Stuff Room

I talked yesterday about finally hanging the bulletin board and today I'm excited to share with you the mudroom evolution!  

It's certainly one of those rooms that will evolve with time, but I am excited to have a space to hide/organize all the junk that accumulates like snowpants, car seats,  school papers. and miscellaneous "stuff".  I should just call it the Stuff Room.

This room has already served many purposes.  It held all my hardware and light fixtures for about 6 months.  When the weather got colder, I used this room to paint my doors in.  And now it's the place we toss stuff at the end of the day just so we don't have to look at it. I still keep my paint and brushes in here just because I am too lazy to walk ALL THE WAY TO THE BASEMENT (which is about 9 steps away from the mudroom) when I want to paint.  

April 2013

June 2013

August 2013

Watching the tree in the backyard get chopped down

December 2013

January 2014

A drawer just for cards. Wow. 

I spray painted the old phone plate.  Why not?

This is the light fixture from Restore with some spray paint.  I think I kept Rustoleum in business this year.  

Genevieve likes having her own horse calendar to keep track of popcorn & movie nights and other important events. 

I still have quite a bit of sanding, priming and painting to do, but admittedly this isn't high on my list. I am just happy to have the bulletin board and hooks up so that we can have a little more order around here.  

Complicated.

The kiddos have been out of school the past two days due to extreme cold temps.  It's difficult to think of things to do when it's so cold outside.  So, what did I do for entertainment in the cold?  I put my babe into a pink knit peapod and took adorable photos of her immobilization.

I did manage to hang our bulletin board in the mudroom.  It sounds like such a small thing, but like the female brain, things are all interconnected (ahem, complicated).  Hanging a bulletin board was done in 7 NOT-AT-ALL-TIME-CONSUMING steps (note sarcasm):

1. To hang the bulletin board, I first needed to find and purchase a non-puncturing apparatus to mount it to the wall so that a nail wouldn't pierce the china cabinet on the other side of the wall.  I found some velcro strips at Target used for picture hanging.  I attached them to the bulletin board.  Check.  

2.  Next, I needed to paint the part of the wall that the board would hang on.  But hey, while I have the paint can out, I should touch up around the trim that we recently put up to mount our hooks onto.  I should also should touch up the paint in the kitchen around the china cabinet where some of the stain got on the wall.  And why not touch up some other spots around the house where the paint has been nicked up?  Rinse and clean paintbrush.  Check.  

3.  Wow, this mudroom is such a disorganized mess.  I can't hang the bulletin board in all this chaos.  I rearranged the shelves and drawers and made new labels for boxes that I scored on clearance at Target.  I made files for the girls' pile of schoolwork that's been accruing in the mudroom since the beginning of the year. But where's my box of files?  Go dig in the basement through boxes until I find files.  While I am in the basement, I switch the laundry and bring a basket of clean clothes up and fold them.  Put files in filing cabinet.  Put newly folded clothes away.  Check.

4.  The rug in the mudroom looks awful.  I need to clean it to get the soot and dirt off of it from the day the guys hauled the boiler out of the basement.  While I have the carpet cleaner out, I should also clean my living room rug and entry rug as well.  During this process, I ran out of carpet cleaner and had to go digging in the basement for a different bottle.  While I'm in the basement I switch the laundry and haul up the clean clothes basket.  Carpets clean, clothes folded and put away…check.

5.  Order more carpet cleaner. Check.  

6.  Now there's a big clog in the carpet cleaner from the wool rug. I empty the dirty water container for the carpet cleaner and rinse out the wool.  But there's still some stuck in the machine.  I grab a screwdriver and take a couple parts off the machine and clean out the wool.  While those parts are off, I give them a quick rinse in hot water to get the storage dust off of them.  Reassemble carpet cleaner.  Check.

7.  Hang the bulletin board.  Check.  

See, so easy!  

The Great Sectional Debate

After many outings to area furniture stores, I finally chose a sectional.

