Archives For -Victorian

Welcome to Sam's Room

 

New Stained Dresser & Old Ikea Chair

 

The LeMans Car Bed

Car Bed with "Aerial" Carpet

 

Old Chest with Toy Storage (use to be the changing area)

Vintage Globe, Hess Truck, Framed Tim Biskup/Gary Baseman Postcards and Hanging German Pull Toys

Vintage globe with Slot Cars (track is stored under the chest)

Close up of Dwell Kids for Target Sheets and Custom Comforter

Vintage Scarf with Dwell Kids for Target Pillow

Felt Banner (originally in his baby room) & a needlepoint originally made for my brother

When my son turned 2 we turned our guest room into his new big boy room (his new sister also needed the baby room). When it came to choosing a theme, it was easy! My husband and I both come from car families (we met at Watkins Glen) and as a child I always wanted a car bed (yes me, not my husband). A lot of the other things we already had and just re-purposed. Furniture placement was tricky because we have 2 radiators, 3 windows and 2 doors. And we also wanted to give Sam some floor space. The room still could use some small touches, but Sam loves it (after all Jenson Button is his idol)! I will be sad when he outgrows it.

The Stats:

The Car Bed:

The Inspiration: The LeMans 917 Porsche in Gulf Livery

The 1971 LeMans Movie Poster

The Car Bed: Masked and Primed

All Painted!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Modified Little Tikes Twin Size Car Bed (It is pretty easy to find these on Craig’s List) painted to match the LeMans Porsche 917 Gulf Livery Paint Scheme (also seen in the 1971 LeMans movie staring Steve McQueen). We masked and spray painted the orange striping and added the Gulf decals. My husband would still like to hang a picture of Steve McQueen above the bed (I’m still not sure how I feel about this). I also sewed the striping details and number onto the Comforter.

The Dresser & Nightstand: We decided buy a new dresser and nightstand. I tried finding something on Craig’s List but I really wanted a dresser with easy open drawers and we had limited floor space. We bought them unfinished (American made) and stained them gray.

The Chair: An old Ikea classic that use to sit in our Living Room (it reclines). I added the vintage scarf with classic car emblems to the back. I have had the scarf for years but never had a good place for it until now.

The Aerial Rug: I LOVE this rug. It is called the Flyover Rug from Land of Nod. I think it is interesting (it could be because of the years I spent drawing/making colorful planning maps) without being overly “kiddy” feeling but it is still good for pushing matchbox cars on.

The Sewing Desk: Okay so this really shouldn’t be in his room, but it is pretty convenient to have it hear for when I need to sew. He actually likes watching me sew and has never bothered it (knock on wood). This use to be my husband’s grandma’s desk. The funny thing is that my grandma had the same exact desk! It will eventually move upstairs to my future craft room, but for now it works out well being here (plus I can look out the window while I sew).

Accessories: The pillow and sheets came from Dwell for Target Kids (no longer available). I bought a blue comforter and sewed on the orange fleece and piping.  The curtains were clearance shower curtains (cut in 2) from CB2. I made the bunting for the baby room originally.

The To Do List:

Add a little more artwork (possibly some of Sam’s). I am looking for a different piece of art for above the bed. The race poster is from the baby room and the colors don’t work as well as I would like. Move the sewing table. Clear out all of the old chest to make space for more toys and clothes.

Maisie’s Big Girl Room:

Now to decide if Maisie should get a matching pink car bed (w/ LeMans Porsche 917 Pink Pig Livery color scheme)!

The Chimney Update: Day 4

April 14, 2011

Checking for level

 

Installing the Bluestone Cap

Gas logs in Progress in the Living Room

My chimney guys are back and they have a nice dry day to finish things up! So far this morning they have install the bluestone cap on top of the chimney (this sits below the pretty new fancy caps), started installing the logs for the fireplace, and started scraping the painted stucco on the chimney. I picked a paint color for the chimney (portobello). The chimney should end up a little darker and a warm grey as opposed to the yellowish/tan color it is now.

