OUR HOME | Stately Kitsch

Master Bedroom: PAX Closet Update

May 20, 2013 — Leave a comment

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Things are moving along here, in fits and starts and some late nights. We actually have all 4 Ikea PAX Closets assembled, in place and fully fitted out (minus the doors). I had to do some last minute rethinking on the closet layout. I drew out the elevation in Autocad to make sure that everything fit. I will have to do a more detailed breakdown on how to best layout the PAX units, since it is a bit of mystery until you get into it. I was really particular about maximizing the space to meet our needs, which included setting the shelves to fit the Ikea Skubb boxes perfectly. Now I feel like I am an expert on all things PAX.Â I can assemble a drawer in 10 minutes flat!

Fortunately it is relatively easy to move stuff around on the units. I made a stop to Ikea on Thursday to get everything we needed. I was the crazy lady with 2 carts trying to get to the checkout.Â The goal is to be able to store almost all of our clothes in here, and actually give the kids their closets back. Can you tell we are busting at the seams here?

Here is how it is looking this morning. I’ve manged to shove a bunch of stuff in here last night. Not exactly how I wanted to start off using our new closet, but it is already proving to be useful. I did organize Mr. S’s shirts by color and replace most of his hangers with the huggable hangers, which are nice and thin (although they did shed quite a bit making it look like one of our cats had decided to hang out in the closet). I need another pack or two to finish it off.

Considering we started last Monday like this, we have actually made some good progress! I do feel like a little bit like I am living in a walk-in closet at the moment. Some doors should fix that problem, but we are probably looking at a 4-6 weeks before we have those, since I need to double check some measurements before I order them.

Our air conditioning guys have been working in the house and we have been trying to stay one step ahead of them. This meant that we needed to get these closets up so we could empty the kids’ closets to allow for the new ductwork to go in. If all goes well they will be done just in time for Memorial Day (which was our goal).

What did you work on this weekend?

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In -Bedroom, -Closets, OUR HOME

Master Bedroom: Ceiling Fan, Medallion & PAX Closets

May 13, 2013 — Leave a comment

I hope all the Moms out there had a great Mother’s Day! When I envision my ideal Mother’s Day, I picture sitting around in the backyard sipping mimosas with Mr. S., while my kids happily play nearby. Of course reality is quite different, but I feel very fortunate to have such a wonderful family who I adore, temper tantrums and all.

We are making slow but steady progress in the bedroom. Mr. S. has left the critical path, but now we have an actual functioning ceiling fan complete with a ceiling medallion! I know that fans are often frowned upon in the design and blogger world, but for comfort and energy savings they are hard to beat.

Hampton Bay Vercelli Ceiling Fan in Brushed Steel, Home Depot $209

I also think this one is pretty good looking. It is definitely on the modern side, but I like it. Our cats are VERY suspicious and Spike won’t even come in the room, which is very unlike him. We also incorporated a ceiling medallion. Previously we added plaster ones in the Living Room and Kitchen but decided to give a lightweight urethane one a try this time. This is the Reece Ceiling Medallion from Architectural Depot, $24.45. I’ve never ordered from them before but the price was right and it shipped the same day I ordered it. It was easy to cut and Mr. S. was able to use longer screws on the ceiling fan bracket to make everything work with the added depth. I think the quality is pretty good and after some primer and ceiling paint I think you would be hard pressed to know the difference.The ceiling fan installation had a few small hiccups, but overall wasn’t too bad. I was going to have our contractor install it, but with the hot weather coming later this week, Mr. S. was growing very impatient. The wall control that comes with the unit is pretty fancy and so far works well. The light can even be dimmed. I give it the thumbs up! We may order the same one for the kids’ room.

