's Lillis White with a matte finish.

 

I also decided to use bathroom fixtures that were more minimal in appearance than those I had originally proposed.  The shower trim, tub spout, and sink faucet are all from the Amalfi line by Danze in polished chrome.  You'll also notice that we went with a large medicine cabinet, the largest single door cabinet we could find, in lieu of a round mirror.  We decided that the additional storage a medicine cabinet would provide in a house with such limited storage space would be more attractive to buyers.  This Nutone Simplicity cabinet is gigantic!  Both Ted and I can stand and use the mirror at the same time without fighting each other and the extra deep design accommodates products that we used to have to keep elsewhere.

I couldn't be happier with how the space is functioning for us so far.  I've been pleased that even when our 80-lb dog, Henry, wanders in while I'm giving Ella a bath, I still feel like we all have space to move around.  Heck, it might actually be one of the only rooms in the house he can sprawl out on the floor and not be in the way.

bathroom vanity knobs

I knew that when we chose to use IKEA's HEMNES sink cabinet in the new bathroom I would be replacing its standard knobs with something more unique.  I've just started looking at some options and am trying to decide among a crowded field.  Here are a few contenders.

The Octadic Knob from Anthropologie is a pretty straight forward choice.  Lime knob, citrine stripe shower curtain, and dip-dyed citrine stool - maybe too matchy-matchy, but I like the idea of adding some color here.

I've been eyeing the Cloisonne Diamond Knob from West Elm too.  I love the sleek, graphic black, white, and taupe design.   And they're currently on sale (bonus)!

And then yesterday, while I was at Home Depot picking up a few things for the bathroom, I spotted these, the Vesper Knob from Liberty Hardware.  I promise they look much better in person than they do in this photo.  And super bonus, these guys come in at just under $3.00 a knob which in reno-to-sell world is a good thing.

living through construction

Living in a home during construction isn't fun, but the end result, at least for me, is a satisfying reward for the trouble.  I've now, in my adult life, lived through two kitchen remodels and one bathroom remodel and they've all come with valuable lessons, not just of the construction type.  So if you're thinking about living through a remodel, here are my top 5 lessons and suggestions to consider before inviting a contractor to come live with you for a few months.

1  BE REALISTIC  This is probably the most necessary piece of advice but the hardest to truly accept.  If you are planning to live through a renovation, it's going to be dusty, messy, loud, and uncomfortable.  Know it and accept it.  Be realistic about the amount of cleanliness you'll be able to maintain during the project.  Make sure that your lifestyle and that of your family can be accommodated by living largely outside of your home base for a few months.  And, most importantly, make sure to cut yourself some slack!  Don't go planning any dinner parties or gatherings that require a certain level of cleanliness and presentation.  It can all wait until you have a fabulous new space to show off. 

2 CHOOSE A FRIENDLY CONTRACTOR  There are a million requirements for a contractor - that they do good, quality work, are experienced, can manage a project, are affordable, can work within your budget, communicate well, are licensed, carry insurance . . . the list goes on and on.  In addition to all of these things, make sure you meet the people who will be in your home most of the time before you sign on that dotted line.  Many times, a contracting company will send a front man to review your project and deliver a bid but in reality, once you sign the contract, you may only hear from or see that person a few times during the course of the work.  So ask to meet the foreman for your particular project before you settle on the contractor.  Make sure you feel comfortable with them because they will be practically living with you for the duration of the work.  You should feel like you can communicate with them openly and that they will be responsive to you and your requests.

3 RELOCATE ITEMS TO FREE UP SPACE  Construction doesn't just happen in one room.  Even if you are only planning to remodel your kitchen, chances are your contractor will need ready access to the basement and perhaps adjoining rooms.  They will need a convenient point of entry and exit from your home, and they will need staging and storage space.  Plan to remove unnecessary items from the areas surrounding the construction area, including their circulation routes into and through the home.  Not only will you avoid possible damage to your things, you'll be able to give the contractor some space to work.  Make sure you let them know the ways you'd like them to enter and exit the home and where they might be able to setup outside or in a garage to cut wood or perform other messy tasks that can be done outside of the house.

