Master Bedroom Half Bath: "Before & In Progress"

November 22, 2010

Master Bedroom Half Bath: "Before & In Progress"

We started with this:

Make note of these handles, you will see them again!

And we currently have this:

The bones are in: new vanity, marble countertop, sink and faucet. The floor, toilet, mirror and even towel bar (not pictured) are also all new. The marble countertop was affordable because it was an option offered by Home Depot for the (modular) vanity. Because it isn't a custom piece (it came in a few standard sizes) it fit into our budget.

I chose a vinyl flooring because ceramic can be slippery when wet and can chip very easily (I drop everything). Stone is, of course, gorgeous but we splurged on new hardwood floors for the whole second level, so I wanted something affordable. I love, love this flooring because it looks so Scandinavian and is a cinch to install (and keep clean) plus it is very affordable. Be sure to choose the right transition for the job when installing different types of flooring! This was our second try . . .

What I need to do now is decorate. My soap dish is a $1.00 yard sale find: it is actually a salesman's sample for a German china pattern from 1969. The pottery bowl is from an estate sale. The pink patterned paper (third picture) is a sample of a mid-century Parisian store's signature wrapping paper that we purchased at a flea market in Paris, France this spring. I can’t decide how to frame it: use a rather large black frame we already have and just have a mat cut, or frame it really large with white mat and white frame, or find a nice large floating frame, or create a collage of black and white photos from the trip and include this paper . . . thoughts? This bathroom is immediately off the bedroom (technically the "master bedroom," but used by us as a guest room) so whatever I do, I don’t want it to compete with the bedroom.

How to frame this?

Also on our to-do list: replace this wonky light fixture. In a time crunch, I replaced the main bathroom light fixture with one I don't 100% love, so I thought of seeing if it will fit nicely here, and then buying something I love for the main bath (because I stare at that one a lot more than this one).

So ugly I sometimes don't notice it isn't centred

Captain Distracto: My Husband Again!

He rearranges our Joulupukki ornaments (Joulupukki is a Finnish Christmas figure) so they do things like watch T.V. It cracks me up.

That's me, on the left.

He exists! I can't include many pics of him during the renovations because we are air conditioning-less in the townhouse and much of the major work happened during the (super humid) summer months, so it was a shirt-free zone for him--not something he is eager to share with the world! But here he is, getting in my pictures as he wandered about with a snack.

Guest Bedroom: "Before & In Progress"

Before (with the seller's items):

Note the floofy heart.

And now, after much labour. . .

In this bedroom (officially the master, but used as our guest space) we removed the shutters, ripped up the carpet and ripped out the ratty closet fittings in the walk in closet. My husband and father-in-law installed maple hardwood floors (which was an awesome DIY success! See here and here) and new closet fittings. We also painted everything—the walls, trim and ceilings, even the new bed!—the same crisp, clean white used in almost every room.

I repurposed my beloved maple armoire (the first piece of furniture I ever bought) for linens and storage for guests. The vintage teak bedside table (meant for beside a sofa) was an estate sale find and the Lotte lamp matches the pair in the living room. It too had lost its original vintage shade, but a crisp white drum shade suits it well. This non-traditional assembly of furniture works for us, which is a bonus because we didn't have to purchase too many items. Even though the items don’t match, I’m trying to create balance—a small bedside table and lamp would make the room seem lopsided. I tried to use substantial pieces, with height and presence (both items lived elsewhere in our previous dwelling).

Still to do: curtains! But so far the neighbours haven't complained. And a new reading chair.

All of the artwork is by my grandfather-in-law. I’ve kept the décor simple to let his work shine. I love the hits of turquoise and bright green against all of the white. The emerald green silk pillows were sewn by my mom.

The Ikea chair is a (pretty bland, but oh so comfy) placeholder. My husband is reluctant to replace it. It was originally in my office but I scored a sweet vintage teak chair from an online classifieds ad and he doesn't heart it like he hearts this one. When this chair departs the guest room, I think he will be crushed.

I hate you Ikea chair. Except your price. Your price was right.