Things left to do:

-Install the Fancy Chimney Caps

-Finish scraping the chimney to get it ready for paint

-Prime and Paint the Chimney (tomorrow)

-Finish installing the gas logs in the Living Room

-Remove Crane (next week)

-Replace Fence (next week)

Things left for me to do:

-Go back on the lift this afternoon to get measurements for the King’s Post (to see if I can pick up a piece of wood this afternoon)

-Tonight my neighbor/carpenter is suppose to come by to look at the King’s Post

-Pick out a new fireplace screen for the fireplace. I found a pretty good price on a custom one from Northline Express since none of the standard size screens come close to fitting our old fireplace. We are thinking of having it fit just inside the opening.

Update:

The guys are done with the chimney and the gas logs (except for the paint)!

Installing the Chimney Pots!

Aerial Shots of the House

April 13, 2011

I got to ride in the lift/crane this afternoon! The chimney guys wanted to show me the condition of the stucco on the chimney, but we also got to take a look at the rotted king’s post on the side of the house and the windows on back side of the turret. It was REALLY cool (and I am even afraid of heights)! Now for the photos….

 

On the way up!

Just above the roof.

At the top of the peak!

 

the tower & chimney

the tower and flat roof

the chimney

the rotted king's post

Now I am in a mad rush to see if I can find someone to replace the piece of the king’s post while the crane is still here! I am going to see if the guys might be willing to let me go up again tomorrow and see if I could take some measurements and possibly get it down myself.

The Chimney Update: Day 3

April 13, 2011

Sam, Maisie and the Crane

Maisie is busy putting on her rain boots and coat but Sam is still watching the crane.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kids are home today and will probably be spending a good part of the day watching the crane! Sam has requested a crane like this one for his birthday. He said, “Don’t worry mom, it will be an outside toy. It won’t fit through the door.”

The guys are busy finishing up the insulation. The plumber will be here to install the gas line for the gas logs later this morning. Fingers crossed, all will go well and they will be mostly finished today.

Update: The plumber has been here and the gas is now hooked up to the gas logs and the guys are still working on the top of the chimney. The other new development is the condition of the stucco on the chimney. It is currently painted (was probably painted about 13-15 years ago) and it is starting to flake. So we 2 options: have them scrape and repaint or have it stuccoed and smoothed out. We are waiting on a cost for the stucco. The question now is what color? hmmm… I will have to photoshop some options.

The Chimney Update: Day 2

April 12, 2011

The stainless steel liner for the fireplace waiting to be installed

The rest of the very long piece of liner!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The chimney guys have been busy at work here! Yesterday they managed to install the liner for the boiler and hot water heater. They left mid-afternoon yesterday to head back to the shop to get everything ready for today. They were back this morning with the fireplace liner. It is rainy here today but that doesn’t seem to have slowed them down.  The lining is now in the fireplace (the picture is from this morning). If all goes well the chimney pots will go up tomorrow.

Update: The guys are done here for the day. They have put in a good portion of the insulation (a special perlite, concrete mix). The specialty product  hardens to keep the stainless steel liners in place while preventing any chance of a fire or spark from coming through the flues. They are installing this all the way up the chimney. I think they have a whole pallet load of this stuff and one guy mixing on the ground while the other two go up on the lift, carefully pour it down the 3 flues and then come back down on the lift.

If all goes well the chimney caps will go up tomorrow. They have some more structural work to do at the top in the morning to get ready for the caps.

 

The guys installing the insulation in each of the 3 flues.

The guys coming back down for another load of insulation.

The crane has been here for 10 minutes and they have already been up to the chimney and taken off the cap!

The Crane!

Getting Ready for the Crane

The day has finally come for the chimney lining! I’m so excited! The guys are here (the guys being DJ Cross Inc from Media).  They are waiting on the overdue crane (oh wait, now it is here!)

In the meantime they have taken down part of the back fence and are already down in the basement starting to work! Fingers crossed that all goes well. I will post pictures as they start making progress.

Also I have my plants safely tucked away in the compost pile (in the back right side of the picture).

