Baby steps forward

You guys might be wondering as to why there haven't been any updates showing grandiose transformations of entire rooms.  Well, there is a very simple answer to that... there haven't been any grandiose transformations.  I know, I was hoping I'd have something but I have discovered that renovations take time... a lot of it.

Four months ago, when we moved in, I thought that by this time, our bedroom would have been completed months before, our living area would be super-awesome and that the bathroom would have been repainted.

And then reality kicked me in the side of the head.  A full-time job and renovations ... well, they suck.  It's really hard to be motivated to spend an evening sanding, patching and painting after a full day of work.

So we have been reveling in the small victories... painted medallions, finished floors (which I have yet to show you - soon, I promise), ordered furniture etc.

Here is a small corner of the house I quite enjoy, but with still a glaring issue (the missing light fixture). The wall colour is BM Colonial Brick - I love it. Sometimes it looks a little orange-y, other times of the day pinkish and even other times a dark red. Add such dimension to the room.

I decided to do a sconce roundup to see what was out there.  I think I want one that's either horizontally oriented, or that washes the wall with light downwards.  I'm pretty sure I can't afford any of these, but a girl can dream, and, if anything, get inspired.

In order from top to bottom, left to right, they are: I-Club by Burkhard Dammer, Barn Lamp - Gooseneck by DWR, All light closed by Rodolfo Dordoni, Calvino Parkade Sconce by Propellor Design, Nevo Wall Sconce, Cubi Console by Mammini/Candido, Calhoun Glass Sconce from Pottery Barn, Olympia Wall Light by Roberto Favaretto, Logico Triple Wall Lamp by Artemide, Acheo Parete by Artemide, Omega P20 Wall Light by Architects Arter & Citton, Jian by Artemide, PH 2.5-3 Wall Sconce by Louis Poulsen, and the Arne Jacobsen Wall Lamp by Arne Jacobsen.

I love the over-sized glass shades.  Gorgeous.  And I admit, the Nevo Wall Scone (the roses) are completely bizarre, but there is something about them that I really like.  In the right space they could be pretty fantastic.

All in all, for this space, I think my favourites are the Barn Lamp and the Acheo Parete by Artemide.  The profile of the Barn Lamp is great.  It comes in black and white as well, though I really enjoy the red.  And the Acheo Parete is simply wonderful - modern, edgy, textured, but the overall design is really simple.

So, what do you think?

Before & After | Ceiling Medallions

Since I don't really have entire rooms prepped and looking pretty for pictures, I will start posting our smaller victories!  These little enhancements are making the house better, baby step by baby step.

Before | Ceiling Medallion

After | Ceiling Medallion

 

Still left to do:

- replace shades

- paint fixture something fun (yellow?)

- paint ceiling

Meet Winston Churchill

Yes, Winston Churchill is an itty-bitty mouse Hubs just caught romping through our living room.  He is currently hanging out under the blender jug.  How CUTE is he??? I sort of want to keep him.  Sort of.

The slightly hilarious part about this was I was just lamenting how there hasn't been much progress in the house for me to post about.   And voila!  Winston Churchill arrives.  How convenient.

Flooring Update

The flooring is not quite done. At this point, Malcolm and his crew have sanded the floor several times and covered it with two coats of danish oil. The patch (which, I must say, looks pretty darn amazing) is still quite visible, but Malcolm will be doing a bit of colour matching to get it to blend in more. I'm not expecting it to disappear, but anything is better than that plywood patch that used to be there.

Anyway, here's a peak at how the floors are coming along!!

Breaking floors and breaking down

So, remember that list?  Yes, I admit, it was a little optimistic.  However, had everything gone according to plan (HA!) then it would have been doable.  Not to say we didn't try!  As of right now the list looks like this:

• Buy paint for dining room
• Buy a quart of paint for stairwell
• Paint second coat in dining room below chair rail
• Dust and wash trim in foyer, dining room, stairway, living room
• Paint trim
• Paint living room walls
• Paint medallions on ceiling in living room (painted one)
• Sand and paint banister
• Spray paint brass hardware on banister black
• Spray paint remaining towel racks in bathroom black
• Paint living room light fixtures
• Cut spruce floor boards to size
• Patch flooring in master bedroom
• Tidy kitchen
• Tidy living room Updated! 2010.09.09
• Do laundry
• Vacuum Updated! 2010.09.09
• Have a glass of wine (or two or three....)

So... decent.  This is what happened that weekend.

