2008 amy butler fabrics

i keep thinking i've narrowed down my search for fabrics
for the dining room and then a new email in my inbox confuses me again.

here are some new fabrics from amy butler for the new year





click here to find out more amy butler

also, one of these days i need to post a drawing of my plans for the dining room
so you can see what i'm talking about. when i find a bit of free time,
i will do that...

snowy feet

since we are right smack in the middle of our minnesota winter, my first purchase after the remodel began was a Chilewich mat for the entryway.

it is supposed to dry quickly and resist mold and mildew. great after the many trips out to the park with the dog.


i ordered mine from velocity art & design

finally the dust has settled

now it time to clean up!

we have much more left to do for our phase one remodel, but I thought I would share a few before and after images for what we have completed so far. the cabinet removal, closet removal and the addition of our fabulous new floor has really made a big difference.

if only riley could figure out how to run on the floor, without it ending in a Scooby slide...



new closet on it's way (will currently be riley's room)



looking toward bedroom



dining room, looking toward bedroom

A Carpenter's Best Tool

Many tools come in handy for a carpenter, especially when they accompany some of our more popular sayings, like "When in doubt, hit it with a hammer" or "Measure once. Cut twice." But my favorite saying is "OWW!" The occasional pain reliever can be the most accommodating tool for a carpenter, especially when one's been kneeling on a concrete subfloor all day.
*WARNING* Use pain reliever's sparingly, even over the counter, for obvious reasons, also the more you use them the less they work.

Help! My dog is a glue sniffer!

Riley has become addicted to the tongue and groove adhesive. I can't place a bottle down anywhere without him sneaking over and taking a whiff. Bad dog! Go chase a squirrel!


Look at yourself! Oh, how low you've sunk!

Little carpenter trick for anyone laying tongue and groove flooring. When gluing the inside of the groove, only glue the bottom of the groove. The directions will say glue both sides of the groove but this is a big, sloppy mistake. If you glue the top of the groove then you increase your chance for glue to squeeze through the seam and you'll spend more time cleaning than laying floor. This trick was passed down from a floor guy three decades in the business. Thanks Roger.

Riley Approved

After 2 days of demo including the removal of 1 4x5 closet, 340 sq/ft of tile, 280 sq/ft of carpet, I am tired. The hardest part of the demo was hammer drilling the mortar to separate it from the concrete sub floor. The third day included rubbish removal, framing of the closet with 3 5/8 steel studs and beginning the layout of the floor. As you can see the bamboo floor is Riley approved.

bedroom before and after

phase 1 of the remodel has begun! of course, i was at work today while carpenter worked his butt off from 8am until exactly 5pm. condo association rules...

below is a little sampling of the destruction.

here is what our bedroom used to look like...

before


before


and now

It's not easy being green.

Kermit had it right. It's not easy being green. In trying to maintain an environmentally conscience remodel I've been in contact with several green building suppliers with the hopes of being properly informed about their products and their specs. It's like trying to get blood from an orange. When inquiring about product specs I am often told (this happened six times) that I will receive a call back with that information and never receive one or get a call back 2 weeks later still uninformed. They constantly have to contact their suppliers and more often than not they don't have the product in stock nor carry that product anymore despite still being available for purchase on their websites. It's much easier dealing with a regular building supplier who is well informed about codes and standards as well as their products and actually have them in stock. AND if you ask, they can and will guide you in a more green friendly remodel. Wow. Someone who actually knows what they are doing. I'm jealous.

i love patterns!

for our dining room, our plan is to build some benches in an L shape for seating
(more details later). i would like the benches to be deep for more of a lounge feel, since we are definitely not the formal dining room type.

i recently started looking at fabric patterns and i'm all over the place.
here a just a few. i'm not sure i've found "the" fabric, but there are
some good ones here.

click on image to view larger...

the patterns in the first couple groups are what i would typically go for... all fabrics available at jcarolinecreative


these are all available at contemporary cloth

but i'm open to some others...

available at jcarolinecreative


available here contemporary cloth


available at jcarolinecreative


all available at repro depot

wall coverings

for quite some some time i've been struggling with wallpaper being back in style.
sometimes for just a moment, i think "that looks really cool". i've even considered buying and framing some of it. there are some really cool patterns out there.

carpenter and I stayed at a hotel in Brooklyn this weekend.
they had a product on the walls i've been considering.


