Ceiling height entry mirror

We got our mirror installed a while back, by these guys. Not a single day I regreted my decision. Great for tight spaces and has a lot of impact:

The wood that's picking through in the first image got turned into a hanger, shelve and a bench - a post to follow:)
SO need to paint the remaining walls, change carpeting on stairs and buy a new ceiling light. What do you think of this one?

Besta shelving unit as linen closet

I’m very pleased to report that our linen closet no longer is a big hole in the wall but very neat and glossy storage unit: Quite a departure from the original structure, don’t you agree?:After ripping the original old shelves out, we went to Ikea and got this shelving unit to insert into the niche instead. It fit the space almost perfectly. As you can see, it was a bit short at the bottom; we used leftover Ikea kitchen cabinetry legs (that can be adjusted to the desired height) to lift it up: And just like with out bedroom PAX but only at the bottom, we closed it off with a white plank and a bit of caulking: The glossy door was on sale to our luck so we got it too to close off the future mess inside:): I haven't finalized the inside organization yet. For now it's just shelves. But I am very tempted to play around with other Besta system interior fittings. Like this mirrored shelves that can be used as a bar, maybe? Or these drawers that can be added later on? Love the endless possibilities and the convenience.
Once again, thank you, Ikea:)

Stopping halfway

First, let me tell you what it is actually like to be on vacation at home: cooking, cleaning, folding laundry. Remember Miranda's words in SATC about having a maid: “It’s like if I’m not working, I should be cleaning or making pies”.
I’m down four days of my well-deserved vacation and it seems that all my activities are happening in the kitchen. Husband comes from work hungry – I make sure there is food. On the plate and in the fridge/pantry. Otherwise I get “you were at home all day, why didn’t you cook”? And with his workouts and manual labour, I feel like I’m living with an always hungry man.
I started using dishwasher. I’m not subjecting my hands to washing dishes three times a day, everyday. And I'm thinking of getting a slow cooker to minimize the dinner cooking time!

But enough complaining. I was able to do my black wall. Or halfway black wall, to be exact. And I think I’m stopping at just that. I was tempted to go all the way up, really, but I felt it might be too much for this space: What do you think?

Oh, please ignore the wooden air vent sticking out, it's living its last few days before being replaced.

Entryway slate progress

Perhaps not my smartest decision as a decorator (or a loving wife) but I can’t help it – I love it! Even though I get some very frustrated replies from V, like “next time, you’ll be cutting them”, I can’t help but admire the progress. So far, it’s coming out exactly like I imagined it.
Yes, slate is not easy to work with, especially if you’re laying it out in the herringbone pattern. Since it’s a stone, not all tiles are equal in size and it’s not easy to cut through it. V is matching each tile immaculately so the pattern doesn’t go off in the next row. I wish we had time to make a proper tutorial on how to work with slate to make it easier for other DIYers out there. I guess I'll just have to accept that this is not that type of blog after all:(

Bench and hooks plan

Source, via

This image demonstrates the idea of our plan for the entryway clothes organization. Simple, open, with no closets in sight. V liked the simplicity of this approach but I was very hesitant to it at first. Not having any storage with doors to hide our outerwear did not look appealing to me. Then I looked at our current situation - the sliding doors we have are never used or closed. All we use inside of our "closet" is the metal bar to hang coats/jackets and shelve above it (which we plan to include) to hold our hats and scarves. I’m also not a bag (shoe) lady, so not having lots of shoe storage doesn’t frighten me at all.
As I mentioned in my last post, I’m hoping to get these. Since they come in set of three, I plan to hang them one on top of another so that the first compartment could hold gloves and mittens and use the other two for shoes.

I'm righting this as V's picking up our slate tiles. Can’t wait for this project to start!

Wallpaper or black paint?

Source

Source, via

These are the two options I’m considering for our little entry: black wall (not chalk paint) or “Woods” wallpaper (I've been drooling over it ever since I saw it!).
Both options I love and it’s really hard to pick one.
Considering the dark slate we’re putting in (yet to be picked up, we’re so behind!), the black wall might be too much for such little space. On the other hand, wallpaper will eventually get scratched and banged up in this high traffic volume spot, so is it worth it?
Then I found this entry, which I also like:

Via

White walls, black floor and artwork on the ledges. Oh, and I really want to include these narrow Ikea shoe cabinets in the same way as the above photo.
Not only you can store shoes in them, the top can serve as a shelve for keys, sunglasses or mail. If only I could convince V to get them, he’s not crazy over the fact that they’re made of plastic :(

If you have any thoughts on this, please voice them out. It’s really hard to have these decor talks with my hubby, all I get is “I don’t care, you choose” - not much to rely on.
Hope you're having a productive Monday!

Slate for entryway

Ideally this is the type of entryway I'd go for (minus the overpromoted Hunter boots, of course):

Source

A big mirror on the wall, wooden wall-hung console for keys and gloves and hardwood on the floor. Ideally. If we had no winters or rainy autumns. If we had sun shining throughout the year and salt drugging home on your boots was not an issue. But this is Canada, folks. We have four very distinguished seasons and entryway is the place to test how well it can hold up to dirt, water, leaves and salt.