After my sister and Ryan left,  I started painting the living room.  It went well, I got two coats on a third of it and I painted one of the medallions.  I have to take a picture of it for you guys, because it looks so unbelievably better now that it's painted out white!  It was a long night; I stayed up until 3am painting, drinking wine.  (Note to self: do not place wine glass under area of ceiling you are painting... it will drip.)

On Sunday, I started with the floor.

I had borrowed a friends circular saw, jig saw, compressor and nail gun.  What you are seeing above is a 3/8" thick piece of OSB, that was extremely difficult to remove.  The reason I was removing it was because the spruce Hubs had bought to patch the floor was just a tiny bit too high with this OSB down.  I would have to remove it and replace it with 1/4" thick piece.

I used the saws to cut holes and try to lift off the osb, but it just continued to break off into small pieces.  I continued to work on this for about two hours.

I cut through a wire.... ? Hmmm - I'm pretty sure it's knob and tube.  At least I know it's not live (and thank God for that).

My plaster ceiling below.... I kept picturing myself stepping on it and ending up in the living room like Tom Hanks in The Money Pit.

Two hours is I cut back some osb to find this....

This is about the time I started to cry... not before picking up the paper, of course, realising what it was and promptly putting it back down.

Thoughts going through my head at this point, in no particular order, sometimes all at once.

"Great, now I'm going to get cancer and die in thirty years"
"Do I have to call in someone to get rid of this?? I don't have time!"
"How on earth am I going to finish this before the flooring guy gets here on Tuesday??"
"Ugh, worst time for Hubs to take his camping trip EVER"
"I should have just gotten laminate"
"I wonder if it's too late to just call back the flooring guy and buy laminate"

Serious.

My sister, sometimes strangely the most calm and rational person I know (other times, quite the opposite), had her rational hat on that day.  She told me to shut up and stop being an idiot.  There was no way I was getting laminate.  She and Ryan would be down that night to help me finish everything.

....sigh of relief followed by a glass of wine and some more painting.

Back to the asbestos.  As I've mentioned in a previous post, asbestos is safest when it is left alone.  In a state like paper or tiles (as opposed to vermiculite insulation) it's not that dangerous unless you start tearing the stuff apart.  Then it becomes very dangerous.  The best solution for us was to cover the paper back up with flooring and not disturb it.  So that is what we did.

Thanks to a good nights sleep and our combined super-strength, it took Anna and I approximately 20 minutes to finish the job.  Please not the Rona bag and pieces of wood strategically placed over the loose asbestos paper.  There is also some wrapped around the duct - which was one of the typical uses for it.

Yay! New OSB in with duct cut out.

Painting Progress

Last I left you guys, I had attempted a journey to finish a list of insane proportions.  Needless to say, I had a minor emotional breakdown and the list didn't get finished.

But, before that happened, some painting did get accomplished.  Most of it is actually finished (apart from the ceilings, an extra coat in the dining room, the front hall closet and one medallion) but I don't have proper photos yet.  I do, however, have some fun progress shots!

So, in regards to paint colours, the last time I was talking about a new colour scheme, due to my older, reliable sofa being replaced but a younger, more attractive piece (sniff).

After much deliberation, it was a completely fluke that helped us decide on a colour scheme. Hubs and I were sitting on the new chaise when we noticed that his shorts (navy with pinstripes), his shirt (a coral coloured t-shirt) and the chaise all looked really nice together! And that was it. My sister came to visit and we went to Benjamin Moore to get our paint!

I'm a huge fan of Aura paints - really low-VOC, virtually no smell and it covers like no paint I've ever used. Two coat guarantee, no matter what colour (even RED).  However, once we got to BM, I saw their "Natura" line. It has no VOCs and doesn't smell.  It doesn't cover quite as well as Aura (because nothing does), but it's available in every possible colour! Now, I'm not sure if you know anything about no-VOC paints, but it's the dark colours that are the most toxic, because the  volatile organic compounds are found in the pigments, themselves.  So, most no-VOC paints I have come across only come in a range of whites and pastels.  BM has managed to create a no-VOC paint that still works with dark colours.   Sometimes, I love technology.

 

Our colours.

 

Our first attempt at some colour;

it's amazing how different colours look in the store, on a swatch.

 

The stairwell colour - no more beige! (Pardon the mess.)

 

Bye bye baby-tealy-blueish-green.

 

Oh Danny, what a schmuck!

 

Ahhh... I love white walls :) BM Marble White & BM Colonial Brick. The brick colour is very surprising. Sometimes it looks a little pink, other times or orange or even a dark red. I love how it changes with the light - it makes the space so dynamic.

