Library Update and a HomeGoods find!

There has been some patching/plastering and sanding!

In general, when we (Brent) get to working on a room the steps are:

1. Clear it out. 
2. Scrape wallpaper if present. Ugh...the worst...thankfully we only have one room left where this will have to happen (3rd floor bathroom)
3. Assess the ceiling and wall damage.
4. Scrape (see the sexy new HEPA vac??), gouge, and prep to plaster.
5. Coat of thin set.
6. Sand.
7. Repeat steps 4 & 5 MANY times until first the ceiling, and then the walls are as smooth as you want them to be.
8. Prime well.
9. Paint at least two coats (ceiling first, then walls).

Note that none of this is particularly highly skilled, it's just a lot of elbow grease, time, and audio books listened to.

I found this on Pinterest by studio36 as my jumping off point for using Ikea to make "built-in" shelves around the faux fireplace.

http://studio36interiors.com/diy-built-in-bookcase-reveal-an-ikea-hack/ 

As you can tell, a prior owner had tried a similar feat...it just...wasn't....what we are going for.


Here are some of my inspo pics for the Library:

http://coryconnordesigns.com/portfolio/living-spaces

Do you SEE the cloud wallpaper on the ceiling??
http://www.traditionalhome.com/category/beautiful-homes/stylish-update-historic-detroit-home?page=9 

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/home-libraries-slideshow#14 

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/76/3e/15/763e157ab8576741d8969149ff8d78e0.jpg

As you can see, I'm fairly obsessed with a dark blue/gray color. I plan to incorporate coral as the accent color, which ties it all back to my wallpaper choice for the dining room.  I am very into the examples where the trim and walls are the same color.  As the trim in this one room has already been senselessly painted, I'm going with it. The window trim is still up for debate in our house at the moment...but I think it totally changes the vibe to pop white up in there.

See?

It's just not the same...

The sectional, Brent's recliner, and the rug will be staying in the library. I've already been collecting coral and navy accessories. I'm on the hunt for:

1. Window treatments

• Brent wants plantation shutters - anyone know where to get the kind that can split and be open on the top half and don't cost a fortune?? Now that we have a paint sprayer, getting them the same color wouldn't be hard.
• I am into the look of the middle piece here (no heavy curtains in this room):

2. A new coffee table. Probably something round that will not kill you if you walk/fall into it and Tessa can use to eat/draw on occasionally without having an anxiety attack. 

3. Some lighting options and side tables. 

4. What to hang on the walls that do not have the bookshelves or TV.

Speaking of wall hangings! After MANY months of hunting Marshalls, HomeGoods, various websites including Minted (sooo pretty, but too $$$) and Wayfair/Overstock/Joss & Main, I have found artwork for the Living Room! 

It is as large as I was hoping (part of why so $$ other places....), has the right colors and tones to go with the furniture and wallpaper that will someday be in the Dining Room next door, and makes me think of the Connecticut shore without screaming, "BEACHY! I BELONG IN THE BEACH HOUSE YOU WILL NEVER HAVE." I hate artwork like that. 

Are you ready??

Clearly, it still needs to be hung on the wall...but...it was found ON CLEARANCE (less than $100) at the HomeGoods in Bedford, MA.  Tessa tells me daily she likes "my new paint," so I'm keeping it. 

Bonus, while on the return trip to pick up the painting (because it AND Tessa could not both fit in Brent's car...oops that was not a fun discovery), I also scored this fun bowl to accessorize the library.

Once the library furniture can move back in, I look forward to putting some finishing touches on the living room (window treatments, hanging things, possible additional chair). But that's a ways off...still need to pick a paint color... do you have any favorite navy's/deep blues/bluish grays to recommend we consider? 

http://lauradesignco.com/blog/2015/7/30/source-book-the-best-navy-paints

I also like Farrow & Ball Stiffkey Blue...Benjamin Moore Van Deussen Blue, and Benjamin Moore's Gentleman's Gray (which we used in the Powder Room).  Let us know what colors you like the best!

Chipping away...

More bedroom touches, countertop in the butler's pantry, insulation, scraping wallpaper, work on my office

Hello, again!  With school in full-swing, the last few weeks have not been focused on the house, but we have still been chipping away!

I made two more changes in the bedroom:

1. Spray painted the Ikea bedside tables gold (I used Rustoleum)

2. Switched out the arts and crafts knobs on the dresser Brent refinished for oval brass ones

For me, spray paint was definitely easier than Rub n' Buff, but I will admit I like the finish on the overhead fixture better, but not enough to apply the rub n' buff by hand to the two lamps...

Changing the knobs was one move in my quest to balance out the masculine side of our bedroom. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the strong geometric patterns and dark wood, but the room still needs a bit of softening. Plus, the brass elsewhere highlights the nailheads on the bed.

With two changed...

Ta-da!

The marble countertop has been installed in the butler's pantry, making it a functional surface.  I love that little room more and more...the storage is HUGE, the window and original sink are a happy reminder of our home's age. The marble is classic, won't get a ton of wear and tear in there, and lightens up the dark cabinetry. We still have work to do in there - patching the walls and repairing the inside of the cabinets, installing a backsplash (I'm leaning towards antique mirror tiles to further brighten it up) and possibly a small throw rug, oh... and restore the window and under-cabinet lighting.