Our white and slippery tiles failed in this instance and have to go. In fact, I’m so tired of cleaning the spot and, what’s most irritable - of seeing the dirt right back in after I clean it, that I’m ready to change it for something much more practical, like slate. So this weekend I did a bit of research on it and found out that it is widely used. It helps trap any water or dirt that you may track in, and its dark colors are very forgiving. Also, the natural slip-resistance quality makes slate a smart choice for intense spots like kitchen, entryways and stairs. In our dear city I could find only one tile store that carries slate in the shape I wanted - Ceragres (can't believe I didn't know about this awesome tile store earlier) and this is what I'm thinking of in terms of slate tiles: I love the roughness, the natural feel and the colour. Arranged in herringbone pattern with a very little gap in between - perfect entrance floor recipe:

Source

And I've checked with V, he has no clue how to lay that out but is willing to try:)!

New railings

So now when you walk into our humble aboad this is what you see first thing: instead of this: That's right - "bye-bye" old wall railings, "hello" sexy fresh ones! The simplicity, the modern feel, the dark stain, what more can you wish for, right? Once the wooden poles and black metal spindles were in place, we couldn’t believe the difference! The whole space lit up immediately (the carpet on the stairs and wall colour is yet to be updated). It was such a pleasure working with our contractor Isabelle from “A Step Above”. It was the first time we hired someone to help us with the project in the house and I really recommend this local shop if you have a staircase that needs an update. Not only we were happy with the product and installation, we also would like to thank Isabelle for taking that extra step and helping us with the prep work that V decided to do himself. That certainly made the process go smoother and we've learned something:).

I tell you, it is very rewarding to DIY renos even if they're pain but it feels so much better having someone else make the project happen for you!

The reno man I can't keep up with

I really have to watch my man during these reno times. This may come as a shock, but we don’t do things cheek to cheek around here. Yes, we are both determined to get the house updated, we agree (most of the times) on finishes we want but we NEVER ever find compromise when it comes to deadlines, plans or progress. Hell, I'm lucky if I get a "before" shot most of the times. Usually, I come home and find things already being started and worked on. V has his own schedule and vision that doesn’t align with my desire to properly blog about things around here.
Kudos to those couples who diy things hand in hand and a camera close by.(big sigh) In our little family it is SO not the case…

So this week I came home from work to yet another sudden surprise: The bulky, blocking-all-the-light 80s wall rails that we've been living with for almost two years: were gone: and we’ve officially started our staircase redesign (and hopefully mud room right after). V sawed off the railing, patched up walls (not pictured) and prepared the base for contractor to install new rails on. We’ve also chosen new carpet for our modest (but still very noticeable) 12 stairs.
Oh, the little patch of white tile you see on image three is our tiny entrance. Bad choice of colour and texture for such important spot, if you ask me, but that’s a story for another day.

New interior doors

For around $60 a pop ($25 per door, plus the trim), these were a no-brainer for us and we had purchased three for the first floor. Don’t they look crisp and fresh? We also went with simple round door handles that came in a pack of four for $35. I love Home Depot!:)
As you can see from the picture we still need to add the outer trim and baseboards. Lots of base-boarding and detailing ahead but I definitely see the light at the end of this reno tunnel!:)

Hardwood installation - in progress, other projects - not

This past weekend V’ve started laying out hardwood and it looks absolutely stunning (minus the dust). I'm so glad we decided to go with dark hardwood and paid a little extra for it - nothing beats its sophisticated look. And I'm all up for its demanding maintenance - I love washing wooden floors with few drops of my favourite "Murphy Oil soap"!

If you can see form the image, the walls in the living room got painted white. It made such difference - the whole space opened up right away! Paired with dark hardwood - "win win" situation:)

View from the patio door onto two bedrooms and living room. Ugh, dusty!

Seeing V working hard on the living room made me realize that I have been a total slacker and haven't progressed an inch on my part of the deal: curtains and art. Yes, I've ordered some swatches and did some research on art (post to follow) but I haven't sketched anything and have a complete blank canvas in my mind as far as the art goes. Abstract? Landscape? Still-life? Should I go big and bold or light and minimalistic for our space? As an artist with no definite "style", it's really hard for me to settle on something specific - there are so many options! Maybe I'll wait until the floor is done completely, then an inspiration will strike!

Let there be light!

Ever since we moved into our little semi, we’ve been dreaming up a day when we have enough $$ saved to change the back door. Not only the original wooden door looked ugly, it was blocking all the light coming into the room in the colder months when the door remained closed (please ignore the ugly curtains): In the summer, we had it open to let in the sun and it was taking up much needed real estate (not crazy about the cheap screen door either): At first, we wanted to combine the window and the door and install a big, four panel patio door, so basically the whole wall would be one big window. But even with somewhat reasonable quotes, the installation of something this big would have required a few major modifications to the overall wall construction and a redesign of our already well built deck (the door leads to the deck). Considering other projects in a queue, we’ve settled on a simpler option – change the existing door with an all glass, European style balcony door: I love how the room got lit up right away: As you may understand, this door required a bit of a wait, since it was made and shipped from Germany. Like three months wait. But when it’s something you really know will work for you, the wait is all worth it:) I can't wait to see it all dressed up in pretty drapery!
But that's a totally different post.:)

Small living room planning: media shelve

If we are both fine with not having a traditional dining room, the media “centre” is a must for us. Not because we watch TV THAT much (we actually never owned cable since landed in Canada), but because we do like to watch movies/tv series and an occasional Russian program to stay tuned.

