Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Another $500 towards the "something cool" fund!

Surfboard and one washing machine: SOLD!

Doesn't Dan look dashing with his new board on the roof?




Thursday, July 7, 2011

What is fast becoming a viable project.

I wasn't planning on messing with the master bathroom (shower only, no tub) until later, but since our champagne-fueled medicine cabinet spree last night, it might become a higher priority. 


In addition to changing the spring green walls to the same white as the rest of the space (at least to start), I want to take out the left wall of the shower surround and replace that wall and the existing door with small-paned steel windows.

I was inspired by these, from Remodelista:



I've begun the search for salvaged steel casement windows, and the NW Harris County Habitat for Humanity ReStore has some!  I'm going to swing by tomorrow after work (with a tape measure!) to check it out.

If the walls are coming down, then the tile is coming out, too.  I'm thinking classic, white subway tile with grey grout for the two remaining walls and the curb, like this from Living Etc. (via Apartment Therapy):


I've been dying to try the real-penny-tile technique used in the bar at the Standard Hotel in NYC (photo from NotCot.com):


And now that I have my own place, this is what the floor of the shower wants to be.  Where can you find penny-tile for $0.01 each, anyway?  A bit more labor intensive than normal tile, yes, but well worth it (she says before she knows any better).

The morning after.

I finally closed on Our House yesterday.  After two hours of writing my name over and over, I feel like it was anti-climactic in some ways, like I wanted something more physical to show for it at the end than a stack of photocopies, a set of keys, and a sore wrist. 

Now, I understand that A HOUSE is certainly something physical, but maybe a pretty piece of paper to hang on the wall, diploma-like, with gold stars on.  I think the fact that I AM NOW A HOMEOWNER hasn't really sunk in yet.  Perhaps in 15 years when the mortgage is paid off.

After an appropriately scaled (i.e. not quite over-the-top) afternoon/evening of celebratory drinking, the Boyfriend and I camped out on the floor for the first night.  We spent an hour flipping all the switches and opening all the doors and dreaming and plotting and scheming.  We drank (another) bottle of champagne, ate Thai take-out, and ordered new medicine cabinets.  All in all, an excellent first day.  Even if there wasn't a gold star.

This morning:

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Some Serious Inspiration

Ever since I was first exposed to their work (I think on an Apartment Therapy post about their redesign of the Ace Hotel in NYC), I've been drawn to the design aesthetic of Roman and Williams.  And then when Apartment Therapy featured them again last summer as part of their Inside Man series, I was hooked: 


One of their signature touches is the high-gloss black trim against a cream wall, as shown above.  I've been collecting images of other spaces that make effective use of the same color scheme, like this renovation from Desire to Inspire:


Or this townhouse from the June/July 2010 issue of Lonny:



One thing all of these spaces have in common, other than the glossy black trim, of course, is a pale ivory on the walls and a brighter white on the crown moulding and ceilings.  I think the subtle difference between the walls and ceilings gives it a bit more warmth without taking away from the graphic quality inherent in such high contrast. 

So now that I'm about to have my own house, I'm going to try it in the older portion of the house.  And the Boyfriend is completely on board!  The other totally off-the-wall thing he's on board with is doing something like this to our guest bath:



So the black on the trim in the rest of the house will be both the trim and the walls in the bath.  I think the only way that can work is in a very high-gloss finish, and with the white fixtures already in the room to really pop against the black.  I also want to bring in some warmth and additional contrast with rich woods in picture frames, mirrors, and bath accessories.  The owners of the bath above (also from the June/July 2010 issue of Lonny) said they were attempting to create an old New York men's club feel.  I love it!  My design sense has definitely moved to a more "masculine" place than it was previously.

More black bathroom inspiration:



And one from another of my interior style icons, Jenna Lyons of jcrew (image from Domino magazine):





Friday, July 1, 2011

SOLD! $50 closer to "something awesome" for Our House.

The other night the Boyfriend and I sold our first piece of furniture on Craigslist. We're downsizing before the move.

OK, I'm downsizing before the move. (I'm embarrassed to say that there are boxes in the attic that haven't been unpacked since I moved from California three years ago.)

It was an IKEA kitchen table that's been with me since my very first apartment in LA almost 10 years ago.

$50 to the "something-cool-but-as-yet-unidentified-for-our-New-House" fund!