Please stand by...
Sorry, I don't have anything new to share with you today. I usually try to do one house related thing whenever I have free time but life got in the way this weekend.
But the good news is that my wallpaper arrived so I can start figuring out a way to affix it to the back of the shelves in the built-in. One problem I wasn't expecting was that the roll isn't as wide as I thought. Yes, I should have read the dimensions but I just assumed it would be wider. So I think I may lay it out horizontally instead of vertically (to avoid seeing the seams running down). More to come.
And the Walmart bedding I ordered has arrived! Its definitely cream rather than white but the pattern is most definitely black rather than charcoal. Oh well...it can still work. I'll wash it this week and see how it looks on the bed. Oh and must buy pillows!
Lastly, I got all the materials together for my moving announcements. I had big plans to do something really elaborate using wood veneer and custom made pens but I've scraped that idea totally for something a lot more simplistic. Should do the trick. Its probably better to send out something plain soon than something really "unique" in 6 months. ha
So please stand by - more to come soon!
Making of home office (part 2)
Let me just say right now that this "series" of office posts will have lots of chapters. You are now forewarned.
Problem #1 is that Mr. Limestone has commandeered this room as his own office until we can set up his office. So I'd say its likely more than a month before I can even start setting up.
Problem #2 is that I really don't have a good idea of how I'm going to lay everything out. Space is tight and I really want it to look chic and be very functional. I know, oxymoron.
So in an effort to spark some creative ideas about how best to set it up, here is a little montage of office inspirations.
I have a few pieces of furniture already like a black rectangular pottery barn desk and a large black framed corkboard. So Im pretty set on black to go against the teal walls but I really need help with the layout. The internet hookup is in the middle of the left wall so I'd prefer to keep the desks somewhere there so the wires can stay hidden.
Any suggestions for me on how best to arrange?
Let me just say right now that this "series" of office posts will have lots of chapters. You are now forewarned.
Problem #1 is that Mr. Limestone has commandeered this room as his own office until we can set up his office. So I'd say its likely more than a month before I can even start setting up.
Problem #2 is that I really don't have a good idea of how I'm going to lay everything out. Space is tight and I really want it to look chic and be very functional. I know, oxymoron.
So in an effort to spark some creative ideas about how best to set it up, here is a little montage of office inspirations.
I have a few pieces of furniture already like a black rectangular pottery barn desk and a large black framed corkboard. So Im pretty set on black to go against the teal walls but I really need help with the layout. The internet hookup is in the middle of the left wall so I'd prefer to keep the desks somewhere there so the wires can stay hidden.
Any suggestions for me on how best to arrange?
In the mail - cont'd
I came home last night to find a beautiful package (she even doodles on the exterior envelope!!) waiting for me from the lovely & talented Patricia van Essche of PVE Design. Hard to believe but the illustration she created for me is even more wonderful in person than it was on screen. And she was even so kind to matte it for me in a lovely shade of gray that will work so beautifully on my walls.
Patricia - Thank you so much!
Now I just need to find a frame so I can hang it right away!
I came home last night to find a beautiful package (she even doodles on the exterior envelope!!) waiting for me from the lovely & talented Patricia van Essche of PVE Design. Hard to believe but the illustration she created for me is even more wonderful in person than it was on screen. And she was even so kind to matte it for me in a lovely shade of gray that will work so beautifully on my walls.
Patricia - Thank you so much!
Now I just need to find a frame so I can hang it right away!
In the mail
Not too much happening at casa limestone this week but I am waiting for a few goodies in the mail.
First up is a bedding gamble. It was only $15 for both comforter and two pillow cases and I liked the pattern so I had to give it at try. The photo is deceiving since all the reviewers seem to complain that its actually cream rather than white. Since I want cream over white, it convinced me it was worth a shot. I think this must be the cheapest bedding ever! Worse case is that I hate it and I'll use the fabric for another project.
There isn't a Walmart near me so I don't really have that much experience with them. I suppose I should hate them for being an evil empire and all that but I assume my $15 isn't going to make or break this multi-billion dollar behemoth. (I'll admit, Im not entirely a Walmart virgin. Last year I stumbled upon this cast iron bird that worked ever so well for the baby shower I was planning at the time. If they have these little gems, their stuff can't all be crap. Right???) For all those luxe bedding fans, have no fear - if this cheapo bedding works out, I'll be pairing it with some very high thread count sheets and comfy pillows. This is just the dressing on top.
Moving along to something a little less budget friendly, I finally decided to just go for it with the wallpaper for the built-in. I know most prefered the lighter gold option but something was really speaking to me about the darker silver/charcoal pattern.
