Taking Apart the House & Kitchen Plans

I've been a pretty delinquent blogger lately. Not my usual post happy self. My only defense is that I've passed the inspiration stage of this reno and am knee deep into the reno stage. And that is less pretty pictures and more floor plans, descriptions and details. Hope you're still with me here :)

And so, having written to the contractor about removing the fireplace AND being told that it is possible and within budget I was over the moon.

Our plans for this house changed from being THIS, to the floorplan above. As you can see, we really wanted a larger kitchen with an island.

What do you guys think?? Would this be a nice change?

The other day I was grocery shopping and spotted the April issue of House & Home. That table, the white walls, indoor/outdoor living. I love it all. And while our house will never be this, I can comfortably aim for a large table with mis-matched chairs and open bookshelves.

What were you up to this weeked?? We didn't do anything reno related on Sunday. A first in forever. It felt like a real weekend and I am so very rested.

Hope your weekend was wonderful. Welcome to the other side of winter and +24C weather. We've made it and spring is glorious.



Source: all pictures by me :)

Fireplace Demolition and a Happy Dance!



 Hello Hello Hello. Today I have some great news!! I've been waiting to write an update on our kitchen reno for a while and here is the first part. We have officially not only decided to get rid of the fireplace, but got a quote AND can actually afford to do so (huge question mark resolved)! Happy dance for me!!

About a month ago, on a whim, hubby and I tried to move a TV into our family room. Just to see how the room would feel, how we could arrange furniture there, etc. This was really important to us because we wanted to make sure that the room would be well used post-kitchen-reno.

It took us all of 10 minutes to realize that there was NO WAY the TV was ever going to work in that room. In the way that made us happy. Of course we could just shove it in there and call it a day, but since we are signing up for a major kitchen reno and spending major money (major money for us) we wanted to be 100% sure that the end result would made us smile on daily basis. Nothing worse than spending cash and investing sweat equity to still be miserable at the end of it all.

So hubby gave in. And we contacted our fav contractor (the one who did our basement). And yesterday we got a quote. Not a bad quote. A reasonable one. More happy dancing.

And to all of you who think that we SHOULD have a fireplace, please rest assured that we WILL [because truth be told I don't hate all fireplaces, I actually quite like them! :) ]. An electric one. Not as pretty as a wood burning one, but much more user friendly (in my mind). The images above are a very vague representation of what I would love the fireplace surround to eventually look like. Something I'm sure we can figure out how to do down the road. When we actually get the fireplace. Say in a few years (like 5ish).

I'll be back soon with a few posts on our NEW and MUCH IMPROVED kitchen plans. You will all either love it or majorly hate it.

PS. Tomorrow is Friday :)

PPS. Fireplace demolition has not been scheduled yet, but I'm thinking mid summer. Yes, I know, boo... :( but fiscal responsibility is not ever pretty or fun.

Source: HERE and HERE

What She Wears - One More Purchase for Spring/Summer

Last purchase for spring/summer. I've never owned a pair of Birkenstocks, never really liked them either. But, gawd, they are so comfy and CUTE! Love the white leather and white soles.

I can't say that this falls into the category of "now" or "trendy", they are more like "investment". Or so I rationalized as I pulled out my credit card (saving for kitchen reno be damned).

Image Source: HERE

Bought at Winners on St. Laurent, Ottawa

What She Wears

You know how I professed my love for fashion/clothes and than stopped talking about it?? Well... it was winter time. And I was totally not feeling "it".

BUT the last few weeks have felt and smelt like spring, and so to the stores I went to pick up a few new things for the season. This is my routine. Every season I choose a few things that I think my wardrobe is lacking and look for them. I set a budget, I usually go to Winners, and I come out with a few pick-me-up pieces. Not necessarily "investment" pieces. Just things that feel "now" without screaming "trend".

While I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE heels, I also love not being in pain. And lately, it is the "no pain" motto that is taking priority. These espadrilles are THE BEST. They give me the height I need (I"m 5' tall), but lack the back breaking that comes with heels. And don't get me started on the gold. They feel casual and glam wrapped up with a bow. And I like them.

I also picked up a windbreaker. Again, the gold details did it for me. I love the loose shape and the rolled up sleeves.

Both these items are a GREAT addition to my wardrobe. Both casual and glam. They will make running to work or to the grocery store worth dressing up for.

I'm debating on whether anyone would care if I took pictures of my outfits, so if you don't want me to, or if you do, leave me a comment :)

Happy Friday

Spring is here :)

Source: HERE

Kitchen Planning: Barstools, Option #1

In my last post I mentioned a few things I'm actively looking for for the new kitchen. One of them are barstools. The new layout (if approved by designer and our budget) will have an 8foot island (que giggles of joy and happiness). I'm thinking four barstools for breakfast/crafts/homework are in order.

I've spent the last week casually looking. My few requirements are: fabric upholstery and a high back. For a while still we would need to secure a booster seat for Baby C to these chairs. And hubby really likes to have a comfy back to his chair. Always. Design wise, the high back would work well in the room.

I figured that one of my options would be to get the HENRIKSDAL bar stools from Ikea ( @ $94 a piece) and reupholstering them in an outdoor fabric (Sunnyside, Coral).

Tah dahhh!!....

What do you think? Doable? I would love to find fabric that was more magenta and less coral, but for now this is a nice, viable option #1.

Of course, it would also be incredibly gorgeous to do the barstools in Samoa Plantation, Gem. BUT, unfortunately, it does not come in the outdoor finish (and is a bit on the expensive side for this project) :(

Source: HERE

Kitchen Moodboard

Taking into account all the images on my kitchen inspiration board (and keeping budget in mind, always), I've put together a "mood board" for our future kitchen. I'm not very good at these (as in zero Photoshop skills) so please excuse my amateur attempt at being fancy :) The few things left to choose are: lighting, sink/faucet, seating and door pulls.

And this is the floor plan we currently have. The one I'm itching to change change change :) I'll keep you posted on all the behind the blog work. Just as soon as I have more details and at least a few definitive answers.

Happy Thursday!