Wednesday, July 24, 2019

The Antique Bathroom: Storybook Cottage

It all started with this.  For some reason, these cute polka dot dalmatians made me smile - and so, this fabric created the inspiration for the antique bathroom design.

But there was so much we had to do, before hanging a cute window treatment (like strip wallpaper , because every wall was papered!!).

The bathroom was tight, but efficient.  And as I started thinking through different options - I couldn't figure out how to improve on the design, given the sloped ceiling and placement of the door and window.  So instead of rearranging everything, we decided to give it a facelift - from the ground up!

We started with the tub.  It's a really nice antique clawfoot tub, but needed to be reglazed.

This is a big job for the professionals.  It requires everything to be masked off, full ventilation for the room and lots of safety equipment for the crew.


The results were great and after I painted the exterior black, I was pretty pleased with the result!


For the floor, I used a Carrera marble with black dots for accent.  I loved how they tied to the dots on the dalmatians!!

And once I finished making the roman shade - we added it to the window.

I wanted to tie the background color of the fabric below the chair rail and used this deep gold.

And we eliminated the original wall hung sink (with separate faucets for hot and cold!) for one that provided a bit of storage and the ability to run warm water :-)  Interestingly, it was surprisingly hard to find a small vanity that had a bit of style!!


For fixtures,  Oil Rubbed Bronze gave a nice antique flair to the room.
And we are pretty pleased with the result.  It feels updated, but still has a certain vintage charm! 

Sources:
Fabric - Home Remedies
Light Fixtures - Kichler 
Sink Faucet - Restoration Hardware
Vanity - Wayfair Vanity
Tub Refinishing - Miracle Method


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Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Recreating a Mid-Century Deck

Once spring finally arrived in Maine, we turned our attention to the exterior projects at the Mid-Mod Marvel.  First project was the deck - we hoped to have it ready to enjoy for the summer.  And the good news is we made the deadline, but just barely, Mother Nature was not on our side!  Too many rainy days.

So many of you have asked what materials we used and how we made the design decisions for the deck, I thought it might be helpful to outline the approach and decision making process we used.  So here goes - I hope it can help you figure out your own decking projects.

First and foremost, we would love to have restored the deck to its original design.  It's an amazing structure - almost 60 feet long and varies in width from 9 feet to 18 feet - that sits up high in the treetops, with a wall of granite below.
The railings were low and curved at the corners -  and they provide a unique design element.  There was also series of flower boxes built around the perimeter.




But there were challenges to that.  We need to consider  modern building codes.  The existing railing was far too low and the rails have to be less than 4" apart.  The flower boxes actually make it worse, because a child could use them as a step, to climb over the rail.  Using our usual 'safety first' criteria, we needed to make a design decision.
Oh, and if you go over the railing.....it's a LONG way down onto a rocky hill!
The deck is perched up at the top of the ledge
We quickly agreed that the flower boxes had to go, the step they provided only made the railing height issue more challenging.  And while we LOVED the railing design, once we put each rail less than 4" apart, it loses is charm and looks like a boring, run of the mill railing.  Add to that the fact that we have some winter water views - and we want to increase the viewing area, not decrease it - we decided to change the railing.

So we had to decide what to do.  After much discussion and online research, we decided to go with a cable rail solution.  We topped it with a 6 inch wide 'drink rail' (it's wide enough to sit a drink on - great for parties!) to provide a wood focal point, but have almost invisible cables running below.
A 6" wide 'Drink Rail' is great for entertaining a crowd!

The next aspect we agonized over was the decking.  As soon as we started pulling up the old deck boards, we realized the supporting deck structure was in very bad shape.  Much of the wood wasn't pressure treated (did they even have pressure treated boards in 1972???) and had simply rotted away.  So we had to tear everything out and start again.


The guys created a new structure, which replicates the dimensions of the old deck, but provides the strength we need for decades.


For the decking, we were a house divided.  My husband really, really wanted a wood deck.  We've used meranti decking on several houses and it still looks great years later.  And with natural wood siding, it makes a lot of sense to stay with an all wood look.

But this house has a special challenge.  This giant roof drains onto the deck.  Our roofers strongly recommended we do not use gutters - they would just ice-up in winter and the weight would tear them off of the house.  So the decking will get a lot of abuse from the water every time it rains/snows/melts.

See the wear line in the original deck from the roof run off?

