Sunday, May 9, 2010

A New Kind of Accessory

The City defines it as an "accessory building" -- our prosposed new detached garage that is.

I can think of more exciting ways to spend a whack of dough, but there's no getting around the fact that we need to build a new garage.

Our existing circa 1950s one-car is literally falling apart (this photo was taken two years ago).



Each snow, wind or rain storm more shingles blow off. The roof is leaking, the structure is leaning, and there's no getting a car (let alone two) in it (which is important in our cold Calgary winters). So it's out with the old and in with new.

That said, we're trying to avoid building a "boring, ugly box" as my husband calls it. In addition, we are faced with certain restrictions -- we live on a very narrow lot (which restricts the width) and there are rules about how much of your property you can cover with buildings/structures, and therefore we're hoping to go up (and include a storage loft).

We also want to ensure it relates (design-wise) to the house.

Therefore we've been on-the-hunt crusing the internet, magazines and alleys throughout the city collecting ideas.

Here are some of the images/ideas we've collected:





Any ideas/suggestions?

Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, May 8, 2010

In Praise of Clematis

If you're familiar with my blog you will have noticed the photo on the top right with the words "my beloved clematis". It's a photo of one of my flowing/climbing clematis I had in the garden of our last house.

I became quite a fan of these ambitious little climbers at our last house, as they provide an important vertical element in the garden.













Though a perennial (not annual) most clematis feature a long blooming period, or alterntively bloom twice per season. They come in a variety of colours and petal types as the photos above(from my last garden) can attest. They also have the added benefit of doing well in partially shady parts of the garden.

Last year I picked up some small plants at Home Depot but I fear they may not have been well enough established before they were planted to survive our cold winter and my dog's attempts to bury her bones.


And so I was delighted to pick up "Rouge Cardinal" at Costco yesterday:


My new plant is already about 3 1/2 ft high, has a large root ball and already has some flower buds. I'm thinking of planting it in the front yard against the house (to the left of the front window), to soften the corner. I think the red blooms will be a nice contrast against the dark blue of the house and will also tie-in nicely to the red of our front door:



What are you planting this season?


Posted by at 5 comments:
Labels: ,

Holy Comparative Studies Batman

I thought I would post the before and after shots of my kitchen (from the same vantage points).

As you can see, the stove stayed in the same spot but the dishwasher, sink and fridge were moved and the penninsula was removed to create a much more efficient work triangle.




Dressing Up a Plain Door

You may have noticed the door to my basement in the "after" photos from my kitchen.






I started with a plain non-panelled door (at least on the side facing the kitchen...the side that faces down the basement actually has panels). It also has a lock on the door and mismatched hardware -- we think the basement may have been used as a separate apartment at one time. So, because it's so boring/ugly when the door is closed, I decided to try to dress it up.

I used a frame I picked up from a woman who was closing down her home design store, and created the ubiquitous blackboard. Not very original I guess, but I do like having a blackboard in the ktichen for recording messages and greetings and for keeping a shopping list.

I also added a beautiful little applique plaque which I had made to commemorate the purchase of our house in 2008. Unfortunately I failed to test the paint on the door before I embarked on this transformation and when I tried to reposition the applique it soon become clear that the previous owners must have used latex paint over oil (and we all know what that means...no sticky, big peely...). Aaargh!

So I've been debating whether I take down the door this summer, sand it, repaint it and essentially start from scratch. Of course that means I'll lose the applique (and have to re-do the chalkboard) so I've decided to embrace imperfection.
Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels:

Friday, May 7, 2010

On the Menu Tonight

…our 95% completed kitchen.

Yesterday I realized that I never completed the story of our kitchen renovation by posting the “after” shots.

And so, without further ado, is our virtually completed kitchen:







We still need to install the "chimney" on the stainless steel range hood, some crown mouldings and a little caulk here and there, but it's come a long way from when we started.

(By the way, the sheers (curtains) on the window next to the fridge are a temporary solution)

Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels:

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Sunday Night Ritual

A Sunday night bath is becoming a bit of a ritual for me.

