Starting From The Beginning...Again

After working on (and still not finishing) the house for 7 years something happened that would change everything for us.  On March 8, while we were out of town, our house caught fire.  That's a statement that you never think you'll utter.  Funny, but not funny, we had just bought a fire safe before it happened. We thought we'd have plenty of time to put important documents in it. Nope. It's been a few months since it happened and I'm at the point where I'm ready to write about our crazy adventures since that day.
 
For starters, we were very lucky that no one was home and no one was injured.  About 95% of what was in the house was just stuff that can be replaced. The remaining 5% is the heart breaker; things I've had since my childhood and things that were my kid's that can't be replaced. The actual fire encompassed the attic but the water damage from putting the fire out was the death sentence.  Everything in the house has to be replaced...the entire roof, floors, walls, windows, everything. So we've got a shell of a home.  The 130 year old brick work is what's left. 

The good news is that we can rebuild the inside to its former glory with a few modifications that will actually make the house function better for us.  The bad news is that it's predicted to take 2 years to complete.  Initially we were living in a hotel for a period of time which was fine for about a minute.  Not having a space of our own for 5 months was kind of miserable, honestly.  We decided early on that we wanted to be back on our property ASAP.  That meant fixing up our garage, or as we lovingly call it, our carriage house.  If anyone out there has visited my blog before you may remember that we lived in our garage for 7 months when we first bought our house while we were doing some renovations.  If someone had told me that I would be living in my garage again I would have said that they were crazy.  And yet, here we are, coming full circle. 

The first time we lived in our garage (I"m having an out of body experience... Like I'm actually writing about living in my garage more than once...WTF!)  it was my husband, myself, my 3 yr old and a cat.  We had a room and a bathroom and that's it.  We're talking about 200 sq ft maybe.  Somehow we managed knowing we'd never have to do it again...Ha!  Now there's 4 of us and no cat.  That space for 2 years meant someone wasn't going to make it out of this situation alive.  In order to preserve our sanity we decided to build onto the other half of our garage to make a bigger, more doable space for the time we'll be living here.  I'll skip the part where we had to get permission because we live in a historic neighborhood.  That process was a real treat..not.  Cut to August where we are now living in our garagemahal as my friend calls it.  Really it's 550 sq feet.  I kind of love it.  My house house is over 6000sq ft. That's a crazy difference.  I think you expand (or contract in this case) to fit where you live though.  Being in 550 sq ft means not a lot of "stuff" is allowed in.  It's actually been easier than I imagined it would be and being back on property has been amazing for us.  It took a few months to fix it up but it's been worth it.  I would say it's 95% done with a few things on the punch list.  I'll be showing before and afters when it's done or at least a bit closer.

Anyway, I haven't blogged in quite some time but I'd like to document the restoration...again.  Crazy.  I'll be posting some pictures from after the fire and the current state of the main house in the next few days just for perspective.  That's all I can muster for today, but here we go again...

Chairs And Fabric Choices

I've officially run out of any creativity when it comes to post titles.  Oh well.  Anyway, we got the chairs in and I'm so thrilled with them.

The chairs are super comfy.  We just need some decorative pillows and some throw blankets on these and they are perfect.  We've started watching tv at night in our sitting room.  Something we've never done, of course now my husband is complaining that the tv is too small.  I hate to agree with him but it's true.

I also finalized (for now) my fabric choices.

They are all from Calico Corners except for the Schumacher Iconic leopard.  I'm going to make curtains for the bedroom in the far left fabric and I'm getting a bedskirt made in the window pane plaid.  The cream linen will be curtains for the sitting room.  I'm probably going to add some decorative trim to snazz it up a bit.  The leopard I'm saving for an end of the bed bench and maybe an x bench for the desk.  It's starting to look so soothing in my room.  My husband, on the other hand, thinks it's a bit boring.  I say he needs to wait to see the finished product.  He always doubts me until the end when he acknowledges that I was right all along.  And all is as it should be;)

The Sitting Room Wallpaper

Well the wallpaper is up and I LOVE it.  Oh, and got the desk too which looks really nice against the wallpaper.  What I'm not showing you is our king mattress which is sitting on the floor.  We got our queen bed but left the king in the room and the kids have been having slumber parties on it on the weekends.  The kids will be bummed to learn that the mattress will be going away today though. I ended up getting chairs with ottomans for the room instead of a couch which are coming tomorrow!  We are super excited to have a cozy place to sit and watch tv at night which is just a stumbling distance to the bed.  Speaking of the bed, I did end up getting a headboard and it was none of the choices I showed you. I'm saving that for another post though since there isn't anything terribly interesting to see in the bedroom yet.  I still have a ton of stuff left to do.  I haven't ordered the lights yet and I've got fabric choices to finalize and curtains to make (blech) and final touches of course.