4 HAVE A PLAN  If you are planning to live through a remodel, a little bit of life planning can go a long way.  How can you set-up the spaces you will have to make things more convenient?  Where are some places you can go when the construction becomes just too much?  If your kitchen is non-existent, how will you feed yourself on a daily basis?  Make a plan before the contractor starts work and there will be a lot less to stress out about.  When we had our kitchen remodeled  (the second time) I spent an entire weekend making meals to freeze that could easily be reheated in the microwave.  This helped cut down on the amount of take-out we ate and helped keep our costs down.  We also set up a mini kitchen area in our living room, complete with microwave, toaster, refrigerator, pantry, table, and chairs.  But in order to accomplish this, we had to relocate part of our sectional.  We also had a solid routine of activities outside of the house.  In large part, it meant that we weren't stuck at home with the noise and dust all the time.

5 REMEMBER THE BIG PICTURE  Just remember that in a few months you will have your house back and will be able to enjoy your newly remodeled space.  Keep this big picture in mind every time there's a delay, every time something goes awry, and every time the drywall guy decides to sand the walls without closing the dust barrier!  No matter what happens, the project will be completed and (hopefully) you will love the result.

some more bathroom progress

I love our contractors and they do great work BUT they are so slow!  We returned home just over a week ago now and we are still showering at the Y.  Even Ella, who got a kick out of our frequent trips to the Y to shower at first, seems to be tiring of the whole process.  She asks me at least once a day if she can take a bath in her new bathtub.  Sigh . . .

Despite my dissatisfaction with the schedule, I am very happy with the way the bathroom is looking.

All of tile is in except for a few remaining bullnose pieces around the shower niche.  Calculating tile amounts for a tile job of this size was quite new to me.  I over ordered the wall tile and black liner accent tiles, but severely underestimated the number of bullnose pieces I would need due to the three outside corners in the bathroom.  I am happy to say, however, that I was dead on with the floor tile.  And this is the first time I've been able to see it all uncovered.  I'm so glad that we went with the marble instead of the ceramic.  It adds another texture to the mix which this large space can certainly handle.

Everything was just grouted today and soon, I'll be priming and painting the walls and ceiling before the light fixtures, medicine cabinet, and recessed fixture trims are installed.  We are also waiting on the door for the new linen closet.  I tried to track down a door at local architectural salvage yards and recycling centers with no luck, so we are having a new wood door made to match the rest throughout the house.

Would it be wrong to just paint the bathroom white?  If not white, perhaps a very pale shade of grey/blue?

bathroom BEFORE

I quickly snapped a few photos of the bathroom before getting the little one and I out of the house and out of town to avoid the demolition dust.  Just take a look at this beauty!  Prior to the plan to completely renovate the bathroom, we had plans to paint the room, hang some things above the tub, and generally make it look moderately better.  As good as a room with brown floor tile, a yellowed and peeling tub in need of re-glazing, and what I like to call the prison shower, could look.

The great thing about this bathroom is how spacious it actually is.  But it is super underutilized in it's current arrangement.  I am looking forward to gaining a large linen closet, a usable bedroom closet for Ella, and a great soaking tub without a peeling finish.  I am also excited about gaining some counter space with a real, live vanity!  Check out the plan here and here (just in case you forgot).

dining room: new curtains

I ordered new curtains for the dining room window last week after my post about whether to hang curtains or shades.  While sitting in the living room one night and staring into the dining room, I noticed that the window in question was not quite level, as is the status quo for this house.  And to mount shades on a window that isn't level worried me - the shades would inevitably look crooked.  So it was back to the curtain idea.  They could be hung straight and help conceal the wonky window condition.

