Our Condo Progress

Every weekend we diligently visit our condo. The girls at the sales office give us the keys and we do a quick 10 min walk through to check out the progress. 

This weekend was super special. The cabinets are IN!

And we couldn't be happier! Seriously... it is incredible to see progress and to see the choices you made in the space of a 3 hour appointment come to life beautifully. So far we are absolutely digging everything going into the condo. Especially our two tone kitchen. We paid extra $250 to have the cabinet differ in colour and it was worth every penny.

Also worth every penny? Extra cabinets under the island instead of seating! Love them, so much!

Next to the kitchen is a little desk area. Perfect for a laptop station and paying bills. The space felt awkward before the desk went in and now I love it. I totally get it and it totally works.

In other progress news, the bathrooms have tile on walls and floors. LOVE that we paid extra for brick pattern. Every time I see it I'm happy we made that choice. Now the tile is just waiting for grout: white standard grout for the walls and off-white upgraded grout to go with the off white brick patterned floor tile. It will be gorgeous when done. 

Last thing I wanted to share is the en suite vanity. Those drawers were basic for the en suite and they are a very generous size. I"m really happy with them.

After our 10 minute tour there are 3 things on my mind:
#1 - the hardware I chose for all the cabinetry was basic. I chose the simplest ones with the idea that these can be changed out at any time. Guess what? I love them and won't be changing them. They work perfectly with the shaker cabinet profiles and with the colours of the cabinets. Money saved!
#2 - I can't wait for the granite to be installed. Granite for bathrooms and desk area were our most expensive upgrade and I'm anxious to see the pieces that go in.
#3 - The space between the island and the fridge is very narrow. I am so glad I let hubby talk me into a french-door fridge.

Upgrades to date are: (1) two tone kitchen; (2) level 2 cabinets; (3) brick pattern tile on both floors and walls.

Related Posts:
Upgrades in Our New Built Condo
Kitchen Island Without Seating
Appliances for Rental Property

Shared Kids Room: Project #1 – DIY Wall Decals

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What’s a pretend renter/future landlord to do when decorating a fun space for kids? Look at all the temporary wall decor possibilities! I’ve considered wallpaper, ready cut wall decals in all shapes and sizes, washi tape, leaving things as is, and even painting a half wall (I’m the landlord after all).

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However all of these were either too expensive (temporary wallpaper, no thank you!), and/or had to be ordered from US (shipping costs?, no thank you!), or too laborious (painting?? umm... will be 38 weeks pregnant when we move in, also, no thank you!).

It looked like I was fresh out of options until I remembered the wonderful Canadian art supply store DeSerres. They carry a huge variety of decals for all purposes, down to sheets of decal/self-adhesive paper that could be cut down to whatever you need them to be! At the time I looked, these sheets (75cm by 100cm) were on sale for $15.99! Sold and done. The best part being? I can pre-cut these before we move in and just stick them up once we’re in the condo.

Now, what to do with it?? Below are the three options I’ve seriously considered:

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Which one do you think I chose??

So far I’m leaning toward the triangles in white. The way I’ve rationalized this for myself: (1) they will be the easiest to cut out; (2) they will be the easiest to plan out; (3) almost zero waste of the adhesive sheets; (4) not too modern (like the plus sign) and not too played out yet (like the dots).

I also think that white on gray will be a soft and subtle “nursery-ish” colour scheme that we won’t get tired of.


In another home, some other wall decor options I would consider hard:

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Maps. They are so awesome, but maybe a bit too mature for a 4 year old and a new born. Which is great, because that means that this idea is getting filed away for the future home and future project!

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Also, this wallpaper has my heart. Every time I see it, it makes my insides smile in the most tender way (or maybe it’s just my pregnancy hormones).


Hypothetically speaking, we would consider having our kids share a room even if we had enough bedrooms to go around. This would give us the chance to have a dedicated play/hang out room. The maps would work perfectly for the play room and the Hygge and West wallpaper would work wonderfully in the bedroom.

Oh, the possibilities of future projects!

Small Cool Home Contest - Emily's Uniquely "Us" Home

From the first photo I fell in love. Talk about unique and full of character! This home, with its gorgeous light is just so personal and lived in, and fun. So unpretentious, so homey, so warm.

1 - Love how indoor plants are sprinkled throughout this home. Together with the gorgeous light and white walls they makes the space feel airy and cozy at the same time.

I've spent a few hours this weekend supervising my mom in re-potting our indoor plants (still weak from the food poisoning/stomach bug and milking it for all its worth :) It always makes me feel so "I-have-my-marbles-together/so-grown-up" when I take care of the indoor plants. I have a history of killing a few, and just the fact that we have more than a few alive and thriving makes me infinitely happy.

2 - Natural oak floors. I know they are not for everyone, but I love them! We went for them again with the condo and I can't wait to see them installed. They have that laid back look that I love, and they hide cat hair and dust VERY WELL (which is a priority around these parts).

3 - At under 600sqft this home is TINY. But the pride with which the owner speaks of the home and the joy the photos portray really touched me. That is something that no amount of money could ever buy. We should all be so lucky as to feel this way about our homes.

