Tag: built-in

The Hallway, Opened Up

Our contractor got started last week on our second floor remodeling project. After just two days, the built-in was removed and the hallway was opened up. We have natural daylight in the hall now, from the window that was blocked off before!

There is a large bedroom closet that we could divide and tap into from the hallway if we ever want to add more storage near the bathroom, but it’s not in the plans right now. And though the built-in had been there a long time (70-80 years?), it was not original to the house. There were a few layers of some very old wallpaper hiding beneath it, confirming that the hall once went straight through.

The floor beneath was gone though, and the stuff on the stairway side is ugly high-traffic carpet over red linoleum over a couple layers of who-knows-what. So yeah, the floor is going to need some work, but we expected that going into this.

There’s still a lot of work to go, but it’s looking really good so far!

July 15, 2014
The Built-in Library Shelves, with Books

The library isn’t really finished, but the shelves have books, the house is neat, and I took photos. So? Photos!

Definitely loving that ladder. I’m also loving the play of color from room to room, but I plan to paint the library walls and both ceilings at some point. They don’t look terrible here, but depending on the lighting and time of day, the color can go pretty yellow. I do like the contrast, and I’m thinking I might choose white, or very pale peachy/coral/pink.

We’re only borrowing the gate leg table from a family member. I wanted to see if it would be a pain to sit around, and the answer is yes. I love the look (like so), but it isn’t very practical for us, and I want to be able to play games there with the kids.

What is practical though, is the shelving. A few people have been eager to see how the built-ins look “once they’re styled,” so I hope I’m not disappointing you here. The shelves are adjustable and we moved a couple to fit large art and photography books, but that’s the extent of the styling. Brandon and I have a lot of books, and these shelves were intended to be used fully for book storage from the start. We actually still have more, but I think we can whittle down what’s on the shelves a bit to make room, and only keep what we really love. We had so much book storage in the last house that we didn’t need to pare down much (though we did some before we moved).

The layout is not final. I think the rocker looks a bit out of place, but I would like to make it work somewhere downstairs. We’ll have our cushy upholstered glider for the nursery, but I’d like to have the Eames rocker out where I’ll be able to rock the baby while sitting with friends and family.

Having a dedicated space for all of our books feels really good. It isn’t done (or “Pinterest Perfect”) yet, but I like where it’s at right now. There are a million little things to change and tweak, but that’s part of the fun of decorating, isn’t it? My last house came together over seven years, always changing a little at a time. I’m eager to see how this space grows and changes too.

May 12, 2014
The Built-in Bookshelves and Rolling Ladder in the Library

The library project is done! The shelves are in! The ladder is up!

Well, it’s 95% done. Those three panels beneath the window seat are placeholders until the ones that match the rest are ready, and we need a cushion for the bench top. I haven’t decided whether I’ll add hardware to the doors yet (they have magnetic push latches inside), and I’ll probably switch out the outlet covers for wooden ones. The important thing though is that the shelves are in! The ladder is up!

Our carpenter did great work and has solid craftsmanship, but I made some stupid mistakes by not being as hands-on during the design process as I should have. It was not a fun learning experience. I can get nitpicky and tell you what I don’t like — mainly proportion/scale issues that I should have been more mindful of — but overall I’m happy.

The rolling library ladder was provided by Custom Service Hardware, and it definitely makes the shelves. Brandon and I love it! Even our carpenter was impressed by its quality. The wheels brake automatically, and each kids’ weight is enough to engage the mechanism. August likes rolling the ladder, but he won’t climb. Eleanor would go to the top if we let her.

It arrived in pieces and unfinished (in our choice of wood, oak), but smooth and ready to finish. Those pieces, along with the rest of the wood for the library, were stained with Minwax Wood Finish in Early American to match the home’s existing trim.

I chose vertical roller brackets so that the ladder’s hardware could be supported by the vertical supports of the bookshelf, since the shelves are all adjustable. For finishes, I was between the hammered antique brass and oil rubbed bronze options. Brass would have been a better match to the existing metal finishes in the house, but I’m not a big fan of the hammered look so I went with bronze. Mixing metals doesn’t bother me when they’re complementary, and I think the almost-black color looks nice and is more understated than brass may have been.

Our ladder is nine feet tall. It doesn’t stick out too far into the room and I like the look of the ladder in the climbing position, but its rolling hardware gives us the option of storing it upright when not in use.

The shelves were finished on Friday and on Saturday morning, we quickly unloaded about 40 boxes of books onto the shelves. We had two parties this weekend so I haven’t had time to take more photos yet, but just like that, this house felt much more like our home. I’m so glad we put these shelves in, mistakes along the way and all.

