Painting

I've also been doing the last of the painting projects. I started with the hallway to the guest bath. Yes, it is a black wall. I did it when RT was at work. He was pleasantly surprised when he came home! Haven't decided on the color of the door yet.



I also finally got around to painting over the ugly peach in the master bedroom hallway. It is Ultra Pure White from Behr, the same color of the walls in the bedroom. I thought I had a picture of the finished product, but I don't. I promise to get one up soon! We still have to finish the trim, so I'll get one as soon as that's finished.

New Trim

We've been plugging away at the finishing touches of our projects so far, which include finishing up the random floor cuts, painting, and trim. We want to get as much wrapped up before starting the kitchen. Check out our latest endeavors...




We used FSC certified wood, so we know it came from a regulated forest. We bought it at Home Depot for about $7 a plank.



Since our walls are a little uneven, we had to use a wood filler to close the gaps. It works wonders and once you sand it down and repaint it, you can't even tell.


The planks we used are 6" wide and play nicely off of our floor which is 5 and 1/2" in width giving it a clean, modern look.





We also chose chocolate brown outlet covers (you can kind of see in the top right corner) that accentuate the color of the floor and connect the color palate to the wall. Again, Home Depot for about $1 each!

As promised, here are pics of the closet!
Artie caulked the spaces around the molding so it is nice and even with the wall and there are no gaps, and today (on the NICEST day of the year) we started painting the trim for the main rooms and put together part of Artie's closet.















We purchased Stockholm closet pieces from IKEA- it is super modern and has the feel of a boutique. It may be a challenge to keep neat and clean, but the idea behind it is that you can see everything at a glance and easily put together an outfit.





The trim for the main rooms should go up this week when the nail gun arrives. I can't wait for WeHaMod to come together and we can have people over to see the real deal!

Furniture

So, yes, all ye faithful followers, I admit I am a slacker. I also had a broken hand so there were limited projects accomplished. Now that the hand is better and the tax credit came through, we were able to make a trip to IKEA and buy some much needed furniture. There are many more projects planned like finishing the trim and paint touch ups, and then the kitchen. So as requested, here are the latest photos.


Artie also ripped out his closet, and unfortunately I do not have before pictures, but he re-painted in Ultra Pure White, I put down the floor and he put in the trim. There are still some minor details like covering up the nail holes we have to take care of before we can start to put together the actual closet fixturing, but it is in the works. Stay tuned. ( I promise I will post the updates!)




Artie made this "Spring Planter" for me after we were given a little tree for the holidays. I love how unique it is. A lady in our building saw him with it and wanted one, but her son thought it was a bong. You can't really smoke out of it, but hey, if our 93 year old neighbor loves it, we'll make her one!




Not sure if I posted this already, but this is the lounge we bought. It is a replica of Le Corbusier, and it is the MOST comfortable lounge in the world. You could sleep in it because it supports you in all the right places. =)

We also (FINALLY) got a media stand. No more milk crate holding up the TV. Yeay! We found it at IKEA and knew right away that it would be perfect because it is white lacquer. It looks very modern and fits right in with our white decor and style. We are planning to hang some art on the wall as well, just not sure what or where. Thoughts?


We also decided to rearrange the furniture (again) in the living room. We found these great bookcases from IKEA that work as room dividers so we can have a defined living room and dining room. They also offer great storage and since we are not sure we want a buffet yet, they can hold unique glassware and serving pieces so we can free up some much needed space in the kitchen. The current set up is pretty close to what we want, just a few minor tweaks here and there. We also are planning to paint something on the big wall behind the loveseat, probably a radio wave outline of some sort in black. Still kicking around ideas and trying to decide if we want artwork as well. Enjoy the pix!








Two IKEA adventures in one week?!? Yes it is true! We found a great desk for Artie, went down to pick it up, and it was OUT OF STOCK! So when we were in Boston we headed to IKEA before we left to see if a different state had it. It was meant to be because we found it and put it together when we got home. Again, it's white lacquer and offers storage as well. We were thinking about adding some red shelves above the desk as well. Also there is a slight change to the original plan of hanging the prints in the colored squares. We are going to hang them on the opposite wall above the red line to give the room a little more balance.