Now onto the closet wall (i.e. the unfinished side of the room)…

The Ikea PAX unit is looming at the moment, but I think once we get doors and install the floor to ceiling curtains on the other side of the room, I think everything will balance out. As you can see we have installed one of the four units. The base on the right one is ready to go, but our AC guys are going to be running a duct to the right and I was afraid if I put it in, they wouldn’t be able to get it in, so I am holding off temporarily. Almost all of my clothes are now piled up in the closet, not quite a girl’s dream closet yet, but at least it has potential! I am going to start the bases for the middle tonight now that the old cabinet is empty and can be brought out to the garage. Then we should be able to empty out the playroom enough to allow the AC guy to get into the closet in there. As you can see it is all a giant puzzle, that gets harder and harder to solve as we move along.

I have to say that the PAX was pretty easy to put together. I wasn’t sure what to expect but it didn’t take very long and Ikea has a new plastic “tool” that helps you properly space the nails for the back piece. It is interesting that the pins for the closet shelves screw into place. Clearly the shelves and the rails help stabilize the unit. I wasn’t expecting that, but putting those in really tightened it up.

How was your weekend? Did you cross off anything from your to do list?

P.S. I will be back with an update from the Scott Arboretum Plant Exchange later this week. It was a lot of fun and my garden is a little bit fuller.

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In -Bedroom, INTERIOR PRODUCTS, FURNITURE & FABRICS, OUR HOME

Master Bedroom: New Gray Wall Color & White Trim

May 6, 2013 — 3 Comments

Things are still a little crazy and stuff is piled up high in almost every room, but 3 walls in our bedroom are painted! Fortunately I really like the custom gray color (which is a modified Classic Silver from Behr Ultra). And the white trim is looking good! Part way through the priming I was regretting our decision to paint the stained window trim, because well primer looks like crap. But now that they have had a good coat of paint, they are looking nice. We definitely still need to do another layer of caulk (since there are weird little gaps all over the place thanks to 125 years of use and settling) but the room (at least on one side is starting to take shape). The ceiling trim and ceiling paint still need to go on (which will be by our contractor after the air conditioning goes in).

The wall color was originally inspired by a picture from a Martha Stewart magazine that I literally had taped to the wall for years. She calls it “graceful gray” and has it listed with sophisticated neutrals, so I will pretend for a minute that I exude sophistication. I do actually think it is a pretty good match to the inspiration, although I plan on having a lot more color mixed in.

So while one side of our room looks somewhat organized the other side is a giant mess! I did manage to finally start the bases for the Ikea PAX closet systems. We are going to add a shoe drawer below that will be built into the floor molding. This has been a careful balancing act, trying to fit a drawer while not making the closets too high and still leaving enough space for a duct above. Hopefully my AC contractor will agree when he gets here at the end of the week. These pieces took hours to get leveled and set. Nothing in my house is remotely level, but anywhere near the fireplace is even worse. This location is not only next to the main chimney but also sits partially on the fireplace box in the kitchen below.

I started by installing a level piece to the back wall. Since it is screwed to the wall I didn’t need to level it at the bottom (phew!). But the two pieces coming out (which will support the majority of the closet) had to be cut at an angle to work with the sloping floor and then carefully tweaked around uneven floor boards. It took a bunch of tries with the jigsaw (because for some reason our circular saw has gone missing), but they are finally in.Â I also installed the blocking at the back and one piece on the front. I don’t know if you can see in this photo or not but the front 1×2 is level left to right. It is tight on the right and has over a 1/4″ gap on the left. Yikes! I am hoping that this is square and level enough that I will be able to make the drawer work. This is my first try at making a drawer from scratch, so we will see! I am leaning towards making the drawer with the Kreg pocket screw system and routing out for the drawer base. I figure if it is a complete bust I can order some pre-manufactured dovetail drawers.

My goal this week is to keep ahead of the AC guys, so we get the ducts in place, without compromising too much of our closet and ceiling spaces. Fingers crossed!

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In -Bedroom, -Paint Colors, INTERIOR PRODUCTS, FURNITURE & FABRICS, OUR HOME

Master Bedroom Updated MoodBoard

May 3, 2013 — Leave a comment

Our Master Bedroom may still look like a giant mess (fingers crossed we will get some paint on the walls this weekend), but I am making progress on selecting products for the space. I have the carpet, ceiling fan, fabric for the curtains and new bedside lamps, not to mention a bunch of Ikea closets in the garage. I decided it was time to update my mood board so I could show where it stands. I feel like we are finally getting close to the aesthetic that I was going for, even if it has been a couple of years in coming together.