May 5, 2014
The Color Palette Inspiration
You’ve seen the built-ins starting to take shape, but what I’m really looking forward to is painting the front parlor and getting everything back in place. I came across the top two floral images below on Pinterest the other day, and they’ve stayed with me. This is the direction the color palette is heading, I think.

Images: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4

You’ve seen that bottom image below here, and I’ve been thinking of picking up a few blue and white porcelain jars or vases like this since using a similar one in the design of this room.

I haven’t really made a conscious effort to keeping things to a palette yet (although it’s been kicking around in my mind), as I’ve been enjoying the process of collecting and taking my time. Happily, everything does work pretty well with the above inspiration, and here’s how the furniture and accessories between the two parlors are looking so far.
1. Black Beauty Paint, Benjamin Moore
  You can see the second parlor from every other main room on the first floor, and the black walls give fantastic contrast to the surrounding spaces
2. Pink Ikat Polka Dot Pillows, Jayson Home (Warehouse Sale)
  I picked up two of these pale peachy pink pillows.
3. Gold Suzani Pillow, Jayson Home
  Expensive, but huge and luxe and worth it.
4. Twin Beacons Brass Lamp, Anthropologie
  I waited and waited, and was able to finally grab it on clearance. It’s a heavy, substantial lamp that looks vaguely insect-like, and I love it.
5. Winifred Sofa, Anthropologie
  The most expensive piece of furniture we’ve ever bought (even with it being on sale when we got it), but it’s perfect. It’s also the most comfortable we’ve ever had.
6. Dog Rose Botanical Poster, The Evolution Store
  I cashed in some credits on Fab to get mine a couple of years ago, and now I think I like it even more in this house than I did in the old one!
7. Built-in Bookshelves, Krieger + Associates
  Those are fantastic. I hope mine will be, too.
8. Antique Striped Sofa, Chairish
  I was looking for a smaller striped settee, but this sofa was so perfect that I went for it.
9. Tufted Pink Ottomans, Target
  I like the dash of hot pink these bring.
10. Pale Pink Table Lamp, Robert Abbey
  I used to have two of these, but alas, one of the kids broke one shortly after we moved here.
Of course there are a few outliers that will probably show up in the two spaces too, like my Emily Rickard painting and the crazy floral Blythe chair.

Our carpenter did a lot of work installing components yesterday, and the bookshelves in the front parlor are up on both sides of the window now. He’ll be taking next week off and returning the week after to finish up some of the details, but the bulk of the project is in place! I’ve been trying to stay mindful of the sightlines in this house, and the wall of shelving looks good in context and in relation to the other rooms. The house is an oak-stravaganza (shall I never use that word again?), and I’m good with that.

Now, what color should I go with for the walls in there?
April 17, 2014
Moving Forward with the Built-in Bookshelves

After a minor freakout and a little time to regroup, the bookshelves are moving along. We don’t have the budget or inclination to scrap the whole thing and start over, so minor tweaks are going to have to go a long way toward fixing the areas I didn’t like.

The outer beveled edges of the doors have been cut down and the doors will be inset. The recessed toe kick is gone. The plywood grain still bugs me, but hopefully less so when there are books on the shelves. And if not? There’s always Plan B of making painted or wallpapered removable inserts to cover some of the wood. A few people have recommended painting out the whole thing, which honestly would probably look pretty amazing, but I’m giving the oak a shot first.

I think (I hope!) it will all come together as the project progresses further. There’s going to be a window seat in the center, and we’re installing a rolling library ladder that I’m really looking forward to seeing in the space. I’m excited about turning my attention toward putting the room back together and finally unpacking our dozens of boxes of books. They’ve been scattered throughout the second floor for months, lining the hallway and greeting us at the top of the stairs, so it’s going to be a big relief to have them out of there.

Onward!

April 16, 2014
Never Mind

I was trying to be positive yesterday and convince myself that things were fine, but I was gone almost all day and when I came back the doors had been attached. I thought we had agreed to hold off on them and I’d have some time to think about what to do. The wood grain is good enough I guess, and I appreciate the work that went into building everything, but the paneled doors combined with a toe kick? Very eighties, and I hate it.

I made a stupid mistake and I messed up. I didn’t go into details with the carpenter and I thought we were on the same page. I would say things like “I want it to look like it’s always been a part of the house” and to me, that encompassed everything from the quality of the wood to the inclusion of period (not 1980s) details. I’ve never worked on a custom project like this, and my inexperience is showing.

I don’t even know what to do at this point. Getting rid of the recessed toe kick would help immensely, and I think that can be remedied easily enough. The doors though? Learn to like them? Try to cut them down and accept the weird proportions that will result? I’m ready to give up. I cried over these stupid bookshelves yesterday, which is ridiculous. They are bookshelves — get over it, Nicole. I just feel dumb about the whole thing and I’m sick over this costing more to fix my rookie mistakes and lack of communication.

April 9, 2014