hotel le bleu

this product is one of my favorite. i had completely settled on a paint color
for my dining room and now i'm thinking one wall in this could be fun. plus it's environmentally friendly–made of bamboo paper pulp.

maybe a cool gray on one wall and this on the other...
available at inhabit

snowy scene

well it's a good time of year to begin indoor projects.
the snow has arrived in minneapolis.

the view out our windows today

the view from our balcony when we moved in at the end of june.

local artist trunk show

local artist, tia salmela keobounpheng of silvercocoon is having a trunk show
this Friday. her handmade jewelry is being featured at the walker shop.
check it out. bring a friend!

www.silvercocoon-handmade.blogspot.com
walkerart.org

rug temptation

until the destruction actually begins (yes. i know you are dying to see demolition photos), i'm going to have to continue with my decorating blather.

with the addition of hard wood(grass) floors, we will need some rugs to protect the floors from furniture or as i see it....an opportunity to add more color.

jonathan adler rugs are always a temptation (if i had the money) and then today i had news of a sale in my in box...


this one would be great in the bedroom


and i would love this one in the hallway


The sale:
Spend $150 - save $20
Spend $250 - save $40
Spend $350 - save $60
Spend $450 - save $80
Spend $550 - save $100

Enter code holidaylicious upon checkout, offer expires 12/31/07
jonathan adler

The "Vanilla Box" Syndrome

I was speaking with a rep from Green Building Supply Co. who is getting specs on 1/2" Cork underlayment. The underlayment comes in 2'x 3' sheets and can be glued down after the application of an appropriate primer for sealing the subfloor. The bamboo can then be glued down on top of the cork using an environmentally friendly adhesive from Bostik. In the meantime I was checking out some possible cork alternatives on line and I thought that Cork might be a unique option for a finished floor in the bathroom or laundry. The laundry room might be a better option since unlike the rest of our condo with it's open timber ceiling, the laundry has a sheetrocked ceiling. A finished cork floor will add contrast in our laundry room, which can best be described as a "vanilla box". (A term carpenters like to use when describing a room or building with white walls, floor and ceiling.)

$20 art

on tuesday i purchased our first piece of art work for our condo! i'm not even sure where i'm going to put in yet...maybe in my yoga corner of the bedroom...we'll see if brandon likes it.

20 x 200 emails a new piece of art every tuesday and wednesday. the small print is always $20 and they go up from there $200 & $2000.

the web site is 20x200 by jen beckman

radar, by aili schmeltz

a proper place to hang your hat

or coat for that matter.
with the cold weather here, i realized there isn't a good place to hang our guests coats. of course, our bed works fine, but it's bit out of the way and there is always the risk that the dog will make a party of his own on top of them.

i don't want an actual coat rack due to other plans we have for the entryway,
so i found some fun alternatives that can hang on the wall.



i'm completely in love with this one.
the designer is AlissiaMT and it's available
at elsewares


at least your guests can't confuse this one.
get it here at lekker


the "hookbox" would be a great place put keys,
cell phones, dog leashes...available at design within reach

the whimsical eames® hang it all available at design within reach


ok. way out of the budget, but i thought i'd show it anyway.
it's from desu design and available right here

Turning a 2 Bedroom into a 3 Bedroom

The demolition of our existing closet in the den/bedroom allows for the addition of a third bedroom in our condo. With the final dimensions on the third bedroom being 4'x5', I know the space may seem a bit cramped but it's new resident should find it quite roomy.




Riley's room will be the new closet for our bedroom. By relocating the old closet to the other wall it allows for easier flow from the den/bedroom to the dining room. The closet will be framed with 3 5/8", .25 gauge steel studs and finished off with 5/8" sheetrock per code. Inside, shelving will wrap around the closet for storage but the majority of the space shall be occupied by Riley's cage. Riley, unfortunately, is afraid of thunderstorms, so the idea is to create his own personal hideaway. Someplace he can kick back, relax and just be himself. We even plan to install an exhaust fan in the closet to deaden the sound of thunder. In the meantime he'll just have to rough it and share the couch with my sister-in-law.



Sorry Riley.

more lighting inspiration

some more pendant lighting


from tay lighting


early 70s le klint pendant by Poul Christiansen available at y lighting


eco-friendly lighting at design within reach


thomas paul lighting available at velocity art & design

one more at velocity art & design