Another gamble I suppose. What might look great in a 8x10 square, might look aweful lining the entire thing. We'll see it turns out when the roll arrives. It just might
Lastly, I had hoped to get my moving announcements finished this weekend so I could mail them out. After all, it has been a little while since Ive had a permanent address. But that didn't happen so Im still announcement-less. I had all sorts of fun ideas of what was I going to do but as time is wearing on, it looks like its going to be a simple card. When and if I ever get them done, I'll be sure to post a snapshot.
Not too much happening at casa limestone this week but I am waiting for a few goodies in the mail.
First up is a bedding gamble. It was only $15 for both comforter and two pillow cases and I liked the pattern so I had to give it at try. The photo is deceiving since all the reviewers seem to complain that its actually cream rather than white. Since I want cream over white, it convinced me it was worth a shot. I think this must be the cheapest bedding ever! Worse case is that I hate it and I'll use the fabric for another project.
There isn't a Walmart near me so I don't really have that much experience with them. I suppose I should hate them for being an evil empire and all that but I assume my $15 isn't going to make or break this multi-billion dollar behemoth. (I'll admit, Im not entirely a Walmart virgin. Last year I stumbled upon this cast iron bird that worked ever so well for the baby shower I was planning at the time. If they have these little gems, their stuff can't all be crap. Right???) For all those luxe bedding fans, have no fear - if this cheapo bedding works out, I'll be pairing it with some very high thread count sheets and comfy pillows. This is just the dressing on top.
Moving along to something a little less budget friendly, I finally decided to just go for it with the wallpaper for the built-in. I know most prefered the lighter gold option but something was really speaking to me about the darker silver/charcoal pattern.
Another gamble I suppose. What might look great in a 8x10 square, might look aweful lining the entire thing. We'll see it turns out when the roll arrives. It just might
Lastly, I had hoped to get my moving announcements finished this weekend so I could mail them out. After all, it has been a little while since Ive had a permanent address. But that didn't happen so Im still announcement-less. I had all sorts of fun ideas of what was I going to do but as time is wearing on, it looks like its going to be a simple card. When and if I ever get them done, I'll be sure to post a snapshot.
Glimmers of progress...
First off, thanks so much for your input on the guest bedroom. It realy helps me narrow choices down to hear the great suggestions you've provided. And if you have any other ideas, please keep them coming. I think Im going to try to go in the direction of the charcoal grays with some sort of accent color. I say try because Im having a hard time envisioning but I found some bedding that has cream and charcoal in it on super clearance sale. So now thats on the way, I'll hold off until it arrives to see if Im in the right or wrong direction. More to come.
And since Im in a moving forward in the bedroom, I figured I might as show you my progress in the dining room too. The changes are hardly monumental but Im excited to see something other than a pile of boxes in here (and yes, I moved the pile o boxes into another room just so for the photos)
We sat down for our first dinner at the table last night and boy was that WEIRD. In our last house, we didn't have a dining room and our kitchen table was a tiny two seater. Very cozy. This time around we had to get up to pass each other things. So not used to that. But hey, I wanted a dining room! When we get some more chairs, I'll sit catty corner.
If you recall from my earlier post asking how to hang a curtain in here, I ended up using a tension rod. It was a bit difficult to hang - ladders and I do not mix. But I finally got it up there and it hasn't come crashing down just yet. The drapery is REALLY heavy so Im a little bit suspect about its staying power but I'm going to hope for the best on this.
I was looking for a slightly more hefty looking tension rod for a while but only came up with this one. Now thats its up, Im glad its very sleek and simple. There is enough going on up at the ceiling without having more to look at. This just does the job.
Im not sure if I mentioned it but I scored this inverted pleat silk taffeta panel on Ebay for 1/4 of what its selling for new. Sweet! The one problem with that was that it arrived squished into a box and extremely wrinkled. I dry ironed it a bit but it didn't get it where I want to be. Im concerned steaming it will ruin the fabric. Anyone know if its okay to steam the wrinkles out of silk?
Speaking of window treatments, you may notice that I put the frosted film on the bottom half of the windows. Did this weeks ago for modesty sake while I figured out what I was doing in here. But its really starting to grow on in me in that modern meets traditional way I tend to go for. What do you think? Is it just that Im getting used to seeing it and its really ultra tacky? Feel free to be honest.
As I already mentioned, Im totally loving the tufted pattern chairs. They are making me so happy that I didn't paint this room a non cream color because I would have never picked this pattern. And in other seating news, you may have spotted my stools.