We have not had a ceiling in several places since....June. This includes the mudroom and powder room, which had heavy damage from leaks and ice dams, and the 2nd floor bathroom ceiling.  A speed bump in putting the ceilings back in the mudroom/powder room has been insulating first. This was becoming more apparent over the past few weeks as the temperature dropped, and there was literally a breeze back there.  But, this weekend, Brent checked that one off the list! After some research and talking with other friends who have DIY-ed spray foam, Brent chose Foam it Green. First he put up rigid insulation on the outer walls, then sprayed, then added some batting insulation. It's nice and cozy now!

We are also on our way towards paint in the Living Room! After several false starts at scraping, Brent dove in and got it done over several evenings this week.  Friday night we washed the walls, and today Brent started patching and sanding.

Tessa helping clean up.

Tessa "taking pictures of Daddy working."

This last picture brings up a recent event...Tessa woke up in the middle of the night, sick with a fever and insisting, beside herself, that we had to get dressed and go to Home Depot right now...to buy paint...for her room...brown paint! She literally had a tantrum about this very specific errand, for 25 minutes. Now I know most of that was the fever but, between that and her documenting Daddy's work...I think a bit of our DIY-ness is rubbing off. Also, she now says, "because they are old and we have to be nice to them," when asked why we cannot slam the doors in this house.

Hoping for some paint in the living room next weekend!

Here's one of my inspiration pics - still crushing on a velvet green couch, and I'm considering Edgecomb Gray for the paint color.

http://www.cocokelley.com/2013/09/go-for-the-green-sofa/ 

Knowing that the Dining Room will be quite vibrant with the wallpaper that will one day be there, I want the Living Room to be a bit more subdued.

I've also done a bit of work on my office...that'll be its own post...soon?

Open Shelves

Today was a busy one for the kitchen - Brent went into the shop to finish the drawers, then fitted them in and is now finishing them in the basement, and we got our open shelves up for display!  Here are some pics:

 

 I love that they give us the ability to break up the long wall of white windows, cabinets, and tile, especially since we have almost no wall-space to use to decorate in the space.


The one negative is that they block the one LED light from reaching the counter...we'll see how they feel over the next few days.  I can say that from the dining room - they look awesome!

Also, I really love those mini green goblets I scored at TJ Maxx!  They've been hiding in a cabinet for months - I missed them!

I'm sure I'll try about 900 different objects on those shelves :)  I might also add a mix of things we actually use all the time - like our small white Ikea bowls.

Baker Weekend #2

This weekend we had the luck of getting to host Larry and Elsie again!  The kitchen definitely came in handy when making snacks and supper Saturday night, as well as our bagel bar this morning.

There was relaxation, visiting, chatting, and a little bit of house work.  Brent and his parents added a touch of fall to our front yard with some cornstalks, pumpkins, and mums (BC colors, of course).  There was also a small corn-hole tournament.

 
The two little projects that got done were to hang the curtain hardware on the remaining two windows, (we are using our dishtowels until the curtains are done), and to install a HomeGoods bargain find for a temporary hanging of coats solution in the mudroom.  It was on clearance!  It has enough hooks to get us going, and a great little shelf.

Love the rustic feel, vintage industrial look, and imperfections.

It's a good match with the darker metals, too.

Larry was most helpful in getting these two tasks accomplished.  Thanks, Dad!

More fun accessory finds, curtain work, ikea

Besides working on the curtains with Colleen this weekend,

Colleen pinning a hem

I did a lot of measuring and cutting...not so much on the sewing, though I did progress to some pinning! 

I also was on the hunt for some more accessories.   (Curtains will be finished up next weekend and pictures will come...maybe a preview sometime this week.)

Anyway, I had AMAZING luck at the Home Goods in Acton.  They always have the BEST selection of really current home accessories.

I loved this file system - but we need 2 not 4.   The chicken wire would really go well with my previous TJ find candle holders and our storage bins under the island from Sur La Table...but it wasn't a perfect fit, so no buying!

 Here is what I DID find and take home:

• The green, petite glasses will look great on the open shelving we got from Ikea today!  (They will go between the windows on the sink wall.)

• The burlap-covered canisters will go a long way in warming up the space - I want to add so me more darker accents to warm up the space/ground all of the bright white.

• The mini pots de creme remind us of a very romantic dinner we had in Portland, Maine, and I would like to display them as well.

We've decided on dark hardware for the curtains (though it needs to be modified because it pushes the curtains too far out from the wall), and we think these accessories will help tie in that metal choice.  I don't generally like only one metal in a space - it feels too matchy-matchy to me.  In the guest room and kitchen now, we have incorporated some darker metal and some more modern brushed nickel and even some polished chrome.

Dark metal elements in the kitchen so far include: the candle holders, the wire baskets, and the counter stools.  We also found these PERFECT soap dispensers today at Target - green AND with the darker metal! (Good eye, Brent!)

We got two - one tall and one squat - one for dish soap and one for hand soap.
Love the old-fashioned lever pump as well.

The darker metal also relates the lighting fixtures in the mudroom, dining room, and foyer, and is a nod to the arts and crafts time period of our bungalow.

We are also trying to streamline our dish-ware and get rid of some beat up dishes that don't match or aren't used.  We still need to find some great large white mugs, but we refurbished our green Ikea dishes we already owned today so that we have a complete set of 8 for all pieces.

We found these matching large bowls that will be perfect for dinner salads.  (The picture below is closer to the color of the dishes in real-life, btw.)

These small white bowls are just the right size for cereal and ice cream.

This week is exciting - both sets of our parents will be in our kitchen by Friday night!  And since our parents are our biggest fans, it will surely give us the boost we need to get the last of the projects done! :)