Creating a Luxurious Bedroom and Bathroom Suite

So much progress!! The dormers are transformational in the original dark and dreary unfinished attic.  It started with one dormer, that provided some light and hints to what it could be.  But the two new dormers make a huge difference.  This will be a luxurious suite for the future owner.  Here's a quick update.

The good news - the dormers are already making this feel like a different house!  The former cramped space is now open and spacious.  See the difference?  

The bad news - the windows were supposed to be delivered two weeks ago and are now MIA (missing in action).  Evidently the factory isn't able to get some critical hardware to complete them, so we are in a waiting game, hoping to get a new promise date sometime soon.  This is a recurring theme with COVID associated delays happening all the time.  The bathroom vanity is on backorder, the tile is on backorder, light fixtures.... are you seeing a theme?  I don't know whether to laugh or cry. 😂

Pictured below is the biggest dormer - it creates the main bedroom space.  Thanks to our high ceilings, it feels even bigger than it is.  See the hole for the giant window???  And yes - the pepto bismol pink stairwell is still there! 😝 But of course that will change in due time.

The Pepto Bismol pink stairwell is still there!!!😂

For the rest of the floor plan, I couldn't really define the exact wall locations until the dormers were in.  The hip roof made it tricky to visualize and figuring exactly where ceiling angles would fall and whether we could put a full size door frame in place was too tricky.  But now I can start laying it all out.  The bedroom space is large, with a dedicated area for a desk or seating space.  And we have room for a nice sized bathroom. 

Per the plan below, its clear we can create two closets.  There will also be a hatch in the back of each closet to reach crawl space for storing bulky things like suitcases. You can never have too much storage!

Now that the dormers are in place, there is still lots to do - electrical, plumbing and hopefully the windows will show up sometime soon.  The new roof was installed last week - a huge milestone!  So we're going to stay nice and dry the next time we get rain.  Stay tuned, I hope to have more updates soon!

Pin It

Beginning at the End for the Bungalow

The first staging item - traditional rug

This might seem odd, but I need to know the end of the story - aka the total design - before the first bit of demolition starts. Having that vision of the finished house design helps me navigate the path forward and the inevitable thousand questions that will come up.  Sure, there will be twists and turns in the journey, but the end point is always pretty clear to me at the very beginning. (I don’t know if this is how real designers work, but it works for me).  I typically know where every piece of furniture will sit, every light fixture location, every plumbing fixture, etc. etc.

Sadly, I'm not there yet.  COVID has made everything more challenging.  Despite having a few months to plan this project - getting people lined up, getting samples sent, getting anything accomplished is fraught with delays.  And often I pick something out and it's sold out before I can get it ordered.  So we'll be starting with a squishy design that is making me very uncomfortable, but I'll have to live with it!

Original doorknobs

Here's what I do know.  I want this house to reflect its 90+ years of existence.  We'll honor its vintage charm and keep the original elements.  I'm trying to ensure we have a timeless design, something that looks like it was collected over the years, not all purchased last week.  So that means quality vs trendy.  And antique elements that reflect the age of the house.

I've started creating a set of inspiration photos as I've gotten started.  

I'm in love with this color palette by Alison Giese (link here).  These warm, earthy colors are so typical of a bungalow! I'd like to use similar color ways.

Obviously we will have a brand new kitchen.  But I want it to have the charm of an old one.  These kitchens make me swoon!  Don't you love this one?

And while our window placement won't allow an antique sink like this one - I still love everything else about this kitchen.

    

For the second floor bedroom suite, we're going to have some funky ceiling angles.  So I'd like to celebrate them by drawing the eye up with reclaimed beams and dramatic light fixtures.  Our ceiling will be a little different than this, but I love the idea of some exposed wood framing.

Photo by Oakmasters - Browse bedroom ideas

But first we need to finish building all the walls - stay tuned as we start working through the renovation.  

 

Pin It

Every Old House Needs a Fireplace

Have I mentioned how much I love my job???  I have the amazing opportunity to work with incredibly creative people.  And this fireplace project is a perfect example.

But let's start at the beginning.   Remember when I shared the history of bungalows in America (click here)?  Almost every one of the examples had a fireplace in the living room.  It was a critical element of the home - symbolizing warmth and coziness and all things bungalow.

But we don't have one.

And that made me kind of crazy.  This house really needs a fireplace.  It will make it so charming! But we don't have gas and there's no logical place for a masonry chimney (and our budget could never afford that).  The solution?  An electric fireplace.  We used an electric fireplace on another project and they look so good - not like the plastic logs with a pink lightbulb behind them that my Aunt Audrey had in her living room when I was growing up 😂.  They've come a long way!!!  And from a climate/energy efficiency standpoint, they make a huge amount of sense.  

I did a lot of research and found a unit that can be recessed in the wall, like a real fireplace.  But buying online was scary, so I was thrilled that the local folks at Embers Stove Shop had one on display that I could look at.  Sure, if you look closely you can tell it's not the real thing - but it's still pretty great!  And in person you can see the flickering flames which look fantastic.
 

But I can't just slap it on the wall.  It needs a distinctive mantle.  And I really wanted an antique one.  So I took a little field trip down the the Old House Parts in Kennebunk and started looking around.  They had lots of options, but I was really intrigued by this one - which was miscellaneous pieces of an original fireplace mantle.  Something about it really called out to me - I loved the carvings, but also its simplicity.  This isn't a big fancy house and this seemed to be a great option.

Not too fancy, not too plain - it's just right for the bungalow!

So I bought it and threw it in my van, but needed to figure out how to get the missing pieces fabricated.  

And that's when I contacted Sten Havumaki at Oak & Laurel Workshop.  I'd been following the work he does on Instagram for awhile (you're not following him?  You should be!).  He does AMAZING work, but I was worried this was a bit too simple for his skill level.
 

Thankfully he agreed to take a look at my pile of mantle parts, to see what he could do.  Walking into his shop was a real treat.  It's filled with templates and sketches and work in progress.  You see, he started wood carving as a kid and realized it was something he really enjoyed.  He worked with a local woodcarver in high school and the went to school for furniture makers.  Ultimately, he set up shop in Biddeford, Maine.  He does that kind of old-school craftsman work that you don't see much anymore. 

This sign and carved bird are from a sign he made to hang in front of his parents garage as a teenager.

I marveled at a project he's working on for a house on one of the local islands.  The owners want it to have a lot of Swedish style carvings, inspired by the work of Carl Larsson.

 The sketches he's done give you an idea of the intricacies required to execute their vision.  

This carving in mahogany, for an arch over the front door, gives you an idea of his skill level.  

And thankfully, he was game to create new replacements for the missing parts of my mantle, as well as repair a broken pieces.  It's incredibly exacting work - that takes a skilled hand and eye, as well as sharp tools.

And the finished product?  Doesn't it look great!  We worked together to decide on the size of the plinth blocks and mantle shelf and I'm just thrilled with the result.  

I'm going to tackle the staining and finishing of the mantle, which will be a bit tricky as I try to blend old and new.  Sten recommended stain and shellac (which I haven't used before) and was kind enough to create a guide with several different options depending how dark, shiny or matte I want the final piece to look.   I'm a bit nervous to get started, but am excited to see how it will look when it's finished and installed. 

This will be a long project, so stay tuned for updates!  

Pin It