I bought them on our last trip to Ikea as a "we will use them for now while I find something better" sort of deal. They were only $12.50 each so really quite a steal if you ask me. They aren't perfect - they are tad more Asian in the styling than I'd like - but they do the trick. I like how the tuck under the counter neatly and they are surpringly comfortable to sit on. I definitely need one more but until I find something I much prefer, these are here to stay. Im on the fence about whether I should paint them or not. Im in the "not" category today, who knows what tomorrow will bring?
And in honor of the newly arrived season of spring, I had to share the view out of the guest bedroom window. Im not one to be taken by everyday scenery but I the sky was too blue for me to miss. (There is a silver lining to not having window treatments!) Happy Spring/Easter/Purim/weekend everyone.
First off, thanks so much for your input on the guest bedroom. It realy helps me narrow choices down to hear the great suggestions you've provided. And if you have any other ideas, please keep them coming. I think Im going to try to go in the direction of the charcoal grays with some sort of accent color. I say try because Im having a hard time envisioning but I found some bedding that has cream and charcoal in it on super clearance sale. So now thats on the way, I'll hold off until it arrives to see if Im in the right or wrong direction. More to come.
And since Im in a moving forward in the bedroom, I figured I might as show you my progress in the dining room too. The changes are hardly monumental but Im excited to see something other than a pile of boxes in here (and yes, I moved the pile o boxes into another room just so for the photos)
We sat down for our first dinner at the table last night and boy was that WEIRD. In our last house, we didn't have a dining room and our kitchen table was a tiny two seater. Very cozy. This time around we had to get up to pass each other things. So not used to that. But hey, I wanted a dining room! When we get some more chairs, I'll sit catty corner.
If you recall from my earlier post asking how to hang a curtain in here, I ended up using a tension rod. It was a bit difficult to hang - ladders and I do not mix. But I finally got it up there and it hasn't come crashing down just yet. The drapery is REALLY heavy so Im a little bit suspect about its staying power but I'm going to hope for the best on this.
I was looking for a slightly more hefty looking tension rod for a while but only came up with this one. Now thats its up, Im glad its very sleek and simple. There is enough going on up at the ceiling without having more to look at. This just does the job.
Im not sure if I mentioned it but I scored this inverted pleat silk taffeta panel on Ebay for 1/4 of what its selling for new. Sweet! The one problem with that was that it arrived squished into a box and extremely wrinkled. I dry ironed it a bit but it didn't get it where I want to be. Im concerned steaming it will ruin the fabric. Anyone know if its okay to steam the wrinkles out of silk?
Speaking of window treatments, you may notice that I put the frosted film on the bottom half of the windows. Did this weeks ago for modesty sake while I figured out what I was doing in here. But its really starting to grow on in me in that modern meets traditional way I tend to go for. What do you think? Is it just that Im getting used to seeing it and its really ultra tacky? Feel free to be honest.
As I already mentioned, Im totally loving the tufted pattern chairs. They are making me so happy that I didn't paint this room a non cream color because I would have never picked this pattern. And in other seating news, you may have spotted my stools.
I bought them on our last trip to Ikea as a "we will use them for now while I find something better" sort of deal. They were only $12.50 each so really quite a steal if you ask me. They aren't perfect - they are tad more Asian in the styling than I'd like - but they do the trick. I like how the tuck under the counter neatly and they are surpringly comfortable to sit on. I definitely need one more but until I find something I much prefer, these are here to stay. Im on the fence about whether I should paint them or not. Im in the "not" category today, who knows what tomorrow will bring?
And in honor of the newly arrived season of spring, I had to share the view out of the guest bedroom window. Im not one to be taken by everyday scenery but I the sky was too blue for me to miss. (There is a silver lining to not having window treatments!) Happy Spring/Easter/Purim/weekend everyone.
How to finish the Guest Bedroom?
I think Ive established I have zero clue what Im going to do with the master bedroom so Im putting that to the side for now.
What I do have is most of the pieces to finish off the guest bedroom. The question is how best to put it together and finish it off. I'd like to keep new purchases in here to a mininum so its going to be an excercise of using what I have as best as I can.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Help me decide what to buy, move, arrange, hang in here so it a pleasant oasis for guests.
Here she is
I think this goes without saying but please ignore the mismatched bedding & the plastic bin with tv balanced on top.
What Im loving about the room:
-I love the headboard (thank you JCPenney for having style on a budget!).
-I love the brass chandelier. We grabbed it from the in-laws house. Mr. Limestone had all of his childhood dreams under this very fixture.