I have been ogling the chair below: a stunning vintage Swedish teak piece I spotted in a local vintage shop. It even has new upholstery that is the perfect colour! But, it is quite pricey ($1250!) and although gorgeous, that (imaginary) money could be better spent on a new sofa. But I will keep my eye out for a more affordable vintage piece I could recover myself. In the meantime, the Ikea chair offers guests a private place to read when spending time with us becomes a little overwhelming!

I pine for you.

UPDATE: I found a great chair and picked out a fabric! See here. I'll have "after" shots of the chair soon.
SECOND UPDATE: Woot. New chair looks awesome!

DIY Painted Microwave

Can you see the missing paint?

Our microwave has sentimental value. Odd, I know. It belonged to my husband’s paternal grandparents and it is one of the few things he has of theirs. Unfortunately, it got really banged up in a series of moves and was missing paint. It works perfectly, so it felt wasteful to scrap it in favor of a new model. But I couldn’t bear to put it in our spruced up kitchen as is, so I decided to paint it. I agonized over bright yellow and pink swatches, considered chalkboard paint but finally decided I didn’t want to draw attention to it or spend any cash.

How to do it:

First, I removed the cover and brought it out into the garage. I didn’t touch the plastic front or functioning parts. I lightly sanded the metal cover, cleaned thoroughly and let it dry. Then I used metal primer I had on hand before painting it with the soft grey paint used in the half bath. Two coats later, I was done. The result? The micro is no longer an eyesore and will suffice for now. It won't win any awards for fanciest D.I.Y. project, but it blends in and doesn't look like it fell off the moving truck--which is what I want from a microwave.

Kitchen: "Before & After"

Start with this . . . (see more "before" pics here):

Sad, faded cabinet fronts: where did your varnish go?

Add a little of this:

Ooo, at this point the cabinet fronts were already
stripped and re-varnished--so glossy!

We removed the old tile and removed much of the wall at the same time, so we replaced the drywall and then installed subway tile in a herringbone pattern for visual interest. We worked in very small sections until we got the hang of it. We opted for brushed silver edging that matches the NEW brushed silver hardware and NEW light fixtures. This pattern required LOTS of measuring, cutting, swearing, re-measuring, cutting . . . We also installed the new countertops ourselves (it is laminate, but I think it looks like concrete--I love it!). We did a lot of research and it turned out to be a pretty easy task, which saved us $400 of labour. We did opt for delivery though because we have a small car. (CORRECTION: Husband says, "we don't have a small car, we have a Nissan Versa. You can't post lies." Our beloved Charlie is up on blocks while we save up money to race him. No joke.)

Now we have this:

We tried to do a very inexpensive makeover on the kitchen—what I called the “spit and polish”. We kept the ceramic tile floor, appliances (except for range hood), cabinets and faucet (which rocks--you can pull it out to fill buckets or water plants). Because my kitchenware, such as dishes, place settings and even my blender, are so colourful (lots of vintage turquoise, green, and pink) I kept the colour scheme in the kitchen pretty tame. I usually favor vintage tea towels (I have a collection Martha Stewart would envy—but only if she has fewer than 30!) but I just bought these Marimekko ones in Boston, MA recently and I am love. I heart Marimekko (I think I have to--I’m Finnish & Hungarian). The print above the sink was made by my mom and it is based on a still life she set up in her kitchen.

We stripped and re-varnished the cabinet fronts and then painted the inside of the cabinets white to freshen them up. We used a chemical stripper because the cabinet fronts are veneer and we didn’t want a belt sander to strip below the veneer. I love the look of the painted cabinetry, but the cabinet fronts had some really nice grain. I just couldn’t cover them, but the next owner could easily paint to suit.

We posted a want add on an online classifieds looking for a mid-century teak dining table. A lovely couple replied and we purchased the set below. The table is actually in the dining room and we purchased another round teak table to pair with these chairs in the kitchen. We reupholstered the chairs with a black and white houndstooth.

Don't worry, empty wall, I will dress you up soon . . .

Lesson Learned: Buying a House with a Fireplace

We didn't go from this eyesore of a fireplace insert (complete with dated brass details and wonky installation) . . .

