Rug Update!

You may remember that someone who shall remain nameless recently ruined my cream-colored living room rug, and I was in the market for a replacement? Well, a friend of mine who had purchased a rug from Overstock.com, and then decided it didn't really go in his house, sold it to me for half of what it cost him! Score!

It's not really exactly what I had in mind, but a 9x11 plush wool rug for $200 is hard to pass up. I think with a few well-chosen accessories, I can really make it work.

The bad news is, though, that the cream couch might also be short-lived. Daisy is a big dog with a propensity for general dirtiness, and I think a leather (read: wipe-able) couch might be in order. So that might be my next big purchase!

The Rosenfeld Cottage

I just happened to show my incredibly talented Graphic Designer friend, Rachael, an illustrated house picture I liked on etsy, and the next thing I knew she sent me my very own Rosenfeld Cottage drawing! How freaking cute is this??

I kind of want to Mod Podge it onto everything I own! Can't you just see it now? Rosenfeld Cottage dishes, linens, cross-stich patterns, throw pillows, tea cozies... the possibilities are endless!

I'm going to bribe her into making it into a header for this blog. Stay tuned for a major (and much needed) redesign!

Introducing Daisy

So it's going to be a while before I can decorate my kitchen and dining room, but that certainly doesn't mean I can't make headway on the rest of the house. I had my living room looking pretty cute, but then I decided to add just one more accessory. A new dog!

Meet Daisy, the 71 lb American Bulldog, rescued from the Van Nuys animal shelter. How could anyone willingly surrender that face??

I know what you're thinking, and no - she will NOT be allowed on the furniture. But it was her first night in a new home, and I decided to cut her some slack.

Unfortunately, she needs training in areas other than furniture boundaries. She was an "outdoor" dog in her last home, and was woefully negelected. She has no idea what stairs are, doesn't know how to ride in a car, can't walk on a leash, and definitely has no concept of potty training. Which I quickly discovered when she happily trotted inside, and promptly tinkled on my cream shag rug.

So now I am in the market for a new living room rug. Something in a pattern, preferably, so that it will disguise any future pet stains. Here is a pic of the now rug-less living room. It's so naked!

And just for comparison's sake, here is a "before" picture of the living room...

My last rug was an unusual dimension, 7x8.5, which was perfect for the space. For the new one, I am looking for something that size, up to 9x11.

I'll be posting links to candidates, so get your opinions ready!

More Kitchen Planning

The good news: the kitchen renovation has been officially been scheduled! The bad news: it's not till July! Insert "whaa whaa" noise and pouty faces here.  Martin is booked full time in Sacramento until late June, so I just have to learn to be patient, and just keep stockpiling building materials in the garage until he can get down here.

Speaking of which, I ordered my cabinets! And even though it's going to be several weeks until they arrive, I do have some conceptual drawings to share...

That's right friends, we're taking down the wall between the kitchen and the dining room! I know it's going to make such a big difference, it's all I can do to not run home and start sledge-hammering things right now.

Here are a few more views, to get you as pumped as I am.

The biggest change is obviously the half wall, but another major improvement is moving the sink. Currently, it's centered under those two windows. The plan is to move it across the room, so you face into the dining room while washing dishes. Not only is this more social, but it also allows me to get a full-sized sink and dishwasher! You heard me, DISHWASHER! WOOT!

The wall of cabinetry with the two windows is only about 18 inches deep because of that doorway into the laundry room, so it really made way more sense to move things around. 

I can't wait to see this done! I'm thinking of enlarging the schematic and Mod Podging it to the dining room wall, so I can pretend that it already exists. 

(Almost) Cooking with Gas!

Now that Christmas is comfortably behind us, I am in full planning mode on the kitchen renovation. At this point I'm just sourcing materials, but I never knew how exciting weekend trips to Ikea and Home Depot could be!

I've been buying things as I find them, so that I don't run the risk of them being out of stock (and I can pay things off as I go, instead of a huge bill at the end). Check out the mood board I put together...