I had already been looking for a red print curtain and finally decided to order these.  They arrived on Friday, so I quickly got to work re-installing the curtain rod (closer to the ceiling this time around).  And as soon as they were up, I realized that I had chickened out a bit (again).  Really bold, red print curtains would be so fantastic BUT I got scared and decided to go with a more toned down color palette and a messy print - I'm calling these the messy dot curtains.  I'm not sure it was the right decision.  These curtains are of a pretty nice quality for the price and they do add some nice color to the dining room.  But tonally, they just kind of blend in with everything else.  I'm still missing the pop.  But in all my searching for off-the-shelf curtains, finding something bold has proven difficult, so they will probably just stay because, really, why am I banging my head against the wall for curtains in a house I'll be moving out of soon.  For the life of me, I'm still not sure why such things keep me so occupied.

yellow walls (from the other Fort)

When I started this space several years ago, I intended it to be a shared space for both my sister and me. We imagined paperForts together and we sure do have big dreams for it. So, in the pursuit of accomplishing at least one of these dreams, I'd like to introduce you to my little sister Anastasia. She will be posting here regularly and taking you along for her ride - in life, design, and all things home. Give her a warm welcome!

Hello! It's Anastasia (or Auntiestasia if you ask Ella). I'm the sister that makes up the other half of paperForts!  I'm a freelance graphic designer working predominantly in web and UI design, based out of Atlanta, GA, where I live with my partner Tricia and dog, Mister. When I'm not working, I'm usually texting with my sister about the many projects we want to do or have already started around the house . . . which brings me to today's post . . . Yellow Walls!

We recently moved to a new neighborhood in Atlanta. While looking for a house to rent, we found this gem with beautiful open space, really nice amenities, and a fenced in backyard for Mister - exactly what we needed after a long and arduous experience at our previous rental (long story for another day). The one hang-up we had about this new place? The sunshine yellow paint that covers all the walls of the open floor plan. When we first saw the house, the color wasn't a big deal to me - anything can be painted. But when we went back to sign the lease, Tricia was definitely miffed by the yellow and I realized how much of the house was covered in this alarming color.  While nothing is wrong with the color in and of itself, I just never imagined decorating a yellow room. So, I asked our new landlords if we could paint to which they replied "Yes," as long as we got them to approve colors. Great! Where do I sign?

When we finally moved everything in, and were actually living within the yellow walls, I had to agree, it was a lot of yellow! From the front hall into the kitchen, across the dining area, through the living room, and down the back hall which, in total, makes up about half the house.  I've painted rooms before, and even a red wall like the one Mr. Big had in Sex in the City in my old rental which had super high ceilings and required three coats, but never have I ever had to paint what I estimate to be about 850 square feet at one time. It is a daunting task, but it is also too much yellow.

First we talked about just painting it all white - the easy route. But all the trim is white, so basically we would go from too much yellow to too much white. We loved the color they painted in the garage (go figure) so we thought a lighter version of that in either a warm or cool tone would go well with all the white trim and would pass the landlord's approval by going quite neutral.

Upon emailing our landlord our plans to paint, we were smacked in the face (not literally) with "We would rather you not..." 

WHAT!? Yea, get us to sign on the dotted line, and then make us live in all this YELLOW!? What is going on!? Later that day though, she changed her tune and replied that we could paint. But between the "We would rather you not...," she gave us earlier in the day and when she finally relaxed her position, I had come to the decision that it just wasn't worth buying all the paint and hiring painters or doing all the painting ourselves; it was just too big a job for a house we may only be in for a year or two.

Still, I couldn't shake this yellow wall fiasco, so I vented to my sister and, in all her genius, she immediately went on the hunt for some inspiration for all this yellow.  And thanks to sites like Pinterest, it's pretty easy to find inspiration whenever you need it.  Now, after all that, I'm actually pretty excited about the possibilities! Stay tuned!

source

source / source

back together again

My not-a-mom long weekend has officially come to an end.  My husband and daughter are now home and we slid right back into our routine this morning with breakfast, dawdling, and a rush to shower, dress and get her off to school.  It's always a rush around here.

