bye-bye wallpaper

My husband finished removing all of the dino wallpaper in Ella's new room (go Ted)!  And surprise, it doesn't seem like the plaster in here has EVER been painted.  We found evidence of old wallpaper behind the built-in shelves after we removed them and the lovely window valence with the dentil detail.

Here are the photos from Ella's room when we bought the house.

And here's a nice close-up of the dino wallpaper:

And, now that the dinos are officially extinct, we've got a nice black slate.

We still have a bit of the wallpaper glue to remove - it's that lovely green stuff on the walls and man, is it sticky!  And this past weekend, we finally got to the store and picked out some paint samples that we hope to get up on the walls and ceiling soon.  Stay tuned!

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. 

the refrigerator conundrum SOLVED

I started writing this post several months ago, originally titled 'kitchen fail', shortly after the kitchen construction was completed.  I didn't publish the post then because it was written largely out of frustration.  I complained and didn't have a good solution to the problem.  I didn't even know if we would keep the refrigerator after it was installed.  But the refrigerator has stayed and I'm happy to report that an acceptable solution to the problem has been built and installed, and so I'm finally ready to share my biggest frustration with the kitchen, aside from the extended construction schedule.

When we set out to complete the kitchen remodel, we planned to reuse all of the existing appliances. The previous owner (our landlord) had updated them and though they all aren't the same brand or the latest styles, they worked and weren't offensive.  The 5-burner gas range is actually quite nice.

As the kitchen project progressed, however, we started having more and more discussions about replacing the refrigerator.  I wrote a little bit about it here and here.  We felt that a counter-depth refrigerator with french doors would be the ideal solution for the small space.  I had been doing my research on refrigerators that might work in our little space long before the kitchen cabinets were even ordered,  but without confirmation that a new fridge was in our future, I tried to play things safe as best I could.

VERTICAL SPACE  When we were at IKEA ordering our cabinets, I had our kitchen designer change the over-the-fridge cabinet from a 24" tall unit to their shortest cabinet, coming in at a mere 15" tall.  I decided that because some of the 30" wide fridge models I had been looking at were on the taller side, I would play it safe and install the shortest cabinet I could to give the refrigerator opening the most vertical space possible.  And to fill the remaining space (if any), I ordered a cover panel that could be mounted horizontally as an open shelf just above the top of the fridge.  I thought it might be a nice place for cookbooks or a few storage bins.

 

HORIZONTAL SPACE  In addition to trying to make accommodations for a tall, future fridge, I also realized during construction that some of the refrigerators that were on our short list were wider than the exactly 30" wide opening.  So I had the contractor add an approximately 5/8" thick filler piece to either side of the 30" wide over-the-fridge cabinet to make the space as wide as could possibly be achieved.  The fridge cabinet now butts completely up against the door casing of the back door on the right and along side the hidden duct traveling from the basement to Ella's bedroom on the second floor on the left.  This was the maximum width we could have achieved here.

And so, with the kitchen finished and final measurements taken, we decided to go ahead and buy the new fridge - a Fisher & Paykel counter-depth, french door model, my husband's favorite of the group.  I love the squared profile of the doors and handles.  It looks GREAT.  But I was worried all along that having only an 1/8" buffer was going to be way to small, especially considering that nothing in this house seems to be square!  I was also concerned about the gaping void above the fridge - a shelf would have just further defined the void and brought attention to the one, incomplete spot in the entire kitchen.

The fridge JUST fit.  It's in and working but the tight installation process caused the side cover panel to bow near the top.  It wasn't pretty, at least to me, and so I began trying to figure out what to do about it.  I tossed around the idea of removing the panel entirely.  One side of the refrigerator would be exposed but it is a nice looking appliance.  Removing the side panel would have also made the installation of a shelf above the fridge impossible, leaving an unused, large, cavernous space just staring me in the face every day.

My next option at the time was to try and ignore the issue for a while, and, in the meantime, I proceeded to load up the top of the fridge with cookbooks and junk.  That junk piling up reminded me why I despise an open, top of fridge area.  Give me a space and I will quickly pile it up with anything and everything just to get things out of the way.  I decided that I needed to install something that wouldn't afford me that option.  So I designed a unit with a wine cubby and an open display area, all to be made from the same oak material as the open shelving over the sink, and only about 12" deep.

The contractor installed the cubby last week and I am so excited to have that void filled.  The installation of the box helped to pull the side panel back in as well (bonus).  Now I have a place to keep wine and more cookbooks, though I think I'll swap those out for one of the antique bowls given to us as a wedding gift.  I still need to sand and oil the unit as I did with the shelves over the sink, but for now I don't have to stare at any more junk on top of the fridge.

