Showing posts with label accessories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label accessories. Show all posts
Sunday, 23 November 2014
Bedroom Accessories to Personalize Your Room
Personalizing your bedroom basically requires creativity and sensitivity to arrange the right bedroom accessories as you prefer. It also does not have to be necessarily expensive and difficult since simple bedroom accessories placed in the right arrangement can still accentuate your bedroom within a good impression.
Layered textile materials, such as cotton, linen, and velvet, can be a good
Friday, 19 December 2008
Backsplash, table and more decorating
This blog chronicles my entire kitchen renovation from start to finish. Greentea Design has provided me with their solid wood kitchen cabinets, and I'm taking care of the rest.
If you'd like to be brought up to date, check out the archive in the sidebar for previous posts. I posted recently about a few more completed items and some finishing touches, and now for the backsplash, dining table and yet more decorating.
Last Friday the backsplash was installed. I was excited to not have to see the unfinished edge of the countertop finally, but the result was very disappointing. I decided to use the quartz of the countertop and have about a 4" high piece installed along the back of the countertop. The guy that installed it showed up and started bringing in these really short pieces of the quartz which had me a tad confused. They were not the length of each cabinet section. Turns out there were 6 pieces, each one exactly half the length of each cabinet section. Meaning there was a seam down the center of section. Then I watched him silicone everything in place, and then tell me he was all done. I said "HUH? You aren't going to fill in those seams??" He says nope, they just silicone backsplashes. ALLRIGHTY THEN. He left and I called the shop and was told that they had told me they were going to use offcuts. I wasn't told the whole story then if that was the case. I said it looked totally unfinished and the seams weren't filled in. Turns out in the new year they will order a slab of the 3/4" (which is what I had wanted but they didn't have enough of so they used the 1 1/4"), and redo it. I can live with it for now and hope to see a proper backsplash next month. So these photos show the seam, and hopefully one day soon I can show you what it SHOULD look like. (Luckily with the kitchen counters dressed, it's not as noticeable).
NOTE (end of March 2009): I waited and waited and never heard from the countertop folks, Planet Granite. So I called, about 15 times over 2-3 weeks and finally spoke to the owner. I was told they'd have to wait until someone orders quartz, which hardly ever happens, and I think they expect me to pay more money for the strips to be cut in the correct lengths. It is now the end of March and I still have the same backsplash as in the photos below.
It's just before Christmas and I finally have a dining table. It's actually not completed yet but it's useable and I'm very excited about that. I can now eat meals not hunched over my small marble table that was WAY too short to eat at. Also, the kitchen was designed so that I could use it as a second office because the office at the back of the house is cold in the winter and I wanted to be able to work at the dining table and watch the TV in the living room. My contractor built it, and suggested a pedestal base, which was a BRILLIANT idea because you don't see legs from the living room and the top looks like it's floating. It still needs a couple pieces to make it more sturdy because it's quite tippy right now, especially when the porkier of the cats jump from the counter onto it. YIKES! (I should mention as I'm sure some will notice, that the table is warped. My contractor made it in a hurry and then brought it over and it warped quite a bit in the cold/heat. As a result he won't charge me for it...but I'll give him something because it is usable).
I decided to do something on the wall to the right of the stove. I installed one of my stainless shelves I had used in my last house, and then tried a couple pieces of art. I really wanted to use the African (?) painting I got at a flea market for a few bucks, but I think it's too big. I snatched one of my Tretchikoff prints from my chick wall and tried her and I think smaller is better. If you guys have any ideas or want to let me know which you prefer, I welcome your feedback.
I love the marble table I was using as a temporary dining table (it used to be in the corner of the living room), so I thought about trying it under the window between the living room and kitchen. The cats love it there so they can perch and look outside. Underneath it is Cheeks' favourite spot because there is a furnace vent there and he's obsessed with heat.
The hatch is now working with some shocks or whatever they are that my boyfriend ordered from a car parts shop. It works like a DREAM. I may use his camera one day to film a little video of it in action. LOVE THIS.
The other day I went to a local Asian and mid century shop to look for items for the kitchen and living room and picked up a coffee table, small cabinet, lantern, mini bench and dried flowers. Just enough to spice things up around here.
Thought I'd add a few photos of how the kitchen looks now. Love it. Cannot tell you how much. A dream come true. Just in time for Christmas. And happy holidays to everyone who has followed along in this process with me.
If you'd like to be brought up to date, check out the archive in the sidebar for previous posts. I posted recently about a few more completed items and some finishing touches, and now for the backsplash, dining table and yet more decorating.