When I have a big financial/design commitment to make, I turn into the most distractible human on earth. There was a lot of reassessing, second-guessing, panicking, quitting, and coming back around.  It's just part of my process and I have to fully complete all the steps in that process:  "Do we really need a pull out sleeper? The kids will likely destroy anything we get, so perhaps we should just get an Ikea sofa.  Doesn't Craigslist have anything? Do I really want to do Craigslist?  THAT COSTS HOW MUCH?!  What about some cool secondhand store and then get it reupholstered?, I'm sick of looking: let's just forget the whole thing.  Ooh, this is pretty: maybe we should ditch the sectional idea and get this for our living room instead…and so on.

I ultimately decided on a sectional with pull out sleeper.  We want to use the family room as a guest room and thought a sleeper would be a good investment.  Here's the thing, though: the one I decided on is entirely customized.  Which sounds awesome at face value, but it feel like I'm blindly ordering something.  

For instance, there's 6 arm options to choose from, which is great, but the two arm styles that I liked they didn't have in stock and therefore I was not able to see.  I am not a fan of choosing blindly, but was feeling adventurous that day so chose an arm style that I have never seen and had better instantly love once it arrives.  

After navigating the waters of arm style, this is how the rest of the conversation went:

"Laura, what base style would you like: plain-straight, skirt straight, or split-straight?  Should the legs be hi trap, lo trap, or bottle?  Which finish would you like the legs in: medium or espresso? Do you want the straight arm cushion or the t-cushion?  Should the back cushions be boxed, rounded, or knifed?  Do you want a welt on the seat cushions? How about the back cushions?  Should the welt be contrasting?  Should the back cushions be attached? Laura, you don't look so great…IS THIS OVERWHELMING YOU?!? Perhaps you should lie down on one of our fabulous sofas…." 

So in 4 weeks or so, I will have a new acquisition, which will hopefully be amazing.   In the meantime, I need to get the room ready for the sectional with a new coat of paint on the walls and all the woodwork painted.  This is a task I've been putting off, but I know that I will love it once I get around to it.   

(Oh, and for the curious readers, I chose a charcoal velvet fabric, English roll arm style with bottle feet in espresso finish with split straight base with split key front, attached box cushions with non-contrast welt.)  

I also wanted to include a photo of a sofa that almost derailed the whole sectional idea.  It's just a big, beautiful sofa.

Whew.

                         

Bar Stools

I picked up some barstools at TJ Maxx this weekend. They are comfortable and I like the weathered, imperfect finish on the legs. 

But when I brought them home, I wasn't crazy about them.  I wish that they would be a little taller than the top of the breakfast bar and perhaps something with a more open back.  Also, they stuck out rather far from the breakfast bar into the dining room.

Greg & I hung out in them for hours last night while we worked and they were very comfortable.  But there's a type of stool I've had in my mind for awhile.  I've been reluctant about ordering them because they're online, not easily returnable, and I don't know if they'd be comfortable or not.  

Here's the candidates:

#1.  Safavieh Franklin Stool from Overstock.  I like the height and the contrasting seat, but there's only 1 left!  I am not sure if I'd be able to get my hands on another 2.  And if I don't like, they'd be a pain to return.  These would sit and 1.5" from the top of the breakfast bar.

#2.  Madeleine Barstool from Restoration Hardware (we'd get the armless kind).  These are the cheapest (!) option, but they would stick out into the room even farther than the ones we currently have. I like the height though: they'd be 4" taller than the breakfast bar.

#3.  Constance Stool from Ballard Designs.  These are on sale right now and and have good reviews for comfort and stability.  However, they'd be about an inch shorter than the breakfast bar.   

Has anyone sat for extended periods of time in seats like these?  Cast your votes!  

p.s. there's going to be some changes to the blog that I am excited to share with you!

Kitchen Sources

I am a visual person.  When we decided to purchase this house, it was boarded up, uninhabited for years (except for raccoons, from what I hear), and rather, well, scary looking.  I had lots of ideas about how to make the space beautiful and functional, but didn't know how to actually make it happen.

