Dreaming of a Window Seat

I think we've definitely decided to add a window seat to the upstairs loft.   It will solve the problem of how to transition into the newly "bumped out" space I shared about here and  here.  To show my husband how it could look, I did a little rendering of the space using this image as a starting point.

via

He likes the idea.  I'm glad.  I think the "it's cheap furniture" argument, combined with reminding him that he has six siblings and we'd like to be able to sleep them all, plus spouse and entourage, won him over in the end.  A twin sized mattress will fit perfectly under the right two windows of the bump out -- almost as if it were intentional.

Remember what we're starting with?  The funny bump out with a weird transition of materials, where we enclosed one of our loft decks?   I shared a little about that in this post.

Somewhere, I have the world's coolest vintage tulip pendant lamp.  It's kind of a cross between a Louis Poulsen Artichoke lamp and a tulip lamp:

And it's in storage. So I can't share a picture, but I've been wondering where we could use the pendant in the beach house.

And, in spite of the miles and miles of rotted grasscloth I've been stripping on this beach house project, I think I want to add a little wallpaper.  Something slightly retro, and slightly traditional, and a little bit modern, with a big bold pattern. 

Amy Butler Temple Tulips

So, here's what I came up with.

(edit:  when I originally posted this, it was late at night, and I forgot to layer 

in a horizon line, so this window seat looks like it's flying :)  Keep scrolling 

down to see the corrected version)

Here's the "before" again.

And here is the "after" one more time.

What do you think? 

This post is being linked to the following lovely places:
Thrifty Decor Chic
Funky Junk Interiors
Under the Table and Dreaming 
Miss Mustard Seed

Beach House Design Changes

Remember in this post, where I mentioned some design changes for the beach house remodel?

Changes happen on every project.  Sometimes, things come up that you weren't expecting.  Sometimes, one minor change snowballs into a much larger project.

Sometimes you have to take a hard look at your budget and do some value engineering.

Occasionally, your contractor or his crew just doesn't look at the plans, and when you discover the mistake, you decide to let it go, just to stay on schedule.

 A few changes that have occurred in our project include the garage door (this was a "let it go, just to stay on schedule" situation), and the kitchen layout.

The kitchen change started out small -- we were just going to switch placement of the sink and the stove.  Easy.  We decided to do this, as a newly built neighboring house left the view from one of the kitchen windows rather marginal.  So, we removed that window and decided to put our vintage stove on that wall as a focal point.  This involved patching shingles on the exterior wall.  Simple, right?  Well, it turns out all the shingles on that wall were rotten and needed to be replaced.  And since we were replacing all those shingles, it seemed like a good idea to replace the kitchen windows now, rather than later -- why patch the same shingles twice, right?   Removing one little window snowballed into a much bigger project.

In the interest of reining in the budget, I made a last minute change to our entry stair design.

The original plan called for a six foot wide staircase leading up to the double entry door.

The value engineered plan called for a four foot wide stairway, with a six foot wide landing.

And I hate it.  I hate it soooo much, I'm willing to give up my quartz countertops to fix the stairs. But who am I kidding?  Those countertops were already in jeopardy.  I was floored when my quotes came in about 30% higher here in the PNW, than the identical product would have been from my old supplier in Boulder.  Yikes!  And since countertops are pretty much the very last thing to go in, they are pretty much at the mercy of the rest of the project staying on budget.

While stripping wallpaper, like I talked about here, I discovered a lot of mold on one wall.  Investigation showed that we had a leak on an upper deck.  After much discussion, my GC and I decided the prudent thing was to enclose that deck.  But, I told him I needed to draw it on the computer, to decide how best to go about it. 

This pic shows a concept for keeping the original deck.

I came home and drew.  The first option felt a little blah...

Here, we just boxed in the existing deck.

And drew.

 And drew.

We even looked at referencing the bump out next to the garage, 

by angling the side of the deck enclosure.

And all the while, my general contractor had his crew enclosing the deck.

He didn't use any of my designs.  He did his own thing.  I was horrified to discover this, but now, I think I really like it.  The house is a period house, and this was a window style often seen in homes of the era.  I've always been a fan of staying true to your house's pedigree.  And it's going to let in much more light than my designs allowed for.   And seriously, the most important thing, right now, is to stay on schedule.

During all of this "deck enclosing", my contractor decided to go ahead and completely remove what had been the exterior wall.