Every day we find proof of idiocy/laziness and getting an idea of what this house looked like at one point. This wall paper in the dining room, dark teal walls and trim in hallway, living room and upstairs, seafoam green carpet.... Serious.

 

Again!? Seriously, dog.

I know - not that much for you guys to look at in terms of the painted spaces. There will be more of that to come soon. I promise!

Say 'No' to Beige

Oh beige... the bane of my existence the last couple years.  Honestly, beige in-and-of-itself is a fine tone, but it seems that everyone, in this country at least, has forgotten that there are... wait for it... other colours!! I know, crazy idea. (Is it just me, or is it slightly ironic that I'm over-saturated by the colour beige?)

When we were selling our last house, we went from a ridiculous array of colours (it was my house as a university student and 'fun' was definitely the theme) to beige... everywhere.  Okay, the kitchen and bathroom were taupe.  I know, risky.  But the truth is, so many people cannot see their own furniture within a space unless you give them a 'neutral' background.  We began painting long before the house was sold and so we got to spend quite a bit of time in our beige bubble - it even started getting to Tony (let's be honest, it started getting to me the day we finished painting everything).  But it got the house sold, and that was the point.  It actually looked pretty good, it was just... so beige. (I think our bland, student furniture contributed to the overall blahness of the space.)

So now we're in our new house and it's beige... wonderful.  Well, the living room is anyway, along with the living room carpet, which puts us, once again in a beige bubble.

Since there hasn't been much activity going on here lately in terms of anything valid to share with you, I thought I would post our intended colour scheme for the house.  So far, the master bedroom and guest room have been painted and the rest waits patiently.

The overall intent is to paint the downstairs in dark earthy tones.  It's meant to be a very comfy and hugging space, and since our windows are large, I think we can get away with such dark tones.  The accent wall is the wall behind the stairs that connects the two levels, so we tried to find something that would look good with both the brown and the straw colour for the hallway (see some beigey-toned colour - I'm not completely against it, I promise!)

I'm most excited for the dining room - I've always wanted a really intense, dark dining area. It's more reminiscent of the colours that would have been in this house originally. Check this out:

Great, isn't it?? And I thought our colours were intense.  I got it from Old House Colours, a great site to give you inspiration for your old house, whether it's Victorian or Arts & Crafts.

So back at our house....
The upstairs, being the sleeping and working area, is meant to be a retreat, hence the softer colour pallet in the hallway and bedrooms.  The inspiration for the master started with this baby:

We try to buy as much as we can from the Restore, second hand stores and garage sales, but Ikea is still a serious vice for me (and now that we moved within a ten-minute drive, I really have to be careful, yikes!).  Anyway, we loved this image as soon as we saw it - it's about eight feet across and five feet tall - and it emanates the exact vibe we wanted in our bedroom: a calm, serene escape.

The main bathroom needs some serious sex-appeal - I think you can all attest to that!  With the dark tiles we figured an intense grey would be perfect, and even though it is a step away from the lighter tones upstairs, the neutrality (is that even a word?) of the grey still works with everything else.  We are in the process of painting all the accessories (and maybe fixtures) black, so it'll look really sharp when it's done.

Thanks for stopping by!
-a.

The Best $4 You'll Ever Spend

Anyone from Hamilton just said "Agreed."

Back in pur-Galt-ory we used to go to Cora for breakfast.  If you've ever been, you know that you usually drive across town, wait for thirty minutes to an hour, eat deliciousness and pay up to $50 in the end!  (Granted, the one time we did spend $50, Tony and I each ordered two meals... we got a little carried away.  To be fair, usually it was more like $30).

Nowadays, living in Harbour West in Hamilton we saunter over to The Harbour Diner, wait about five to ten minutes, eat deliciousness and pay $4 each.  No kidding.  Owners Erin and Chris provide a wonderful atmosphere and food that makes you feel like someone actually cares what you think of it!  Great presentation and complete happiness in my tummy, every time.  Feast, my friends... feast.

For a whopping four dollars, I got

 eggs - poached easy, seasoned home fries, a side of rye toast....

... and a side of tomatoes marinated in a balsamic vinegar.  

For you omnivores out there, instead of the tomatoes you can get a side of country ham, sausage or bacon... or if you're really splurging, for an extra two bucks, you can have all three!

I bet you're all hungry now.  I definitely am.... blast.

-a.

Found object heaven

Sometimes I forget about Kijiji.  And then someone sends me a link with an incredible find for a laughably small amount of money, and I scold myself thinking "How could I forget about Kijiji!?"

