Saturday, October 10, 2009

Step On Up


As I've mentioned previously, I did not need to do very much to the first level of our new home. The painting, remodeling, and even the furniture came with the house. Mr. Bartender wanted turn-key and he got it!


Moving past the living area, underneath the stairwell, the previous owners hired a carpenter to install some beautiful built-in bookshelves to take advantage of the dead-space. Though I am a huge lover-of-books, alas the bookshelf has other purposes as well, namely photo display and liquor cabinet. The carpenter was smart to include some enclosed cabinetry as well.

Adjacent to the bookshelves we have a breakfast bar. Can you see the countertop? I'm not sure what the material is, but it's a gorgeous metallic finish of red, yellow, orange, and gold. The countertop on the dining table is identical. The bar stools and wall paint match perfectly.


Walking past the breakfast bar and the kitchen, we come to the most unique aspect of our house - the booth. Yes friends, our dining room table is surrounded by a high-backed booth. It's unconventional, but we have grown to love it. You know that sense of comfort, when you've got the best table at your favorite restaurant in town and you can sit back and relax after a delicious meal? It's the same feeling here...every time we eat. I've added overstuffed pillows for relaxation and in an attempt to tone down the industrial feel. Without a question, guests always feel the most comfortable around our table!


The house was updated with all the modern conveniences. We have a dish washer (which I missed dearly the last few years), stainless steel everything, and granite countertops. All the small details were taken into consideration from the paint, to the colors in the granite, to the slate flooring. Happily, I was able to bring with me my flamenco watercolor portrait that I've had for years, which matches the decor perfectly.
















Friday, October 9, 2009

Living Area for LIVING

In starting to gather accessories, figure furniture layout, and consider utilization of space in the living room, one question played over and over throughout my mind: "How will the space be used?" Endless hours of HGTV have taught me to really consider the purpose of the space, the regular and potential inhabitants, and how to trigger all of the senses.


I knew my hubby, Mr. Bartender, wanted a big entertainment system - surround sound, flat screen, game consoles, the works. He loves his video games and we both love movies, therefore a front-and-center view of the tv was key! But we also love to entertain. Nearly every weekend in the Spring and Summer we have family or friends stopping by. The living area needed to be arranged to promote conversation and comfort, while also allowing enough space for adults and kids to move around freely. Besides television access and room for guests, I also wanted to take advantage of the gorgeous bay window. With our tree-lined street, I felt this was a beautiful vocal point that should not become overrun by the interior. And so you have it:




I think we balanced the use of the space very well. I've kept the window open for clear view and we are able to fit quite a few people in here. During get-togethers, we usually remove the large ottoman and place it under the window - allowing for even more seating. We were considering getting rid of it for a while, and I'm very glad we didn't.




As much as possible I tried to include texture throughout the space. I have a warm, wool blanket over smooth, dark leather; perched on top of the natural wood we have a ceramic, geometric pattern. And of course, no room is complete without plant life!


In case you were wondering, the paint is a faux finish originally applied by the previous owner. It's very simple. I had to do some touch ups and was able to replicate it nearly perfectly, but that's a post for another day. The leather furniture is from Z Gallerie. The TV and surround sound system were installed by friends of Mr. Bartender. The TV stand is from Home Decorator's Collection and accessories throughout the room were purchased at Home Goods and Target.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Stairway to Heaven

Chicago and carpet do not go well together. Six months out of the year we are wearing snow boots; 2 or 3 months out of the year we are wearing rain boots. Boots plus carpeting DOES NOT equal clean. So imagine our disdain when we looked at our stairway, not to mention the, ahem...bright, yellow color.










It's hard to see in the pictures, but there was a lot of grime in this high-traffic area. Even though the previous owners were diligent about removing their shoes before going upstairs and even though we rented two carpet cleaners and shampooed the entire upstairs, we knew the carpet just had to go.



After lining up a few estimates, I decided to go with a contractor recommended to me by our previous owners. He was AMAZING. Two hours after I called him, he came out (on a Friday afternoon, no less) and provided an estimate. He started at 9am the next morning and worked until 9pm at night, finishing in one day! Because we loved working with him we were very tempted to put wood throughout the entire second floor, but we decided to reign in the intensity for now.


After moving in all the funiture, we also had painters come in (another great price negotiated - thank you Recession) and coated the walls with a less intense shade of yellow. Because the existing color was so dark, I used the new Behr primer/paint-in-one product in a shade called "Pale Honey". We are very happy with the results.

Garden of Dreams

Next year, once another Chicago winter has come and gone, I plan to have most of the inside designing complete and really aim to spend a lot of time prettifying our outdoor space. In the meantime, I've compiled some inspirational photos from a few of my travels.


From Helvetia, West Virginia in May 2007:






These are from my trip to Alaska in Summer 2008. For such a "frigid wasteland", I was very impressed with the gorgeous flora and fauna throughout the state.