Last Friday the backsplash was installed. I was excited to not have to see the unfinished edge of the countertop finally, but the result was very disappointing. I decided to use the quartz of the countertop and have about a 4" high piece installed along the back of the countertop. The guy that installed it showed up and started bringing in these really short pieces of the quartz which had me a tad confused. They were not the length of each cabinet section. Turns out there were 6 pieces, each one exactly half the length of each cabinet section. Meaning there was a seam down the center of section. Then I watched him silicone everything in place, and then tell me he was all done. I said "HUH? You aren't going to fill in those seams??" He says nope, they just silicone backsplashes. ALLRIGHTY THEN. He left and I called the shop and was told that they had told me they were going to use offcuts. I wasn't told the whole story then if that was the case. I said it looked totally unfinished and the seams weren't filled in. Turns out in the new year they will order a slab of the 3/4" (which is what I had wanted but they didn't have enough of so they used the 1 1/4"), and redo it. I can live with it for now and hope to see a proper backsplash next month. So these photos show the seam, and hopefully one day soon I can show you what it SHOULD look like. (Luckily with the kitchen counters dressed, it's not as noticeable).
NOTE (end of March 2009): I waited and waited and never heard from the countertop folks, Planet Granite. So I called, about 15 times over 2-3 weeks and finally spoke to the owner. I was told they'd have to wait until someone orders quartz, which hardly ever happens, and I think they expect me to pay more money for the strips to be cut in the correct lengths. It is now the end of March and I still have the same backsplash as in the photos below.
It's just before Christmas and I finally have a dining table. It's actually not completed yet but it's useable and I'm very excited about that. I can now eat meals not hunched over my small marble table that was WAY too short to eat at. Also, the kitchen was designed so that I could use it as a second office because the office at the back of the house is cold in the winter and I wanted to be able to work at the dining table and watch the TV in the living room. My contractor built it, and suggested a pedestal base, which was a BRILLIANT idea because you don't see legs from the living room and the top looks like it's floating. It still needs a couple pieces to make it more sturdy because it's quite tippy right now, especially when the porkier of the cats jump from the counter onto it. YIKES! (I should mention as I'm sure some will notice, that the table is warped. My contractor made it in a hurry and then brought it over and it warped quite a bit in the cold/heat. As a result he won't charge me for it...but I'll give him something because it is usable).
I decided to do something on the wall to the right of the stove. I installed one of my stainless shelves I had used in my last house, and then tried a couple pieces of art. I really wanted to use the African (?) painting I got at a flea market for a few bucks, but I think it's too big. I snatched one of my Tretchikoff prints from my chick wall and tried her and I think smaller is better. If you guys have any ideas or want to let me know which you prefer, I welcome your feedback.
I love the marble table I was using as a temporary dining table (it used to be in the corner of the living room), so I thought about trying it under the window between the living room and kitchen. The cats love it there so they can perch and look outside. Underneath it is Cheeks' favourite spot because there is a furnace vent there and he's obsessed with heat.
The hatch is now working with some shocks or whatever they are that my boyfriend ordered from a car parts shop. It works like a DREAM. I may use his camera one day to film a little video of it in action. LOVE THIS.
The other day I went to a local Asian and mid century shop to look for items for the kitchen and living room and picked up a coffee table, small cabinet, lantern, mini bench and dried flowers. Just enough to spice things up around here.
Thought I'd add a few photos of how the kitchen looks now. Love it. Cannot tell you how much. A dream come true. Just in time for Christmas. And happy holidays to everyone who has followed along in this process with me.
Thursday, 11 December 2008
Some finishing touches
This blog chronicles my entire kitchen renovation from start to finish. Greentea Design has provided me with their solid wood kitchen cabinets, and I'm taking care of the rest.
If you'd like to be brought up to date, check out the archive in the sidebar for previous posts. I posted recently about the countertop installation, and now for a few more completed items and some finishing touches.
The kitchen is SLOWLY finishing up, and since some readers have been asking where things are at I took some photos the other day around the space and my living room as well. But first I'll show some things that were finished lately. First up is the valance my contractor made to hide the under-cabinet lighting since the cabinets are basically flush underneath. He found wood with a grain and stain that perfectly matches the cabinets. I asked him to do it simple with squared edges and it blends so well.
Trim was installed along the base of the cabinets because my contractor made sure they were perfectly level and had to put some shims underneath in a few places which could be seen. I was unsure of how it would look at first but it's growing on me.
Then there is the hatch over the basement stairs. It's been painted, and a hole has been cut for all the cats to go down to the litter boxes. It was hilarious seeing them climb in and out once it was cut, checking it out.
I also got the contractor to completely frame out the box he built over the upper cabinets so it looked more finished and now that it's painted out it doesn't stand out so much.
My boyfriend (and I) were going to make a dining table out of wood that I would paint, but my contractor offered to do it since he had the proper tools and so far I've gotten the top and I'm still waiting for a base. He offered to build that too, and suggested a pedestal style which I think would be perfect to keep the space open. This is the table top placed on top of my marble side table I'm currently using as a makeshift dining table. (Check out the girth of Felix! I'm starting to worry at the rapid rate of his porkiness). And as some of you may notice, I bought a second Panton chair, and 2 more chairs which you'll see further in this post.
