It's a Good House

Office corner

2012-01-31T18:42:00.000-08:00

It has been a little crazy around here. Don't really have an excuse, it's just been hard to sit on the computer at night to do anything. So sorry for the lack of blog posts...

I've realized that the core of many of my problems lie (or lay?) in paperwork over-flowage. There is this steady stream of mail and garbage that takes over our dining room table. This is actually a tame pile:

This is only about 1/4 of the table - but it is not unusual for the pile to overtake the entire table. It makes me crazy!

I determined that we need a paperwork station to corral all this stuff...

1. Parsons Mini Desk from West Elm

2. Chartreuse Chair from CB2 - but I'll try to re-purpose a thrift-store chair or something...

3. Mirror lamp from West Elm - but I will try to find something smaller from TJMaxx or Target...

4. Pencil cup from the Container Store

5. Lacquer tray from West Elm

6. Letter Tray from Container Store

7. Succulent plant, just because it looks cute in this image...

This little corner mini-office will go in the corner of our office, right where the trunk currently sits:

I'm ordering some of the pieces now... will share photos soon!

Dresser Makeover

2012-01-13T15:07:00.000-08:00

This dresser is from my mother's bedroom set she had growing up. It was in great condition, but the finish was looking a little drab. I tried to clean it, lightly sand it, etc, but this thing was basically begging for paint...

before

after

The paint is Benjamin Moore, Aura, satin finish, Stonington Gray. We used the same color on our office wall but it looks a lot lighter on the furniture than I expected! But it's all cool, the goal was to have a neutral-colored dresser we can throw in any room and use for decades to come, and I think this goal was accomplished!

The hardware was removed and sprayed lightly with a coat of Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint. Basically, the best stuff ever for dealing with brassy finishes.

We also have a large mirror that matches this piece. I gave that thing a makeover too, but it's sitting on the floor so it's a little anti-climactic to show you just yet!

Mini-makeover

2012-01-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

before and after

One of our biggest furniture issues is our lack of nightstands. Basically. I have a tiny little nightstand and John has the edge of the radiator. It isn't really working for us.

We took our old nightstands out of storage:

I inherited these from my grandmother. They are in excellent condition. They are solid wood, except for the tops which are laminate-made-to-look-like-wood, and the backs which are masonite board. I'm just throwing that out there to prove that these aren't prized antiques that need to be saved and restored. They have lasted for many decades, and they have sturdy, dove-tailed jointed drawers, but they are worthy of a makeover!

I knew I wanted two things: paint and ring hardware. After a little research I was thinking something like this:

I found these hardware rings from Lee Valley hardware...

Then, because I can't do anything the easy way, I picked up like 20 paint swatches, obsessed for a few days, narrowed it to my favorites, and eventually picked the one:

I had to drill one single hole in the center of each drawer and patch the old holes, since we switched the type of hardware used.

Then I wiped some deglosser on all the surfaces, which is supposed to make the primer "stick".

Then came the primer.

Then the paint, Benjamin Moore Aura in satin finish, Wrought Iron:

Ta da!

We have some more changes to make in the bedroom - some additions and rearranging and refurbishing, I'll show the progress here over the next few weeks...

Finally...

2012-01-03T17:15:00.000-08:00

I walk past this room like, constantly. It's been so frustrating looking at this mess for so long. We really needed to finish this so we could move on with other projects.

Taking a look back at this room three months ago...

After a little patching and sanding and a few days of painting the trim white, I applied a coat of Benjamin Moore Aura matte finish in the palest shade of aqua. Specifically, I had True Value color-match "Pianissimo 7005-20" from Valspar.

Since the Aura paint already has primer built in, I was able to cover the turquoise completely with 2 coats - no touch-ups needed. I seriously love this stuff.

If you are curious, I wrote more about Aura paint here...

fresh!

We still have some more projects in this room - lighting, furniture, window coverings, etc. But at least we have a blank slate to work with. Since this was the last major project upstairs we are now able to move our hardware supplies to the basement and the old mess can be forgotten.

Probably the only helpful advice I can provide at the moment...

2012-01-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

We took down our tree today.

Once we decided - we just did it, kind of like peeling off a band-aid real fast.

Save all those clementine boxes and store your ornaments!

Bonus: Sorting by color gets out a lot of my pent-up organization aggression. I'm a dork.

Coming up this week: I finished a dramatic paint project this week that I can't wait to share! Stay tuned...

Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T08:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you and yours a very merry holiday season and a happy new year!

Fireplace update

2011-12-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

We have fire!

This is really, really fun!

Can't wait to snuggle up to the fire and geek out with a Battlestar Galactica marathon this weekend ;)

De-skeeving

2011-12-11T18:42:00.001-08:00

This is a small thing, but it's not so bad for 15 minutes of work...

We have this butcher block counter top on just a small section of our kitchen cabinets. I have scrubbed this gross crud to death and usually have a huge glass cutting board covering as much of the counter top as possible.

So John got his inner-Norm-Abrams on and sanded this sucker down with our beloved power sander:

Then I broke out my beeswax furniture polish I had been saving for such an occasion:

There are still some marks, but it is really so much better than before.

Lessons learned - 1) existing butcher blocks can be sanded and refinished pretty easily and 2) don't put butcher block counters in if you can avoid it...

Firenze prints

2011-12-11T18:20:00.001-08:00

In Firenze, in June, John and I purchased a couple of prints of antique measuring instruments. 5 months later, we ventured over to Michaels, coupon in hand, to get these items framed:

I was hesitant when we got there because most of their frames are, like, really ornate and ostentatious. But we wanted something modern and simple and I had a moment of ugghhhhhh!!

But John found this brushed bronze metal frame and the incredibly helpful and patient women who was running the framing department picked out this dark taupe silky linen fabric matte:

The print is "over-matted" so the loose threads around the perimeter are visible. And the mix of textures and shine - it's just really awesome.

We put the prints on either side of the doorway. Also, it seems that you don't actually need the physical coupon to get the discount at Michaels, they'll give it to you if you are breathing and in their store. However, with the discount you will still be paying about one arm and one leg to get a few things framed.

Now we need to get serious about a chandelier and dining table and chairs! Gah!

Pillow Talk

2011-11-28T18:44:00.001-08:00

I've spent the better part of this past week laying on my back on the floor. All it took was one sneeze... I stumbled backwards, threw myself on the couch, wiggled my way to the floor. Through the crazy spasming I somehow made it to an emergency physical therapy visit. Let's hope that doesn't happen again anytime soon...

Sooo... painting plans are off this week. I'm still fuming about that as I thought I would have 2 whole days to finish up the third bedroom. Needless to say, I've been getting all my Christmas shopping done... online of course! Not planning on any mall days for quite a while!

I've been thinking a lot about warming up the living room a bit. The current pillows were getting to matchy-match for me. Right now this is what our living room looks like:

1) Rug from Garnet Hill

2) Layla Pillow from Crate and Barrel

3) Pillow is from TJMaxx, but you can find similar ones here

4) Pillow from Wilma Long, etsy seller

* * *

Which brings me to my new discovery... ETSY PILLOW COVERS!!!!

You can search for pillow covers BY DESIGNER NAME OR FABRIC NAME and you sometimes get literally dozens of pillow covers in different color versions.

I may be late to the etsy party but I am literally freaking out.

So let's say I've been eye-balling this Robert Allen Vintage Plumes fabric in Jade...

I see it in magazines, I like it, it costs about $50 per yard.

But let's say I really want a pillow made from it. I would need to purchase the fabric and also learn to sew, or make my mom sew a pillow cover for me.

Now we're talking about $50 PLUS an afternoon of time trying to figure out what we're doing.

But I typed in "Vintage Plumes Jade" in etsy and I get this:

Here for $55

Isn't that so worth the 5 dollars??

It's opened up a whole new range of possibilities. Here are some of my other favorite pillows, still mulling over them...

here

Stuff we want to hang on the walls

2011-11-22T19:29:00.001-08:00

Here's something new...

Until this weekend we had a large section of our guest bedrom closet devoted to "stuff we want to hang on the walls."

We managed to get some of this stuff up on the wall. It's a little but it's a start!

It was a process much more simple than anticipated...

1) choose a bunch of stuff

2) arrange stuff on bed

3) cut out paper the size of each piece of stuff (or for the lazy - create painter's tape Xs!):

4) hang paper or Xs on the wall:

5) wiggle stuff around as needed

6) before hammering nails, check the back of each piece to assess placement of nail holes

7) hang stuff:

I even got around to some paint touch-ups that were needed in here. (I know, right???)

We still have lots to do in here, but it is starting to shape up:

- the desk is calling for a large white lamp shade with some kind of awesome lamp base

- the chair is screaming for a floor-length slipcover in grey and white stripes

- a rug

- some throw pillows

- better curtain situation on the windows

- closet curtain covering needed

Oh and I'm debating re-painting the room at some point! More of a charcoal grey? I don't know if the blue is too much? Any opinions?