One little project we'll be working on is the fireplace.

Originally we wanted to convert this to a gas fireplace but because it's in a bedroom there are a lot of city codes hoopla that we would have to work around, and it was going to be really expensive.  So we ditched that idea and decided to do something a little simpler.  As you can see, it's not especially pretty at the moment.  We ended up buying a fireplace candelabra which is arriving later this week that we'll put some flameless candles on for a little ambience.  Then my husband had a great idea to do mirrored tiles inside the fireplace to give it a little bling.  We haven't found the tiles yet but I think we're going to end up making that happen.  In my head it looks amazing so I hope reality will mirror (ha- no pun intended) my vision.

That's all I've got for now.  Next week I should have some progress pictures with the chairs at the very least.

Newly Painted Bedroom Walls

This weekend was spent inhaling paint fumes.  Seriously, painting is like childbirth.  You forget how awful it is and then the next thing you know you find yourself up on a ladder again, sweating and wondering why you didn't hire this out?  It was especially awful when I saw this on the side of the fireplace.

First of all, why design a wall with such an acute angle?  Secondly and most importantly bubbling plaster equals roof flashing issues....doh!  So this little corner isn't getting done until we get a roofer out and then a plasterer.  Nothing goes smoothly in this house.  Nothing!

Another little matter yet to deal with is the fireplace.

It's looking so shabby with paint splattered all over it.  I swear that was not me!  It was like that when we moved in.  Really?  Never heard of a drop cloth?  So that's going to be a project in the near future.

I was able to paint the rest of the walls, move the furniture out and move the new nightstands and cozy shag rug in.  Woohoo, progress!  I've decided (for now) to just wallpaper the sitting room.

I know what you're thinking.  It's looking a little blah.  True for now.  It is looking more bright and fresh though which is a step in the right direction.

Of course this leaves the little matter of me sleeping on a mattress (that was already killing my back) on the floor.  Motivation my friends.  It's high time I find myself a headboard, don't you think?  I've got to make a decision this week before my back gives out.  Wish me luck!

Headboard Options

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!  I took advantage of some of the sales over the weekend to get going on my bedroom.  I ended up getting nightstands, a desk, a rug and sconces.  Not a bad start if I do say so myself.  As my husband says though, I'm going broke saving money! One thing I couldn't decide on this weekend was which headboard to get.  In my original moodboard I had the Balboa headboard from Serena and Lily which I really like.

But then I saw these, which I also really like.

via Wayfair

via Wayfair

The Wayfair headboards come in so many colors.  Really beautiful.

via Etsy

I included this one because I love the chippendale look but it really wouldn't work with the sconces I got.  It's so cool looking though.

Via Etsy

 Love Shack Designs LA has some great upholstered options for reasonable prices.  I love the above headboard.  I'd probably do a different color although I think it's a gorgeous shade.

Via Etsy

Mid Mod Tropical is another Etsy store that has fun regency furniture.  Love this headboard but I'd have to paint it.  It could be really fun though. 

Ugh, decisions. I don't know which to choose.  I'm also narrowing down where I want to put wallpaper.  I decided to wallpaper the sitting room but I'm still deciding on the bedroom.  I'll either just paint the entire room or I'll paint but put wallpaper on the wall where the bed is going.  I'm getting a quote for labor and to see how many rolls I'd need for both options.  That may be the deciding factor.  

So, any favorites?  I'm going to take a little time on this decision.  The last time I bought a headboard I kind of rushed it and was never really happy with my choice.  I don't want to make the same mistake twice.