Thanks for stopping by, and as we complete more projects, I will be posing more pix. Now that it is warm out and we can bring the chop saw out on the balcony, we will be rushing to finish the molding and the last pieces of the floor before we dive into the kitchen, which will hopefully start and finish this summer. Any thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns are appreciated as we hope to post on HGTV's "Rate My Space" very soon. Stay tuned!!

Added Style

Now that the wall is painted with three very bold colors, I bought the piece that sparked the inspiration. It is a Marimekko print called Sarafan (Finnish for "columns") that was originally designed in the 60's by Maija Isola and was brought back in "vibrant jewel tones" for the fall '08 season at Crate and Barrel. The duvet cover has such a beautiful design and matches perfectly.










The propsicles from Plane Pieces add a nice touch of modernism with the Waissly Chair that we put in the bedroom.

Latest Paint Project

So, here I am with 2 days off in a row and an itch for a project while I'm home.
We've been trying to figure out a pattern to paint on our bedroom wall. Originally I was going to do three stripes in three different colors starting out horizontally, dipping down on the diagonal, and ending again, on the horizontal. I tried to tape it out, turned out to be a disaster.

Our next idea was to paint squares on the wall.

I've had the paint now for almost three weeks. I bought a quart each of Sherman-Williams Forward Fuschia, Heartthrob, and Daredevil.

While I am waiting for the first coats to dry, I thought this would be a good time to blog about it.
Enjoy!



I decided to paint three squares on the wall and hang prints in the middle of them. I figure, if we don't like the prints, at least we will still have art on the wall. It will also add interest and depth to the room instead of having all white walls and a flat appearance.





I added a line on the opposite wall which will be the same color as the middle square (Heartthrob). I figure it will tie the room together and will add a modern feel.



Not the best picture, but it gives you an idea of what the bedroom will be like when you walk in.




The first square. Forward Fuschia.



The third square is Daredevil. The middle square will be Heartthrob. The color palate is very 70's, but it works well with what we've got going on with the dark floor, the crisp white walls, and the greenery.



Well, here it is. The third color, Heartthrob, is up on the walls. It took 4 coats of paint per square... I probably should have used a grey tinted primer under two coats, but either way, I'd still be painting at least three coats.
I chose this color scheme because it reminds me of a sunset and there is a fun duvet cover at Crate and Barrel that matches perfectly.




Here is the red line on the opposite wall. It not only adds interest to the room, but it makes it fell a bit longer than it really is.



Just to prove I didn't hire someone, here is me pulling off the tape from my project.
"Shun the non-believers"!



This is what you see when you walk into our master suite. Hopefully we'll get the pictures hung by the weekend.




This is the opposite wall. The layout of the room prevents me from getting a clear shot of everything, so just use your imagination.


Stay posted! More pix on the way

Well, we finally got a bed. It's a Zurich bed Artie found on EBAY. It's so nice to not have to sleep on the floor anymore- we have now graduated to the master suite!


We also inherited some plants for the winter from our neighbor who went to Florida. They add a nice touch.

For Christmas, we got a ball chair. We've had our eye on this piece for a long time. It's so retro and looks great in our place. We have it in the living room for now, but are not sure where it will live just yet. It's so fun to sit in!


We moved everything around again, and brought a loveseat back from the Penthouse in Boston. It doesn't really fit the color scheme, so again, not sure what room it will go in, but it's a fun piece and is from the 60's, so we we'll make it work!
Two of the trees from our neighbor are Hibiscus and have already flowered! They are beautiful and I will be sad to give them back it April.


This is a shot from the TV Room, what was formerly going to be the office.



Mom got me the Arden Candlesticks from Crate and Barrel for Christmas. They are designed by Robert Welsh and have been on my wish list for a long time. Even though they are new ultra sleek, they fit right into our Vintage Modern theme.