remodeling wish list for 2010

As I sat down in my cozy new pajamas on December 26th and opened my favorite “Inside and Out” section in The Denver Post, I was eager to see what the trendwatchers would be forecasting for the year ahead. How will the economic and political climates of today translate into how we live and want our homes to function? Naturally, the Home for the new year: It’ll be sleeker, simpler headline caught my eye, and upon reading the article, I was reminded of how far we’ve come over the past decade.

Flashback to New Year’s Eve 2001. What we were expecting to be at least a one hour journey into downtown Chicago was a mere 20 minutes.  After the 9/11 terrorist attacks that fall, apparently people wanted to stick close to home to celebrate the arrival of a more promising New Year. The nesting phenomenon had begun in earnest. Homes became our safe havens and included separate theater rooms, family rooms, play rooms, offices, and spa-like baths so that we could keep our families close-by, comfortable and protected. It made sense at the time.

In light of current economic conditions and the desire to live a greener, more earth-friendly lifestyle, it appears that the McMansion days are over. To that we say, Amen! And furthermore, our family is using the trend toward multi-purpose spaces where families can gather together for meals, entertainment, work, crafts, and homework to develop our list of home improvements for 2010. These projects blend how our family is evolving and our needs are changing with general upgrades we’d like to make to improve our home and quality of life here. You won’t find any theater rooms or spa baths on our list.

Reed Davis, Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Project #1:  First on our list is to develop a home office station in our living room that can accommodate a computer station and general command center. Of course, it still has to look good as it will be the first thing someone will see when they enter through the front door.  I snapped this picture after taking down all the Christmas decorations, so bare bones.

Pared down for demo!

Project #2:  Open our kitchen to the dining area to include a more fluid space for entertaining and give us more counter and prep space. We are planning to remove a portion of this wall.

Project #3:  Winterize our porch to create a mudroom and casual family room. Currently we use the porch as a dumping ground, mud room, outdoor toy storage and the occasional site of large dinner parties. In the picture below, it housed the kids’ table for our Thanksgiving 2009 dinner.

But here’s what the porch looks like on most days. Lovely. Yeah, we LIVE here.

We’ll keep you posted as the projects progress throughout 2010. If we can complete all three we’ll have accomplished our goal of multi-purpose spaces just in time for the forecasters to predict a completely different trend for next year. But we won’t care, because when it comes to how you live in your home, what’s hip and trendy just isn’t that important. And to that we also say, Amen!

is it an "heirloom" or a "hairloom"

In my family, we have a joke about hand-me-downs from days of yore. If it’s a keeper, then it’s earned the “heirloom” moniker. If it’s a doozy, but must be retained due to some type of familial guilt, then it’s dubbed a “hairloom”. We’re sure you have a few hairloom gems in your holiday storage bins. Here are some of our favorite heirloom/hairlooms on display this season, but really, the distinction is all in the eye of the beholder.

This collection of musical angel ornaments was from my maternal grandmother. Apparently they moved over to make room for our elf on the shelf, Jingley, this morning. I dub the angels an heirloom for sure. Jingley, not so much, but my kids would beg to differ. He sits at the right hand of Santa after all — translation: ROCK STAR!

This trio of crystal trees belonged to my dad's mom. I scored them at Granbe’s Great Giveaway a few years back. It was the ultimate heirloom/hairloom festival, and Granbe’s five grandchildren (and subsequent great grandchildren) were the lucky recipients.

My aunts made these disco balls long before Studio 54 even opened with styrofoam balls, sequins, pearl pushpins and pipe cleaner hooks. I nabbed four of them at Granbe’s Great Giveaway, and they’re heirlooms to me for sure.

Here’s an heirloom that starts with our generation. It was a gift from my oh, so generous sister-in-law as we spent Christmas at home for the first time after our big renovation. I have to put it up high on the top of the china cabinet so little fingers don’t try to make the reindeer really fly.

This collection has become a modern-day heirloom for our family. We drink egg nog served in these mugs on the night we decorate the tree. My lame illustrations inspired Lucy (7) to upstage me on the cabinet door nearby.

Last but not least, our new favorite heirloom. Santa brought Holly two weeks ago (yes, a bit early…long story), and we are in love.