This entire situation was very disheartening to me.  This is what I do and I didn't listen to my gut (and all of my research) telling me to order a different fridge, or even push the decision to purchase a new fridge earlier in the process.  I've learned some valuable lessons here: trust my gut (and my research), always leave more space than you think you'll need, and don't expect everything to be perfect.  Oh, and try to plan ahead as much as possible.  If we had decided to replace the fridge at the beginning of the project, I would have made the appropriate plans upfront to accommodate it's height and width.

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.

a 40's ranch kitchen

As progress on the bathroom slowly moseys along (it's usable but not complete) I'll take a moment to introduce you to a new project.  In November I posted some of the inspiration for a remodeling project I am working on in Cincinnati.  And today I'd love to share with you the plans - existing and proposed - for my client's new space.

It has been a long, somewhat circuitous, road to this plan but hey, isn't that what renovation is all about sometimes?

Here is the existing plan:

Pretty typical for an older kitchen, the fridge and range are floating in the space.  What's more, the location of the fridge makes the hallway access very narrow and almost unusable.  I imagine the space was meant to be an eat-in kitchen, however, in a small two bedroom house, who needs a formal dining room these days.  This layout only provides for one prep area to the left of the sink and little to no storage space.  Adjacent to the kitchen to the left is the incredibly steep stair to the back door and basement.  To the right is a small dining room.  The opening near the fridge takes you into the hallway leading to the bedrooms and bath.

Initially, it was decided that a re-work of the very steep stairs to the basement (and laundry) needed to happen for safety purposes and to improve the layout of the new kitchen.  I generated the two options below.  This re-work would have also included the relocation of the door to the back yard to the mud room (not shown).  However, after taking costs and other priorities into consideration, this stair re-work was abandoned and I was back to working within the existing space of this kitchen.  Oh, and the laundry was relocated to the mud room so that the homeowner can avoid the stair all together.

Here is what the client settled on:

The final plan still involves the opening up of the kitchen to the dining room without completely removing the entire wall, as well as relocating the entrance originally located in the hallway to the living room. These moves will allow for a better connection between the main living and dining spaces and the kitchen, and will also provide more usable wall space for cabinets.  In this final plan, the homeowner has a nice "food" nook with refrigerator and tall pantry cabinet adjacent to one another on the left. The range is probably a bit farther from the sink than might be ideal, but it was a necessary compromise to maintain the open peninsula desired between the kitchen and dining room. The refrigerator and sink both remain in their existing locations, helping to simplify the plumbing and electrical work in the space.

The client chose to use IKEA cabinetry, saving approximately $6,000 on cabinetry costs.  Granite countertops, wood flooring, and ceramic tile backsplash with glass accents will finish off the space. 

Construction is well underway already, with new wood flooring being sanded and stained as we speak.  The countertops were templated last week and the appliances are ready and waiting in the garage to be installed.  I can't wait to share the before and after photos with you soon!

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 progress

When I returned from Cincinnati, two weeks ago now (Where does the time go?), I was so excited to see the progress that had been made in the bathroom.  Ted had been sending me photos but there's nothing like seeing things in person.  Though I use my floor plans to check (and double check) clearances and measurements, it's always fun to see how the space actually feels when partitions go up.  You get a sense of the space that is impossible to get from a drawing.

The contractors had completed most of the rough plumbing, installed the new subfloor and even some of the cement board (the underlayment for the tile).  Ella's new closet had been framed and the new supply duct to the bathroom had been reconfigured.  It seemed a lot of progress was being made until everything sort of came to a halt with the installation of the new tub.  After it was removed from the box the day after I returned, we discovered that a corner of the front apron, or skirt, was cracked.  It had to be repackaged and returned to the store and a replacement tub couldn't be delivered until March 7th!  So we had to scrap that tub model (and unfortunately drop a bit more cash) to get one with similar specifications that the plumbing supplier had in stock, or at least that could be trucked from their warehouse next day.

But seeing all of the tile in person and in the same room helped to steer my attention away from the tub calamity.  So I went to work laying some of it out to see how everything would look together.  We ultimately decided to go with a marble mosaic floor tile as opposed to the ceramic mosaic I showed in the lookbook.  The marble floor is polished, but the white 4" x 16" wall tile has a matte finish.  The 1/2" x 6" black liner accent band has a gloss finish which ties the floor sheen and wall tile installation together nicely.  My biggest concern was that the modern proportions of the white wall tile wouldn't work with the classic style of the floor mosaic.  Frankly, I'm still a little unsure about it all but I like the idea of the mix so I'm not going to change directions now because at some point, you just have to call it.