Life and Lists and a 2 year Housiversary...

2011-11-20T19:54:00.001-08:00

liquid gold

Sorry for the lack of updates. After an impromptu trip to California (yay!), I've been laid up with back and neck spasms (Grrr...), I'm just getting back into the swing of things.

I'm at the point now where I just keep making lists...

- To-do lists for each week

- Grocery lists

- Lists of stuff to do in the office

- Lists of house projects

- Christmas lists

I just realized I actually made a list of lists? Is that even possible?

Ok, so in honor of our 2 year Housiversary coming up this week, I'm listing our goals for the winter:

- butcher block - sand and wax

- sand, patch, and touch-up some troublesome areas of wall (stairs corner and upstairs bedroom spots)

- touch up white paint on trim (allover house)

- apply poly to stairs!

- finish priming and painting trim around stairs!

- pick paint and finish painting 3rd bedroom

- paint large dresser

- paint 2 small nightstands

- purchase pillow covers for living room throw pillows

- purchase and install chandelier for dining room

- purchase and install sconce and outdoor ceiling light for entrance area

- purchase king sized comforter (queen sized is too small for the bed!)

- lamps for bedroom

- organize recipe file and actually, like, cook

- frame and hang pictures, seriously, just do it (I actually did this a little bit this weekend!!)

- hang lamp in guest bedroom

- get new desktop and work on the office furniture situation

I feel pretty good about this list as most of the projects are not too time consuming! And the more time-consuming of the projects have already progressed.

Staircase Progress

2011-11-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

Progress has been veeeeeerrryy slooooow on the staircase. At this rate I will be happy to be done with this project by Christmas - which is actually happening pretty soon...

Since stain takes a WHILE to dry (like a couple of days?) I decided to experiment and do the left half of the staircase first, so we could walk on the right side:

I was a little nervous that the middle area would look funny, but it's actually fine:

The only thing I'm a little worried about are the areas where the old polyurethane didn't lift off in the sanding stage. You can see the stripey lines in this photo:

It's ok, but not perfect. I might put another coat of stain over some of these lighter areas. By the way, the flash on this camera is more lighting than this staircase ever sees under normal conditions. So this is really the worst view possible.

I am kind of at a standstill with this project since we haven't had a chance to run to the store to get a fresh can of poly, and MY BACK IS KILLING ME! For realsies. The past few weeks of bending over the staircase might or might not be the culprit. Either way, I'm taking a break from the stairs for a bit!

OctoSnow 2011

2011-10-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, the snowflakes were gently falling.

It was extremely bizarre but nothing could prepare us for...

OCTOSNOW 2011!

Route 3 by Giants Stadium...

(yeah, the slush forming on the windshield should have been a warning sign)

Toll booth on the Turnpike...

Turnpike...

(too late to turn back!)

Goethals bridge...

Staten Island Expressway...

(winter wonderland?)

We came home later last night to a scene. After navigating through downed trees and road blocks, we arrived to two police cars with their lights on in front of our house and a downed power line (whomp whomp).

BUT! THANKFULLY!!! We still had power! (Knock on wood a million times to infinity!!!!)

This morning I woke up early to survey the damage...

Here is the view of the front yard and street with the downed power line...

Highlighted in pink for all to see...

Cars are not supposed to drive under, but they do anyway.

We are not supposed to go outside, but seriously, had to catch up with the neighbors this morning!

All the trees and bushes in our yard look like upside-down U's...

And the pièce de résistance...

A branch off our old tree, and a neighbor's shed roof smashed. And many phone calls this morning.

I'm starting to think I need to add a tab on this website for "Natural Disasters"??

Stairs update!

2011-10-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

Last spring I removed the carpet on the steps. It was pretty cruddy underneath and we've been living with it like this for, like, ever:

Funny story - the guys who refinished our floor way back like almost two years ago were like "We can refinish the staircase for $300" and I was like "Ummmmmm.... well... no, i don't know what we're doing" and they were like "Are you sure?" and I was like "Yes, I'm just not sure if we're going to replace the carpet or what we're doing, so I'll wait til later to make a decision" and they were like "ARE YOU SURE???"

Lesson learned - just get the stairs refinished next time!

So this week I sanded it myself. First with 60 grit, which was really slow going. Then I upped it to 50 grit, which did help a lot. Smoothed it over with 60 and 120 and we're ready to stain:

There are still little dents and dark spots and places where old grime didn't lift up, but seriously, after 6 hours of mind-numbing labor I just don't care.

You can see the remains of a runner from years back. Also, you can't see from this angle, but a lot of the front parts of the steps are worn down and a little busted.

My plan is to stain the treads dark to match the floors and if we can still see these lines, or if we are not satisfied with the outcome, we'll add a runner.

The risers will be painted white and I see lots of touching-up in my future!

To date this is the most "outside my comfort zone" project I've taken on. Crossing my fingers this will work!

2011-10-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

Our third bedroom built-in shelf/closet is a lilac nightmare that never ends!

It took forever just to get the first coat on:

Since this photo was taken I've painted a bunch more, but slowly coming to the realization that this will probably need 3 coats all together.

Normally this task would include taking out each shelf, painting each side, painting the closet and sliding the shelves back in. However, these shelves are painted in and the few shelves I could pry out are in there TIGHT! No wonder I procrastinated so long!

Now I have a non-binding agreement with myself to finish this by Friday and get on with my life.

I also keep telling myself that when this ends, I can finish sanding and staining the stairs, then I can easily paint the walls in this room, and when that's over I can work on some fun projects (!) like painting the dresser, refurbishing a couple of antique chairs, making curtains and buying rugs and lighting fixtures for all of our other rooms. Just trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In other slightly related news, I've already started sanding down the gunk on the stairwell.

2011-10-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

Yay! A before and after. It's been awhile, hasn't it?

So this was the first weekend we had gorgeous dry weather at home, after weeks and weeks and months of rain, or travel, or weddings, or sick days. I actually got round to painting our repaired stoop. Just a reminder of what it looked like before...

...pretty badly cracked and hazardous!

Well, now look at it...

...Ah, smooth!

Even our next door neighbor came over to tell us how awesome it looks. Guess it was an eye-sore for everybody else too?

I tried to take a full view shot of the house from the street but the sun was insanely bright. This was the best I could do...

Third Bedroom...

2011-10-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

From the time we moved into this house, up until last week, our third bedroom basically looked something like this:

Various stages of storage and work space. This was the place I would pour paint into the tray. It was very dusty and usually much messier than in the photos above.

Since moving in we refinished the floor. Before that, this room held a wall-to-wall dark purple carpet. It was like sensory overload.

---

Side note - I case you are wondering, the walls are just a shade bluer than Tiffany blue. It is a manic color. I highly recommend staying away from anything close to this color in a wall paint.

This is coming from someone who loves the color turquoise FYI.

---

The other thing we did was replace the hollow replacement 1960's door with an original 1920's solid door we found in the garage. It was the only door in the house that we needed to switch. Not sure what happened to make previous owners mess with this to begin with...

And now for a counter-clockwise tour of the room...

The back of this garage-found door needed major stripping (which I did exactly 1.5 years ago!).

Also, last February we had a contractor install new quarter-round foot trim.

Yesterday I ripped out the scalloped header over the large opening of the built-in closet.

Yay for procrastination!

But I'm ready to move on now. I've already painted a fresh white coat over most of the woodwork. The closet is going to consume a lot of time, but also hope to get it knocked out real soon.

---

Sneak peek:

Someone previously painted all the chunky window framing the same color and matte finish as the wall. See photo at left - notice the window looks small and the woodwork blends right into the wall. All architectural detail has been removed and the window looks very very blah. See photo at right - After just one coat of semi-gloss white paint, the window stands out! I'm not even close to finishing but already the window looks larger and there is a lot more interest to the room. Working with what I got, I tell ya!

Anniversary, Take 3

2011-10-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Love you babe!

A Shortcut to Mushrooms - or - A Fungus Among Us - or - Are You Ready to be Majorly Schkeeved?

2011-10-02T10:33:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: This is disgusting. But John and I agreed it must be documented.

I ran out into the backyard yesterday and found 8 GIGANTIC MUSHROOMS growing under our large oak tree. It was so gross!

We decided to remove the offenders. Each mushroom was larger than the size of a very large cabbage. They were so heavy. We estimated each one weighed at least 10 pounds each. We ended up with almost 100 pounds worth of fungus. I am so schkeeved! Ewwww!! The mushrooms filled an entire large garbage can.

Oh and the whole backyard SMELLED of mushrooms. Ughhhhhhh!!!!

Just to be clear, this is ONE mushroom pictured. There were SEVEN OTHERS.

Note: Now I am not sure what is more disturbing, the size of the mushroom, or the socks-under-thong combo that John is wearing. He wants me to point out that this was the first time he ever wore his socks like this, since it was an emergency situation.

Upon further research I think we had a bonafide trove of Sulphur Shelf, which is also known as Chicken-of-the-Woods, because, you can, you know, prepare it like a chicken cutlet?