Besides the new ceiling fan the other new items that arrived this week were a pair of lamps. I am quite smitten with them. I ordered them from Joss and Main and they are made by Krush a division of Luminance and called the Elle Table Lamp in satin gray. They are nice and tall but flat. They have a very Venturi feel to them, which is fitting sitting in front of the Best Panels. We were planning on using a more industrial looking lamp, but I actually think these will work out really well.

Another unexpected change is that the large metal panels for the behind the bed (from the Best Showroom) won’t fit like I thought they would. They have been sitting in the garage for about the last 8 years and I thought I had checked my measurements, but well I didn’t! Instead of 4 panels we are going to have 2 panels going vertical instead. I still like the abstract pattern (part of a flower) but now I have 2 more panels to find a home for (maybe outside?).

I still need to decide on a chair (the current one is a place holder). I also need to make the curtains, which I am not particularly looking forward to, but will hopefully go okay. I am going to order pleat tape, which should hopefully make the pleating part fairly straightforward.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend! We are suppose to have lovely weather here, too bad I will be spending most of it inside.

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In -Bedroom, -Lighting, -Shopping, INTERIOR PRODUCTS, FURNITURE & FABRICS, OUR HOME

Ceiling Fans & Cool Sky

May 1, 2013 — 7 Comments

Unfortunately I don’t have a whole lot of exciting stuff to show. You are welcome to come over and watch my primer dry if you like. The electrician has been working away and hopefully the AC contractor will start in the next week or two. My regular contractor is done until the AC contractor is finished. In the meantime though I needed to pick out a paint color for the hallway and a ceiling fan for the bedroom, and prime and paint the bedroom and hallway. The paint samples required 4 testers, but we have a winner! Cool Sky by Behr it is! I would say that it is a light gray blue. If left to choose by myself I would have chose something slightly darker, but since Mr. S. and I have to agree (and both live with it) this is what we are going with. One of the few downsides to my other half being an Art Director is that we spend a lot of time discussing color. The good thing is that we usually come to a consensus after a few rounds. The lights in the final space with be halogen and LED so the color should feel more blue and less gray once those are in (currently there is a sad incandescent bulb hanging in the hallway which give a yellow glow).

I am having a hard time getting a good picture of the color. It is less gray in person. And yes all of the trim in the hallway will eventually get painted. The white trim is pretty dingy looking at the moment.

So it is on to the Master Bedroom Ceiling Fan. We chose this one for the hallway:

Acqua Ceiling Fan in Bronze from Matthews Fan Company, purchased from Joss & Main but available at Lamps Plus

We had been planning on installing a silver colored fan for our room, but then I started to doubt my choice with the oil rubbed bronze in the hallway. I went on a long tangent of searching for the perfect fan (with a light) and in the end I pretty much ended where I started, but not quite. Clearly a Ceiling Fan Round Up is in order.

Acero Ceiling Fan by Minka Aire, $399 at YLighting

I first pinned this Acero fan over a year ago. I still like it and its slightly industrial vibe. The price was a little bit more then I wanted to spend, but given all of the ugly ceiling fans out there I was pretty much resigned to go with it until…

hamptonbayvercelliceilingfan52-brushedsteel

Hampton Bay Vercelli Ceiling Fan in Brushed Steel, Home Depot $209

I came across this almost identical one at Home Depot for half the price! The only difference I can find is that it has 5 blades instead of three and the blade shape looks slightly different. It is on its way now! It should be here tomorrow.Â I am just relieved to cross this off my list. Hopefully I will like it in person!

Does anyone else have any ceiling fans to recommend?