I am loving those grey cabinets, but they are surprisingly hard to find. I went to the Kitchen Store in Culver City the other day, and they looked at me like I had two heads when I asked for grey color samples. I said to the guy, "Mark my words, in two years you will be inundated with people asking for grey cabinets!" Turns out it was for the best, because Lowes not only had better prices, but also threw in free hardware and a free kitchen sink cabinet! Cha-ching!

By the way, did you notice the little vintage oven, above? It was a craigslist find for only $300! And it totally works! It's estimated to be about the same age as the house, so I'm totally feeling the synergy.

I can't wait to start knocking down some walls!

A Very Vintage Bathroom

Almost as important as the bedroom, and only slightly more important than the kitchen, is the bathroom. I mean, you need a place to sleep and pee, but you can always go out for meals, right?

Fortunately, the bathroom was actually one of the smaller projects we have undertaken so far. The space is pretty well laid out as is, no need to re-plumb anything. But the fixtures were either dated, or downright nonfunctional. I think the vintage sink is adorable, but it is decidedly impractical to have separate faucets for hot and cold. Especially when the hot doesn't actually work. After 5 weeks of washing my face in cold water, I decided the time had come to do something about it.

Here, again, is the before...

The weirdly short vanity and old-fashioned sink had to go. I had wanted to add subway tile halfway up the walls on all sides, but the plaster was actually so wavy that Martin didn't think he could get a straight grout line to save his life. So we went with wood wainscoting instead. And actually (don't tell Martin), I think I like it even better.

I painted the upper half of the walls Faultline Grey in satin finish, by DutchBoy, and all the wood trim is Silver Lining semi-gloss (which is the color for all the painted trim in the house, and in eggshell for the ceilings).

The sink is American Standard, and the faucet is Kohler. I also replaced all the drawer and door hardware with satin nickel pulls from OSH, which is handily located about two blocks away. I also scraped off the yellowed window film that the old owners had applied for privacy, and replaced it with this awesome product.

I also beefed up the moulding around the medicine cabinet with some more ornate trim. And when I took the medicine cabinet door off to sand it down, I actually found a recessed mirror BEHIND the mirror the old owners applied to the top of the door. WHY? These are the mysteries that will never be solved.

Overall, I wanted a very classic look that could have been original to the house, but would function like a modern bathroom. I think I achieved that, what do you think?

Fun with Exterior Paint

Add this to the list of "Things I Didn't Know the Government Cared About" -- the exterior of my house. I financed my home using an FHA loan, which is great because they only require a 3.5% down payment (as opposed to the 20% desired by most traditional lenders). The downside is that they have certain requirements about the appearance and upkeep of your home. So if there is work that is needed in order to bring the house up to their standards, you have to do it before you actually own the house. To a novice like me, this is a little scary. What if it all falls through, and you've spent money working on a house that isn't yours??

Of course that scenario didn't happen. And it was relatively minor work that needed to be done. Basically the paint on the South side of the house was peeling pretty badly, and had to be stripped and primed before the loan could be approved. Andrea, my fabulous Realtor (here's her site - if you're in the LA area I highly recommend working with her!), actually lined up the painter and paid for the labor as my housewarming present! How generous is that?

So when I finally moved in, one of the first things I had my contractor, Martin, address was the now-patchy exterior paint. I also cajoled him into removing the bars from the front windows (we left them on the other windows, but I just couldn't live in a house that looked like a fortress!). And we replaced the mostly-glass front door with a solid wood, Craftsman-style door. I think it's gorgeous, even if Martin did have to drive into Skid Row to pick to up from the wholesaler. We also replaced the scary metal security door with a clear, tempered glass weather door. Much better.

Do you remember the before (shown here with my parents relaxing on the front porch)? White with pink trim, wowsers.

Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to live in a little yellow house. And now that dream has finally come true!

I painted the underside of the porch aqua, just for a little added interest.

And here it is, all dressed up for Halloween! Maybe one day I'll have time to post a tutorial on how to make the bats.

All the paint is Behr Exterior, and the colors are Banana Split, Ruffled Clam, and Aqua Spray (I'll let you guess which is which).