I know, barf.

FYI, This is just a guess after about 5 minutes searching on the internet. I would never try to eat this stuff or let anyone else try to eat this stuff. Or tell anyone else it's ok to ever eat something growing in the wild.

Gross.

Stay tuned for a major painting project in progress...

Yesterday...

2011-09-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was awesome! My parents visited and my mom and I worked on the dining room sheers. We found some gorgeous stripe-y sheer fabric:

And we stitch-witched everything together. The amount of fabric we got JUST fit.

The other side of the room - let's pretend the AC isnt in...

It looks much more finished now!

We also managed to squeeze in a trip to the paint store. Putting on my painting clothes right now...

Herringbone

2011-09-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

I have a thing for herringbone, also I have been on-again, off-again wondering what to do with our hearth. Some kind of tile, but what?

I saw this recently in the Water Witch Club. Not sure about the color, but I really like the pattern...

Last Saturday was an... interesting... day

2011-09-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

I started last weekend thinking that this would be THE WEEKEND OF THE PAINTING OF THE FRONT STOOP!!!

Fate had it another way. But I did manage to paint the front door.

Before - this looked worse in person

The blue paint looked dull and the brass hardware was majorly rusted

After - this looks better in person

I was hoping for a little more color difference between the black paint

and oil-rubbed-bronze spray paint, but overall does look much more cleaned up!

As for my weekend:

Intention:

Remove all the hardware

Spray hardware with Rustoleum's Oil-Rubbed-Bronze

Let hardware dry

Paint the front door

Replace all hardware

Call it a day

Paint the stoop on Sunday

Reality:

Remove some hardware

Get stuck removing the doorplate with lock attached

Change plans and try to put lock back together FAST!!!

Lose random screw inside locking mechanism

Call locksmith

Delay painting because I don't want the locksmith to get covered in paint

Locksmith comes, all is restored $140 later...

Line the surrounding area with plastic and spray paint the lock directly on the door

Wait for it to dry

Paint the door

Replace other pieces of hardware

Pass out on couch for 2 hours

Wake up and force John to accompany me to Lowe's

Realize at Lowe's I forgot the blue cement piece I need to match for tomorrow's project!!

Realize I have a sore throat!!!

Wake up Sunday am with excruciating pain in my throat and a 101 degree fever!!!!

Miss most of work this week thinking I have strep throat (I don't)

Upstairs hall bathroom closet

2011-09-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

One of the things gnawing at my OCD for a long time was our bathroom hall closet. It came to a head after last week, when I was spending way too much time digging around for everyday basics like dental floss and deodorant, and coming up with empty bottles of Listerine and hand soap.

So, after a thorough cleaning and dumping...

Yes, I have striven and dreamt about this all my life - baskets that match, and a closet that rivals those in the Pottery Barn catalog. Sort of.

I'm hoping to someday replace the shelving, and patch and paint the inside of the walls. But really, that's a project for Spring 2017. Too many other things in the works!

Step 2 - front step rehab - painting the steps

2011-09-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

Our house is blue and white. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I think it's a little too country.

I like blues, but I like teal more than denim blue, and I would prefer an all-over, shades-of-grey house and much less white on the exterior.

The thing is the foundation is also painted blue. The blue is just fully-integrated into the whole thing. And to re-paint the entire house when we think it's ok, it just seems like we'd be spinning our wheels, at least for now. But I am willing to paint the front door!

So now time for some Photoshop fun:

My mom suggested we paint the steps charcoal grey:

Paint the door and bench black, paint the stairs charcoal grey, add lime green planters

I think it's just a little weird to have a slightly different color on the steps than the foundation. It also contrasts too much with the house.

Then I mocked up a "crazy" color door:

Paint the door lime, paint the steps and bench blue

So, we're leaning in this direction:

Paint the door black, paint the bench and stairs blue.

Hoping this weekend is dry and sunny!

Front steps update!

2011-09-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

One of the unfortunate things about being a homeowner is having to spend a bunch of money to fix very un-glamourous aspects of the house.

Case in point:
Our front steps had some nasty cracks that got very bad over the winter. So bad, there were weeds and moss growing out of holes in the cement. Yeah, time to fix.

The funny thing is, it was very hard to find someone to come out and fix the stairs. One company in our town was very reputable and constantly advertising. I called them no less than 10 times over the course of 1 month - each time they said someone would be over the next day, or possibly over the next few days. I actually had to call them to tell them I no longer wanted to do business with them because it I was getting no response from them, the receptionist was kind of like "Sorry, I know, this is weird".

It's a small town and I wonder what the deal is with them, because I would see their truck around town, like, ACTUALLY doing work. And they wouldn't even come over to meet us. I think they had some issue unbeknownst to us? About our house in the past or something? Because it was all very strange and very unlike every experience we've had with other companies around here.

And searching for "cement workers" on Google usually turned up companies who were like "we don't do stairs, only flat surfaces like sidewalks or driveways" or "we don't speak English" or "maybe we'll come around sometime in a few months"

I finally reached someone who immediately set up an appointment and responded very quickly to all my requests. He also seemed very knowledgeable about masonry and cement. And I think he is Italian. So you know, all that stuff about brick and marble and cement and stuff. (Hello Great-grandfather and sons!) So I just went on my intuition that this one guy who would show up and wasn't asking for a deposit* would actually be able to complete the job.

And in one day the job was done and we were able to walk on the steps. It looks great! And I can actually, you know, walk up and down the stairs without worrying I will trip and break my neck or something.

So this week I hope to update you all on my ideas for re-vamping the entry-way with paint, plants, etc. And my goal is to work on this over next weekend. I need to finish this before (gulp) the winter comes! Yikes!

*Since owning this house we have never paid a deposit before a job was complete. I have to say, we have had some pretty good experiences with all the contractors we've hired - everything from our floors, to carpentry, tree trimming, lawn care, electricians, and now cement workers - everything has worked out fine and we usually pay in full within a day the work is complete, but no sooner. I like to share this information and be as up-front about this because I would like people with less experience to know what to expect. Also if anyone in the North Jersey area needs services and doesn't know where to start, please contact me and I can recommend some people!

Well, that was interesting...

2011-08-28T09:58:00.001-07:00

Hurricane Irene struck last night. Aside from some moments of Weather Channel-induced paranoia and anxiety, we made it out pretty much unscathed. This morning we ventured down the block to take some photos of the over-flowing Passaic:

holy $#!+

That's the first floor door in the bottom center.
This is a boat club house, but I fear for the residential homes down the block that were out of our view.

We drive down this street almost everyday, never saw anything like this in the two years we've been here...

Look at the stop sign and road signs - almost covered with water!

These photos are literally only a block away from our house - however we are on a pretty high hill.

A neighbor said the only other time this happened was after Hurricane Floyd (1999). So I think we are pretty safe in our home up the hill. Feel so sorry for the folks who now have extensive damage to their homes.

Hope everyone out there managed to stay safe with minimal property damage!

If you type the word "desk" enough, it stops looking like a real word

2011-08-22T18:19:00.000-07:00

I have been tossing ideas around in my head for a while now - what to do with the ol' desk. Right now it looks like this:

It's basically an old IKEA coffee-table-top resting on 2 wood file cabinets. Wires are askew. Waste basket is falling-apart ancient. Also radiator needs a custom-built cover.

On top of everything, the desk is visible from the couch. So instead of catching up on Housewives, I spend half my time glaring at the office.

Last week, two of my favorite blogs posted inspirational desk photos:

via

So I found a wooden top from IKEA in a size that would work nicely with our space.

I do not want to work with the existing one because it is too long, and it's warping slightly. Also just thinking about cutting a piece of wood sounds like an insurmountable task.

Anyway, we need something a little chunkier and straighter, like this:

Varde countertop
(Pretend the "a" in "Varde" has one of those double-dot Scandinavian symbols over it)

I was all proud of myself today. I had my new great idea. The top is $100. We could revamp the office for the price of the top plus paint and stain and supplies that we probably already owned. And IKEA delivers! Score!! Because also stepping into an IKEA seems like an even more insurmountable task than cutting a piece of wood.

Except that IKEA delivery costs $99.

Looks like somebody's takin' a trip to the big blue box sometime soon...

another chandelier...

2011-08-16T13:07:00.001-07:00

I think this light is my new favorite for the dining room. It is a bit of a splurge, but I feel like we need one nice thing in each room which isn't from TJMaxx (cheap) or one of our grandmothers (antique/vintage).

It is pretty special. I'm letting it sink in, then I might purchase it.

Maybe. I'm feeling a little feisty after we got the living room rug.

(Leona Chandelier available at World's Away or Harlow's Nest)

---

I'm showing these photos out of order (for some reason blogger is much less flexible on a PC?) - but look where I found this thing:

Traditional Home magazine. And luckily there was a resource listed!

We'll see...

We're officially grown-ups now...

2011-08-09T18:05:00.000-07:00

Our rug is in place! It's fabulous. Everything around it is not.

