Operation Wrap 'Em Up: Bathroom

Many thanks to Handyman Wally for installing a new: tile floor, tub and shower, beaded board, sink, and toilet.  So far, so good.

There are a few more things left to do:

• Paint the inside of the closet and shelves.  Blue.
• Install new toilet seat.
• Seal grout / tile floor.
• Re-stock the closet.
• Paint ceiling, walls, beaded board, and trim.
• Install blinds, shower curtian, toilet paper holder, glass shelf over toilet.
• Install new light fixture.

Pictures to follow soon!

Operation Wrap 'Em Up: The Stairwell

I love house projects. I'm particularly skilled at dreaming them up and getting started, but not so great at finishing them. I like to think I'm not the only person who does this, but I could be wrong.
So here marks the beginning of [drum roll please] Operation Wrap 'Em Up.

First on the docket: The Stairwell.

Several years ago I painted the stairs. Err... I STARTED to paint the stairwell. I painted as high up on the wall as I could reach. And painted the baseboards white as close to the carpet as possible.

When I walk downstairs every morning, this is what I see.  I mean, seriously, this is no way to start the day.
And when I head up to bed in the evening, this is what I see:

It's a sorry sight and not a great way to start and end your day.

So I removed the carpet and invited my cousin Dana and his roommate Al into coming over with a bunch of tools and doing some damage.  They are always up of a building adventure and very willing to except payment in the form of beer and pizza. 
We removed the old treads.
We measured, cut and put new treads onto the naked stairs.
Now I've painted everything white, plan to add a runner, and hopefully make everything look something like this:
(from *sob* Domino)

Malm

After deciding the reason my bedroom looks like a laundry basket, is not because a I'm a slob but because my dresser is not big enough.

So my bedroom now sports three (3) Malm dressers. Nine (9!) dresser drawers all for me, Me, ME!!




(Pray that those puppies don't fall apart tomorrow!)


The three dressers are all lined up in a row, under the eaves.  The plain drawer front makes the dressers blend into the wall and simplifies the entire room. Or maybe it's because me clothes are finally put away?

images: Ikea, Canadian House & Home

Chalk Board Paint

So here’s the deal.

Chalk board paints drives me bats.
1. It looks good only until you erase something and gets messy.
2. Do I really need to keep lists everywhere?
3. What happens when your shopping list isn't so cute?  Is anyone writing "tampons" on their big public list?
4. Isn’t it easier to keep a list on something you can put in your pocket and bring to the grocery store?

That said, this is FANTASTIC!

images: The Noisettes, design*sponge

New lamps.

Has anyone else noticed that lamps are hella expensive?

I've been searching high and low for some bedside table lamps. Ones that don't require a month of ramen noodle dinners to offset the cost.

I took a wrong turn in Target on Friday and found these beauties.

$19 each. Thank you Target!

Floors. Simplified.

Is it yesterday's news that I like white wood floors?  Can you take the hint?


What other kinds of floor do I approve of?  Excellent question.

Unpainted wood if fine too.


Rugs are invited to the party if they are:

A. Sisal


B.  Oriental




C. Dhurrie




And tile in the bathroom.


That's all.

Peter Frank

Did anyone else say, "Hubba hubba" when they saw Peter Frank's home in October's House Beautiful?  I drooled over the issue on the long flight from Portland to Portland.

True love.

Kimberly Cornelison and Alfie Ferreyra's condo-away-from-home appeared in Country Home magazine March 2007. I've been stalking it ever since.
Photos of their home (taken by Kim) have appeared frequently and everywhere. Most recently on Design*Sponge.

It's an all time favorite of mine.

Here is the original article... too cool for school.

Another shot of the entry:

More shots of the living room/office:

The other side of the dining room:

Curtians, No curtians.

The kitchen:

The bedroom looking a smidge different:

Slopes.

On the 2nd floor of Cape 18, you will find two bedrooms tucked up under the eaves.  The ceilings go all the way to the  roofline, complete with a sloped ceiling and beams.  Decorating the slope (or around the slope) is proving tricky.

Do I paint some parts and not others?

Do I turn the knee wall (knee wall? is that the right term?) into shelving?

Skylights?

Wallpaper the whole mess?

A canopy?

Celebrate the area?

Or ignore the entire confusing problem?

Nook.

I want to sleep in a built-in nook. They look so warm and cozy! Of course the downside means that I might never be on time for work again.

I blame this on my love of Gnomes, circa 1978.