Tuesday, December 29, 2009

New Year's Goals

I confess, I'm one of those people; I love lists! I have lists for groceries, for chores, for work, and for play. In fact, if something's not on my list, I'll write it on the list JUST so I can have the pleasure of crossing it off. In honor of the New Year, here is my list of 2010 Goals:

1. Convert to "Plant Strong" Vegetarian
2. Create Power of Attorney(s) and Revocable Living Trust
3. Set up Safety Deposit Box
4. Finish the guest bedroom - including new chair and dresser
5. Complete my MBA!
6. Design and create outdoor garden
7. Workout 4 days per week, minimum

I will be expanding on each goal, and possibly adding more, in the next few weeks.

What are your New Year's Goals or Resolutions?

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Home Work

After much delay, I have [for the most part] finished the office! If you recall from my first post, the space was entirely pea green. Though I liked the color, it was entirely too much. BUT, after painting two other rooms, I knew I didn't want to start all over with a new color. So I decided on STRIPES.

















Lurve how they turned out. The stripes were created with painters' tape and an eye for a straight line. (That's right - no levels used here!) I'll admit the room's a bit bright...but it's meant to be vibrant and awakening. As my good friend says, "You can tell a Cuban lives here!"

My wonderful hubby managed to round up some perfect white shelves for me - FOR FREE - and intall them. On top of which I've placed pictures purchased from http://www.etsy.com/ and some vases I found at thrift stores and garage sales.




The couch is a double seater and has a footstool for extreme comfort during long study sessions. I repainted a file cabinet we purchased a few years ago the same color as the teal stripes on the wall. Of course all accessories match the color motif; apparently, I'm the "matchy-matchy" type. Right down to the bright green computer chair!



Sunday, November 1, 2009

Our Escape

My favorite space in the house is our bedroom. This is where I spent the most money and, not coincidentally, this is where we spend the most time. We love to waste away cold Sundays watching movies and lounging in bed. I often do homework or some studying while Mr. Bartender is still sleeping after a long nights' work.

I knew my color scheme would be brown, gray/blue, white, and silver. I also wanted to convey the sense of a hotel room, so I aimed to keep the decor clean and simple. We did not bring any furniture with us from the old apartment (it was all beaten up and in very poor shape), so everything for the master was purchased new - part of the reason I spent the most money in here. Though I know a lot of people do not like the "matchy-matchy" furniture, I knew I wanted to purchase a set in espresso finish to really convey that "luxury suite" feel of a hotel.




If you know me well, you know I love to sleep. I knew we would be purchasing our first queen size bed and I wanted ultimate comfort. I got a great deal on the mattress and box spring at Carson's Furniture (thanks for the recommendation, Tina!). The bedding is from West Elm and the throw pillows from Home Goods. I love my new bed : )

The wall art I did on my own - saw it on HGTV and only cost about $25 total. All the accessories in the room, picture frames, jewelry displayers and hamper, I got for 50% off at either Carson's or Home Goods. Are you seeing a pattern here?


I've been told it's bad fung shui to sleep with your feet facing the door. But, due to the extremely odd shape of the room and the two closets, it was really hard to place the bed any other way and still allow for the two bed side tables to be in their appropriate spots on either side of the bed. I tried putting the bed in the center of the bay windows, but the large sleigh headboard blocked out too much light. Remember from my previous post - I love those windows! By positioning the bed on a diagonal we're also able to see the tv clearly. This was Mr. Bartender's contribution to the room - the lovely big, flat screen. We are so spoiled.


The only thing missing for the room is a floor mirror for this corner. I'm talking 6 feet tallk by 3 or 4 feet wide, preferably in espresso or white. I found one a few months ago at Home Goods, but I wasn't able to commit. Now I am regretting that decision immensely as my mind can not consider this room complete without a nice mirror. Still keeping my eyes open though...

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.



Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Office Peek

My type A personality is prohibiting me from posting pictures of any of the upstairs rooms until I am completely, 100%, without a doubt "FINISHED". But I feel as though I am neglecting you in my silence. So here's a teeny taste of the office makeover.






There, that's all you get! I love, love, love how the colors turned out. The space is very clean, open, and contemporary. When I started re-painting the room, the cabinet needed to be toned down a bit (originally it was that hideous green color). Once the cabinet was white though, I felt that it was just too drab. I wanted to apply wallpaper to the doors but it was hard to purchase only a small quantity of wallpaper and in just the right pattern I was looking for (no florals, please!), so I decided to use fabric instead. In a room that is mostly stripes, I feel the zebra print adds a little bit of pizazz without overpowering the eyes. I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Let's Start At The Very Beginning...

The main floor of the house we purchased had been recently updated and tastefully decorated by the previous owners. We did very little to the main floor - those pictures to come soon. To my delight, however, the three upstairs rooms needed some help. Ok, a lot of help. Each room required a paint job and dramatic change in decor. I will revisit these pictures later as I reveal my "Afters", but these photos should give you an idea of what I started with. The top floor of our home has three bedrooms and a full bathroom.


First, the Master Bedroom "Before". I fell in love with the SPACE (after years of living in small, Chicago apartments) and the wall of windows. To my delight, the room has two closets; the lady of the house got the larger of the two, of course. The green color was not horrible, per say, but paired with the maroon...it was killing me.







Across the hall we have the Office. I believe the color was described as "motivational" by the seller. That's not the word I would have picked. Again, the color was not horrible, just entirely too much of it. I struggled for weeks on ideas for this room. I was interested in keeping the green, but I wanted to tone it down dramatically. The sofa had a pull out bed, but in my heart I knew it just was too fat and ugly to keep. (Yes, I admit I am very superficial with my furniture.) I did love the glass desks, though, and I wrote them into the contract for the house.





Last we have the Guest Room. The grey and blue color scheme was not doing ANYTHING for me. And, since we're painting all the other rooms, why not paint this one too, right? Ironically, I had the most "decorating dreams" about this room, but I haven't even started it yet. Reason: almost everything in this room is going to be a do-it-yourself project. An old desk will be refurbished. A new headboard will be made (yes, made). And curatins will be hand picked and sewn. My deadline is Thanksgiving weekend.






Saturday, September 5, 2009

Getting Started

Lesson number 1: you can't get everything done in one day. And that goes for setting up the new blog too. One of my favorite bloggers, Tara Frey, has a great book for non-techie newbies to the blogging world, Blogging for Bliss. I'm taking it one chapter at a time. Patience is a virtue.



What to look forward to soon: the main floor (including tv/living room, kitchen, and dining area). With the new air conditioner recently installed, we just have to paint the ceiling and this level will be completely finished! Pictures and details to come.