I need to make a TJMaxx run for more appropriate throw pillows.

Also we are in desperate need of a decent coffee table. And a new couch would be nice. So would a couple of cozy chairs and a working fireplace. Baby steps, I tell ya.

I want

2011-08-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

This coffee table.
It's perfect. I don't know where to get it. I've seen things like it, but not exactly.

Everything about this room needs to be copied and pasted into our living room.

Also, we received our rug today!!! Even though the website says it will be shipped out on 8/25 direct from the manufacturer. I'm unprepared and need a rug pad before I can open this thing up. We almost went out tonight for one then I realized we had to stay home to wait for our groceries. Yes, we get groceries delivered! It's literally the greatest thing ever, until they are out of stock on something and then they don't substitute. So if I order multi-grain bread, they won't substitute with whole wheat bread if they run out. Then I have no bread for the week. I'm currently annoyed because we only have a few more minutes in our delivery window and they still haven't shown up. Grrrrrrr. Tomorrow night we have plans. I'm telling you this, mom, so when you come over this weekend you're not all like "why didn't you put the rug down yet???"

Office update

2011-08-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

This is a small thing but it took us about 5 months to get to.

Installing the roman blinds behind the computer!

Dum dum dummmmmm... May i present to you...

I'm almost as relieved to not have to look at the shipping boxes as I am to see the final installation.

It is subtle, but it is much neater than before.

You can look here for photos of the original roman shades!
(Or don't - those things were pretty nasty!)

Now we're starting to think about a better desk and rug, and perhaps a little reading nook or drafting table in the opposite corner. Also we have to figure out a way to neaten up those wires.

We actually have no idea what we're doing now since all we seem to care about is who gets to sit on the couch with the iPad.

Rug

2011-07-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

In a shocking twist of events, I actually made a decision and followed through with it.

After looking at this lovely blog earlier this week, I was completely smitten with their living room rug. I scrolled through the comment section, and luckily found the link to the exact rug. I showed the photos to John and he gave it his stamp of approval. Never have I been so sure of a thing at first glance.

It was a splurge. But I realized we've been in this house for almost 2 years now and have yet to purchase a piece of brand new furniture besides a mattress and a desk chair. I also realize that a rug is not a piece of furniture, but it may prompt me to make our home a little more inviting and cozy.

One month til delivery!

Dining Room conundrum

2011-07-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

Up to my usual indecision.

So, the dining room. What are we doing in there?

Ideally we would like a Parsons table with mix and match chairs...

But maybe something lighter than the dark wood. A limed finish?

But the lack of limed Parsons tables on the internet has me paralyzed. Especially since I could basically get everything in that photo with a quick click over at West Elm. But I kind of want to hold out for something cooler, like the limed finish... or a zinc table top.

Then we have the light. I found these options which maybe could be cool:

via

via

via

via

What I like is the non-chandelier-y element of these fixtures. No fake candles, no leggy branches. They are all pretty affordable and statement-making pieces. Which I think will compliment the plain look of the Parsons table.

What do you think?

The Villa...

2011-07-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

Our vacation in Tuscany included a week-long stay at Villa il Leccio...

This place was just too gorgeous - I had to take photos of everything!

It was basically everything you would expect to find in a villa in the Tuscan countryside, in your wildest dreams!

I have narrowed it down to my favorites right here...

foyer and staircase

foyer

living room

living room

living room

formal dining room

chandelier in formal dining room

breakfast nook (would you like some fresco with your eggs?)

our bedroom

view from the villa

pool

butterfly and lavender

Just about back to normal... almost...

2011-07-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

Um, yeah... 3 continents spanning 18 time zones over these past 3 weeks. China, New Jersey, Italy, now back in New Jersey.

So excuse the lack of posts!

I am deep into editing about 800 photos from Italy, but in the meantime I leave you with these:

Salame e Formaggi

Biscotti (per la mamma mia!)

Will definitely be updating soon!
xo

The secret of jet lag

2011-06-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

I was in China last week. Arrived back home on Saturday.
I slept awesomely on schedule through Tuesday morning.
Til the wee hours of Wednesday, when my body kicked into FULL GEAR.

I was ready to throw on my sneakers and run for a FEW HOURS. My heart was racing!

NO JOKE. It was 1:30am.

It always snags me on Wednesday.

---

The kicker was I didn't want to disturb John's sleep.
So I hung out on the couch in the living room.
I set my phone alarm to 7am, in case I actually, you know...
FELL ASLEEP.

But I forgot one crucial step.
I left the phone on vibrate.
And slept until 8:15am!

I accidentally heard the phone vibrate.

John was going to be home from the gym any minute.
And I had a train to catch!

On the way racing to the train, I realized that the AC was left on downstairs
I made John turn around, and raced into the house to turn it off.
He dropped me at the train at exactly 8:45, the train was pulling in!
I was so proud of myself - I made it!

But wait!

I had to call John because I accidentally grabbed his bag and was about to bring it to work with me!
The train is in the station! Next train doesn't come through for 30 minutes!
What to do?

He picked me up and drove me to another station.
He was late to work because of my stupidity.
He is also the greatest husband.

Love you, babe.

---

The secret of jet lag?
It rears it's ugly head 4 days later.
It has nothing to do with being tired when you're supposed to be awake.

It doesn't let you sleep.
That's real jet lag.

The State of Our Space

2011-06-08T06:54:00.001-07:00

Our dining room and living room have come a long way. We have painted every surface - ceiling wall and trim - and refinished the floor. While I admire our time and effort so far, it feels like time for a major overhaul with the furniture and decoration!

Let's start with our living room:

then

now

The staircase has undergone a huge transformation. We need a window covering in the staircase window. I would also like to see a more modern console and chunky lamp along this wall. Perhaps a decorative chair.

then

now

I've never shown a full view photo of this room since, for the most part, our furniture is a little down-trodden. We have an old Macy's sofa bed, which is horribly uncomfortable to sleep on, and an even older IKEA Klippan couch, which has held up surprisingly well, but looks like it belongs in someone's dorm room. Our coffee table is really too little tables from Target. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the tops are all busted up. Our "media console" I love, however, it needs a little DIY paint and to be moved into the dining room for china storage. We have nothing hanging on the walls, no rug, and our fireplace needs to be re-lined. Also the lighting situation is almost non-existent. The windows needs some kind of covering for privacy.

Next up is the dining room:

then

now

The dining room is actually a nice large size. We can easily fit an 80" table and have room on 2 sides for a couple of credenzas. The country-kitchen table and chairs need to start making like a tree... Our chandelier is just plain silly. I have looked high and low for a replacement, but nothing has struck our fancy just yet. We would like to modernize this space and actually use the table for eating, instead of parking ourselves on the couch in front of the tv every night. We have gone so far as to hang curtains, which was a major, major step but there is a lot more to do here!

So lots to do here, I hope to at least do some of the DIY and lighting projects in here by summer's end. Stay tuned...

I'm having significant issues making decisions without the help of Photoshop

2011-06-01T18:27:00.001-07:00

We have a problem. After an especially icy winter, our front steps look like this:

Items in image appear worse in real life

I've been scared that cement contractors would tell me the entire structure was unstable and that we should tear the whole thing out and start from scratch for, like, a million dollars. This guy was over yesterday, and he was whacking the stairs, trying to determine -- what, the shakiness? Anyway, he recommended the following solutions:

1) patch with cement - $600
2) add limestone treads and patch remaining areas - $1200

He explained in further detail - since the stairs are 14" deep, we would need a 15" piece of limestone to fill in the appropriate amount (14" deep step plus 1" overhang). Trouble is, the pieces of limestone only come in 8", 10", 12" and 24", so we would need the 24" cut down to size. Yes, that would make it pricier. As usual, everything in our house is an "odd size" that needs "custom" materials. Yes, yes, I get it.

To be completely honest, I think the $1200 is a fairly reasonable amount of money to spend on new, quality, steps. I notice everyone in our town has limestone, so I know it will last and give the house much better curb appeal, etc, etc. So I was thinking maybe we should do it. Definitely better than just patching, and much, much less than the cost of tearing everything out and starting from scratch.

But.

But I have a problem now!!! A domino effect, if you will...

This is Photoshopped

What is this? Blue cement risers? What the eff? Seriously?

Do I have to paint the entire foundation of my house to make this look better? Do I have to paint the entire foundation and also fill in limestone on the top stoop and side pieces of the stairs?

See exhibit A:
The. Entire. Foundation. Of. Our. House. Is. Painted. Blue.

Please someone tell me what to do?!?!?

Curtains

2011-05-31T18:21:00.000-07:00

We finally have curtains in the dining room!

before - naked!

after - curtains!

Of course, nothing is ever easy or straight-forward in my life, and I'm on the look out for white curtains to go inside the dark curtains. Not just white, but something semi-transparent in a lattice-work or eyelet type of way. I'll know it when i see it :)

Next on the dining room list - table, chairs, chandelier...