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).

bathroom lookbook

How time has flown!  I can't believe that in just a week time our bathroom remodel will start.  It is the next room to be completely renovated in this house of ours and I've been struggling with what it should be versus what I, or my husband, might want it to be.  In trying to stay focused on our goal of resale value, I have arrived at the following - a mix of classic tile and fixtures true to the age and style of our home with some fun and lively pops of color and texture in the changeable accessories.  If you need a memory jog, the existing and new floor plans can be found here.

1_ HEMNES Sink Cabinet in White with RATTVIKEN Sink by IKEA  This cabinet and sink combo was a given for us based on it's price and classic style.  I plan to replace the standard knobs with something a bit more special.  Maybe these in green or even these. 

2_ Grant Mirror from Schoolhouse Electric in Aqua  I've been thinking about giving up on a medicine cabinet, especially now that we'll have a sink cabinet to store items in, and I've been looking at this mirror for a long time.  It's a great place to sneak some color into the room, although at just 20" in diameter, this might be too small, proportionally, for our space.  Still, it has inspired me to look for an appropriately sized mirror from elsewhere and give the frame a coat of color.

3_ Miley Sconce by Hinkley Lighting in Chrome  I think these sconce fixtures walk the line between classic and minimal and so, we're going with them.  We'll install two, one on either side of the mirror.

4_ Nate Berkus Aztec Diamond Bath Rug from Target  I love the texture this rug will add to the room.  With all of the sleek, hard tile on the floor and walls, this rug will really help to warm the space up.  Otherwise, I fear the space might feel a bit sterile.

5_ Daltile Lillis Matte White 4" x 16" Glazed Ceramic Tile with Daltile Semi-Gloss Black Flat 1/2" x 6" Ceramic Liner Tile, both available from Home Depot  We will be using this combo for both the tub/shower surround and a tile wainscot around the entire bathroom.  The black liner tile will occur at the top of the wainscot as shown in the mock-up above, with one additional row just above the tile base.

6_  Dip Dyed Stool in Citrine by Serena and Lily  We'll need a place to perch while giving Ella a bath, and I love both the pop of color and natural feel this stool introduces to the room.

7_ Daltile Matte White with Black Dot 12" x 12" Ceramic Octagon/Dot Mosaic available at Home Depot  This was a classic go to for the floor.  It doesn't get any more basic than this but it's a floor that will, at least stylistically, stand the test of time.  And it will coordinate nicely with the black and white tile theme throughout the bathroom.

8_ Stripe Shower Curtain in Citron by West Elm  This shower curtain is simple but will also help introduce some color to the space.

9_ Portsmouth Single-Hole Bathroom Faucet in Polished Chrome by American Standard  We tried to spend modestly on the sink cabinet and faucet so that additional money could be spent elsewhere.  These are things that can be changed out easily by new owners if they decide they want something different, whereas tubs and tile cannot.  This sink faucet was a good buy and fit the classic styling and installation requirements of our sink top.

Ella and I will be heading out of town when the construction begins, while my husband will stick around to keep an eye on things.  We've been promised a quick turn around on this project by the contractor since we only have one bathroom in the house.  And I think it will be possible, especially considering the fact that we were able to inspect the condition of the bathroom plumbing during the kitchen remodel when they ceiling was taken down.  All of it had previously been replaced with new PVC and so I'm hopeful that there won't be too many setbacks.

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!

kitchen hardware

We (or rather I) still need to pull the plug on hardware for kitchen.  I'm not sure why something so small has caused me such great deliberation, but it has.  I've been all over the internet and to local home improvement stores trying to see what I can get quickly that would complement the kitchen.  You see, the main problem is that I tend to gravitate towards minimal edge pulls or simple, long, horizontal bar pulls.  But I don't think that these styles are well matched for this kitchen.  So I have been making an effort to divert my eyes elsewhere.

I originally found these at Lowes, the Sumner Street Symmetry Arched Pull in Polished Nickel.  They reminded me of the old fashioned pulls available from Schoolhouse Electric, but more affordable.  I like the classic lines and utilitarian style.  But when I brought them home I realized that the visible screws are actually fake.  I tried to talk myself into them anyway because the price was pretty good, but I couldn't do it.  

Ted really likes something more square (his words).  So I texted him a photo of these from Home Depot - the Liberty Hardware Plaza Pull in Aluminum.  He liked them a lot.  I thought they were too contemporary for the kitchen.  So I kept looking.

Then I found this online - the Rusticware Modern Rectangular Cabinet Pull.  A good compromise I thought, but at almost 9.00 a pull, they were way over budget.  So I kept looking.

What do you all think of these?  

The Martha Stewart Living Channel Cabinet Pull.  Good ol' Martha has hooked me again with her shiny products and attractive branding.  And I think the Medallion Cabinet Knob is a good match for the cabinet doors.   To order?

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!