-It gets great light
What Im having a hard time with:
-I picked this green color thinking it was pleasant and would be easy to create a room around. I think we can all agree I was VERY wrong about that one. Im having a real hard time with a color scheme.
-The bed itself is a full size rather than a queen. I didn't realize how hard it would be to find bedding in a full size!
-The black doorknobs on the closet were supposed to be a glass knob set we had left over but the contractors LOST it. Grrr.
-The windows are an odd size so if I do shades, they would have to be custom made (read: $$). So I think it has to be curtains or bust.
-The Madeline prints that I brought over from my last house. I love them and I think they bring a little bit of whimsy without being too childlike.
What I have to work with:
- The bed
- The set of Madeline prints (which need to be rematted and framed)
- This desk that I plan on painting to match
- An old straightback chair that I will repaint and recover the seat to match (no photo, sorry)
- Two small knotty pine Ikea nightstands that I can paint to match
What I need to buy:
- Bedding
- Window Treatments
- New mattes/frames for the prints
Help! Pretty please? Inspiration photos much appreciated.
I think Ive established I have zero clue what Im going to do with the master bedroom so Im putting that to the side for now.
What I do have is most of the pieces to finish off the guest bedroom. The question is how best to put it together and finish it off. I'd like to keep new purchases in here to a mininum so its going to be an excercise of using what I have as best as I can.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Help me decide what to buy, move, arrange, hang in here so it a pleasant oasis for guests.
Here she is
I think this goes without saying but please ignore the mismatched bedding & the plastic bin with tv balanced on top.
What Im loving about the room:
-I love the headboard (thank you JCPenney for having style on a budget!).
-I love the brass chandelier. We grabbed it from the in-laws house. Mr. Limestone had all of his childhood dreams under this very fixture.
-It gets great light
What Im having a hard time with:
-I picked this green color thinking it was pleasant and would be easy to create a room around. I think we can all agree I was VERY wrong about that one. Im having a real hard time with a color scheme.
-The bed itself is a full size rather than a queen. I didn't realize how hard it would be to find bedding in a full size!
-The black doorknobs on the closet were supposed to be a glass knob set we had left over but the contractors LOST it. Grrr.
-The windows are an odd size so if I do shades, they would have to be custom made (read: $$). So I think it has to be curtains or bust.
-The Madeline prints that I brought over from my last house. I love them and I think they bring a little bit of whimsy without being too childlike.
What I have to work with:
- The bed
- The set of Madeline prints (which need to be rematted and framed)
- This desk that I plan on painting to match
- An old straightback chair that I will repaint and recover the seat to match (no photo, sorry)
- Two small knotty pine Ikea nightstands that I can paint to match
What I need to buy:
- Bedding
- Window Treatments
- New mattes/frames for the prints
Help! Pretty please? Inspiration photos much appreciated.
General malaise
Im living in a sea of boxes, to-do lists and decisions to be made. I haven't loss my motivation totally - Im still thinking up things I want to do and getting ducks in a row. But when it comes time to actually clean, unpack, organize - I just want to take a nap!! I guess this is to be expected but I really need to get myself going because living in a sea of boxes is downright depressing. Ok, vent over.
I have a day off Friday and Im going to use it to do something practical and useful in the house. No more daydreaming of wallpaper and yet to be purchased furniture. Time to get going on the things I can take action on NOW!
Speaking of - I have this painting. Its another one of my fathers. I don't know how its possible but I totally forgot about it as it languished in my in-law's basement. We moved it over last weekend. I don't love it like I love the girl painting you see above it but its still too nice for it to be hidden. But where can I put it? The only walls where it would fit is in the hallways (which are narrow so Im concerned about making it feel more closed in than necessary) or above my bed (which makes me worried it will fall on my head in the middle of the night). Thoughts?
Im living in a sea of boxes, to-do lists and decisions to be made. I haven't loss my motivation totally - Im still thinking up things I want to do and getting ducks in a row. But when it comes time to actually clean, unpack, organize - I just want to take a nap!! I guess this is to be expected but I really need to get myself going because living in a sea of boxes is downright depressing. Ok, vent over.
I have a day off Friday and Im going to use it to do something practical and useful in the house. No more daydreaming of wallpaper and yet to be purchased furniture. Time to get going on the things I can take action on NOW!
Speaking of - I have this painting. Its another one of my fathers. I don't know how its possible but I totally forgot about it as it languished in my in-law's basement. We moved it over last weekend. I don't love it like I love the girl painting you see above it but its still too nice for it to be hidden. But where can I put it? The only walls where it would fit is in the hallways (which are narrow so Im concerned about making it feel more closed in than necessary) or above my bed (which makes me worried it will fall on my head in the middle of the night). Thoughts?