Clearly I have a problem...

2011-05-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

Recently, I noticed a theme in our home...

I really really like perforated and textured white ceramic tchotchkes. Thinking this junk would look good together, I placed them on my radiator cover... that was also white and perforated.

Also, I did not realize this until I looked at the photo.

After discovering this illness, I have researched further into its official name - ceramicus perforitis.

Not really - but you saw it here first.

* and everything is from Marshall's/HomeGoods/TJMaxx!

A pointless exercise in aesthetics

2011-05-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty adamant so far about one thing when it comes to the house - we do it once and we do it right: no re-dos.

But the kitchen turned out to be the exception.

I was going to leave it be for awhile, but it's the kitchen! We're in here everyday, all day sometimes. We just couldn't keep it the same. And the gut-reno is maybe a few years off.

So after removing the country kitchen wallpaper as mentioned last week, I painted the wall today:
Voila!

As I put it to my mother earlier today, I totally understand that what I've been doing to the kitchen is comparable to putting a band-aid on a broken leg (hence the title). This entire wall I just painted will someday be torn to bits, covered with cabinets, or tiled within an inch of its life.

- - -

A couple things I should point out...

1) A major upgrade which was totally easy, cheap, and worthwhile was staining the cabinets. As you can see in the below photo, most of the cabinets are in this condition - worn, and ragged.

I simply took an old rag, dipped a corner in a small can of Minwax Jacobean stain and ran it over the cabinets, wiping with a dry rag as I went. It made a noticeable difference in the appearance of the cabinets. Cost: $0 (I already had the stain left over from another project) and about 20 minutes of labor. Yes, I could have taken the cabinets apart and refinished or painted, but the main point of this makeover was "cheap and quick" - this step made a pretty big difference for such a tiny amount of time and money.

2) I also painted the doorbell thingy to match the wall:
Much better than yellow-ed plastic!

- - -

And because everybody loves before/after photos:

Before
Country Blue Kitchen

After

Before

After

The paint color is Benjamin Moore "SIlver Fox" - I used the Ben line, eggshell finish.

So far I've spent $35 on this "in progress" makeover (on a gallon of paint). And about 4 days of on-and-off labor. And a ton of elbow grease.

Ok, no, THIS is my dream kitchen... almost...

2011-05-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

How perfect is this?

I love the subway tiles with dark grout, and that the tiles reach all the way up - almost to the ceiling.

What about the antique white stove and white hood?

Also the juxtaposition of the white counter with black granite top / black island with white marble top.

But - I could do without the brass hardware. Chrome would be much better in my world.

Dining Room

2011-05-10T04:59:00.000-07:00

In West Elm, John pointed out the awesomeness of this table/chair/settee/bench arrangement. There was also a really great chandelier that I forgot to snap a photo of. erghhh.

Other dining room news: Curtains are hung. We need more clip rings. $100 later at Restoration and I think we have enough. When did clip rings become a priority in my life?

Photos soon.

Getting rid of the ugly...

2011-05-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning the rest of the wallpapered kitchen wall looked like this:

By this morning (and why did this take me all day yesterday?) the wall looked like this:

Forgive the construction paraphernalia

The trim is painted white and the walls are patched and sanded. And my wrist is very stiff, even after ice packs and 2 Advil and a glass of wine. But the messy part is over - and that is the best feeling!

So I worked a little Photoshop magic to figure out what color paint to actually use on the wall:
The top row is the boring yet most-likely-to-be-used row:
A. A darker shade of Balboa Mist as used in dining/living room/hallway
B. Balboa Mist as used in aforementioned places
C. Cooler grey
And the bottom row, which is fun, yet probably-not-likely-to-be-used:
D. Teal blue
E. Lighter teal blue
F. Yellowy-Limey-Lemon

I think we will go with choice "A" - my main concern is down-playing the dark cabinets, and everything just seems to blend in a little better with the darker taupe-grey color.

What do you think?

And so it begins...

2011-04-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

I thought maybe we should take on one more project this spring/summer (cause, you know, I'm really not busy enough).

Oh, and also this past Tuesday I decided it would be the perfect day to take on the kitchen.

Yes.

K I T C H E N.

With capital letters and spaces in between to show you how serious I am.

It might have started when we visited our friends Will and Sonya over the weekend, and they had their kitchen torn apart and almost put back together again, and it looked so sweet!

Also, last week I was showing a coworker photos of my house and when I got to the kitchen I was like "oh, this place is a mess!" and she was like "yeah, but you probably already took out that wallpaper and cleaned it up, right?" and I was like "no! not yet!" and then my internal renovation clock kicked in until I COULD NOT WAIT ANOTHER SECOND TO TEAR DOWN THE WALLPAPER.

before in all its unadulterated glory

I am starting small. This corner of the kitchen is especially annoying to me. It's dark. And the trim is painted Circa 1986 Country Blue, with Circa 1986 Country Blue ditzy wallpaper. It is quite dark.

The lucky thing is that the wallpaper is isolated to this side of the wall. So this is a good project that hopefully won't take much time and will probably cost nothing, because I'm assuming I have enough leftover paint somewhere.

mid-progress

So far I have primed and painted the doors and surrounding woodwork (there is another door, hidden to the right of the basement door). And I have stripped the wallpaper off.

Of course, any more substantial version of renovation in the kitchen will be a long, loooong way off. But I'm slowly starting to think about it in a more serious way. I want to do everything smart and cheap and quick - but I know in actuality a kitchen renovation usually ends up being annoying and expensive and slow.

To tree or not to tree

2011-04-25T17:30:00.001-07:00

I have to preface this with a disclaimer.

I love trees.

In fact, one of the reasons we moved to this town was its prevalence of trees. I love that our backyard is shady and I love that there are so many squirrels and birds that make our trees their homes. I don't mind all the leaves we have to clean up in the fall, because it's a small price to pay for living in a wooded paradise the rest of the year.

But...

We had a couple of doozies in our front yard:
That center tree was in bloom last week.

360 days a year it is a scraggly mess and for a handful of days a year it has these precious little white flowers.
But like I said, the blooms only last a few days. The tree was never pruned or trained, or whatever it is that they do, so there are branches coming out all over the place. The general shape of the tree is as tall as the house, but not rounded or lush.

The second tree in question is the gigantic looming hemlock on the right side of the house:
You can't tell in the photo, but it is actually leaning (away from the house, but still). About halfway up the tree branches out into two gigantic branches. So it's like a Siamese twin effect. Also half the branches were cut off, making it top-heavy.

It drops tiny needles all year round. The acid from the needles makes it difficult to grow grass under the tree.

I pondered these two trees for a while. Then my aunt and uncle came over for a visit last summer. My uncle is very horticultural. I'm not even sure if that is a word - but he spends a LOT of his free time in his garden and yard. He has a million trees. Not literally. But there is an area of his yard we always called "the woods" growing up. I asked him if there was anything worth saving with these two trees. He didn't even hesitate to say no.

So here we are months later...

before

after

before

after

If ever there was a case for painting the woodwork...

2011-04-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

Ta-da!

Seriously. This place is starting to look like something.

Just to remind you where we came from:

before

We still need to finish the stairs...

This was really tedious to paint...

Because of its placement at the middle the house, both the living room and staircase have a tendency to stay dark all day. Painting the woodwork really brightened the whole room:

Side note: I really like that, even though there is still work to be done on the stairs, they aren't visible when I'm lounging on the couch - and that speaks volumes to my OCD. Now for a new lamp, new console table, new rug, new couch...

A curtain story

2011-04-19T14:35:00.001-07:00

So I was able to finally psych myself up to work on the DRCS (or Dining Room Curtain Situation for those of you who are not in my head). I took my chances and decided I wanted to make my own curtains, since I wasn't seeing anything I truly loved in the market.

I went to this place a couple of towns over - the Fabric Warehouse, in Belleville, NJ. If you don't mind the shady industrial back alley, or the non-existent parking lot, or the unmarked front door, it is basically the MOTHERLOAD of fabric remnants and bargains. To be completely honest I probably wouldn't have gone in if i hadn't seen some nice-looking older ladies walking in while I was trying to figure out where to park (wayyy down the road, away from all the threatening tow signs).

I bought 3 yards of this stuff, which I really loved at first sight:

Some kind of teal-ish cotton or linen with white crewel work stitch. The total came out to $9 for 3 yards!

After thinking about it a while in the store I realized this was totally the wrong fabric. It was too feminine and dainty. I put it back. I picked it up. I texted John with pictures. I decided to just spend the $9 and buy enough for one panel, just for testing purposes.

When I got home, I clipped it onto the rings...

FAIL!

Ok, so the pattern gets so lost in the fabric when the light shines through, and it looks like we have pastel aqua curtains. This is the opposite look of what we were going for. Whoops!

But lesson learned. And I think I have an alternate game plan...

Tedium

2011-04-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

I've been slooowly working on the banister and spindles.