PS. Found a wonderful kitchen tour that proudly showcases a seating free island, HERE!

29 Weeks

Sorry for the horrible photo. This was taken the day before I came down with what we thought was food poisoning, and what we now know to be stomach bug/flu. Because, you see, 4 days after I got sick both hubby and Miss C got sick too. At the same time. Fun Mother's Day weekend was had by all.

This picture was taken on the day of my OB appointment where I learned that we will be getting to see the little baby in the belly at 36 weeks. And might even find out if we're expecting a baby boy or a baby girl. Not that it matters, but I'm excited to find out (if the baby cooperates!).

I also have to say that, in my 3rd trimester, I'm feeling my best, emotionally. While tired and sick, I'm beginning to loose some of the anxiety I've been carrying around with me for the last 6 months and really beginning to embrace everything.

I have to ask other moms, where you more scared of delivering your first or your 2nd child? I've been terrified of labour this time around. Probably because I've been through it and know at least the basics of what to expect. With Miss C I had a very easy (18 hour) labour. Easy because there was little stress, thing were progressing along without unexpected scares. While I"m hoping that labour #2 will be just an uneventful, I'm secretly terrified that I've used up all my luck the first time around and will get the short end of the stick now.

Irrational. I know. I"m trying to fight it. And only now, somehow, I'm beginning to let go of the fear and anxiety to really embrace the experience, let go of any perceived sense of control, and let my body and mind do what they do.

Gosh, this mothering thing is not easy. At least there's always HomeSense to distract me :)

Kitchen Island Without Seating

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It is surprisingly difficult to find images of kitchen islands without seating. It almost feels like this is the only option out there. I've considered it myself for the kitchen reno in the house, and would have even been a proud owner of an island + bar stools combo if not for the sale of the house, ha ha. 

But when it came to the condo, my mind changed.

In small spaces, multiple seating areas feel cluttered, to me at least. Especially, when they are in the way of major traffic. The thing with purchasing this condo, we haven't seen a finished model of it. And so, had to rely on our imagination to visualize it past the drywall stage.

What really bugged me from the beginning was the placement of the pantry (the little pink rectangle in the floor plan above). So when choosing our finishes we asked to have the pantry removed (no cost/no credit) and chose instead the expensive upgrade of putting extra cabinets, instead of seating, in the island.

My rationale for the change is that the pantry was in such an awkward place and would have ruined the symmetry of the entire living space. Removing it, in my eyes, was not an option, but a necessity. However, all that storage had to be found someplace else.

Under the island was the only logical place - out of sight, out of the way, and large enough to warrant the expense. Another reason why I chose to go for the under-island storage is because I didn't want seating at the island. I know, what a rebel! ha ha. But hear me out.

In this condo, I wasn't looking to spend money on bar stools. Those things are expensive. Also, I wasn't looking forward to worrying about my gravity challenged almost 4-year-old climbing bar stools or falling off them.

Last point that really convinced me that my plan was the right one is: dining area is just two steps away from the stove. I can easily cook and participate in conversation or oversee homework. Island seating, in this condo, in my mind, was going to be overkill.

By installing extra cabinets under the island I hope I addressed all of these problems/annoyances.

It's funny how our views and opinions change depending on the space we're working with. I would have swore I would LOVE me some bar stools. But with little kids and small spaces, it does not feel like the best option. Every single space is different and requires a different approach. And that is what makes decorating SO FUN!

Tell me do you have seating at your island? Does it work with your space and lifestyle?

Food Poisoning Sucks

It sucks even more when you're 6 months pregnant. At least I have these flowers keeping me company, something Miss C brought home from daycare for Mothers Day.

To all you ladies out there Happy Mothers Day, and stay healthy!

Small Cool Home Contest

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It is that time of the year when Apartment Therapy is running their Small Cool Home Contest. In the spirit of downsizing I"m really enjoying all the entries and the stylish ways in which every home owner has used their small spaces. I thought it might be fun to post the homes/photos that really strike a cord with me and tell you guys why. Hopefully this will help me figure out how we are going to make things comfortable for ourselves in our new condo.

First up is the home of Chris and Julia, HERE. Things that caught my attention:

1. fifth floor walk up - ouch!! Makes me really consider the 3 flights of stairs we will have in our condo. Of course for us the three flights will be braved with a car seat in hand, but stairs are stairs. I'm hoping my legs and arms will get the workout they will most definitely need post baby.

2. hardwood floor - make everything look better. While we will have carpet in the condo, I"m very very happy that we upgraded to hardwood in some spots. Totally worth it.

3. windows - tons of windows in this home make it feel so open and airy. And make me even more excited for the huge windows and tall ceiling in the condo.

4. I LOVE the photo of the landing (above). We will have a spot like this in our home. I've already began thinking about what we will do here and can't wait to get started. This will be our space to decorate, priority #2 (right after the kids' room).

PS. check out the cute dog!
PPS. I ran across this 30 Day Squat Challenge via HERE. It looks pretty DO-able, even for the preggers me. Anybody want to join me? I"m up to 26lbs and 29 weeks. Ugg.