That's all the progress to date. The backsplash is being installed tomorrow, and the shocks to keep the hatch open will be installed this weekend. I've got to contact my contractor how's been MIA for a few days now but I'll forgive him due to the insane weather we've been having.
Now for some photos I took around the kitchen and living room. Most of what you see are existing pieces I had and I'm sure this setup will change weekly. I'm thinking about a piece of art on the wall to the right of the stove, or maybe a couple stainless Ikea shelves, but I'm leaning more towards art. My living room needs alot of work to get it meshing with the kitchen but funds are dwindling so I may have to be VERY creative in there. The yellow chair for sure needs to either go upstairs or get a coat of black gloss. That's just a couple of my ideas...
If you'd like to be brought up to date, check out the archive in the sidebar for previous posts. I posted recently about the countertop installation, and now for a few more completed items and some finishing touches.
The kitchen is SLOWLY finishing up, and since some readers have been asking where things are at I took some photos the other day around the space and my living room as well. But first I'll show some things that were finished lately. First up is the valance my contractor made to hide the under-cabinet lighting since the cabinets are basically flush underneath. He found wood with a grain and stain that perfectly matches the cabinets. I asked him to do it simple with squared edges and it blends so well.
Trim was installed along the base of the cabinets because my contractor made sure they were perfectly level and had to put some shims underneath in a few places which could be seen. I was unsure of how it would look at first but it's growing on me.
Then there is the hatch over the basement stairs. It's been painted, and a hole has been cut for all the cats to go down to the litter boxes. It was hilarious seeing them climb in and out once it was cut, checking it out.
I also got the contractor to completely frame out the box he built over the upper cabinets so it looked more finished and now that it's painted out it doesn't stand out so much.
My boyfriend (and I) were going to make a dining table out of wood that I would paint, but my contractor offered to do it since he had the proper tools and so far I've gotten the top and I'm still waiting for a base. He offered to build that too, and suggested a pedestal style which I think would be perfect to keep the space open. This is the table top placed on top of my marble side table I'm currently using as a makeshift dining table. (Check out the girth of Felix! I'm starting to worry at the rapid rate of his porkiness). And as some of you may notice, I bought a second Panton chair, and 2 more chairs which you'll see further in this post.
That's all the progress to date. The backsplash is being installed tomorrow, and the shocks to keep the hatch open will be installed this weekend. I've got to contact my contractor how's been MIA for a few days now but I'll forgive him due to the insane weather we've been having.
Now for some photos I took around the kitchen and living room. Most of what you see are existing pieces I had and I'm sure this setup will change weekly. I'm thinking about a piece of art on the wall to the right of the stove, or maybe a couple stainless Ikea shelves, but I'm leaning more towards art. My living room needs alot of work to get it meshing with the kitchen but funds are dwindling so I may have to be VERY creative in there. The yellow chair for sure needs to either go upstairs or get a coat of black gloss. That's just a couple of my ideas...
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Friday, 14 November 2008
Awaiting the cabinets
This blog chronicles my entire kitchen renovation from start to finish. Greentea Design has provided me with their solid wood kitchen cabinets, and I'm taking care of the rest.
If you'd like to be brought up to date, check out the archive in the sidebar for previous posts. I posted recently about more demolition and some of the progress with the walls going back up and plumbing/electrical. Now for some final sketches Greentea created for me and some decisions I've made.
I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my cabinets - and today is the big day! This is about 2 weeks later than initially scheduled, but when you they are coming from the other side of the world, you need to factor in the possibility of issues arising on their way over. The delay in my cabinets was due to the Olympics, as they were held up at a port due to extra security. Totally understandable. Then Greentea contacted me to let me know that my cabinets were arriving a bit earlier than anticipated and if they could be delivered on the 6th of this month. I panicked initially. I knew the construction in my kitchen would not be completed by the 6th and because my house is so small, I would have nowhere to store the cabinets in the meantime. I asked them if it were possible for them to be delivered on the 14th instead, which would give my contractor and myself enough time to complete the space enough to be able to put the cabinets in place. (Turns out I am barely able to make this happen). The guys at Greentea were more than happy to hang on to the cabinets until I was ready to receive them. Unexpected things can happen but they are able to work with their customers to solve issues like the timing of shipments and such. I am so grateful they were accomodating because my house would be in complete chaos otherwise. This has been such an awesome experience dealing with Greentea and I've got to give them props for this. They couldn't be nicer and I'm going to be very proud to have what I know will be a stunning kitchen.