The Master Bedroom Begins ( or at least I hope it does)

First of all I want to thank everyone for their sweet comments about my sunporch and master bathroom.  It feels so good to have these rooms done.   Now I'm ready to move on to the next room.  I haven't really been blogging much lately about the house even though we have made progress.  I guess I was just burnt out with work and life, but I forgot why I started the blog in the first place.  To document our progress!  Duh!  So I'm going to start up again with what's happening at the domicile.  There are rooms that I've done in the past that never really felt right to me and rooms that were just plain ol' not finished or even started.  I really want to love each and every room or else what's the point?  Don't get me wrong, there are some rooms I'm infatuated with and won't change, like the sunporch and my blue room.  There are a few that are on the chopping block though but I may save those for another One Room Challenge.  In the meantime, now that my master bathroom is done, it's become glaringly obvious that my bedroom is downright sad.  I've always thought that it would be the last room we'd do just because I'd like to get the downstairs done, but I can't ignore it any longer.  Like I said before, I can't commit to keeping a room tidy if it isn't finished.  I just can't.  My room is a pigsty because I don't like it.  So...I'm going to start on it.  What I have planned is pricey so it's probably going to be a gradual process.  I have a bedroom and an adjoining sitting room which we don't sit in.  I may work on them independently but we'll see.  Here's what I'd like to happen.

By the way, I just learned how to make these moodboards at Olioboard thanks to Blue i style and I'm obsessed.  I haven't quite mastered how to do the source thing though but I'll tell you where everything is from.
-Nightstands:  West Elm
-Sconce: Rejuvenation
-Campaign desk: Pottery Barn
-Headboard and Bookcase: Serena & Lily
-Dunkirk Chandelier: Hudson Valley Lighting
-Vincent Sofa (in a different fabric): Calico
-Fabrics: Schumacher Iconic Leopard Linen, Schumacher Grass Stone, Schumacher mineral
-Bedding: Ballard Designs
-Wallpaper: Cole and Son Woods and Pears
-Paint: BM Swiss Coffee
I'd also like a bench at the end of the bed and a small lingerie chest but haven't found those yet.

And here's what it looks like now. The first couple are the sitting room.  These were originally two separate rooms but we took a wall down to make it a sitting room...which we don't use....yet.

I'd like to put the bookcase to the right of the fireplace.  The fireplace isn't functional so we'd like to turn it into a gas fireplace.  Cha-ching.  This is adding up.

The campaign desk would replace what's there.  These chairs are going away as well as the chandeliers.  We bought this stuff as "in the meantime" furniture which was a waste of money honestly.  I never loved any of it.

Lol!  The chair with the massive pile of clothes is staying but will be reupholstered.  In this view you can see into the bedroom.

We always meant to have doors made for those cubbies but never did.  That needs to be finished up.  

And our bedding is old as dirt.

So this furniture we had in our last house.  It's a king size bed which is too big for the room.  And I can't open the closet door all the way.  Annoying.  I'm hoping switching to a queen size bed with smaller side tables will allow the furniture to be centered on the wall...or at least not squished to the left side.  And don't even get me started on the paint color.  It was the one time I didn't put a sample on the wall.  It's not as bad in this picture but it's actually a little boy's room blue.  Not what I had in mind.

The chair in the corner is my friend's that I'm keeping for her.  That's going to find a new home in the attic.  I told you my room was a mess!

So that's the story.  Who knows if it will evolve into something else.  I'm known to change my mind pretty frequently but I love what's in the moodboard.  I'm really hoping some of this stuff will be on sale for Memorial weekend.  Right?  I hope?

The One Room Challenge-Week 6-Master Bath Reveal

First of all I want to thank Linda of Calling It Home for hosting this amazing event.  I've been able to finish 3 rooms thanks to this challenge and I'm looking forward to continuing with other rooms as well.  My master bathroom was always very nice but it just needed a little push to make it great.

Before

After

I stenciled the bathtub when we first bought the house.  You can see the before here.  I'm not sure if I would do it again, but there was no way I was changing it remembering the time and effort I put into it.  That was back when the house didn't have air conditioning and it was August.

I'm pretty thrilled to have this room DONE and I'm going to try super hard to keep it looking this way.

 A few things about the room in case anyone is interested.
-Etagere is from Ballard Designs spray painted brushed nickel
-The fabric is Hot House Flowers in the mineral color by Schumacher
-The apothecary jars were a mix of Pottery Barn and Amazon.
-The wall color is BM Mineral Ice
-The roman shade was made by Lynn Chalk

Now that this is over I'm so excited to see how everyone else did on their rooms....and I'm already thinking about which room I want to take on next!  Check out all the amazing reveals and enjoy!
One Room Challenge Guest Participants.