Got any heirlooms or hairlooms that your family favors?  Do share.

paige's new big girl room

It’s a big event when one of our little darlings makes the lofty jump out of the crib and into a big kid bed.  But all of a sudden, we’re faced with a decorating dilemma:  How do we make the visual leap from a sweet baby’s room to a fun toddler’s lair, without starting from square one? It’s a question Heather had for us, and we were only to happy to help her feather her sweet daughter’s new nest.

Dear Lisa,  My daughter, Paige, has just graduated from her crib into a big girl’s bed.  My husband and I are over the baby’s room look and want something with a retro vibe. We really like orange (although our daughter loves pink) and want to keep the room on the gender neutral side.  We bought a cool comforter set that we definitely want to use for her bedding.  The dresser we’d like to keep, but could paint. We’re game for new lighting, and have a white chair (a dumpster dive find from our back alley), that we’d like to incorporate into the room.  Thanks for your help!  Heather

Heather, we think Paige’s room will be the coolest on the block.  Take a peek at this mood board…

1.  Heather wanted a gender neutral wall color for Paige, so we’re going with Summer Day from Sherwin-Williams. We love it’s bright sunny disposition. Sunny orange will be the perfect backdrop for the white furniture with hot pink and lime green accents. For furniture placement, we think the bed should go right in the corner with the head against the right wall. The new bookshelf can go right next to it along the right wall and serve as a bedside table. The incredible dumpster dive white slipper chair will be a cozy spot for reading and snuggling and can go in the corner.  Leave the dresser where it is, and paint it a glossy white to match the new bookshelf.  That will leave the far wall for Paige’s bigger kitchen toys and to showcase the vintage Holly Hobby-esque quilt on the wall.

2.  We found this kitschy and “adoeable” (couldn’t resist, sorry) lamp and love the way the hot pink and white pop against the orange walls.  The little doe diva will be a perfect bedside lamp sitting atop the new bookshelf. Sadly for you, Heather bought the last one, but it sure is cute, ain’t it?

3.  Even though Paige is a bit too young for the Olsen twins, Mary Kate and Ashley’s adorable lamp will bring their keen sense of style to our toddler’s lair.  This lamp shade is the perfect style for embellishing with some hot pink ribbon.  For our tutorial on that easy project, click here.

4.  Every little girl needs a stylish place to stash her baubles and treasures. These charming mini suitcases come in a set of 3, small, medium and large. They will bring a zest of orange and splash of pink to her new white bookshelf, and provide a sense of order to the knick knacks that seem to multiply in little girls’ rooms. Trust us, we know!

5.  We’re only recommending one piece of new furniture for Paige’s new room. This kid-friendly (and budget friendly) bookshelf is just the right height to due double duty as a bedside table, too. Pop that cute doe lamp on the top shelf, and Paige has lots of room to store her books, stuffed animals, and toys.

6.  One of our favorite finds for Paige’s room is this tree wall decal.  We think it should “grow” right up the wall behind the white slipper chair for a whimsical reading and snuggling spot.

7.  Toddlers spend so much time on the floor. This bold striped rug will bring the color down that direction and give Paige a cozy spot to hang out on while she plays, reads and explores.

8.  These bright yet sturdy baskets are perfect for organizing a pile of board books and bringing some more visual order to the room.  We see these on the bottom shelf of the bookcase, so Paige can have easy access and can return everything back to it’s proper place, just like a big girl does.

And, here's the big reveal. Paige's room turned out SO cute!

I must have a juniper fetish!

It occurred to me, as Steve and I were hacking and hauling away the remains of the seven juniper trees and bushes, that I must have some kind of sick juniper fetish when it comes to buying a house.  To me, a house smothered in overgrown junipers means that the same owners must have lived there for quite some time, they are probably on the older side, and the place might be ripe for some remodeling and deal making.

{Aren't those pruned juniper beauties too good to pass by?!}

In the two home buying experiences we’ve had, that was exactly the case.  In our Denver house (built in 1955), we learned from the delightful previous owners, Gus and Lucille, that they had lived there for 33 years and bought the house from the original owners.  In the Chicago burbs, we bought the home (built in 1942) from the original owners.  This information is both good and bad.  It seems that houses with few owners have less wear and tear, fewer goofy remodeling kinks, and are generally well cared for; these are all good things.  The bad news is that the junipers in both homes were decades older than we were, and man, those roots grow deep!