Ok, enough of the warm and fuzzies. Mike, who's a whiz at sketching up kitchens, sent me some final sketches of my kitchen and I was SO excited to see what the finished product will look like. It's one thing to have an idea in your head but to see it with all the finishing touches is amazing. I love technology! Greentea's ability to do sketches is a fabulous feature that is incredibly helpful for their clients, especially those who are new to renovations and designing a kitchen (like me). So without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to what will be my new kitchen!
There are a couple items in the sketches that show some of my final choices to things I was unsure about. One being the dining table. Greentea had initially suggested their narrow Maru dining table:
It's gorgeous wood (reclaimed woods from century-old Korean farmhouses), narrow (which I am having a hard time finding ANY narrow dining tables) and wood match the cabinets beautifully, but because I like to mix up styles, I decided to go with something a little different. But I can't find anything. So my boyfriend did some googling and he thinks we can build a pretty decent table. My contractor is getting a friend of his to cut and plane some planks of wood for us to use. It'll be about 7 feet long and 2.5 feet wide. I'm not sure what to do about the legs but maybe just some simple straight posts would do the trick. Then I want to paint it either white or grey. Things have been so crazy that we haven't started this project yet. Unfortunately I only have 2 hands. Here is an idea of what it will look like:
I have also decided on a backsplash. Several people suggested using the same material as the countertop and I've decided that I really like the simplicity of this and will keep me from losing my mind trying to chose tiles or something else. It will be about 3 or 4 inches high and run the full length of the base cabinets. When I went to the shop where I got my quartz to ask about this, I was told it wouldn't be a problem, and it would cost about $250 installed. YAY! Sounds good to me! Here are some examples:
Lastly, I posted the other day about some purchases I made at the Third World Bazaar here in Ottawa. I think these will be a great start to accessorize the space (my living room as well).
If you'd like to be brought up to date, check out the archive in the sidebar for previous posts. I posted recently about more demolition and some of the progress with the walls going back up and plumbing/electrical. Now for some final sketches Greentea created for me and some decisions I've made.
I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my cabinets - and today is the big day! This is about 2 weeks later than initially scheduled, but when you they are coming from the other side of the world, you need to factor in the possibility of issues arising on their way over. The delay in my cabinets was due to the Olympics, as they were held up at a port due to extra security. Totally understandable. Then Greentea contacted me to let me know that my cabinets were arriving a bit earlier than anticipated and if they could be delivered on the 6th of this month. I panicked initially. I knew the construction in my kitchen would not be completed by the 6th and because my house is so small, I would have nowhere to store the cabinets in the meantime. I asked them if it were possible for them to be delivered on the 14th instead, which would give my contractor and myself enough time to complete the space enough to be able to put the cabinets in place. (Turns out I am barely able to make this happen). The guys at Greentea were more than happy to hang on to the cabinets until I was ready to receive them. Unexpected things can happen but they are able to work with their customers to solve issues like the timing of shipments and such. I am so grateful they were accomodating because my house would be in complete chaos otherwise. This has been such an awesome experience dealing with Greentea and I've got to give them props for this. They couldn't be nicer and I'm going to be very proud to have what I know will be a stunning kitchen.
Ok, enough of the warm and fuzzies. Mike, who's a whiz at sketching up kitchens, sent me some final sketches of my kitchen and I was SO excited to see what the finished product will look like. It's one thing to have an idea in your head but to see it with all the finishing touches is amazing. I love technology! Greentea's ability to do sketches is a fabulous feature that is incredibly helpful for their clients, especially those who are new to renovations and designing a kitchen (like me). So without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to what will be my new kitchen!
There are a couple items in the sketches that show some of my final choices to things I was unsure about. One being the dining table. Greentea had initially suggested their narrow Maru dining table:
It's gorgeous wood (reclaimed woods from century-old Korean farmhouses), narrow (which I am having a hard time finding ANY narrow dining tables) and wood match the cabinets beautifully, but because I like to mix up styles, I decided to go with something a little different. But I can't find anything. So my boyfriend did some googling and he thinks we can build a pretty decent table. My contractor is getting a friend of his to cut and plane some planks of wood for us to use. It'll be about 7 feet long and 2.5 feet wide. I'm not sure what to do about the legs but maybe just some simple straight posts would do the trick. Then I want to paint it either white or grey. Things have been so crazy that we haven't started this project yet. Unfortunately I only have 2 hands. Here is an idea of what it will look like:
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| Nate Berkus | Zege |
I have also decided on a backsplash. Several people suggested using the same material as the countertop and I've decided that I really like the simplicity of this and will keep me from losing my mind trying to chose tiles or something else. It will be about 3 or 4 inches high and run the full length of the base cabinets. When I went to the shop where I got my quartz to ask about this, I was told it wouldn't be a problem, and it would cost about $250 installed. YAY! Sounds good to me! Here are some examples:
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| Domino | DFAO |
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