Enter Dave, our contractor.  We chose Dave because he had amazing ideas for our house, appreciates the quirks & architecture of older homes, and was just as brave (probably braver) than us about making the house livable and beautiful again.

When we decided to revamp the kitchen and take down a wall, it was amazing to see what it would look like and how the space would work from a 3D perspective.  Dave & Crystal listened to my ideas, entertained my awful sketches (seriously, they were really terrible), listened to me obsess about what shade of white the cabinets should be ("white with warmth & patina, not cold, sterile white…is this too white? Or is it inviting and cozy? Does this white make you want to curl up with a mug of tea?….").  They compiled it all together and created a gorgeous, functional kitchen.    

Here's the progression of our kitchen, courtesy of Architectural XPressions: 

Some of you have been asking about sources in the kitchen and I have listed them below.  Anyone who knows me knows I love a bargain.  I listed the websites for locating these items, but the site listed is not necessarily where I purchased them from.  While we were renovating, I searched exhaustively  and used my pregnant insomnia powers to find the best deals on these items.  The knobs from RH were found at an outlet for $3; the dishwasher came free (!) with the stove.  The rest, I researched to the ends of the earth and was able to find some clearanced or on major sale.   

Any questions, just holler.

Kitchen Sources

Design: Architectural XPressions, Delafield WI

http://www.archxpressions.com/

Faucet: Tresa by Brizo

http://www.brizo.com/kitchen/collection/tresa.html#/top

Countertops:  Calacutta Maximum porcelain slab by Fiandre via Architectural XPressions

http://www.granitifiandre.com/porcelain-tile/technical-ceramic/marmi-maximum/calacatta-maximum/
*Note on the countertops.  They look like marble, but they're actually a giant slab of porcelain with a digital imprint of marble. It's the look of marble without the etching, the staining or the maintenance!  Miracle product, in my opinion.  This product is going to take off, mark my words.  

Fridge: Viking 

Range & Dishwasher: Thermador

Cabinetry: Mouser 

http://www.mousercc.com/gallery.aspx?grp=okitchen&pg=1&tot=5

Pendants: Visual Comfort Thomas O'Brian Hicks Pendant 

http://www.VISUALCOMFORTLIGHTINGSTORE.COM/product-p/tob5062bz_hab-wg.htm

Sconces: Boston Functional Library Wall Light by Circa Lighting

http://www.circalighting.com/details.aspx?pid=648

Knobs: Restoration Hardware "Duluth" in oil rubbed bronze

http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1283026&categoryId=cat1512021

Pulls: Atlas Homewares Distressed Collection

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Atlas-Homewares-Distressed-Collection-Oil-Rubbed-Bronze-5-98-in-Medium-Pull-334-ORB/202543425#

Wall Color: Benjamin Moore Stingray

Trim Color: Benjamin Moore White Dove

China Cabinet: Custom 

Flooring: Original

The Search

What's cool about a new home is figuring out the way rooms can function best for you and/or your family.  

Our living room is long and narrow and there was really no good place for a television. That is, except for over the fireplace, but I didn't want to put a tv there.  

So we decided to use one of the bedrooms on the first floor as a tv room.  We don't have any seating in that room other than some rather uncomfortable (but cheap! and pretty!) chairs from Marshalls and some beanbag chairs for the girls.  We've been eyeing sectionals for a couple of months, but we want a sectional that has a pullout sleeper so that the room can double as a guest room.  I've found that sectionals with sleepers are few and far between.  

Here's what I found so far.