Table update: Bummer!
After the last table post, I was pretty convinced that I should just spend what it costs to have this table repaired and whatever I didn't like about it, I could easily work around considering there was so much I DID like.
We had a local furniture refinisher come by and he seemed to be very knowledgeable. Long story short, it would cost somewhere in the $1500 range to have the top repaired/refinished, the whole table made to be a darker color and to have 2 leaves made. We could bring that down closer to $1200 if we had the leaves made without the decorative apron but that would look pretty weird when extended (and I didn't want to always have to use a table cloth!). Either way - major ouch! We got another estimate and the price was about the same. So I have to assume that at least by NY standards, the price is in the ballpark of reasonable.
We've put ourselves on a self imposed spending freeze for a while so we planned to live with it like this for a while before we sent it off to be refurbished. After all, we won't be having much company until we have chairs anyway :)
Earlier this week, the Restoration Hardware chairs I ordered a few months ago arrived. Woo-hoo.
I totally heart them. Not the greatest photo but the fabric is slightly nubby so it looks not quite new but still very polished and pretty.
Anyway, once I had the chairs I noticed something that I really should have seen before.
Those curvy wooden pieces at the base of the table - they prevent a chair from being placed there! So in its current state, this huge table can only seat 4 people!!! Even with the additional leaves, that would only let us sit 8! It was one thing when I was dealing with a slightly too big table but its quite another to have a too big table that only seats only 75% of our family on Christmas day. So I think we have no choice but to get a new table.
We're not going to be having any dinner parties anytime soon and its plenty big for us to use for now. But we'll eventually have to come up with another solution.
Im pretty sad about it actually. It feels wrong to get rid of it in place of something new but I can't think of any other option.
After the last table post, I was pretty convinced that I should just spend what it costs to have this table repaired and whatever I didn't like about it, I could easily work around considering there was so much I DID like.
We had a local furniture refinisher come by and he seemed to be very knowledgeable. Long story short, it would cost somewhere in the $1500 range to have the top repaired/refinished, the whole table made to be a darker color and to have 2 leaves made. We could bring that down closer to $1200 if we had the leaves made without the decorative apron but that would look pretty weird when extended (and I didn't want to always have to use a table cloth!). Either way - major ouch! We got another estimate and the price was about the same. So I have to assume that at least by NY standards, the price is in the ballpark of reasonable.
We've put ourselves on a self imposed spending freeze for a while so we planned to live with it like this for a while before we sent it off to be refurbished. After all, we won't be having much company until we have chairs anyway :)
Earlier this week, the Restoration Hardware chairs I ordered a few months ago arrived. Woo-hoo.
I totally heart them. Not the greatest photo but the fabric is slightly nubby so it looks not quite new but still very polished and pretty.
Anyway, once I had the chairs I noticed something that I really should have seen before.
Those curvy wooden pieces at the base of the table - they prevent a chair from being placed there! So in its current state, this huge table can only seat 4 people!!! Even with the additional leaves, that would only let us sit 8! It was one thing when I was dealing with a slightly too big table but its quite another to have a too big table that only seats only 75% of our family on Christmas day. So I think we have no choice but to get a new table.
We're not going to be having any dinner parties anytime soon and its plenty big for us to use for now. But we'll eventually have to come up with another solution.
Im pretty sad about it actually. It feels wrong to get rid of it in place of something new but I can't think of any other option.
The final renovation before & after?
Hmm..could it be that this is the final renovation update? Hard to believe. Have I missed anything you want to see? Of course, there is a lot more in the decor category but putting the renovation part behind me seems almost surreal.
Unfortuntely, I didn't leave a very exciting one for last. You've already seen this one in other posts (power of paint & flush me down) guest bath update And on top of that, there isn't that much of a change in here. But just for completion sake, I figured I'd do a post dedicated to the upstairs/guest/hallway bathroom. (We haven't really settled on what we call it yet)
This is the upstairs bathroom as we found it when we bought the house
The sink that got resprayed and reinstalled in its original location
And the tub that got moved downstairs, resprayed and painted silver for the parlor bath
If it were possible, we would have loved to keep most everything in here as is and just clean it up. But that wasn't really an option as we had to replace all the plumbing and electrical. We did save as many of the wall tiles as we could and reused them in our kitchen backsplash. We were also able to keep the sink here and repurpose the clawfoot downstairs. I think we did the best we could in terms of re-using what we had in a practical way.