{Don't they look so much better on our driveway?!}

tales of a very ugly kitchen: new knobs

In our original kitchen, the maple cabinet fronts had no knobs and there was a little indentation on the tops for your fingertips to facilitate opening the door. The drawers had the same design on the bottom. Here’s a picture of the lil’ beauties from our home inspection. 

I know, I know, ick.  Sometimes I look back at these pics and wonder what we were thinking when we (okay, it was just me), decided I must live here?! But, we’ve made progress, and now it’s time for the finishes and fun stuff.

Even though the fingertip grooves still remained on the painted cabinets and drawers, the white semi-gloss paint left them looking rather flat (but still so much prettier), so we wanted a knob or pull that would bring some dimensionality back to their surface. We opted for two knob styles from good ol’ Home Depot because we liked the brushed steel finish, sleek style, and frankly Frank, we liked the price. The smaller knob went on the short cabinet uppers, and we used the longer pull on the bigger cabinets and some of the drawer fronts.

To refresh your memory, the oven/stove area looked like this at our home inspection.

And now, for the big cabinetry knob reveal (insert drumroll here, please)…

Yahoo! Not only do we love the improved functionality of our kitchen appliances, but we also love the sleek and contemporary lines of our prettier cabinetry. What do you think?  Next up, bye-bye florescent behemoth.

a peacock wreath for the holidays

From the LA Times Home Blog today…love the whimsy and color!

Why wait until turkey day to hang the holiday wreath? And why spend a small fortune on greenery when you can quickly and easily create something equally dramatic that will last for years?

These questions were on my mind on a recent craft supply run to Michaels, where I found a $19.99 peacock feather wreath that spoke to me. What it said: Peacock motifs are everywhere these days, why shouldn’t they replace Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas cardinals? (The wreath was a fierce name-dropper too, whispering Auntie Mame, Tony Duquette and Bob Mackie in one breath.)

Naturally, I had to have it. With one push of a pushpin it quickly adorned my front door, which happens to be a pale shade of peacock blue. Stylish as it looked, it needed a little something extra.

That’s when I remembered the stuffed peacock I recently found at Mercado in Silver Lake for $23. Made from hand-spun wool by women in the central highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, it was the perfect folk art counterpart to the drag queen glamour of the wreath. And with a pushpin through its feathery tail, it is now happily perched on the wreath.

Not bad for $42.99. (Tax and pushpins not included.)

– David A. Keeps

Photo credit: David A. Keeps

tera's living room makeover

Tera recently contacted us to help her reinvent her living room. Here is her letter:

Dear Lisa,  My husband and I bought our first home together, and it’s a hodge podge with many relics from our single days. We traveled for 18 months after we were married, so we also have many things we’ve collected from our travels. My husband, Jim, is a huge movie buff, so I have convinced him to pare down to just two movie posters which must stay in the room. Also, the sofa is something that we’d like to keep.  We’re definitely interested in new paint. I like warm, cozy colors, but I tend to overdo color when I paint and it feels either claustrophobic or trendy. We would love new window treatments but nothing frilly or heavy. I’m currently obsessed with Etsy.com and love their unique handmade items. I feel like I know what I like, but I’m stuck on how to pull it together.  I hope you two can help!  Tera

Okay, Tera, we’ve got your room reinvented with a global eclectic theme fit for two world travelers (and one movie buff!).

1.  To bring some of the warm and cozy colors Tera likes into this space, we are using that industrial chic brick wall to direct our color palette. For the fireplace wall, we’d love to see an accent color and Benjamin Moore’s Misted Green (2138-50) picks up the sage green in the fireplace surround beautifully. To counterbalance the brick color on the left side of the fireplace, we recommend that Tera use BM’s Bricktone Red (2005-30) on the wall to the right of the fireplace, behind the TV. For the remaining walls, we suggest BM’s Spring in Aspen (954) for a cozy cream color that will complement the brick and sage green accents. Also, we’d LOVE to see Tera paint the wood mantle on her fireplace and the refresh the vintage wood trim throughout the room with BM’s White Dove (OC-17). By painting the mantle, the tile surround on the fireplace will really pop, and the mantle will blend with the original trim rather than look like an add-on.

