Tagged: Renovations
Catch Yee Monkey x
This week has been a matter of smoothing the road whilst riding the battle bus: Lots of things happening, too much juggling and not enough time for writing – something had to give. But we’re definitely on the acceleration towards the end.
Well – sort of end – there’ll still be the decorating to finish, and given my ability to blow the budget, it’ll all be down to me to climbing ladders and wielding paint brushes. Not that I really mind – I like the sense of ownership…and at least when the colours polymorph it’s not a double whammy of paying for new paint and decorators to put right. But I’ve reached the stage I just want it finished…to see everything back in the rooms..pictures on the walls..the spaces given their kiss of life.
Upstairs we have a whole room jammed to the ceiling with bulging boxes and bits. It’s going to be interesting to see what makes it back – what one needs (we’ve managed with very little for the last six months ) versus what one wants (I’ve missed cookery books, wedding photos and vases) versus essentials: a running tap, a sink, a dishwasher…a fridge door that opens all the way..an oven! How have we managed without a kitchen for 6 months??
Today the tap is going in – the oven is in the house rather than in the shed. The lovely French cabinet is also in – but I think photos can wait till all the handles are on. Hehe.
(All pics Pinterest)
At the moment I’m just removing all the lacquer from the brass with nail varnish remover and elbow grease so they can all age disgracefully and develop their own patina. One’s own patina…A life’s essential don’t you think?
Laters, Kate x
A Progress Report: Blue Notes..
Things are changing daily..the lights: wall lights/pendants/milk churns are all up (I think they deserve a separate post..)
But here’s a sneak peak: This pic was taken last week..much has changed since then..but more later..
Down below in the underworld is where decisions are still taking place: The DVD-storage-provider-fireplace now has it’s hinged camouflage grill in place, completing the look..I LOVE it.
The TV needs to be mounted so the wall needed to be painted…and so the polymorphing paint trials started again. Sigh. The aim was for dark blue with grey undertones to link in with a big rug coming in. A blue shouldn’t be a hard colour to find, I thought – classic, straight forward..simple. The sample on the wall looked great – dark, velvety, petroly even – perfect!…except when I painted it on the fireplace wall…it was green. OH.NO.NOT.AGAIN (Yet look at the picture…blue…) but honest to God it was a dark, Victorian green…and looked OK..just not…right – too harsh – too green (I think colours are harder to nail when it’s a room with no natural light, but I am starting to wonder if colour blindness can be brought on by renovations and old age..) Arggghhhhhhhh!
So it was back to inspiration pics..
Back to the rug..
Back to the DIY shop…with the decision that if paint could change, then the exploitation of it should be a controlled decision. I went determined for a smokey blue that could almost be grey, but could be mistaken for a bruised lavender. And I went avoiding all the ‘branded’ paint with their promises of perfection, approaching the much cheaper Valspar range with their choice of 2000 colours…knowing to only trust my eye.
The result is a joy: A summer thunderstorm, the mist on a mountain..the light at dusk.
And look how the bare mdf looks in the pics…like the perfect just plastered putty pink! It’s the next colour to track down..that and a complementing grey..
Wish me luck.
Laters, Kate x
The Underworld x
As the kitchen has been progressing, so has the cellar..the bookcases are finished and the faux fireplace/black-box-storage-facility now has fancy detailing..
(We bought these terracotta plaques nearly fifteen years ago on a very memorable trip to Sicily involving climbing volcanos, exploding boats and great friends)
They’ve been waiting all this time for the perfect place to shine…and now they will forever make me smile.
The carpentry on all the storage cupboards is also complete.
And the stairs are done – it just all needs a lick of paint now…and will be the next room to be decorated. Time to re-cap on the inspiration shots..and start buying paint samples.
Not long…
Laters, Kate x
The Kitchen’s Arrived!
And all hail the Gods of colour…it’s a lovely dark….GREY! Not a hint of brown in sight…
Phew. Phew. Phew.
And it looks pretty dramatic against the white…
Now it’s the simple matter of getting it all fitted…
Plus some of the other little extras I’ve been waiting for. New coat hooks?!
Laters, Kate x
Disaster..
So here’s the thing: This weekend I finally started to paint the kitchen..
I pulled out the big drums and polyrhythms and went with what my heart said..dark. On the sample it looked grey – in my tin – grey. On the wall – brown. In pictures – black. My mother (who saw it) is still convinced it was green. To be honest..once it was on, it just looked promisingly awful. Not at all what I had imagined.
If you’re an uber cool couple with no children..then it certainly makes a statement. Sadly our space is less flickering candlelight more spilt tea and homework. I even unwrapped the mirror to see if stuff on the walls made a difference – and like the skidmarks of a bad crash, that’s when I discovered the next tragedy – the mirror had woodworm…great with a brand new oak parquet floor..
