Bedroom update

If you can remember way back when, we were going to have carpet installed in the part of our bedroom that did not have original wood flooring (the part that was back porch, dining nook, and old stairwell).  This is what it looked like:

And our closet looked like this:

It's amazing what a little carpet can do!

It's a very light color, but it is so pretty and comfy.  It was a pretty big splurge for us, but we went with the highest quality carpet we could and I'm so glad we did (I think Mark is, too...deep down).  Soon after the carpet was installed we moved in, but our closet still needed its built-ins and shelves, so that was our next project...after installing our doors!

We bought MDF to make the shelves in the linen closet and the clothes closet.  The linen closet was pretty easy:

The clothes closet took a little more thought.  We wanted enough drawers for our folded clothes (since we didn't want to have a dresser taking up space in our room), but also space for some shoes and Mark's heavy work jeans and sweatshirts.  We ended up with this layout: 6 big drawers (we left room to add one more on each side, which I think we will eventually do) and one big shelf for Mark's big, bulky work clothes (this shelf isn't in this picture).

(see the pretty carpet!)

The drawers are Ikea's Komplement baskets (roughly 30 x 23 x 6). They are pretty inexpensive and are decent quality...and they hold a LOT of stuff because they are big. I don't think it would be a good idea to put tons of Carhartt jeans in them, which is why I decided on a shelf.

After Mark built the basic structure, caulked it, and made sure it fit in the closet, we took it out and painted it white (same paint as the window seat) with a paint sprayer. We also installed and painted in the same way the big shelf above the clothes pole.  (Our closet is 6 1/2' wide (inside dimension).)

Once it was painted, we installed it, then Mark began putting together the hardware to install the baskets. 

Soon after, we starting filling it up! (Cliff is wondering why all this "stuff" is taking up his play space.)

(A shoes basket will be under Mark's heavy work clothes shelf.)

I plan to get nice plastic bins and put our shorts, swimming suits, sweaters, etc. up on that shelf way up there - the things you don't need out all year long.  Mark is excited about our new closet - for the first time in our marriage, he gets to hang his clothes up!  

Don't think that just because we've moved into our bedroom and our clothes are in our closet that all is done. Far from it, actually!  We have to finish the base trim, paint the bedroom door and closet doors, add transition pieces to where the carpet and wood floor come together, decide on what style of molding to do around the windows and door, touch up paint from installing the shelves in our closets...the list really never ends!  But, like I always say, we're one step closer - in this case three (carpet, doors, closet)!

Kitchen: Show & Tell

For those of you who read this blog (I know there are at least two of you out there), I am sorry I haven't posted anything in over a week! I've been really busy - we went to California over the weekend, celebrated my birthday (28!?!), and I've been helping to plan a big dinner at my church on Saturday. Despite all of this, I do have a lot of updates to show you all.

Let's start with ... the kitchen.

As you know, we ordered our kitchen cabinets last week. We are getting them through JC Group Inc. We were very pleased with their price and selection - and the fact that you can special order cabinets from them in the exact style, color, dimension, basically everything you can think of customizing, for just a little more than the in-stock cabinets. You do have to be patient and wait 6-8 weeks for them, but we were happy to wait! I'm getting the style and color I want so I'm very happy! Plus, they give you a computerized layout of what everything will look like.

Let the tour begin! (All images were created by JC Group Inc, besides my really awesome drawing - that's all me - and the last picture.)

Here is the birds eye view of what it will look like...pretty much. You can see the layout anyway.  There is going to be an archway on the left side where the peninsula is.  The arch will connect the window wall  to the wall that is above (in this picture anyway) the doorway into the kitchen. Too hard to explain. You'll just have to wait and see!

The doorway to the left is the pantry doorway. The raised island thing above the cook top will not be there; it will be more of a "pony wall" and above it will be the archway. The back side of the peninsula is going to be sheetrocked, so that if you are standing in our dining room and looking toward the kitchen, it will look like this (the gray is wall/sheetrock, the white is open!...don't laugh at my drawing):

I wanted our kitchen to feel like a separate room, but still feel open, and the Mr. wanted a more open feel, so I think this is a really good compromise.  (The peninsula wall - sheetrock - is going to be higher than the countertop of the peninsula so I can have some backsplash behind the cooktop.)

Here's a view looking at our pretty double wall oven and microwave.  I was just going to put the microwave on the counter...but, after some thinking, decided that it would sure be nice not to have it take up precious counter space, so we decided on a base microwave cabinet.

Here we are looking at the side of the kitchen that will have the archway wall. I wish our view out our kitchen window was a nice pasture rather than other house, but oh well!!

I can't wait to have my kitchen look similar to the pictures above instead of this:

Okay. It's not quite that bad anymore now that our bedroom is walled off, but close!  It will be so nice.  We still are undecided still on flooring, countertops and backsplash, and we need to get appliances (we're going with stainless steel), so we've got a lot of work to do before a finished kitchen becomes a reality. But we're getting closer!

Window seat/bench - Part 2

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This is Cliff trying to blog for the first time.  :o)

Last time, you saw the bench built (for the most part) and the trim which created the box detail already on.  After that, all Mark had to do was finish cutting out the lid, caulk, fill holes, prime and paint!  After everything was caulked, holes filled, and sanded smooth, Mark decided that to have a "flawless finish" he wanted to spray the bench (and opposed to brush or roll).  We have a paint spray gun which makes this easy...and fast!  He primed (I actually didn't ask how many coats...probably 1, maybe 2) and painted (a couple coats), and I'm so glad he decided to because the finish really is flawless.

Didn't he do a good job?  The only credit I can take for this is that it was my idea and design (including the completely awesome massiveness of it!). 

We painted the bench with a paint made to last - Miller's Acrinamel in White Satin.  It is supposed to put on this very hard enamel-type shell (like you would want on cabinets so they don't get dinged and scratched up easily), so I can't wait to see how well it hold up!  Not that I plan on taking a bat to it or anything, but that lid is heavy and all the open and shutting of it will undoubtedly cause some wear and tear. We were also told that it takes about 2 weeks to fully cure, so the sales person recommended that we don't attach the lid for two weeks.  Thankfully, we are in no rush, so the lid is hanging out, hingeless, in the middle of the room, and for now, this project is done!

Tonight, we have a bit more painting to do (window trim) and a ton of cleaning.  Our carpet is being installed tomorrow (I'm in shock, too!), and it is practically WHITE, so all the floors in the bedroom must be spotless...no tracking in on my brand new carpet will be tolerated!

Spring break in February

We had about a week of nice, not February-like weather here in Portland and it was so so SO nice.  I'm now itching for Spring to come. Because of the weather, my poor flowers got tricked into blooming. I figured I'd take a break from photographing a dusty, never-clean house in the middle of a major remodel and take some flower pictures for you!  Enjoy!

{PS...I think moss is one of my favorite things in the world. I love it. Seriously.)

{No one steal this picture. I'm darn proud of it. The flower was so pretty, it made my job easy!}

Window seat/bench - Part 1

When I got home from work, this is how far Mark got on the window seat project...

This thing is sturdy and massive! It's 7'2" long x 28" deep x 24" tall!  I can't wait till I get a cool cushion and about 20 pillows on there.  It could double as a twin bed it's so big. 

The bulk of it is made of 3/4" or 1" (I don't remember) MDF. There are 2x3" for support under the lid and acting as the interior frame.  The "box" detail on the front was crated from the same molding we are using as the base molding (proud to say that was my idea).  It gives it just enough detail. I didn't want something super intricate and fancy.  Anyway, I'm happy he got so far on it today!