Octopus Print

Sea Urchin Print

Jellyfish Print

 

I wanted to find something interesting for the artwork for Sarah’s bathroom. I had octopus and sea creatures on my mind because of a beautiful Japanese octopus print that her daughter had hanging in her room. I also thought something with seashells would work with the iridescent accent tiles. So I did some searching around on Etsy. There were a surprising number of octopus prints to choose from. It appears that they are quite popular at the moment! Anyway after looking for around for a while I found the perfect fit; the sea creature prints of Ernst Haeckel.  I had never heard of him before but his drawings are very beautiful and also have a fantastic graphic quality. The colors also looked good with the room! I also discovered that several of his books are still in print. I had Sarah order up Art Forms in Nature: the Prints of Ernst Haeckel.  Now she can choose from the many beautiful prints in the book. We are currently planning on putting one above each hook. And the nice thing is that she can change these out and she does not need to worry if they get a little damp. There are also several Etsy vendors selling prints.

The Living Room

April 7, 2011

 

Our Living Room is a very well used room. We don’t have a Family Room or a Play Room so this is it for hanging out, watching tv, playing with the kids and playing wii (with the kids). I have tinkered with the furniture placement a lot over the years. The current arrangement is designed to give the kids as much floor space as possible (and also allow for optimum wii playing).

The Stats:

The Built-in Bookcases and Mantle:

We built the bookcases that flank the fireplace about 7 years ago. We tried to match the style of the original 1888 mantel while keeping them fairly simple. The shelves on the bookcases started out being filled with vintage books! As the kids have gotten bigger and their toys have grown exponentially, we have been giving over more and more of the lower shelves to them. We built the shelves in 4 parts. The interesting thing is that although the widths of the spaces on either side of the fireplace were the same, the depths were not so each section is different. We also had to avoid the window and radiator on the right side.We also added the crown molding, ceiling medallion and light fixture at the same time.

We have always collected kitschy nicknacks and we try and show them off and think they offer a nice contrast to the formality of the fireplace mantel and shelves. As a bonus the kids toys fit right in!

And next week if all goes well we will have new gas logs in the fireplace! The chimney guys are scheduled and fingers crossed the weather will cooperate!

Artwork & Accessories:

We use to collect quite a bit of artwork (mostly prints). Artists in the Living Room: Tim Biskup, Charlie Harper, Gary Baseman, daVE and Chank. Let me know if anyone wants a more detailed list.

We also have a lot of smaller things around the room that make us feel at home. The piggy banks on the dresser are for the kids. The monkeys were a gift before we had kids and use to sit there by themselves. The mirror is vintage from ebay.

The rug is from Ikea (about 8 years ago).

Furniture:

The Dresser: We always seem to get questions about our dresser/desk. No it isn’t an antique. It is a reproduction with lots of inlaid wood. The top opens to form a small desk. My mom and I picked it up at an auction years ago. The only reason I ended up with it is that my dad thought it was really ugly. Oh well, their loss is our gain.

The Striped Chair: This is an 18th century antique that my husband inherited. We had it reupholstered in Paul Smith fabric from Maharam.

The Plaid Chairs: From Crate and Barrel. I don’t think they make them anymore. I like that they are small but comfortable.

The Couch: Old and comfy. From the long defunct furniture.com. The funny thing about it is that we paid for it by reselling Bruce Springsteen tickets back when we lived in the City. The pillows are a mix of Thomas Paul and Pottery Barn.

The Ottomans: From Target. These faux leather ottomans are workhorses! They hold legos and blocks. The kids sit in them and on top of them. They jump off of them. They spill lots of food and drinks on them. Fortunately a little kitchen spray and they are as good as new!

The Kids Rocking Chairs: The red one is mine from when I was a girl. Apparently when I was about 2, I sat down in it in a toy store and wouldn’t get out of it until my parents agreed to take it home. I’m drawing a blank on the manufacturer of the brown rocking chair. Let me know if anyone wants me to look it up.

To Do List:

-Strip the radiators back to their original metallic appearance.
-Minor wall patching.
-Remove the red carpet and refinish the wood floor underneath.

The Kitchen

April 5, 2011

I’ve been really slow to take pictures of the inside of the house. It is probably because I always feel like nothing is ever finished. There are always more projects to do, but I have decided that I should give a mini house tour.  I can at least highlight the things I like about each room and what is left to do.  So without further ado here is the kitchen (aka the old Dining Room).