Candidate #1:  Axis II from Crate & Barrel

Candidate #2: Collins from La-Z-Boy

Here's the thing.  I love, love the feel and color of the fabric of the Axis.  The sales rep said that it's their best selling sofa and my research online has shown lots and lots of happy customers.  I liked the dimensions and fabric on the floor model, which made it easy for me to see what it would look like in our home.  BUT the cushions on the back of the couch are loose, which means that I will spend my time every day picking them off the floor and arranging them back on the sofa after their girls throw them off.  Also, I've seen photos of people who have had the couch for a couple of years and indeed, the seat cushions and back cushions look pretty slouchy.  A bit too much slouch for my taste.  

The Collins isn't as comfortable to sink into as the Axis, but that's likely because the cushions aren't as relaxed.  I like that the back cushions are attached to the couch, but not too tightly.  The mattress comes in either a memory foam or air cushion option (both are the same price) and the mattress is more comfortable than the Axis.  La-Z-Boy had lots of fabric options to choose from, but none of them felt as velvety-awesome as the Axis.  Also, the floor model shown is just the sofa, which makes it hard to visualize what the couch would look like as a sectional in a non-corduroy fabric of a different color.  

I was able to find one review on the Collins from Melissa at The Inspired Room.  The fabric she ordered it in is no longer available, unfortunately.  

via

The Axis is stocked in the fabric I want and would arrive in a week after I order it.  The Collins would take 8-10 weeks for delivery.  I really want to move ahead and make a decision, but both cost a healthy chunk of change and I want to get this right so I'm going to keep looking for other comparisons.  I saw this online, but don't know where I could see it in person.

Rowe Mitchell Queen Sleeper Sectional

Does anyone know of other options or have some input on these sectionals? 

Cold.

As I am sure most of the country knows, we in Wisconsin are experiencing a polar vortex.  I saw someone post on Facebook that it was colder in Wisconsin than in the South Pole or Antartica.  Our pipes in our upstairs bathroom are frozen, and the bathtub won't even drain.  

Needless to say, my kiddos have been out of school due to the cold.  So what have I been doing in this weather (besides picking up their endless piles of construction paper)?  Well, it's too cold to go outside, but LUCKILY I have access to the finest restaurant in Milwaukee.  It's so exclusive that your name has to be on "the list" to get in.  

Luckily for me, I was on the list that day. And the menu serves locally sourced food.

I am not a foodie, so I didn't order the snacka.  I do recommend the "derzerts" and "other stuff like that".  Very decadent.  And served with very chic sippy cups.  

It's been a nice couple of days to hunker down at home and eat soup and drink coffee but I am certainly ready to get out of the house and get back to society again and do exciting things like look for sectionals and get groceries.  

Go away, polar vortex.  Go away.

                     

Kitchen Reveal

I have been hesitant to post "before" photos of the house until now because I was afraid people would think I was crazy for taking on a house in the condition it was in.  I saw all the ugly things about the house, sure.  The ugly features were pretty hard to miss.  But when we walked through the house before buying it, I only saw the potential.  

Today, I was looking through the photos from before the remodel began, and wow…it really was ugly.  Perhaps people were right: I was insane to buy a house in this condition.  But it sure turned out pretty.  

So here's a walk down memory lane.

February

April

May

We discovered the original maple floors in good condition under the linoleum!

June

July

Oh, the piano in the kitchen? It's a long story.  

August

We did a quick paint job before moving in.

September

This is the kitchen we moved into. I think the two-by-fours holding up the countertop channel that rustic modern look, don't you think?

October

The countertops came.  And broke.  And were replaced with a different substrate underneath and now elicit awe from passersby. Well, maybe not, but I like them.  A lot. 

December

  

This idea is from Pinterest.  Rather than interrupt the backsplash with outlets, we
mounted them underneath the cabinets.

Below is my favorite cabinet.  It's a custom cabinet made to squeeze perfectly into the niche in the wall. There's two outlets inside the cabinet so that it can house my mixer, microwave and other small appliances. Which, judging from this photo, I seem to have a lot of.  

We're still awaiting the glass shelves for the china cabinet, but other that that it's done. Except for the paint touch-up, window sanding.....

We love it.  And it's certainly the place where people congregate, which is just what I'd hoped for.