Well, yesterday, thanks to Naomi's onslaught of suggestions from the site, Tony and I went out and picked up our first set of chairs from a wonderful woman in Burlington.  I am not going to let you see them just yet... I know, not very nice of me.  But what I will do, is show you where we are looking for inspiration and the sort of vibe we are trying to create in our house.

I don't really do the 'brand new, spic-and-span' sort of thing... I love furniture and objects that look lived in and loved; pieces that have history, that are well made and that have a story to tell always draw me to them.  I also crave to be different, it might actually be a problem.  I always admired my baby sister for dressing in things she seems to just have made up, and yet always looking so cool - okay sometimes she looks like a homeless person, but most of the time she hits it right on.

Anyway, given mine and Tony's love for recycling and reusing and our perpetual lack of funds, buying used goods is a perfect solution.

| Randome Side-note |

I think avoiding new things is also a self preservation thing.  You know when you get something new, say a car, you dread that first scratch, or dent or imperfection that will no longer make it new.  After that, the second or third imperfection is never as bad, because you've already surpassed that first one.  I hate that feeling.. especially when you know it's going to get scratched and used.. it's a car.  And unless you're driving the new Mercedes SLS AMG you're just using it to get around. Yes, you want to respect it, but let's be serious.. rocks, bugs, birds and the occasional rodent will put a little damper on the 'new look' pretty quickly.  So, the point is, used things already have scratches and imperfections.  You never have to experience the disappointment of that 'first scratch' ever again.  Pretty liberating feeling, isn't it?

| End Random Side-note |

One of my favourite sites is apartmenttherapy.com; it is an great source for inspiration.  It's also just really fun to peruse and enjoy with great photographs and collections of wonderful spaces, made unique by their owners.

Here are some photographs from the site.  They are of dining spaces that reflect the sort of love and comfort that I am hoping we will be able to eminate in our home.  The colours and styles may vary, but the idea we are hoping for is there.

Very fun, no?  I am very excited.  The table we have right now is from the As-Is section at Ikea (I LOVE that section).  How can you go wrong with a solid wood table for half price?  A scratch? I'm pretty sure I can deal with a scratch or two.  (I'm also pretty sure I've put some scratches of my own in there already).

 Anyway, this is the table, the Bjursta table which seats 14 once you put the two leaves in.

Except we have it in this colour:

It must not be available anymore in the antique stain.  It's a really simple design, so we are hoping that the mismatched chairs will work nicely and add a different dimension to the room without overwhelming the space.  We should have all the chairs by the end of the weekend, so I will be sure to post the pictures then.

-a.

Win some, lose some, learn some

Sanding and refinishing floors is supposed to be relatively straight forward and easy.  So says everyone.  However, if you have three layers of paint on your floors, it becomes slightly less so.  Throw in that one of those layers is oil paint and your theory of "Let's refinish the floors in one weekend and move into the bedroom" goes flying out the window.

The good news is that we got the majority of the floors sanded.  The bad news is that there is still the hallway and some edging to do, meaning we have to rent the drum sander again and buy more sandpaper.


Things we have learned

• The sandpaper is way more expensive than you'd think.  It's more expensive than renting the actual equipment. 

• Oil paint does not come off with a sander.  It gunks up and destroys the sheet in about 4.356 seconds.

 Exhibit A | Destroyed sandpaper

Exhibit B | Gunk

• You need paint stripper.  For the most non-toxic option, we chose to use Circa 1850 Soft Strip.  There is also 3M Safest Stripper Paint and Varnish Remover but I wasn't able to find it in stores, just online.  The Soft Strip is biodegradable and the smell isn't nearly as bad as with most paint stippers, however, it is still advisable to wear a proper hepa filger mask and goggles, open up all the windows and keep your pets far away from the area.

• The edge sander isn't nearly as effective as we had hoped... we're going to try to use the belt sander to do the rest of the edges.

Here are some progress pics.  There is still a looooong way to go, but at least it's starting to look decent - the hardwood floor does look freaking fantastic, if I do say so myself.

So, for now we stay in the living room.  One day we will have a master bedroom... or any bedroom for that matter.  One day....

-a.

Happy Birthday from Danny!

I guess Danny, our beloved Blue Heeler/Aus. Shephered mix wanted to call me to wish me a happy birthday. 

How nice.
-a.

Asbestos Abatement Complete!

So the day has come and the asbestos has gone!  Check out these pics of our 'new' floor.

So the step is a bit of an issue, but we'll deal with it.

Chimney flue... toilet flange...? No idea, but it's in the hallway.

A couple holes in the floor.

But look how thick the flooring is!

Next step: remove all the nails with needlenose pliers. Fun fun!

-a.