Favorite Things: I love the space and the light. It is really the center of the home. We both love to cook and this kitchen gives us lots of space to do that. I also love all of the color. We went fairly neutral on the cabinets but we went bright on the walls and with the accessories. I also love the soapstone countertops.

Things that Didn’t Fit: In order to make this room the kitchen, I was a little short on storage (partially because we have so few upper cabinets). I didn’t have enough space for a pull out pantry or a pull out garbage can. We use the old island in the basement for extra storage and I don’t mind having a freestanding garbage can.

Stuff left to do: Trim around the fridge, redo the front of the bench (where the kids have banged up the radiator grating and trim), and add some additional floor molding.

View from the sink. I love that I get to look at the old mantle and all of the funny tchockies and art we have collected as I do the dishes. The print is by Tim Biskup and the canisters are by Orla Kiely (for Target).

The mantle complete with vintage fireplace screen. The screen hides the litter box. The front hall is in the distance.

The vintage coat tree. The kids use the lower legs to hang their coats. The front hall is to the left. There use to be a door here to the closet (now the half bath).

The stove with a custom hood that we built. We had to change out the windows for smaller ones to make this work but I love how it came out. I can look out the window while I cook and the tile is beautiful.

The end of the island. This houses most of our cookbooks and our microwave. When I designed the kitchen I really wanted a place to hide the microwave and to store the cookbooks.

The window facing the backyard. There is a bench below that hides the radiator. It is a favorite place for the kids to sit. It is also nice to be able to keep an eye on the kids in the backyard and watch for my husband to come home.

The fridge. It is a standard fridge with a custom stainless steel frame (by Frigo Design). Inside the frame we installed thin boards with chalkboard paint. The kids love it! Now if I could just get to installing the last couple of pieces of trim on the side and top of the fridge.

Quoizel Sconce w/ glass shade, $138

The Sconce:

One of the first things we picked out for Sarah’s bathroom was this sconce. So beautiful and sparkly! We looked at several sconces including some plainer options but Sarah instantly loved this one. I like that there is a frosted glass diffuser to help soften the light at the mirror.

Heath Flushmount, Restoration Hardware, $149-$269

Overhead Light Fixture:

Finding a coordinating ceiling light proved more difficult than I was expecting.  I considered a small chandelier but almost none of them are UL rated for damp locations. For surface mounted fixtures, many manufacturers are not currently offering Chrome/shiny finishes  (it seems like rubbed bronze is the finish of choice). In the end we went with this simple but elegant fixture from Restoration Hardware. Although not cheap, it seems like a reasonable value to get the UL damp rating. I also wanted to avoid fixtures that have an open top above the diffuser. I find that these collect a lot of dust and bugs. A closed fixture should minimize this problem.

Good to know:

UL Rated Fixtures:

When you are picking light fixtures for the bath you really want a UL damp rated fixtures due to the humidity in the air. These will hold up much better in the moisture, particularly for a ceiling installations. Also for fixtures in the shower or above a bathtub you should pick a UL wet rated light fixture. The specifications for any light should tell you whether it is rated for this application.

Wall/Task Lighting:

-Ideally locate light fixtures on either side of the mirror at eye level. This will provide enough lighting around the face to avoid shadows.
-Use fixtures that have frosted diffusers/glass in front of the bulbs to soften the light.
-If you don’t have space on either side of the mirror consider a light above the mirror. In this case you are better off choosing a higher output fixture that lights upward so that the light will bounce off the ceiling and down. A direct downlight will tend to cast unflattering shadows.
-Consider separate switching and dimmers. For general use you don’t typically need a full strength light at the mirror, but for those times when you need that bright light to put on your makeup, you can adjust the light all the way up. Dimmers are economical because you are saving energy by reducing the power going to the fixture and also extending the life of your bulb. (Note: Not all bulbs are designed for dimming. Many florescent bulbs won’t work with dimmers).

General/Ambient Light:

-Use overhead ambient light for general illumination and to help balance the light from the task lighting.
-Again consider a dimmer for this application. These are especially nice at night when your eyes aren’t use to the bright light.

Additional Lighting:

-Consider a separate light in the bath/shower area. This should be UL rated for wet locations.