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In -Bedroom, -Hallway, OUR HOME

Second Floor Update: Master Bedroom Progress

April 24, 2013 — Leave a comment

Things have been moving along quickly here! I feel like a GC coordinating all of the trades. It may not look like much but we are one step closer to air conditioning. My electrician should be done with the new sub panels for the air conditioning and third floor today (Yeah!) Our bedroom ceiling is also drywalled (No more cracks!) and there is even an electrical box waiting for a ceiling fan. By the weekend we should be able to paint 3 sides of our bedroom and actually start putting a few things back. I actually need to order all of the stuff that I have been busy pinning on Pinterest for the past year including a couple of ceiling fans and barn door hardware. I also need to head over to Ikea to order the closets (fortunately the kids are more than willing to go to the “ball pit” any time).

Try and picture the future Ikea PAX Closets and custom doors. There is still some bits to figure out, like whether I want to install a laundry drawer, but you can get the general idea. Fortunately I can put in the closets before ordering the doors, so I can tweak everything. I am also planning on installing drawers in the baseboard for shoe storage. If all goes well I might be able to start installing the blocking for it this weekend.

I think the biggest surprise for us after our contractor finished demolition was how open the space felt after taking the tiny closet out. I now wish I had done that years ago, since it was generally useless in its old configuration. Of course we will be filling that in again, but this time with a much taller unit that I think will feel much better in the space.

Does anyone have any advice on installing PAX closets? Anything you like or don’t like about them?Â

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In -Bedroom, OUR HOME

Interesting Finds: A 100 Year Old Postcard & an Insurance Policy

April 20, 2013 — 4 Comments

I have a little weekend update. Our house decided to give us a couple of little presents this week.Â These are both thanks to our contractor, who uncovered these gems. Above is what appears to be an insurance policy cover. It reads “Connecticut Fire Insurance Co. Hartford. Henry W. Brown & Co. Agents, 505 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia”. Given it appearance it looks to me like it dates to around the time the house was built. There was a little bit of writing on the back which unfortunately is totally illegible now. This was found in the pocket door pocket. Needless to say it was a pretty cool find. So I was really surprised when he dropped off an even cooler surprise on Friday.

This is a postcard from Harrisburg (Bird’s Eye View No. 3 of Circle of City Iron Steel Pipe) addressed to Mrs. C. G. Grayer living in our house and postmarked April 25, 1913 (exactly 100 years ago next week). The card is in remarkably good condition. It was behind a piece of baseboard in our bedroom. The baseboard did a nice job of keeping in flat and out of the sunlight.

It is pretty difficult to make out the handwriting but Verde is living here with her family. It is pretty strange to think about the number of families that have lived here over the years. I would love to spend a day in the house back in its early years.

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

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In FAMILY, OUR HOME

The Piano: Spring Edition

April 17, 2013 — 2 Comments

I have been holding my family extra close the last couple of days. I am so saddened by what happened in Boston and my thoughts have been with the families affected. I didn’t post yesterday and still feel kind of ridiculous posting today.

We are making progress upstairs but I thought I would take a break from showing you half finished walls and show you the latest decorations for the piano.

Maisie and I did a little shopping last Friday. She even picked out her first decorations. She is in love with the elephant and rhino (after all who isn’t) although she doesn’t understand why I would buy something like that and then not let her play with them. But the thing she actually picked out were the seashells. We were at Homegoods and she gravitated to the bag of pretty seashells and asked if we could bring them home. She then very carefully put them in the bowl.Â I guess it is time to start having her help more often. She also insists on having a bouquet of felt flowers next to her bed.

I also finally picked out a side table for my chair. I originally ordered a metallic ceramic wood stump stool, but after the disaster decided I should get something that didn’t require shipping. I bought this metallic garden stool at Homegoods. It didn’t have a price on it, so they decided that it should be $49.99. I said sold, considering most of the metallic ones I have seen are over $100! Mr. S. said he still preferred the tree stump, but I am excited to have a place to put my coffee cup and wine glass.

So for my spring decorating I started with the brass elements and paired them with some nice bright blues. It was feeling a bit boring so I tried mixing a few of my more colorful kitschy items.

Who doesn’t want to be welcomed home by a picture of vintage apple computer and some wacky creatures?