I rushed to get the dining room back to a usable condition on Monday afternoon before they both returned too.  I successfully got the dining room and kitchen painting while they were away.  I also stripped, sanded, and re-stained the wood trim around the opening from the living room to the dining room.  There are still paint touch-ups to be made, the side door to be painted, and more wood trim to refinish, but it's livable.

  

I learned that I am a perfectionist to a fault when it comes to painting.  I learned that this is not a good quality when painting an old house with old plaster walls with loads of imperfections.  I spent two full days just prepping the walls to be painted!  And even after I had painted, I went back and re-spackled a few areas to get them just right.  But the paint job is still far from what I would call perfect.  At some point during the weekend I had to remind myself that I was never going to achieve perfect with an imperfect canvas, and so I settled for DONE in the best way possible.  Perhaps this should be my motto for 2014!

this weekend: next weekend

This weekend I spent a lot of time thinking about next weekend.  Next weekend I will be left alone at home to patch, sand, paint, and stain my way to a completely finished dining room and kitchen.  It's probably too ambitious to think I might get to the living room too, but that would be quite awesome.  And all of the painting had me thinking about the color palette for this house.  I don't want to spend my entire weekend contemplating colors in the paint swatch aisle of my local home improvement store - I'd never get anything done.

So here's what I have so far . . . 

I've already used Behr White Truffle for our master bedroom.  And all of the existing wood trim upstairs has or will get a coat (ok, several coats) of Behr White Fur.  We don't have many doors on our first floor - only exterior doors.  All of the upstairs bedroom, bathroom, and closet doors are Benjamin Moore's Midsummers Night color matched in Valspar.  And then, we picked Valspar Winter in Paris for the bathroom before we knew that we would be renovating it as well.  I think we'll stick with it for now.

I think that using White Truffle for the kitchen and dining room makes a lot of sense.  It will keep the space really light and neutral, especially since the minty backsplash is already providing a nice dose of color.  I'm not sure if I want to go so far as to paint the inside of the exterior doors in Midsummer Night on the first floor.  I'm leaning more toward painting them in the White Fur trim color.  Most of the trim on the first floor is unpainted and I plan to keep it that way.  I want to strip the old, crackled varnish off  most of it and re-stain and seal with Minwax Polyshades, a stain and polyurethane in one.  

kitchen: more than 6 weeks

The kitchen is, for the most part, DONE!  We arrived home from our holiday travels to a working range, running water, and a completely usable kitchen.  So for now, we'll call these the after pictures.  

I can't say that I've spent much time in the living room since returning home.  Of course, I've been so busy unpacking boxes of dishes, pots, and pans and trying to decide where to put it all that I haven't really had that much time to spend in the living room.  But honestly, if I did have loads of free time to kick back, I'd probably find something to bake or a meal to make ahead and freeze because, really, I'd rather be in the kitchen.

There are still some things we need to do - paint, stain and install trim, stain and/or just poly the shelves above the sink, install pulls, and figure out what to do about our refrigerator situation.  Don't you just love that dolly!  That would be why the fridge appears so wonky - not the plan.

The contractors discovered that the wheels on the fridge were cracked when they went to move it back into kitchen.  They actually literally fell off in transport.  Putting the fridge down on the ground isn't really an option right now because the metal part that holds the plastic wheels would do some serious damage to the new floors.  I know that these wheels can probably be replaced, but this issue has also made our thoughts of buying a new fridge all that more serious.  Though the space feels ten times larger with the new layout, it's still the same space we had had before, and the existing fridge is really deep.  It protrudes from the face of the cabinets about 6", not including the handle.  And when it is open fully, a person can barely slide by sideways at the end of it to get to the sink or range.  It's not the end of the world, but a french door style, counter depth fridge would really take care of that.  I had the contractors make the opening wide enough to accommodate this fine looking piece of machinery.  We'll see what happens.