This bathroom is the smallest and will likely be the most abused in terms of future guests and children. So as a trade off to some of the splurges we made in the other bathrooms, we went with a low-key (read: cheap) plan in here. The wall tiles are the same stock ceramic subway tiles & trim we used in our master bathroom. The floor tiles are an unglazed ceramic black & white hex that seemed vintage without being expensive. (I had originally wanted to do a pattern that included square and hex tiles in a custom pattern for the little floor but after seeing some of the early issues we had with our contractors, I decided to keep it simple and get the black and white hex.) The toilet is a Toto Promenade, the faucet are Kohler Pillar Taps and the tub is a Kohler run of the mill cast iron.
As you might see from the photos below, we had to give up the window in here in exchange for a place for other ducts, vents, and piping. Sad to see it go but it was worth it to not have soffits in my opinion.
The one thing we did in here that I would call a splurge was adding a skylight. Its a small thing really but it makes this very small room seem a lot more spacious when there is some natural light filtering in from above.
Some in progress photos
And without further ado, the offcial "after" photo
I don't think Ill add much more in here except for a little care package when we have the random overnight guest. Honestly, I still don't love the paint color but Im trying to make it work with the striped shower curtain from Target and keeping everything else pretty bare. Other than that, its a cute little bathroom that gives a nod to the vintage style I really love without being impractical.
Unfortuntely, I didn't leave a very exciting one for last. You've already seen this one in other posts (power of paint & flush me down) guest bath update And on top of that, there isn't that much of a change in here. But just for completion sake, I figured I'd do a post dedicated to the upstairs/guest/hallway bathroom. (We haven't really settled on what we call it yet)
This is the upstairs bathroom as we found it when we bought the house
The sink that got resprayed and reinstalled in its original location
And the tub that got moved downstairs, resprayed and painted silver for the parlor bath
If it were possible, we would have loved to keep most everything in here as is and just clean it up. But that wasn't really an option as we had to replace all the plumbing and electrical. We did save as many of the wall tiles as we could and reused them in our kitchen backsplash. We were also able to keep the sink here and repurpose the clawfoot downstairs. I think we did the best we could in terms of re-using what we had in a practical way.
This bathroom is the smallest and will likely be the most abused in terms of future guests and children. So as a trade off to some of the splurges we made in the other bathrooms, we went with a low-key (read: cheap) plan in here. The wall tiles are the same stock ceramic subway tiles & trim we used in our master bathroom. The floor tiles are an unglazed ceramic black & white hex that seemed vintage without being expensive. (I had originally wanted to do a pattern that included square and hex tiles in a custom pattern for the little floor but after seeing some of the early issues we had with our contractors, I decided to keep it simple and get the black and white hex.) The toilet is a Toto Promenade, the faucet are Kohler Pillar Taps and the tub is a Kohler run of the mill cast iron.
As you might see from the photos below, we had to give up the window in here in exchange for a place for other ducts, vents, and piping. Sad to see it go but it was worth it to not have soffits in my opinion.
The one thing we did in here that I would call a splurge was adding a skylight. Its a small thing really but it makes this very small room seem a lot more spacious when there is some natural light filtering in from above.
Some in progress photos
And without further ado, the offcial "after" photo
I don't think Ill add much more in here except for a little care package when we have the random overnight guest. Honestly, I still don't love the paint color but Im trying to make it work with the striped shower curtain from Target and keeping everything else pretty bare. Other than that, its a cute little bathroom that gives a nod to the vintage style I really love without being impractical.
Slow but progress is being made...
Ok, slow is probably an understatement. How about painfully slow? But I finally hung the drapes in the master bedroom.
They don't totally block the light but they do a pretty good job of it. Certainly enough for us to sleep late when we want to. So happy I can cross this off my to-do list!
No progress on the bedroom furniture hunt - Ive sort of given up for now and will live with my makeshift setup until I can find something I really like. Please feel free to drop by with suggestions if you have any.
Ok, slow is probably an understatement. How about painfully slow? But I finally hung the drapes in the master bedroom.
They don't totally block the light but they do a pretty good job of it. Certainly enough for us to sleep late when we want to. So happy I can cross this off my to-do list!
No progress on the bedroom furniture hunt - Ive sort of given up for now and will live with my makeshift setup until I can find something I really like. Please feel free to drop by with suggestions if you have any.
A silver lining.