. . . . to this masonry fireplace with elegant matte black doors voluntarily.

Our townhouse came with a wood burning fireplace (yay!). But it wasn’t without complications. If you are looking at a house with a wood burning fireplace, hire a home inspector certified to inspect fireplaces and verify that they do indeed have said certification.

We hired someone who claimed to have such certification but when the home inspection was in progress, he informed us someone else would need to look at the fireplace and it would cost extra money. He said it looked fine, though, and advised we simply proceed with the inspection and then hire a professional chimney cleaner once the home was ours. We should have been suspicious when the fireplace was not listed on the final report, but we were so anxious to purchase our home we didn’t pay enough attention. We were also relocating and on a tight schedule, so returning for another inspection was inconvenient. We heard what we wanted to hear: everything was fine.

Months later, we hired professional chimney cleaners/inspectors who informed us that the fireplace insert was illegal and they couldn’t do anything until it was removed. Installing a new insert would be thousands! Or, we could remove the insert and use the fireplace like a masonry fireplace. We opted for the latter option as well as a lock top damper that offered a tight seal to keep animals/rain out and more heat in. Although a masonry fireplace is less efficient than an insert, this option was affordable and still provides heat as well as ambiance--even more so now, with our understated and modern doors.

Is this DIY? We definitely weren't going to tackle the removal of the insert ourselves (although, if I'm honest, I pondered it) but we did install the doors ourselves, which was very easy. We found them at Canadian Tire on an errand for something else, which made the task even easier.

Our advice: don’t skimp during the inspection, especially if you have a wood burning fireplace (or any unusual features a regular inspection won’t cover). We could have saved hundreds by asking the sellers to pay for the work. Lesson learned. Alright, now its s'more time!

Living/Dining Room: "After" (ish)

So I posted the sad “before” shots of the living and dining room here. Below are a few in progress shots. We painted everything (trim, walls, and ceiling) white for a clean, bright look. The whole house (except for one half bath) is white. We wanted it to look like an art gallery--the white really helps reflect light and makes a good backdrop for our artwork. There’s my dad and grandpa hard at work! These two rooms required the LEAST amount of work. In addition to painting, we replaced window coverings and the light fixture and had the fireplace insert removed (under duress) and installed new fireplace doors.

My dad used the window coverings that came with the house as drop cloths!

My mother-in-law was a sweetie and sent us flowers,
which was an interesting contrast with the mayhem!

Thrifty decor: My grandmother sewed the curtains for the whole house. I picked a creamy sheer drapery fabric with a subtle square pattern for the living and dining rooms. Most of the pillows are silk and purchased from HomeSense, but the brown print pillows were sewn by my mom! The vintage teak side tables were purchased at an estate sale for $20, but I need to give them some TLC. The vintage Lotte lamps were a steal at an antique show, but unfortunately their original shades had been lost.

One problem: our sofa and ottoman (both from The Brick) have begun to crackle and our warranty won't cover it. Sigh. We've waffled about just keeping it or buying a new one and I finally imagined a sofa so wonderful that it couldn't exist. I decided if we find that imaginary sofa--vintage styling, mustard or cinnamon coloured leather--(knowing we won't) we'd buy it. Wouldn't you know I found it? It is made by American Leather and looks so gorgeous. But we weren't planning on buying a new sofa and it would be a pretty big splurge so thus it is kind of a moot point. But I can pine (and save!) . . .

So pretty . . . for more info, click here

Some close ups:

My grandather-in-law is an artist. He gave us these two paintings of his as a wedding present!

The dining room table is mid-century teak. I posted an online classified ad, looking for a vintage table and a lovely couple responded. The chairs in the kitchen belong to this set, but for leisurely dining we wanted something comfy and these chairs are super cushy! The artwork is also by my grandfather-in-law, the candle holders were made by my husband's aunt but I don't want to ruin them with candles. . .

Can you spot the thermostat?

This plant stand was built by my grandfather, an artist and welder.

Work in progress: We still have to remove the non-functioning thermostat and then fill the hole. I have more artwork I am itching to hang in that spot!

Dans le Lakehouse

November 22, 2010