2.  Fortunately, the track lighting in Tera’s living room has a main junction box, so replacing it with a simple yet elegant new chandelier will be an easy task for an electrician, and a minor ceiling repair job for a painter, or even for Tera and her hubby if they decide to do the painting themselves. With Tera’s soaring ceilings, adding a chandelier is a subtle way to draw the eyes upward while leaving ample room for even the tallest visitor to walk underneath. This unbelievably priced chandelier has an oil-rubbed bronze finish and will set the room aglow with soft light. It also complements Tera’s two recently purchased lamps without being too matchy-machty.

3.  These elegantly striped curtains will frame Tera’s oversized front window beautifully. By hanging them as close to the ceiling as possible, the vertical stripe will emphasize the incredible ceiling height in the room, and the fabric will give a shimmery contrast to the rugged, earthy texture on the exposed brick wall.  At 108″ inches, these beauties are still an affordable option, and their grommet tops give them an edgy, urban vibe.

4.  In addition to their globe trotting history together as a couple, there’s no denying that Tera’s hubby, Jim, loves his movies. We think his two movie posters that currently flank the fireplace, and are “must stays” according to Tera, might be a little lost, so we are game to pump up the movie theme just a bit with this trio of vintage film reels. Hung above the fireplace, this collection will pull the movie posters into this global mix and give them the attention they deserve.  Right, Jim?  Hey, we know first hand that compromise in decorating is good for a marriage.

5.  This antique globe is a nod to Tera and Jim’s travels and a fun accessory to sit on top of the fireplace mantle or to adorn their new bookshelf.

6.   Tera is a big Etsy fan, and so are we, so we were happy to scour Etsy for some suitable finds for the living room.  Tera wants to keep their comfy, neutral sofa, but it can be spruced up with this collection of  handmade and Asian-inspired pillows. We say throw the rectangular shaped one on the newly slipcovered slipper chair and pile the remaining three on the sofa for those cozy date nights on the couch watching movies and eating takeout while your little one snoozes away upstairs. Now that’s parental bliss.

7.  And, ah yes, what to do about those two imposing bookcases in Tera’s before shots? Well we’re taking a risk here and suggesting that Tera replace them with just one new bookcase. We say this for two reasons. The first being that a heavy and tall wall of books in a 12′ x 12′ room is a little too top heavy and encroaching. We’re confident that with some careful editing, the books can be paired down, and the remaining collection can be housed on this light and airy leaning ladder shelf in an espresso finish.  (This type of bookcase comes with hardware to attach to the wall, so it’s also a safe option for Tera’s toddler.) The second reason for transitioning to just one bookcase is that by moving this single shelf toward the entry, the perfect reading nook is created for Tera’s newly slipcovered slipper chair. Tera’s existing floor lamp can be moved over to this corner to provide ample reading light with the added benefit of balancing the sources of light throughout the room.  The overall effect is one of a grander, more open space.

8.  We like this well-priced TV stand because of its simple lines and the espresso finish that will complement the bookshelf and Tera’s recently purchased end table.  The cabinetry below will provide additional closed off storage. The dimensions of this stand work nicely in the corner to the right of the fireplace.  We suggest that Tera place this stand flush with the wall and then angle her TV on the stand slightly toward the sofa for easy viewing.

9.  And speaking of favorite pieces from their single days of yore, Tera’s slipper chair, which she was reluctant to relinquish, can be revived and, frankly, swankified with this new damask slipcover. It’s warm cozy tones bring the same tan and pecan colors from the curtains across the room, and we love the subtle raised velvet damask pattern. But not as much as we love the price on this baby. What a score!

10.  Now, for the element that pulls the whole room together.  This 100% wool rug blends together our color palette of cream, tan, sage and burgundy and adds a lovely pattern to the room.  The rugs Indian origins and patterning complete our global eclectic living room for Tera and her family.