The banister needed a lot of patching and sanding. Followed by staining and polyurethan-ing (sp?). It looks very neat and clean and finished now. So it is done. Forever.

But the spindles. Oh the spindles!
I am halfway done with the them. Working very carefully to make perfectly straight lines where the banister and spindles meet.

I took this photo while doing the first coat:

Starting from the bottom --> up

The thing is, it's looking really awesome. The decision to paint everything BUT the banister was the right one. So it is worth the short-term tedium.

More photos coming soon!

Kitchen dreaming...

2011-04-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

The layout of this kitchen could almost be like our little good house kitchen...
I've been dying to tear down the wall between our dining room and kitchen to create a bar/counter area like that.

I've also been debating whether we should make the counter as a free-standing island or peninsula as the photo. I'm really liking this layout with the little "appliance garage" towards the left of the counter-top - somewhere to stash the coffee maker/toaster/blender when not in use.

We'll have to keep dreaming for a while... too many other projects to attend to!

We did something!

2011-03-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

Curtain rods were hung. And all the land rejoiced...

The hardware is all from Restoration Hardware - the Dakota Chestnut collection. There was a pretty decent sale (!) a couple of weeks ago on hardware.

The color is slightly misleading on the website - it looks slightly lighter in person, but the pieces are all very solid, and have a nice distressed finish. And we really love it.

I originally wanted one long rod over the entire length of the above wall. Too bad RH hardware only comes in a maximum length of 126". What the eff?? We needed around 140-145" to get the right look. This is absolutely puzzling considering the insanely large scale of nearly every single item at Restoration.

I searched a few places for longer rods. I was almost going to combine JCPenney rods with RH brackets and finials. But everything came in a different width. It was a jumbled mess in my mind for a month or so. In the name of sanity and better hardware I settled on two rods over that section.

The single window is getting two curtain panels. Now I need more hook thingies. And tie-back thingies. The RH hole is not an easy one to climb out of.

Installing the rods - was not the most pleasant experience. I tried to hang the rods myself with the anchors provided by Restoration. Not happening. The anchors shot straight through the back of the plaster into the wall cavity. Lots of cussing ensued.

Cheap anchors + plaster walls = patching + no curtains

John called Will, who came with Sonya to the rescue with a fancy anchor set. And they worked on getting all six brackets up. And voila!

Now we have one small matter to attend to - the curtains.

Firenze

2011-03-29T05:45:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this past week or so.

I was here...

...as well as some other places. And everything is kind of a blur.

For Japan With Love

2011-03-18T09:41:00.001-07:00

Find out more at http://forjapanwithlove.com
Also you can text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation that will be added to your phone bill.
So easy and takes a few seconds!

Every little bit helps.

Winter To-Do / Spring Guilt

2011-03-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Wherein I obsess about all I couldn't accomplish in the past few months...

Remember way back a few months ago, I set all these crazy goals with the hopes that everything would be done by this spring (as in 3 days from today)?

Well, this is where we stand:

1) Closet Messes:

Coat closet:
X Toss old coats
X Buy new hangers
__ Paint inside closet, inside door, etc
__ Buy new baskets and organize hats, gloves, etc
__ Buy new shoe rack or boot tray for winter boots

Linen closet:
__ Toss old products
__ Buy new baskets
__ Organize new baskets
__ Paint inside closet

Score: 2/9

---

2) Finish Living Room:

X Paint bookshelf and mantle
X Paint staircase wall
X Hire someone to paint stairwell wall
X Stain banister
__ Polyurethane banister
__ Finish painting posts (after poly dries)
__ Paint stair risers
__ Hire someone to refinish stair treads
__ Someday install a runner

Score: 4/9

---

3) Lighting:

__ New sconce in vestibule
__ New light on porch
__ New dining room chandelier
__ New living room sconces
__ New upstairs hallway light

Score: 0/4

---

4) Window Treatments:

__ Dining room drapes
X Sunroom/office shades front wall
__ Sunroom/office shades side walls (on backorder)

Score: 1/3

---

5) Furniture:
__ Coffee table
__ Rug
__ Dining room table
__ Dining room chairs
__ Office desk

Score: 0/5

---

6) Future projects (to do in case I have extra time this winter - HA!)
__ Paint the third bedroom
__ Tree and shrubbery removal
X New car (yes!)
__ New driveway

Score: 1/5

---

Final score: 8/35 - I lose!

In actuality I was able to accomplish a couple of major time-sucking projects - like the living room side of the staircase and the built-in shelves. Each project took about a week to complete, including long hours on the weekend.

On the flip side, we would have put some more money into new furniture, lighting, etc if it wasn't for this little beauty instead:

It's all about balance. And having fun. And having some lazy weekends.

And we have one more thing to add to the list... All the snow and ice we had this winter did a number on our front stairs. Of course we want to start thinking about curb appeal. We don't want to be known as the messy neighbors on the block (at this moment there is actually a rubber tire on our curb waiting to be picked up - so it may be a little late for that). But between the scraggly trees and driveway and now this, we certainly have our work cut out for us.

The good news is, I'm setting a new goal this spring to keep on plugging away at as much of the list as possible. Will check back in this June.

More Chandeliers

2011-03-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

I've been researching lighting options for the dining room and pulled out my favorites from Circa Lighting here:

The thing is... after looking at these for the amount of time it took me to put this post together, I'm already sick of them. That isn't good, right?

I'm realizing that maybe the candle bulbs and little shades just aren't my thing.

Here are some of my neurotic thoughts:
- They remind me of Scarlett Johansson's chandeliers.
- Are candle bulbs boring and tedious?
- The "Vendome" and "Reed" are kind of country kitchen. That isn't the look we're going for here.
- The "Mykonos" is too much of the Mediterranean style. Also not the look we are going for.
- The "Venetian" looks and sounds like a Home Depot fixture. (Is that snotty?)
- The "Double Twist" is wacky and starting to remind me of Miss Havisham.
- The "Bryant" is not bothering me at the moment. But not exactly wooing me either.

We also: NEED CURTAINS. Top of the list right now.

Point of no return

2011-03-09T17:52:00.000-08:00

After many, many, many months of consideration...

(this would be the point of no return)

This photo is real, un-photoshopped

The picture is mildly deceiving. There are still quite a few steps left in the process. The entire face of the wall is done. But all of the posts need more coats of paint. And the banister still needs to be patched, sanded, stained, and polyurethaned. Then I need to work on the steps themselves, or hire someone else to deal with them.

It is kind of a relief to be this far along, because it's something I have gotten a little obsessive about (as the staircase is visible from the couch, and my eye always rests on things that bother me). I did want to finish completely before posting photos, but I became anxious.

Dad, I'm sorry for disrespecting the wood.

Little Girls Room

2011-03-06T10:11:00.000-08:00

My niece Donna is expecting a little girl this summer. She wants a pink nursery and because I can't mind my own business, I started looking through my images to find her girly inspirational nursery photos. Aren't these sweet?

Soft ballet pink with yellow accents

Pink and white

Soft neutral walls with pink accents and brown and pink bedding
(Donna, this reminds me of the bedding you chose!)

Yellow and magenta

Yellow and cutesie

Soft turquoise, but a little too serious

Turquoise and pink

Lavender and pink - the ultimate girly-girl room

Congrats, can't wait to meet your little'un!

Decision time

2011-02-28T18:08:00.000-08:00

I've been stalling the refinishing/painting of the staircase for three reasons:
1) indecision
2) laziness
3) financial hemorrhaging

So after numerous Photoshop attempts I've fixed problem number 1. We made a decision!

The above is obviously another Photoshop mock-up. This is what it will look like when finished - everything painted white except the banister and the treads.

At first I was a little hesitant about painting the post white. Funny our laziness as noted above actually helped the process. We noticed this same look in the Modern Family house as we were lounging catching up on our DVR on Sunday:

To be continued...

Cavalier Chandelier

2011-02-23T19:41:00.000-08:00

On the hunt for a new dining room chandelier. Look at these beauties:

A little heavy but wow.

Love this, but maybe a little too severe?

Perfection

The last two lights are $8000. Each. Of course they are my favorites and my eyes went straight to them on a page with about 25 other affordable lights. My insanely and awesomely expensive taste is a curse. I don't even love brass, but I could make an exception for these, like, if there was a situation where somebody forced me to have them. Or something.

:)

Sources here, here, here, and here

One more thing...

2011-02-21T05:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I forgot (and Mom reminded me about) one more option for the stairs... Option E would be each step covered with sisal. I'm still leaning towards C.

Please tell me what to do :)

don't stair at me

2011-02-20T07:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we tackled the staircase carpet. I just couldn't take it any longer. This was underneath:

yeah

Then about 2 hours of taking out all the staples and trying to clean the wood underneath:

This is as good at it is going to get. For now.

Are we ready to live with this while we decide what we are doing?
In the meantime we gave ourselves strict instructions to use slippers or shoes when traversing this thing. There may or may not be scary splintering wood sticking out all directions.