These are my favorite part: the open shelves above the sink.  It's a nice visual break and helps the space at the sink feel roomy, especially since we didn't have the option to place the sink in front of a window.  I think Ted's favorite part, however, (besides just the fact that we have one again) is the soapstone countertops.  We oiled them last night and fell in love with them all over again.  We've learned, in the past few weeks, that soapstone is naturally antibacterial and a laxative (ew).  Just some interesting facts for you.  I'll be sure to get a better shot of them in a future post.

Here are the before pics for a look back at where we started.

kitchen: week 6

Here we are . . . at the end of the estimated 6-week timeline, and we're almost done.  The contractor finished up the backsplash tile yesterday and grouted it today.  While we are away for the holiday, they will complete the floor finishing so that, when we return, we will have a fully functioning kitchen!

While I was gone in Chicago the contractor figured out that we were going to be short on the backsplash tile.  I had originally planned to take the tile all the way to the ceiling in the space above the sink but when I saw the completed installation on Friday night after I returned home, I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of tile.  It didn't help that the countertops were completely covered.  I wasn't seeing anything else except for the tile against white walls and cabinets.  I knew that the backsplash was going to be a feature of the kitchen - it's the only permanent "color" we are adding to the space - but I hadn't expected it to feel so dominant.  So I took the fact that we were short on tile as a sign and decided against taking it all the way to the ceiling.  The contractor extended the line up about six additional inches and then capped the tile with the metal edging trim.  We'll then mount the first oak shelf at that line and space the two others evenly in the remaining space.  Good decision? I suppose it's all a matter of personal preference, but I feel like I chickened out a bit.

Stay tuned for final pictures after Christmas!

kitchen: week 5

Here we are, at the end of week 5 for this 6-week project.  And, big surprise, the contractor is behind.  I'm an understanding person (to a fault sometimes), so it's hard for me to be too mad, but I am disappointed that the scheduling of trades and tasks has, at times, seemed a bit perplexing and backwards.  They are, to a certain extent, taking their time.  And while I think that the results of the time are paying off, I do think that things could have been done more efficiently.

When the contractor left on Friday, all of the cabinets had been installed.  He had even temporarily installed the microwave, but had to take it down in order to pull the wiring through the wall and install the outlet in the exact location necessary.  This weekend I was able to get all of the cabinet doors installed, the drawers constructed (minus the cabinet fronts), and a new 3' x 8' cover panel from IKEA to remedy an annoying wonky issue that appeared on Thursday of last week with the refrigerator/pantry cabinet.

This week, the countertops will be installed!  I can't wait to see the slab we chose from the stone yard actually finished and in our home.  And the contractor will get the backsplash installed and remedy the wonky refrigerator/pantry cabinet issue - another casualty of our not-so-straight-and-level house.  Remember when I said the walls were not so bad.  Well, I lied.  The wall the refrigerator/pantry cabinet is installed on is about an 1" off parallel from the base cabinets just across from it.  So when the contractor installed the refrigerator/pantry cabinets, they appeared to be, and were in fact, at an angle, rotated into the kitchen area.  It was so awkward and I noticed it right away.  Although I will admit that a friend of my husband's didn't see it.  So maybe it's just me . . . In any case, the contractor is going to fix the issue and I had the pleasure of driving with a box above my head this weekend so that he could.

The one large item holding this whole deal up is the floor, which still needs to be sanded, stained, and poly'd.  I'm used to contractors tackling this item before cabinets go in and then protecting them until the end of the job.  But that's not what has happened and I didn't push anything.  So now that we seem to be nearing the glorious end, we're hitting a wall and won't be able to really use this space until after we return from our Christmas holiday travels.