Ive had sort of a tough week. First off there are the small things like being totally sick of furniture shopping and continuing to find nothing that comes even close. And then there is not having the furniture I need to unpack the endless boxes everywhere. And of course, there was the sewage in the basement. It wasn't as bad as it could have been but its definitely a low point of home ownership. And there have been a few other low points having nothing to do with the house that have been in the gray day category.
So you can't imagine my absolute elation when I checked my email to find Patricia van Essche's email telling me she had completed an illustration of my home!! I've mentioned her company, PVE Design before because once I have furniture, am a bit more settled and the budget allows, I'm hoping I can convince her to take a trip to Brooklyn to add her talents to a mural in my vestibule.
Ive had sort of a tough week. First off there are the small things like being totally sick of furniture shopping and continuing to find nothing that comes even close. And then there is not having the furniture I need to unpack the endless boxes everywhere. And of course, there was the sewage in the basement. It wasn't as bad as it could have been but its definitely a low point of home ownership. And there have been a few other low points having nothing to do with the house that have been in the gray day category.
So you can't imagine my absolute elation when I checked my email to find Patricia van Essche's email telling me she had completed an illustration of my home!! I've mentioned her company, PVE Design before because once I have furniture, am a bit more settled and the budget allows, I'm hoping I can convince her to take a trip to Brooklyn to add her talents to a mural in my vestibule.
I hope she doesn't mind me saying so but she looks like the queen of chic right here. Very Jackie O meets Mary Cassett - don't you think? I have been stalking her and her work for the past year now and it brings me such joy to have one of her pieces of my very own.
Without further ado, here it is
Its the cat's pajamas as far as I'm concerned. And it quite literally made my day to see it staring back at me from my computer screen.
And here are some other examples from the PVE Design portfolio.
Thank you so much Patricia! And don't worry - Im quite the harmless stalker. :)
What lies beneath
Just when we thought we were putting stressful renovation problems behind us, Mr. Limestone walked into the cellar last night to find this.
And this (viewer discretion strongly advised). Lets just say that ain't just water!
Mother#$&*$!
Mr. L leaped into action to get it under control. He moved the boxes out of the way and manned the wet vac to keep the damage to a minimum while he got all necessary parties on the way to get it fixed. By the time I got home, he had done it all which is a very good thing because while I wouldn't consider myself the type to be overwhelmed by house problems I call uncle when those problems involve human feces.
All the signs pointed to a sewage line collapse. Aside from the grossness factor, we were both pretty depressed at the thought of another huge bill as well as the major aggravation factor of ripping up sidewalks, getting more permits, etc..
I'm really happy to report that we were wrong! We had a sewage company come over with crew and camera. Evidently there was a blockage from rocks/bolts/other crap that must have come from the renovation debris. They snaked and sucked and water jetted the blockage until it was no more. We're a little lighter in the wallet ($900) but it was no where near as bad as it could have been ($10K+).
Just when we thought we were putting stressful renovation problems behind us, Mr. Limestone walked into the cellar last night to find this.
And this (viewer discretion strongly advised). Lets just say that ain't just water!
Mother#$&*$!
Mr. L leaped into action to get it under control. He moved the boxes out of the way and manned the wet vac to keep the damage to a minimum while he got all necessary parties on the way to get it fixed. By the time I got home, he had done it all which is a very good thing because while I wouldn't consider myself the type to be overwhelmed by house problems I call uncle when those problems involve human feces.
All the signs pointed to a sewage line collapse. Aside from the grossness factor, we were both pretty depressed at the thought of another huge bill as well as the major aggravation factor of ripping up sidewalks, getting more permits, etc..
I'm really happy to report that we were wrong! We had a sewage company come over with crew and camera. Evidently there was a blockage from rocks/bolts/other crap that must have come from the renovation debris. They snaked and sucked and water jetted the blockage until it was no more. We're a little lighter in the wallet ($900) but it was no where near as bad as it could have been ($10K+).
Oh little tree, grow some privacy for me.
If you notice in my backyard post, all the photos are cropped to avoid the view beyond my property. That is not accidental - I have a pretty unattractive view back there. So now that we no longer have an unruly jungle blocking a view right into my house, we need to add something to back. And a little shade in a our full sun, southern facing garden wouldn't be too bad either.
I think we are going to go with the Leyland Cyprus because its a fast and high growing evergreen. Ive done a little research and it seems very unpopular with the chic gardening crowd as they deem it ugly. Granted, its not really a beauty like a dogwood or cherry blossom but those trees won't be very good for privacy either. And I don't think they look THAT bad.
If we can find them, we'll put 7 seven foot trees in a row at the back of the planting area and then fill up the front with low lying junipers and hopefully some flowers for color.
