Took a trip last weekend out to see my mom, which of course included a tour of the local small town thrift shops. No big surprises or great deals uncovered on this trip
Though amongst piles of Beanie Babies, commemorative hockey chotchkies and some dusty Blue Mountain Pottery we did find these masterpieces!
I was cruising the intermawebs today and found the most beautifully shot interiors. While we usually save that sort of link re-post for the RS facebook page the subject matter took me back to one of our trips and branched out in a way that couldn’t be properly explored in a one-liner. Hope you think so too!
Dale and I had travelled to Cuba and were taken not so much by the tourist littered beaches and ho hum resorts, but rather the beauty of Havana and it’s people. Education is prized in a way were rarely see here, and there is a quiet grace to both the spaces and the teamwork involved to achieve the goals of the country as a whole. Do yourself a favour, skip the all inclusive and plan for a good 4 days (at least) in this unexpected city exploring.
Warm pancakes soaked with Homemade maple syrup
Crocus and Hen & Chick poking up in the sunshine
2 little dogs excited to explore High Park
Cashmere, silk, mohair and merino together again and off the loom Continue reading
We spent last night engulfed in a halo of floor adhesive fumes…not the best for a good nights sleep, but a small price to pay for the amazing progress on the third floor.
The drywall is completed. Paint has gone up. And now we are onto the baseboard trim and redoing the stairs.
It looks like hell right now, but have faith, it’s coming together.
Super exciting walk to work last week!
On my way to catch the streetcar to work I happened upon these lovely things put out for the trash…
what is it? and why do I think they were worth digging out, lugging back home and being a tiny bit late for the office, opps. Because these lovelies were just the very EXACT thing we needed! Continue reading
I’ve been in a bit of a fibre frenzy lately, and Dale has been nice enough to grant me a hiatus from the hard slog of renovations…but that doesn’t mean things aren’t getting done round the city house.
Just about a year ago I went off to London with the girls for a pre-wedding broo-ha-ha.
When I got back home this was lurking in the attic!
A quick look at the bathroom (yes I know I post about it all the time, but I really love how it turned out) then off we go down the back stairs!
So calm and lovely in the morning.
I want everything those soft shades of grey, tan and white!
Rear stairs to the left leading to kitchen, 3rd floor stairs to the right leading up to 3rd floor loft. Front stairs forward leading to 1st floor.
The front stairs and 2nd story landing are painted Farrow and Ball’s Drawing Room Blue and the rear stairs are painted F&B’s Charlotte’s Locks
We are so happy to have gone with the bold colour pops throughout the house. It keeps the white from being overwhelming and reflects the fun bursts of colour found in the stained glass.
Those turn of the century folks were not afraid of bold choices either, check out all the hues found in just one window glass!
The front of the house turned out really well. At some point a wall was put up to partition the living and dining room.
When we got the home it was a very vivid blue painted using a high gloss enamel paint…not so great.
After all the plaster repairs we went with a soft and creamy shade of Linen
Love how calm it’s turned out, a great complement for all of that great painted trim and iron work. And now for the living room!
More trim, iron work and soft smooth walls. The floor had to be refinished in one area. Dale managed to match the varnish perfectly and it all came together.
I’ve hung the curtain rod with an exaggerated width and placed the curtains outside the window frame to make what is an already large window seem impossibly huge. Nice trick for this room.
And here’s the kitchen in all it’s AFTER glory!
New Stone counter top, subway tile back-splash, deep stainless under mount double sink, freestanding butcher block island, floating shelves, stained glass, chalkboard wall. Remote controlled ceiling fan with dimmer light. Large Pantry, new wide plank floors, powder room and separate staircase.
It’s funny how you can’t get an idea of the scale of this room since all of the items in it are so large but totally in proportion to the space!
Lets just say some serious parties can happen in here with plenty of room for dancing.
Dale’s 1800’s oak Filing Cabinet has found a home in the kitchen.
We are delighted to have found both a space and a new use for it!
This piece is unbeatable for it’s stylish storage, keeping all sorts of goodies out of sight.
Another fun piece is this PTA chalkboard. It’s a great alternative for artwork in the kitchen as it’s easily washed and won’t be affected by grease, steam or sunlight!
You can’t beat it’s pure functionality, keeping track of grocery lists while adding a bit of fun to this small space between the window and door.
At night the colours glow. We chose soft creamy tones for the ceiling and upper walls and grounded the space with a grey that compliments the warm red tones in that wide plank flooring.
Just off the kitchen was an unused skinny closet/storage space under the stairs.
Isn’t a main floor powder room a much better choice?
renovationslaves 