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In -Dining Room, -Shopping, INTERIOR PRODUCTS, FURNITURE & FABRICS, OUR HOME

Second Floor Hallway Update: Shifted Bedroom Door & Electrical Conduit

April 11, 2013 — 1 Comment

Sometimes it is the little stuff that makes a design work. I find particularly in renovations it almost always comes down those last couple of inches that makes or breaks the project. For our current house project the key dimension was fitting a regular depth closet in our bedroom behind our bedroom door. This unfortunately meant shifting the door 8 1/2″ to allow for the closet and the door to sit fully open. This design has been in the works for several years, just waiting for the right time (as I grow ever impatient with our closet situation). We have decided to pair this with our air conditioning and electrical work, since we need to coordinate duct and vent placement.

One of the first steps was emptying out our sorry closet and alcove to make way for the new closets. We had an old clothing rack that we hoped to use. Alas it was not meant to be and it crumpled under the weight. Fortunately Ikea came to the rescue and we picked up 2 of these Rigga clothes racks for $12.99 a piece. They are super sturdy! I give them a thumbs up. They even have wheels on them. Now the playroom has become the holder of stuff, it was time to actually get the door moved.

Of course this wasn’t an easy job and required my contractor to do some careful surgery (after Mr. S. and Sam demoed the hallway plaster).Â Fortunately it is now complete, and we even have a functioning door again (if you ignore the temporary plywood on the floor)!

The other thing that he installed was an electrical conduit to the third floor. This has been a hotly debated topic with me, my contractor and the electrican. We all agreed that we need a way to get electric up the third floor to feed the air handling unit for the new air conditioner. There was LOTS of back and forth. The general agreement was that somewhere near the pocket door and this newly exposed wall made the most sense. Unfortunately once we opened this wall, we realized it was not as straight as a shot as we hoped, and we didn’t want to hurt the structural integrity of the wall.

Fortunately my contractor came up with a great plan. The pocket door down below in within a thickened wall. We had planned on installing the wiring on the hallway side, but hadn’t considered the bedroom side. It turns out that as long as I could live with a conduit in the back of my closet he could get a straight shot from the basement ceiling all the way up to the third floor. Awesome (yes I did just express my excitement of gray electrical conduit)! So here it is, along with the partially removed ceiling trim (to be modified and reused) and some interesting wallpaper from probably the 50s or 60s (there was 70s-80s wallpaper on top of this pattern when we bought the house).

My contractor will be back next week to work on these walls and some more of the bathroom doorway. I just need my AC contractor, roofer and electrician to call me back. I’m sure with the heat this week my AC guy is now swamped. Maybe I need to reiterate my air conditioning before Memorial Day mantra to him.

I can’t wait until we are done with the bit of demolition and mechanical stuff so we can actually move onto the fun stuff. So stay tuned.

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In -Bedroom, -Hallway, OUR HOME

Stained Glass Options

April 5, 2013 — 4 Comments

I’m in a bit of a holding pattern here while I wait for my regular contractor to get here and coordinating with the other trades. In the meantime I have been looking at some stained glass options for the bathroom. I can’t finalize this until I know the ceiling height which is based on the air conditioning but I have a reasonable idea of the space so I thought I would show you my latest photoshop rendering of the hallway. I also added in the ceiling fan that bought.

I stopped over at Philadelphia Salvage recently but was disappointed with their selection. I need a pretty specific size so I have been lurking on ebay. I really like a lot of the stuff that Bigsteveareno29 sells. He is in Pennsylvania about 2 hours from here. I don’t think I would trust shipping stained glass, but we could plan a trip. He also sells some interesting closet fronts that I have been admiring.

This is a close up of the antique stained glass that I am currently favoring. I think it would look pretty good with our existing daisy stained glass window which is on the adjacent wall. I am pretty close to being able to make this fit with the lowered ceiling. It will be tight but I think I can make it work.

We had this our original daisy stained glass window restored when we were having the siding done. As you can see we never got around to fixing the plaster and trim around it. I figured I would add that to the list on this round of hallway work.

What do you think? Should I scrap the stained glass and just go with clear glass?

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In -Basement, -Hallway, -Stained Glass, HOUSE PARTS, OUR HOME

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