And that's why we decided we had to go with a synthetic decking.  We looked at lots of options and finally decided on AZEK.  Their Vintage Cypress decking looks surprisingly realistic and the color works well with our cedar siding and meranti drink rail.  It's killing my husband that we don't have real wood, but he agrees it looks nice and it's a smarter option from a maintenance perspective.

It took almost 2 months to do the deck - the wet, rainy spring meant that some weeks the team from Ethos Carpentry could only get 2 days of work done.  So we tried to be patient!


And since we had to tie the new staircase in and a handrail, we decided to replace the original cedar siding on the wing walls as well (the rest of the siding will be replaced this fall).  Doesn't the new cedar look fantastic?  Richard and I spent a couple of weekends getting it all stained.

The warm glow of the cedar is gorgeous!!!
So was it a big job?  Yes!  Was it worth the wait?  Yes!  Is there more to do?  Ha ha - yes, the handrail for the steps still needs to go up and the deck under-structure can be painted after it's aged a bit.

Here is the deck before

And here is after.  Of course it helped that we replaced all the sliding glass doors at the beginning of the project, so we have nice clear glass that opens and closes!
We spiffed up the original lights, aren't they gorgeous???
Another view before

and after


We're thrilled with the result.  The new deck is true to the original in shape and style, but meets current building codes and is safe and sturdy.
View towards Living Room and Dining Room - Before
View Towards Living Room and Dining Room - After
And while the railing has changed a bit, it still has a contemporary look that integrates beautifully with the rest of the house.
Did you notice we kept the tree that grows through the deck?  One of our favorite features!
And the whole time you're sitting on the deck, you feel like you're in a treehouse!




And it was finished just in time for the whole family to arrive for July 4th!  Let summertime fun begin :-)






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Thursday, July 11, 2019

Tiny Rooms to Open Concept: Storybook Cottage

We've had lots and lots of folks come see the Storybook Cottage and they've had a hard time understanding how much it has changed.  Because removing all the interior walls has just made it feel totally different!

Here was the starting point.  There were 4 different rooms - the kitchen,

the dining room,

the living room (yup, they were all wallpapered!!!),

and the front entrance hall/porch.


My goal?  Remove all the interior walls to create an open concept living area.  It was a huge job, requiring us to add new beams as we removed load bearing walls, levelthe floor, open a new entrance and create one large, open living space.
The new entrance allowed the kitchen to be larger and freed up space for the refrigerator to sit in the kitchen (it was in the adjacent hallway before!!).
A refrigerator in the hallway...... not exactly convenient!
Was it worth it???  Well we think so!!  See how you enter the house now, through the foyer?
New entrance from mud room/foyer
And we freed up enough room for a dishwasher!  That's a modern appliance this house had never had!


I went bold in this house and installed deep blue cabinetry.  It's a big living space with lots of sunlight and could handle the dark color.  And I love how it came out!



We created a built in banquette for seating in the dining area.  It's 10 feet long, so lots of seating space.  The seats open up for storage and thanks to my dear friend Faith, we have custom cushions to make the space extra cozy.
And that light fixture is swoon worthy!!  You should see the dramatic shadows it casts at night!


And the living room?  Well thanks to incorporating the front hallway, it's now a large room, with lots of seating for everyone.

Don't you love the difference in the living room?  With the wall gone, there is now a bank of windows flooding the room with sunlight.  And the window in the corner - well that was the original window in the entry hall!
And look at the difference from another angle - the main structural wall was removed, making the whole room one open space. The photos below help illustrate the before and after, the wall to the left and the right were both removed.  Now you can see the whole room, including the newel post!
Living Room - Before

Living Room - After, with built in hutch replacing old radiator
There is so much living space with the new floor plan.


Of course we incorporated a couple of special touches.  These oak leaf cluster brackets once graced a home in Kennebunk - but now they look pretty fabulous between the living room and kitchen.

This corner cupboard came from our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore (for $30!!).  Did you notice it in the photos above?  It needed a bit of work, but doesn't it look like it's been there forever?

And I stripped many layers of paint off of the newel post and handrail, to expose this beautiful vertical grain fir.
It positively glows!

For window treatments, I really wanted to compliment the bulls eye woodwork.  I found this embroidered circular fabric - it's just perfect!

It's such a warm, inviting place - can you imagine what it would be like to cook in here, while talking to family and friends?  The perfect home for entertaining!

Sources:
Corbels - Old House Parts
Fabric - Curtainshop
Appliances - Samsung
Reclaimed Lumber - Rousseau's Reclaimed
Cabinetry - Thomasville in Deep Slate Blue
Countertops - Quartz Silestone Statuario

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