Normally, a great idea.  Except, we were really trying to contain the extent of the renovation.  Other than carpeting (and the new toilet I talked about here), we were not going to renovate anything on the third level,  but now we have this weird transition. We're just going to leave it weird.  For now.  Because we cannot fall behind schedule again, for a very important reason.

We have someone special coming to live in this house very soon....

 image courtesy Momma's Hands Etsy Shop

... while her daddy serves in Afghanistan.  Her mommy will be arriving in about two weeks, and our very special house guest is due to make her appearance about four weeks later.  So, I will forgive my contractor for not always consulting me when he makes a design decision, because he's just trying to keep things on schedule.  It's all about the schedule right now.  It's not his schedule.  Nor is it my schedule.  We're not really the ones calling the shots at all.  And that's okay.

This post is being linked to the following lovely places:

My Re-Purposed Life
Just a Girl
504 Main 
Funky Junk Interiors

Vintage Bathtub Love

Don't you love a beautiful vintage (or reproduction) claw footed tub?  This cheery yellow tub, from Sarah's Farmhouse, has got to be my favorite of all time.

Love the yellow against the grays.

 Sarah's Farmhouse

We recently spent our first weekend in our beach house.  The remodel is not finished, but we camped in the house with our air mattress and folding chairs.  It was pretty wonderful to wake up in the morning to a panoramic view of crashing surf!  We only have one functioning bathroom at the moment, the one in the loft that I talked about here. 

It's not pretty, but after several hours of scrubbing, I can honestly say that it's clean. 

And it has a claw foot tub.  Here it is prior to cleaning:

(I've gotten 90% of these rust stains out, just using elbow grease and determination -- if anyone knows a trick to removing rust stains, let me know)

Country Living

Needless to say, I have claw footed tubs on the brain, now.

Country Living

So, I've gathered a collection of bathroom images with amazing vintage tubs.

Country Living

This bright yellow bathroom with the floral textiles is so doggone cute, I could scream.

Country Living

Love the wainscoting and vintage paintings in this bath.  And the sign....

Country Living

How can you go wrong with a classic color scheme like this?

Country Living

It's fun, how the stylists used furniture in this bathroom vignette from Country Living.  I'm pretty sure it is just a staged vignette, as you can see in the foreground the tile isn't complete (and that chandelier hanging over the tub would never have passed an electrical inspection -- very dangerous).

Country Living

More classic black and white...

House Beautiful

I love that a claw foot tub can work in the humblest or grandest of spaces.

House Beautiful

Of course, if you don't want to get wet in your tub, you can still curl up and relax with a good book in one of these pieces!

via Apartment Therapy

I think this bathroom will probably get its face-lift sooner, rather than later.  Who knows?  If we're happy with a face-lift, it may never get a remodel.  There is so much wonderful inspiration out there for creating a beautiful space around a vintage tub!

What do you think?  Do you love the idea of taking long soaks in an antique bathtub?

Beautiful Kitchen Pantries

I have a serious case of pantry love (okay, maybe that's a nice way of saying pantry envy).   For years, I have collected tear sheets of kitchen pantries.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Country Living

 If you keep a tidy pantry, a screen door would be a fun addition.  Love the red paint!

Country Living

Will we ever get tired of chalk board paint?

Country Living

How about painting the shelves in a bright cheerful color?  Sometime pantries can get a little dark and dreary -- not so this bright yellow number from Country Living.

Country Living

Not sure which I like more -- the grammar school green chalkboard, or the barn door....

Robbie Caponetto  via

How about layering your doors to create a message center and some pegboard storage?

via

Of course, not all pantries have doors...

via

I'm not sure I'm organized enough for completely open storage, but this certainly is a beautiful pantry.

via Home and Family Network

Even a very simple pantry can add function to a kitchen.

Better Homes and Gardens

If you have lots of lovely serving dishes, why not store them in a shallow pantry with glass doors?

Better Homes and Gardens

I think my favorite pantry, ever, is this one from Classic Casual Home.  If you haven't been to Mary Ann's blog, you really need to pop over -- her blog is full of drool worthy images of her beach house remodel. While you're there, check out her new office -- it's beautiful!

For a less lovely image, here is my new "pantry".  It will stay very much like this for now, only getting new paint and hardware.

 We do, however, have a grander plan in mind for the space.  Our plan has changed somewhat, since this early concept was created, but it still "feels" the same.

So, tell me, do you have pantry love?  Pantry envy?  

Do you have a pantry? Love it?  Hate it?  

If you've blogged about your pantry (or any pantry), I would love for you to leave a link in the comments.

This post is being linked to the following lovely places: