Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Last month we started to take you through our renovation of our master bedroom. Much of what we discussed involved the various elements of the work, including room demolition, discovering our closet doors at a salvage yard, and installation of our new attic stairs. But truth be told, the primary purpose behind the work we were completing in our bedroom had far more to do with the need for more clothing storage than it did with getting better attic pull down stairs (though we love the stairs since I don't have to do this anymore).
The next phase of our plan was simply to turn the largely unused "chimney wall" (and also the exterior wall of the room that doesn't touch the house next door) into a wall of closets. We had already searched tirelessly for -- and found -- a set of five matching antique doors and were ready to get rolling.
The first step in this lofty endeavor was to establish our closet wall. This would set the tone for the entire project. Too shallow and we wouldn't be able to hang clothes. Too deep and we'd lose too much space in the room. This had to be the Goldilocks of closet builds, determining a depth that was just right.
After much research we agreed on a good depth and began looking at the specs on the closet interior. We figured our ideal setup would be a mixture of his & hers & hers (Okay, Wendy came up with this "ideal" set up). I'd get one of the large closets, and Wendy would get the other large closet and the middle closet as well. Fair enough? Debatable, but I know husbands who've fared worse in the deal.
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It's mind boggling just how many details and decisions must be made when taking on a big bathroom renovation. From tile and lighting to pulls and towel rods, the options seem endless, yet each selection is as important as the last in the finished project. It's actually rather easy to get caught up in the finishing touch details (ahem, "What bathtub faucet should we buy?") to the point you lose perspective on the not-so-apparent things that really make a difference in overall happiness with the final results. For this simple fact, we try to create various scenarios in our head and research every item to death before we make a decision to purchase or install almost anything. It makes for a longer project with far more arguments, but we're both happier with the completed work.
One of the items that fits into this category, and an item we're going to be installing in our master bathroom, is often considered a "luxury" by people who don't have it, and a "necessity" by those that do. The creature comfort feature I'm talking about? Heated floors.
The photo of our guest bathroom floor created a little blog/Pinterest buzz last week, and is a Thassos marble basket weave mosaic. It's absolutely beautiful (in our opinion) but in the winter it is downright cold! This isn't a major problem since the bathroom is tiny and we don't do a whole lot of hanging out in there, but our master bath is a different story.
The master bathroom is large and long, and the 12 foot walk from the bathroom door to the opposite end where the toilet sits will be far more pleasant if the natural stone floor is more tepid than frigid. Our plan is to install an electric radiant floor heating element down the center of the bathroom in the primary walking lane. This heat source will be more than adequate to keep the floor toasty, our feet warm, and will even add a little heat to a room that tends to be rather chilly in the winter.
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Alex and I love to travel. Whether we're talking about a major vacation almost half way around the world or a little weekend getaway to a nearby city, I'm always looking forward to our next adventure. As much as we love our ability to jump on a plane and head out of town to a new location, we aren't quite as free and clear as most DINKs tend to be. Though we don't have human children that require babysitters, our furry four legged babies are of the utmost importance to us and we couldn't possibly relax without knowing they are being well cared for by a loving network of friends. And our latest trip to New Orleans was no exception in our need for animal child care.
While we're on a trip, we talk and think about Mel and Lulu often -- how they're doing, if they're happy, what trouble they might be getting into, if they're on a "my-parents-left-me-hunger-strike," etc. The other thing we consider carefully is how to truly express your gratitude to those who care for your treasured pets. Sure a dinner on us or a good bottle of wine can be nice, but from time to time, depending on the caretaker and our destination of choice, we might pick up a little something that represents the local flavor of the city we've visited. We always try to theme it in some way that represents where we've been, and we also try to make sure we're getting something that the sitters tend to enjoy. And though I would have loved to bring back this antique vampire killing kit, the $6,000 they wanted for it was a bit outside of my price range.
It's no secret that New Orleans is known for its vibrant cultural traditions and regional flair. From food and drink, to parties and, well, parties, there's never a shortage of excess. For the purpose of this blog post, these great things translate quite easily into the possibility of a festive and fun gift basket to express our gratitude.
For the gift basket that we put together, I wanted to be sure to include many of our personal favorites that make New Orleans a fun place to visit. We started off with a can of Cafe Du Monde's world famous Coffee and Chicory. As a large can, I was able to use this to anchor the overall gift basket.
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Thursday, January 17, 2013
Today is the 10 year anniversary of owning our house! I'm almost shocked writing that. I really can't believe it's already been a full decade. Lately we've both been so busy with work that the date more or less snuck up on us. I didn't even realize today marked our anniversary until yesterday evening as I left the office and started to think about what I wanted to post about today. But to be completely honest, when I look at what we know now, who we were when we started, and what we've learned along the way, I'm not surprised that it's been 10 years but do feel shocked that it's gone by so quickly.
I fondly remember the days and weeks of searching for a home. I recall, just like it was yesterday, the euphoria of settlement day and beginning work on our house only a matter of minutes after signing on the dotted line. We figured the hard part was behind us, but ultimately would know better.
Few times in my life have I felt such eager anticipation and downright fear at the same moment. Without any prior experience on home projects of our own we had little idea of our capabilities, no discernible DIY skills, no understanding of the exorbitant amount of time even the seemingly simple tasks can require, and no comprehension of the tremendous amount of patience required to ensure the outcome of any given project is executed to the highest standards. To say we were naive, inexperienced, foolish, or even noobs, would be reasonable if not an understatement.
It's always fun to look back on the early days of our home ownership in a little "how far have we come" retrospective. Today, in honor of our 10 years of relatively successful home ownership, we'd like to share with you some of the top moments we've experienced in our home, both of triumphs and "lessons learned." Hey, life's not perfect nor is it predictable, so there's no harm in reveling and laughing at the the items that have ultimately shaped our experience.
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Wednesday, January 16, 2013
I'm not sure what it is that makes a gas lantern so incredibly warm and wonderful, but the thought of a copper gas lamp on the front of our home simply makes my heart sing. There are different examples of gas lights on homes all over our area and we love the way they look regardless of the age or style of the home.
We've long thought about replacing the small electric front light on our house with a gas lantern but always felt it wouldn't provide enough light for the entryway. However, once we added French doors to the front of the house and a light in the vestibule the option of adding a gas lantern became a realistic one since it isn't the only source of light on the front of our house.
If you've been to New Orleans, you're probably aware of the iconic gas lights that adorn the walkways, alleys, courtyards, porches, and fronts of homes throughout the city. They're so prevalent that a specific style of gas lantern has been dubbed the "French Quarter" due to it's frequent appearance in that area over all other styles.
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