What should we do? As previously discussed many many times on this blog, the banister and woodwork will be painted white. But the rest??

Choice A - Refinish wood to match rest of house, add sisal runner:

Choice B: Refinish treads only, paint risers white:

Choice C: Refinish treads only, paint risers white, add sisal runner:

Choice D: Paint risers and treads white, add sisal runner:

And all the choices together:

A B C D

I'm leaning towards choice C, but not totally convinced. John really likes A. What do you think?

Staircase Walls

2011-02-15T18:08:00.000-08:00

Remember this mess? Well, it's done!

I will spare you the grisly before photos (if you're really curious you can click the above link).

Here is what it looks like now:

We are so happy that we finally did this! (Or paid someone to do this!). I am all for taking the DIY route when I can - but this was clearly a case for the professionals.

Next up:

Most people viewing this will fall into one of two camps:
1) Burn the gosh ugly rug and paint the freaking wood paneling and banister already.
2) Burn the gosh ugly rug and don't let me see a paint brush in your hand!

Sorry, but it's gonna be number 1! Soon!

Screen Project

2011-02-12T14:18:00.000-08:00

Our contractor mentioned the other day that he had some Indonesian-style folding screens. (Or maybe they are Indian? I don't know - I googled both and they both returned pretty much the same results.) Anyway, he had them for a long time and never did anything with them, and he was clearing out his garage and about to throw them out and offered them to us.

Here they are, in our basement:

As you can see, the center one is the only one intact. The one to the left is missing a top "arm"(?), the one on the right is missing a leg... and the one on the floor is cut in half (but it is broken along the joint, so it would be seamless to put back together.

John wants to put it all together as a working screen. I really like that idea... but I keep thinking about this big blank wall in our living room that has been really bugging me lately:

I am thinking about losing one of the screens and mounting the three best screens together in a row, so it would look like this Photoshop mock-up:

(We will eventually get a new couch in a toned-down color, also some new pillows, so use your imagination)

John also had the idea that the screens would look really awesome sprayed silver, so I mocked that up too:
Me likey! What do you think? Mounted to the wall or made into a traditional folding screen? Spray painted? What color?

Andirons and Irons

2011-02-08T19:22:00.000-08:00

Is it me or am I getting a little slap-happy with the painting and spray painting?

Remember those andirons? The brassy ones from way back when? See:

Well, they've been tucked away in the basement for, like, a year. And I realized I had an opened can of metallic spray paint. In the exact dark metallic color needed. And I started thinking...

And one thing lead to another...

It was the perfect opportunity. Since this was the same spray paint used on the hinges and hardware of the built-ins:

Now I have one more major project for the fireplace (ok, two major projects if you count actually getting the fireplace to work)...
What can we do to the hearth area? I would like to use a material that is somewhat historically accurate to the 1920s. Or a nod to something that would be historically accurate to the 1920s.

Penny tile?

Marble tile?

One large slab of blue stone cut to size?

Color? Grout color? Am I missing something? Someone please tell me what to do.

Perfectly Eclectic

2011-02-07T19:49:00.000-08:00

We still have a big block of painting work to get done in the living room. I'm using that as an excuse why our living room remains undecorated. Nothing hanging on the walls. Same old couch. Don't even get me started on our coffee table situation. And a rug? I will only purchase once we have aforementioned painting done.

But I can dream. I really love how these rooms are a perfect blend of traditional and modern. Let's analyze...

I haven't thought of a sunburst behind the couch, but I'm kind of loving this idea. Also how sweet are those coffee tables? Sleek but traditional.

The overtly ornate mirror reminds me of the wooden one we have at the bottom of the staircase. I love how layered this room looks, while at the same time remaining calm and clean.

This layering in this room is insane. Love the mix of prints, the cozy rug and the warm wood tones. I want to just curl up on that couch with a good book.

More living room updates to come later this week!

Secret Door!

2011-02-03T18:16:00.000-08:00

If you are especially observant you might have noticed in my last post that there is a door built into the paneling of our staircase wall:
We have lived here for over a year now, and we have never opened this door. I thought for a while that it was nailed shut, then realized that it was locked. With a skeleton key lock. Despite owning a set of skeleton keys from our house, none of them worked in the lock.

The other side of the door faces a corner of the kitchen. I tried unlocking/picking the lock from both sides but it wasn't budging and I lost interest.

To be perfectly honest, I thought that one day we would get the door open and reveal a secret porthole to Narnia, or John Malkovitch's mind.

But... our contractor got the door open! I have no idea what he did, but it's working now! John was so psyched when we got home from work tonight - he couldn't wait to demonstrate walking through the door.

Opening the door did not reveal the Narnian realm I thought it would!

I find that I can't stand having parts of the house broken and not working. So this is especially satisfying.

I'm not sure we will use the door, but I'm glad we have the option.

I asked John what he thought of all this door nonsense, and I quote verbatim:
"I think, it's like - a wall has opened, it's like - a wall that moved. A wall - that it's basically like a - it's a, like a secret passage! Uh, a not-so-secret passage!"

Upon further questioning, John had a much more eloquent thought:
"This is a door that could have been closed for a decade, maybe more. There is no way of knowing if this door has ever been opened."

Awesome!

Nitty Gritty

2011-02-01T14:24:00.001-08:00

One of the longest-lasting construction (or deconstruction) eyesores in our house is the stairwell. It contains so many layers of ugliness. Blah!!

Let's start with what we had when we bought the house:

Woodwork: charming (dingy)
Wallpaper: mediocre
Rug: Gross, yet simultaneously comfortable
Ceiling: cracked

---

2 days through 3 months after buying the house:

Woodwork: still charming (dingy)
Wallpaper: partly stripped where we could reach.
Rug: Still gross, still forest green circa 1986
Ceiling: cracked, also cracks behind the wallpaper! Woohoo for awesome discoveries!

---

Now:

Woodwork: half painted, half wonky
Wallpaper: totally wonky
Rug: Still wonky
Ceiling and walls: Wonky McWonkerstein

So we are crossing our fingers that our contractor will show tomorrow and by the weekend we will have eliminated at least the annoying parts we can't physically reach (without risking life and limb) (I'm being overdramatic - but really, let's be serious and admit that neither of us is getting up on a ladder in a stairwell).

---

Here is my latest inspiration photo:

How funny that the situation above is almost identical to our home? The direction of the photo, the location of front door with light shining in, the ornate wood mirror facing the bottom step, neutral paint on the wall, the desire for white woodwork/paneling alongside the staircase. It all points towards awesome goodness, if you ask me!

Photos to follow soon (hopefully!!)

Obligatory snow photos

2011-01-28T14:20:00.001-08:00

Yeah, I am so over the snow. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to dig out yesterday. John did most of the heavy work. The snow was extremely saturated and wet, not the light fluffy stuff!

The piles on either side of the driveway are above our shoulders as it is an accumulation of snow from Christmas through now. It is impossible to park in front of our house or put out the garbage. There is just no more room!

In areas, the snow was thigh or even waist-high. I had to wade through our backyard to get dirt out of the shed to create traction for our tires, which were spinning out of control the first time we tried to move it.

By the way, more snow this weekend and next Wednesday!

Have a great weekend :)

That's what I'm talkin' about...

2011-01-27T11:35:00.000-08:00

Since I am stuck at home we all win today! Without further ado, the great unveiling of the fireplace-built-in-book-shelf-glass-cabinet-wall:

And now, a step-by-step of how we got there...

This is what we were working with the day we moved in:
Notice the original floors, which were very worn down. We replaced with a new layer of red oak, stained and polished a dark espresso brown, and never looked back.

Then we painted the trim, walls and brick. And we stopped. It looked like this for about a year:
Yeah. I know.

So last weekend it was time.

First I assessed the hardware:

Everything was brassy and shiny.

I removed each piece and taped them to a piece of cardboard. I placed everything in such a way that I would remember where each screw came from. The purpose was to put every screw, hinge, lock back in place in the same hole. I'm not sure this was necessary, but figured it wouldn't hurt:

Next I went to Lowe's to find a metallic spray paint that would tone down the brassy finish. In a perfect world, I would have replaced all the hardware with chrome, but I wanted a quick fix with minimum work and money involved. I decided to get some metallic Rust-oleum spray paint in the dark "Rubbed Bronze" finish. I went with a darker look because I thought it would be more realistic to give the hardware a dark bronzed appearance, than try to find a chrome finish spray paint. I am also planning to use dark bronzed hardware for the adjoining dining room draperies, so keeping the same finish ruled out chrome.

So I sprayed a few very thin, quick coats on the hardware and let it dry:

Next I taped the glass cabinets and laid them on a drop cloth:

The next few steps involved a lot of priming, a LOT of caulking (caulking is KEY!!!), and a couple of coats of Semi-Gloss Ben in Decorator's White. It was all very boring, but surprisingly left me very sore for days.