So the plan is to have the TV mounted to this living room wall (hopefully these are the last images of the ugly back door): side view: As you can see from my sketches, the wall is on the way to our back entrance, which we use constantly in the summer to get to the patio and backyard, so ideally, we need something underneath the screen that won’t be sticking out too much but would still be practical enough to keep few necessary items, such as a remote control, photo camera, etc. and maybe an occasional vase with flowers:).

At first, I was taken by the idea of having few Ikea kitchen cabinets mounted to the wall together to form a floating sideboard, like here:

Source

or here (these aren't from Ikea but you get the idea):

Image via Anne Grice Interiors via Houzz

Pretty neat, right? White+solid wood+as less hardware as possible = my kinda of minimalism. Seems easy to do and V agreed to work on the wood top and match the stain to our hardwood. This option would also mean extra storage. My only concern is the bulkiness of such sideboard for our little space (see sketches above). Even though there are cabinets under 15” in depth available, I still feel that this option might be a bit too heavy for our room. But like V said, we won't really know until we try it.

In case if the sideboard idea won't work, I have a plan B. Which is to build a wall shelve or unit of shelves from scratch that would be the size and configuration we want. Something like this, maybe:

Source

I love the simplicity of this shelve and no pointy edges. I've already asked V if he would be able to built something like this and he seemed intrigued.

What do you think? What would you suggest?

Not on the same page

For the past few days V and I have been on the outs, reno-wise. The cause is very simple - I want the progress to go faster, he doesn’t agree = frustration. Don’t get me wrong, we are on the same page most of the times and when it comes to important decisions, but when it comes to timing – apples and oranges.

Seeing happy couples renovating together and reporting progress almost daily, doesn’t help either. I’m pretty sure what most of them won’t tell you, is that things don’t always go cheek to cheek. Quite the opposite actually, what one sees as “must finish this asap, can’t live in this mess”, another one interprets as “it will get done, sooner or later, the mess doesn’t really bother me”.

Teamwork is a very fragile concept for couples who renovate by themselves, my friends, and some times there isn’t any at all.

Take our living room for example, it’s been started more than a week ago, and there hasn’t been any progress whatsoever. The company we ordered the patio door from, seemed to have lost our address and all my attempts to convince V to inquire (the installer is one of his contacts) are met with a very grumpy grim.

Deep breath. I also keep telling myself that I’m a woman (I know it sounds ridiculous, but sometimes I really need to remind that to myself), therefore, I should know better, I should act smarter, I should be more patient. And yes, I tried to see things from my hubby’s perspective, unfortunately, it didn't work. If anything, it only made me more frustrated and not just with our situation but with how men see things in general (ok, maybe some men). I also realized that I do want to live in pretty surroundings, I do want to start decorating, I do want to see PROGRESS and I demand to be listened to!

There. My contribution to the women’s rights movement.

Wait, I think I hear a power tool being started…

P.S. Inspite of our reno disagreements, we've been witnessing this super cute hard-working squirrel for days now. All he/she does, is running to our pine tree on top of our fence, collecting pine cones and then running back to his nest with one pine cone at a time all day long! Adorable and totally my kind of dedication to the process:)

Squeaky floors and some irony

V had to make these openings in order to make the squeaky floor stop squeaking. Apparently screws didn’t work in some spots due to the fact that the joints underneath the plywood were loose and were making the noise, not the plywood.
I took some part in this process too. I had to jump on some spots while V went downstairs to locate the source; it was definitely teamwork:) With the living room in the works, we’ve moved our modest belongings to the extra bedroom:

Soon the living room floor will be same as in this picture. The coffee table needs to be finished. I've started sanding it last fall and haven't touched it since. Furniture makeovers are clearly not my thing.

This set-up will do for now, but I told V that we need to hurry. The dust from working with wood is everywhere, and as much as I try to vacuum and air out the rooms, it comes back the next day.

Funny coincidence happened the other day - I was flipping through some home styling magazine and came across a renovation story about a couple that bought their place but didn’t move in right away. They hired a company to do the renovations first and a design firm to help them decide on finishes. I could only laugh at the irony as I was reading it. I mean, here I am, sitting on my couch in a house that is partially unlivable, with plastic screen instead of the door protecting me from renos dust and I’m looking at this immaculately styled living room with people sharing how they “survived the renos”?! Oh, the irony…
In all seriousness though, we’ve been offered a place to move out while living room renos are in progress. The offer was tempting, I must admit. But we chose to stay. Call us crazy, but this is our reality these days and we think that it’s all part of the greater experience that we're going through together, no matter how messy it might be.:)