I know I’m not the only one to be suffering colour sample polymorphing..the truth is – the only way to know if you really like a colour is to paint a whole wall..or if you’re mad like me, a whole room. Sigh. And then be prepared to stand back and admit you’ve made a mistake: I like to believe I have adventurous taste but to have kept this just to prove a point would’ve made it the worst fake since…well, Madonna. So whilst I lament that it’s the wrong story…and it breaks my heart – the salient fact is it’s only paint and we all make mistakes: Nobody has died. It’s just my very own, very sad bad….that will be paid for in blood and sweat..
There was no time to faff with new samples – it needed to be finished by this morning (Monday) as the kitchen was due to arrive back for fitting. The only option was to go big and go white..
Have you ever painted over black before?
I gave up at one o’clock this morning..
The whole design now needs a new re-think…and I’m suspecting that only way to make this work is to embrace everything Scandi.
Never thought I’d write that..
Laters, Kate x
Ceilings x
Probably the coldest morning of the winter today – the perfect conditions for clearing the garden of Molly’s now solid brown presents. Makes me wonder if someone has invented a poo-freezer yet…no! not somewhere to store her daily offerings! but something Ghostbuster-like to make the job even slightly more fun..a bit like the paint I tried on the ceiling this weekend. I hate painting ceilings..but there’s more of a twinkle if it’s an ever-so subtle shade of bubble gum pink..
What do you think? A design step too far??
Good job it turns white after an hour…hehe!
In principal it’s a great idea..but does make you realise how hard/long it takes to paint cornice properly..
Laters, Kate x
House update..
It’s becoming like Christmas here with something new every day…another major part of the build – the floor – is going down…
It’s ticking all the boxes…the choice had again been a step away from the norm as I’d asked them for as many knots/character/colour variations as possible..basically a posh design that feels rustic.
The transformation is taking a bit of getting used to – after staring at it (for what was probably hours) I gingerly tried to balance my way round the unfinished edge to get to the stairs. ‘It’s a floor!’ The builders said, ‘Walk on it!’
Except I can’t!..
(Don’t think it will stop the kids though…)
Laters, Kate x
It’s all black and white..
The good news is I’m off this morning to pick up our platform ladder from my sister…which means the serious renovation decoration is about to start.
The bad news is it’s all going to get done by paintbrush wielding me.
The good news is I like to get my hands dirty: No pain, no gain.
(All pictures Pinterest)
The bad news is…it tends to be more than just my hands..
Laters, Kate x
An Update: House etc..
Yesterdays fascinator experiment went well..I was thinking of you Julie (hattitude) as we marshalled in the sinamay into shape! Could’ve done with your skill!!
No real finished ones to reveal yet..(the first official creative coffee is on Wednesday) but I think we’re a bit more prepared..
(It’s great stuff just to let loose and play with..I recommend it.)
On the house front, there’s no longer a broken neck risk checking out the cellar…we now have stairs!..
Upstairs…could that actually be a sink in the kitchen??!
To the unknowing eye, this all just looks like mismatched piles of wood..
To me, it’s the light at the end of the tunnel..(even knowing, once it’s made it’s coming out (sob!) to be painted (and so the floor can go down))..but this is pure progress. We may even have a working bin soon – the excitement, the luxury!
Laters, Kate x
Progress..
The building work is moving up a gear now, particularly in the cellar. The digging is finished, insulation and underfloor heating is laid and it was all screeded and left to dry over the festivities. Now we’re onto the first fix and finalising plans for the second fix.
It’s an interesting space in terms of design – it’s predominantly a cinema/games room that needs to swallow a lot of ugly storage. But what doesn’t help is that I have a fundamental problem with the general concept of cinema rooms: It seems that the moment the word ‘technology’ is associated with a space it becomes infused with this need for everything cold, chrome, clean and clinical – like the ‘cutting edge technology’ needs to be supported and highlighted by it’s super-duper space-ship-like surroundings..which will probably be out of date in a year. The truth is I’ve yet to find a cinema room on Pinterest I like or want to lounge, Roman-senator-style in.
So it was back to the drawing board and writing a list from all these pictures of the things that actually make a room cosy: A fire, books, rugs, lamplight, dark colours..fluffy dog.
And that’s when the inspiration struck – why not create a false chimney breast for the TV to go on, with a fireplace where the DVD player/set top box/general crap/ can be hidden in the cleverly made fireplace surround? We can’t have a proper fire..
But there are some amazing electric cast iron stoves around..and in the summer it means you can have the glow without the heat!
It’s a work in progress, but the plan is to have significant 75 cm depth mega cupboards with sliding doors across the back with the boiler and water tank under the stairs. As you come down the stairs, the first cupboard you see will be low level holding games and a vintage dollshouse. Then there will be full height open bookcases either side of the chimney breast and all the way to the end of the wall. The chimney breast will come out 40 cm and hide all the cabling from the TV. The fireplace will be slightly lower than normal to help with eyelines to the screen, and the DVD etc will be housed in the central section of the surround under a fretwork door – which should mean we can use the remote without having to have the door always open (fingers crossed) . The stove will be quietly tucked inside to add ambience, all topped off with a tiled hearth.
May the magic begin!
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 