Then we put everything back:

And one more time:

Before:

After:

Bookshelf Styling

2011-01-26T15:33:00.001-08:00

Ok, I can't believe it is Wednesday and I am still working on this bookshelf thing! I am almost done, but I still need to paint the insides of the doors, and all the glass has 85 year-old stain around the edges that needs to be scraped off (I know, great, great fun to be had by all).

But the good news is I might be able to finish the unglamorous part tonight, with a little elbow grease and a little help from John.

In the meantime I will show you the most perfectly-styled bookcases. I have ever seen. In my life.

All the black and white things! And the piles of books! And the subtle colors! Love love love!!!

And this shelf is actually a LACK from IKEA. I own one and it looks cute, but not nearly as inspiring as this bad boy. I think this photo is from our dearly departed Domino. More piles of books! Art prints! Perfection!

Long long weekend...

2011-01-24T12:42:00.000-08:00

Another reference image for my annoying project.

I likey - minus the tchotckes. And granny chair. And painting.

I did it; painstakingly took apart our built-ins, and tackled them with a paintbrush all weekend. See here for before pictures. It still needs another coat of paint. I am going for a clean look like the all-white corner pictured above.

And our dining room and living room are both in a state of flux. And I keep hitting my head on the underside of our chandelier (isn't that always the case?).

But it was definitely the right decision! Photos to follow soon...

a WHITER SHADE of pale

2011-01-21T14:33:00.000-08:00

How awful are these shades? Almost the most embarrassing, disgusting mess in our house:
Finally, FINALLY, I ordered new shades from JCPenney. They sell the cheapest and nicest shades to exact measurements. Don't judge. I had to buy 7 of them:
They are actually really nice. Especially for $20 each. You seriously could not get something like this for less. And they are supposed to be thermal, and cut down on our energy bill or some other such nonsense.

Sure it took me an hour of wrangling with the power drill just to hang one but after I figured out what I was doing, the rest came very easy.

But wait! And this is the most annoying thing...
The three side windows (one on the left and two on the right and hidden from view) are a few inches wider than the front windows. And JCPenney has that particular size on back-order until April.

Fahrvergndoodles!!!

The one thing I hate is when I finally work up the energy to place an order for something (I know, reaching into that wallet to grab my credit card and type in the numbers on the screen is an agonizingly horrifying task) it ends up being back-ordered, and now my office is half done and I'm starting to downwardly spiral into JCPenney.com hell*.

Also, if you notice the sad face on the radiator it's because he's next up on the to-dos. I hired a contractor to build something like this for that spot:
Can you imagine how awesome that will look? When I have a nice cover for the radiator and 7 matching shades?

* checking every freaking day and stalking the catalog people

Our built-in shelves are in DIRE need...

2011-01-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

I am so ready to paint these bookshelves.

John, are you reading this??

Anyway - this is what I mean:

Totally lame right now, I know.

And this is what I want it to look like:

Solid white, baby.

Another one:

So, yeah. Trying to work up the energy to start tackling this.

ASAP.

Duvet and Pillows

2011-01-12T09:11:00.001-08:00

We received the new duvet and shams for the guest room. I think it is much more crisp and clean than the previous granny bedspread:

It is much more cozy with the comforter insert too! I'm wondering if I should leave the headboard white or spray paint it something quirky - like bright blue or lavender or yellow. Or a more tame grey?

I'm realizing we will need some pillows to accessorize - I think a mix-and-match grouping of solids and bold prints would keep it fresh:

here

here

here

here

here

...and here

I'll be looking out for that perfect mix.

My go-to internet resources for pillows are Anthropologie and Crate and Barrel. In real-life I am all about Marshall's, TJMaxx, Home Goods. Any one have a favorite resource I'm missing?

More painted wood...

2011-01-10T20:30:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows I like to paint over wood.

I have a large dresser that is worn and needs a little makeover - aren't these so the way to go?

Love the cream with gold hardware

A more ornate version of the dresser we have. Also cream with gold hardware.

Soft color with bronzed hardware

I wouldn't do this but gorgeous nonetheless.

This is perfection to me! Cream with black hardware.

Oh, and this is the dresser (towards the left) and room I'm thinking of...

The most pitiful room in our house right now...

I love lamp

2011-01-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I scored two of these sea urchin-y looking things for our bedroom. Shade and all - it came to a whopping $29.99 each at TJMaxx. Not too bad for a nice little Saturday...

Dining Room - Overall Hypothesis

2011-01-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

I've already done a preliminary hypothesis for the dining room, as well as a discussion on tables and curtains and other things. Of course nothing has been done in, let's say, a while. The floor and paint is still going strong. That's about all we have going for us right now.

(and John is like - "umm, are we getting curtains?" And I'm all like, "yeah, that's next on the list." And he's all like "but, didn't you just order a bedspread?" and I'm like "yeah, but this is next!" and he's all like "but, didn't we just meet with the contractor to discuss other stuff?" and I'm all like "ummm, isn't there a new episode of How I Met Your Mother on the DVR?")

So, I put together this storyboard of my dream dining room. For the moment. Minus the $6900 chandelier I was drooling over. Anyway, here's the breakdown...

The breakdown:
1. Walls - Balboa Mist matte finish Aura paint by Benjamin Moore.
2. Curtains are a must in this room and I would really love something that just touches the floor. A simple grey print like these would look amazing. (Source for the photo is from West Elm, although I changed the color to grey)
3. I would love a chandelier that incorporates opaque turquoise glass. But I'm not really loving those I'm finding online. (There is always this one available for an exorbitant amount of money - thanks, but no thanks). The one pictured would be a pretty alternative idea from Z Gallerie.
4. Our Halo dishes from C&B.
5. How about this sunburst mirror above our side console? (also from C&B).
6. The Madeleine chair from Restoration Hardware in a natural antiqued finish
7. Some random turquoise vases (pictures from Jayson Home - but I think one could find similar things at TJMaxx and Marshalls, etc)
8. Our Gourmet flatware from C&B.
9. A simple sisal rug underfoot would tie in the natural color of the chair.
10. This zinc-top table is the star of the room. I clearly do not respect wood.
11. A whimsical footed bowl from Anthropologie would finish off this room.

Duvet

2011-01-03T10:46:00.000-08:00

Just ordered this duvet and matching shams for our guest room from here. Stay tuned for pics...

Happy New Years + Random pics

2010-12-31T11:26:00.000-08:00

Wishing you and your families and friends all the best in this coming year!

Our evening will be spent home, in pajamas with a couple bottles of bubbly and I wouldn't have it any other way :)

Thought I'd wrap up this week with some random happenings...

Aren't these ornaments precious? They were John's great-grandmother's and a gift to us from Aunt Cook.
I have a few old ornaments from my grandmother too. So I am looking forward to displaying everything together in some glass colanders next year.

I should have posted this photo a few days ago but laziness prevented me:
That's the snow drift Monday morning. up to the top step of our stoop. 1 and a half hours later, we dug ourselves out and returned to hibernation.

China - December 2010

2010-12-28T12:02:00.000-08:00

Occasionally I travel to China for business purposes and everyone is always asking me what it is like.

I actually like working in China since communication is immediate and much more gratifying than every day in New York. The downside is that I am a true homebody and miss John and the comforts and familiarity of home.

But... since I'm in work mode and China is 13 hours ahead of New York, time stops existing and I exist solely to work and call home. In between I manage to eat and sleep and futz around on the internet.

I imagine this is a similar way of life as astronauts in the International Space Station.

Anyway, here are some photos I took of things that struck me a few weeks ago (please forgive the awful Blackberry-quality photos)...

PU machinery

View from the Sheraton Dongguan.

The haze and pollution is, sadly, an everyday occurrence.

Pagoda in Dongguan

Detail

Sunset over the highway

Sunrise

Xiamen Airport

School kids at recess

Restaurant mascot at The House, Xiamen

Dining Room - Table hypothesis

2010-12-26T13:33:00.000-08:00

Cozying up for the next day or so through this snow storm and hoping everyone is doing the same!

So anyway...

What do you think of this zinc-top dining table?
The same table is pictured and available to buy from this lovely lady (you must click on that link to see the most gorgeous table-scape you can ever imagine - and I'm not one to toss around the word table-scape lightly).

I'm kind of liking the idea of a table that has an industrial edge and especially leaning towards a table that incorporates metal materials.

The table pictured above is 78" long by 36" wide. I'm hoping it can comfortably seat 3 on each long side so we can seat at least 8.

or.....

this one from the Restoration Flatiron series:
I practically invented this table after FLIPPING OUT over the 100" long version they originally came out with last year.

It is 6 inches shorter than the first table - 72" x 36". (They call it a "kitchen table" because all of their furniture is made for people who are 10 feet tall with 25 children living in gymnasiums). I love the color of the wood top but it is a very specific color which means we would probably be limited to the exact matching wood chairs from Restoration (greyish, antiqued) or using something completely different like upholstered or slip-covered chairs. Not sure if we could fit 3 down each side, however.

The prices on both tables are fairly affordable so that isn't a factor in this whole mess.

Opinions?