After all, there's really nothing on TV on Sunday nights, and it's a nice way to wind-down at the end of the weekend, after dinner and walking the dog on a chilly night.



(In case you're wondering, there is a blind that drops down to cover the window!)

One of the things we had the electrician do (as part of some significant re-wiring of the house), was install a dimmer switch in the bathroom, for the purpose of enjoying a nice relaxing bath. I never used to be a bath person, but the clawfoot tub and the dimmer switch makes all the difference!

So, my ritual starts with the dimming of the lights. Then I use empsom salts (supposedly they release toxins) and/or scented bath gel, and sometimes I light some candles too (depending on whether or not I plan to read). I then grab my bath pillow and my latest edition of Canadian House and Home or Style and Home magazine and lay back and relax.

And so with that, I'm off to draw myself a bath!
Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels: ,

Sparkle and Light

What do you get when you combine hot water and vinegar, sunshine and a crystal chandelier? Answer: an amazing display of sparkly light.

This weekend I took on the job of cleaning my crystal light fixtures/chandeliers (and my windows).

It's amazing what a difference a little cleaning can make.

Here's my front hall fixture -- all shiney and new.



And here's a shot of the fixture (and popcorn/stippled ceiling) that were here when we bought the house:



Bedroom fixture - before (when we bought the house):



...and the replacement fixture (a second hand find), after this morning's cleaning (view from my bed and from straight-on):



And finally, here's my bathroom fixture (a vintage piece which is a real pain to clean, I might add):




Springtime, sunshine and shimmery crystal/glass -- what could be better?
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Thursday, April 22, 2010

The Great Cover-Up

No, I'm not talking about the latest political intrigue or corporate malfeasance, I'm talking about wallpaper.

I feel as though all I'm blogging about lately are projects I'd love to tackle versus finished projects. Lord knows I have enough unfinished, post-reno projects to keep me busy for some time!

Well, you can blame it on Spring Fever (or being busy at work); whatever the reason, I have lots of ideas but little time to bring them to reality.

So...please bear with me for one more project on my to-do list. I present to you my thoughts/plans for using this great British-made wallpaper I purchased on-line (and on sale) from Home Depot a couple of months ago...





My intent is to use it for this little niche in our bedroom (photo taken during our early renovations...seems I don't have a current photo).



I also intend to use it to line some drawers (similar to this night table in our guest bedroom):


I'd love to use it on an actual wall but my husband is quite opposed to the idea. I guess it's becuase he has spent more than his fair share of time over the years patching, prepping and painting walls in three separate homes. The idea of wallpaper (and potentially having to strip it at some point in the future), makes him crazy.

So, what are your many uses for wallpaper?
Posted by at 3 comments:
Labels:

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Tea time

Perhaps it was my upbringing in Victoria, B.C. (which prides itself on being the most British place in North America), or memories of drinking tea with my cousin as a youngster at my Gramma's (she was Scottish), but I love tea and all-things tea related.

Don't get me wrong, nothing beats a good cup of coffee (esp. in the morning), but tea is the romantic, soothing counter to coffee's bold urban-chic personality.

(photos by TimelessStyleDesign, of the store window at Fortnum & Mason in London, UK and the Orangerie at Kensington Place)




With that out of the way, the purpose of this post isn't really to sing the praises of these beverages...it's to talk about tea cups and their many uses...
I have a collection of unmatched turquoise tea cups which I have on display.





I also have some mis-matched tea cups/saucers in my garden (used as garden ornaments/bird feeders)... this one is in my front garden:



This past Christmas I used tea cups as Christmas ornaments (as all our ornaments were in a storage pod off-site due to our home renovations). This idea was taken from the photo (apologies to the photographer as I failed to label the source when I saved the photo).

Other ideas:

Tea cup as candle holder (Martha Stewart)
Tea cup for flowers (unknown)
Tea cup for jewelry organization

>




How are you using your tea cups in unusual ways?
Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
Related Posts with Thumbnails