Peonies

One of my favorite flowers

Nothing Important

Peonies always remind me of my grandmother. I can’t get them to grow in our yard, so I have to buy them. Oh, but they smell heavenly…

Comments { 1 } June 6, 2011

Ah, Spring!

Beautiful jacaranda tree in bloom

Nothing Important,

The view outside my office window; purple splashed against a bright blue sky.

Comments { 2 } May 10, 2011

FLOR: Fun Modular Floor Covering

Installing modular carpet tiles

Restoration Diary, , ,

We needed an odd sized rug to fit underneath our desk, something durable that could stand up to lots of wear. FLOR carpet tiles fit all of our criteria, plus they come in multiple shades, textures and fun patterns.


FLOR samples

I ordered samples to see which worked best in our office.


It’s a plaid, plaid world

We chose a grey plaid called Pop Tartan.


Jack, project supervisor

Our cat Jack overseeing the carpet installation.


Attaching FLOR dot

The tiles are held together by adhesive stickers called Flor dots. It is as easy as peeling the backing off the Flor dot and attaching it to the back of the tile.

The tile is lined up and dropped into place. Easy!


Tah-dah!

It took us 15-20 minutes to install the carpet. Now all we have to do is finish moving into the office.

Comments { 4 } March 31, 2011

More Vintage Bathroom Fixtures and Accessories

Ideas to create a period perfect bathroom

Bathrooms, Inspiration


Forerunner of the modern shower.

 


Hajoca Plumbing Goods showers

 


Hajoca Plumbing Goods shower accessories

 
(more…)

Comments { 2 } March 27, 2011

Vintage Bathroom Fixtures and Accessories

Inspiration for period perfect details

Bathrooms, Inspiration

For someone needing inspiration to restore a bungalow bathroom or the old house buff who likes to get all the details period perfect, I am posting images from several plumbing supply catalogs dating from 1910’s – 1920’s. You might also enjoy seeing photos and illustrations of period bathrooms during the same time period.


These sinks were named “Filmore” Lavatory

 


Hajoca Plumbing Goods offered by the Haines, Jones & Cadbury Company

 
(more…)

Comments { 4 } March 25, 2011

Home Office Renovation

Walls painted, light hung, floors refinished

Paint, Restoration Diary,

It feels so nice to get this room almost finished! We have a few touch ups here and there…but we are so close. I don’t even want to remember where this all started.

The floor has been refinished. Now we’re just waiting for it to dry before we start moving into the office.

We already owned this George Nelson Bubble Lamp. I purchased it soon after we married to hang in the dining room of our apartment. It’s been sitting in a box in the garage for years. It is nice to be able to repurpose something from our pre-bungalow lives.

Comments { 7 } March 24, 2011

It’s No Longer a Secret

We have a paint color

Paint, Restoration Diary,

I have decided on the dark gray paint color; Benjamin Moore’s Secret AF-710. I loved the color as soon as I saw the paint sample on the wall. Our contractor really didn’t care for it and it wasn’t David’s first choice, but I’m going with it! And hey, we can always repaint.

The ceiling color is the same hand-mixed soft gray used in our bathroom remodel. We are using the same bright white trim color throughout the upstairs to keep things consistent.

(more…)

Comments { 3 } March 22, 2011

Decorative Ceiling Idea

This ceiling is a WOW!

Inspiration, Paint, Wall Treatments,

Last fall I had the pleasure of visiting the Ruthmere House in Elkhart, IN. I couldn’t get past the gorgeous ceiling in the foyer. I snapped the photo you see with my cell phone, but in person the ceiling is absolutely stunning. The colors and design are historically accurate to 1910.


Detail of a painted ceiling design. The colors are gorgeous!

I would love to paint something like this on our dining room ceiling.

(more…)

Comments { 4 } March 21, 2011

Choosing a Paint Color

So many choices...

Paint, Restoration Diary,

No matter how long I have been doing this, selecting a paint color never gets any easier. Sigh…I like to see the paint color on the walls to see how it looks in the light of the room and at different times throughout the day.

There is something about the lighting in our house where color goes completely wonky. Grey colors turn green, green colors turn grey, blue colors turn purple…Thank God for sample pots!

No matter how a color looks in the store or in photos, it looks nothing like that in my house. And I’m the kind of person who spends hours at the paint store, taking the samples out side to see them in natural daylight.

I’ve finally narrowed it down to two choices. David and our contractor like one color and I prefer the other. Now I am starting to doubt myself! Which color should we pick?

Comments { 6 } March 18, 2011

Built-in Window Seat

and Storage

Built-ins, Restoration Diary,

The dormer is too small to provide any real, usable space in the room. I decided to utilize the space by having our contractor build a window seat underneath the window.

The window seat has a hinged lid to provide much needed storage space. In our little bungalow every inch counts. The proportions of the window seat were based off of the gentleman caller’s bench in the living room.

Comments { 3 } March 17, 2011