Im waiting for a price on how much this costs me. A good thing about having a small backyard is that it really cuts down on the cost of putting in trees. Who knew gardening is just as an expensive hobby as interior decor?
If you notice in my backyard post, all the photos are cropped to avoid the view beyond my property. That is not accidental - I have a pretty unattractive view back there. So now that we no longer have an unruly jungle blocking a view right into my house, we need to add something to back. And a little shade in a our full sun, southern facing garden wouldn't be too bad either.
I think we are going to go with the Leyland Cyprus because its a fast and high growing evergreen. Ive done a little research and it seems very unpopular with the chic gardening crowd as they deem it ugly. Granted, its not really a beauty like a dogwood or cherry blossom but those trees won't be very good for privacy either. And I don't think they look THAT bad.
If we can find them, we'll put 7 seven foot trees in a row at the back of the planting area and then fill up the front with low lying junipers and hopefully some flowers for color.
Im waiting for a price on how much this costs me. A good thing about having a small backyard is that it really cuts down on the cost of putting in trees. Who knew gardening is just as an expensive hobby as interior decor?
Torn between two tables
The photo below was taken more than a year ago at one of our first visits to the house. Its a photo of the garden floor living room (aka the "rental" where the inlaws will reside) The rickety air conditioner, the fire hazard of a lamp and the neglected table were the only "furnishings" left behind when we eventually closed.
The lamp and the air conditioner made a hasty path to the first dumpster but the table was something that had potential. At the time, our dining room was just a drawing on paper and I wasn't quite sure it would fit in there. It certainly wouldn't fit in any other room of the house. So we covered it with plastic and it was the "command center" for the renovation catalog, supplies, lunches for the duration.
During the reno, I walked into the parlor floor living room (aka our living room) one day to find that the table had been moved upstairs. Sweet! (I wasn't sure it was going to be able to make it one piece up the narrow hallway)
And then when the floors were being refinished, the contractors up-ended the table on the island, exposing its underside. I found this tag which I thought was cool although not all that informative.
And then finally, after its long mysterious life downstairs, it was gingerly placed in the dining room. It seems to "fit" pretty well so thats a plus. And it has an interesting shape and is very well made - plus, plus. And its free - the ultimate plus!
So what am I torn about? Well there are a few things that make this less than ideal. One, the top needs to be refinished as it has a lot of water damage. Also, its not large enough for 10 so its more than big enough for everday but too small for Christmas dinner. Its also a little lighter than I would like - I'd really like something even darker than this. I can have it refinished and have a leaf made but thats going to cost me. So its not really "free". Its very wide for the room so while thats great for creating elaborate tablescapes and centerpieces (love that!), its not the best for traffic once the chairs and people are in place.
What do you think? Should I invest in this and live with its scale problem? Or should I sell it and get another table that suits my needs a bit more closely?
(Im having a furniture guy coming over this weekend to give us a price quote for the leaf and resfinishing so Ill report back on ccosts)
The lamp and the air conditioner made a hasty path to the first dumpster but the table was something that had potential. At the time, our dining room was just a drawing on paper and I wasn't quite sure it would fit in there. It certainly wouldn't fit in any other room of the house. So we covered it with plastic and it was the "command center" for the renovation catalog, supplies, lunches for the duration.
During the reno, I walked into the parlor floor living room (aka our living room) one day to find that the table had been moved upstairs. Sweet! (I wasn't sure it was going to be able to make it one piece up the narrow hallway)
And then when the floors were being refinished, the contractors up-ended the table on the island, exposing its underside. I found this tag which I thought was cool although not all that informative.
And then finally, after its long mysterious life downstairs, it was gingerly placed in the dining room. It seems to "fit" pretty well so thats a plus. And it has an interesting shape and is very well made - plus, plus. And its free - the ultimate plus!
So what am I torn about? Well there are a few things that make this less than ideal. One, the top needs to be refinished as it has a lot of water damage. Also, its not large enough for 10 so its more than big enough for everday but too small for Christmas dinner. Its also a little lighter than I would like - I'd really like something even darker than this. I can have it refinished and have a leaf made but thats going to cost me. So its not really "free". Its very wide for the room so while thats great for creating elaborate tablescapes and centerpieces (love that!), its not the best for traffic once the chairs and people are in place.
What do you think? Should I invest in this and live with its scale problem? Or should I sell it and get another table that suits my needs a bit more closely?
(Im having a furniture guy coming over this weekend to give us a price quote for the leaf and resfinishing so Ill report back on ccosts)
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