Unveiling Our New Living Room

To the left is one of the low profile swivel chairs I found for the living room. Love the "giraffe" print and small pillows that bring the couch, chairs and rug together. See the pretty new French Doors and wall of windows with plantation shutters. Love the clean look!

This is our new back door and covered porch with cubby for wood and all!

Home Sweet Home

Check it out!

Five Gregory gets a facelift...new moisture protection and clapboards. During the process of redoing the front of our home, our contractor discovered that no barrier (Tyvek) had been put on the house when the former owners re-sided it about 10 years ago. Scary! Note to all homeowners -- call me for a list of questions to ask prior to your renovation as we've made a few mistakes along the way that could save you some time, aggravation and money!

Say hello and thank you to Simon and Imer! They are re-siding much of the house and adding some beautiful custom details to the windows. Below you can see Macias and David. We shared a smile with Macias the other day when he pulled out the level to show David how much more level the house is now. (David has this uncanny ability to see when things are even a tad bit uneven...a gift I'm told he inherited from his Grandad...I am a bit cockeyed myself so of course do not notice!) I've really enjoyed having daily conversation in Spanish with the carpenters from Guatemala and Peru. They all speak great English but indulge my desire to hablar con ellos en espanol!

This is our freshly painted Master bedroom with a lovely view of the Harbor through new larger windows. Below is a peak at the guest bath floor...one of my favorite decisions of many I've made over the last six months. It's incredibly pretty in person. Can't wait for you all to see it and put the new jacuzzi tub to the test!

The finish work is moving along with new doors and floors in upstairs. Today they'll put in new light fixtures which will be very helpful in making final interior paint colors!

Floors, Windows, Vanities...oh my!

We are excited to share that our new hardwood floors were laid upstairs yesterday.The picture above shows our master bath vanity on its side and a view into the new guest room at the back of the house. Below is a picture of the new Victorian molding on the window casements and a few options on crown molding. We are going with the smaller version to the left on molding. If anyone has the perfect neutral paint, please do share your favorite colors. We are planning to use C2 paints.

Plastered...In Part...

Upon my return from a three day biz trip to Chicago I was thrilled to see most of the upstairs plastered. It's fascinating (that adjective may a bit too enthusiastic) to see how the plasterers "see the big picture" noticing the unique character of our home from distinct ceiling heights to how the edges should be softened to take the eye from point A to point B. In the pictures above you'll notice the numerous angles in the ceiling that allow us to "capture volume" (that's architect speak for maximize every inch). It's interesting to see that though the footprint of our Master bedroom is exactly the same size as before, it feels much bigger due to the higher ceilings and the larger windows on the street side of the house. Now to start agonizing over what colors to paint it all!!

The top picture showcases our new windows - past visitors will recall our bed used to be in front of these windows, a visual reference for how much bigger the new windows are.

The second window is taken from the new guest room closet looking towards our neighbors and the property line. If you look out the window on the right you'll see why that window will be the first window treatment decision I make as the window is 5 or 6 feet off the property line. We now officially abutt both Gregory and Lee Streets and guests will have an excellent view of Lee Street "Wall Parties" from here on out. :-) Our Lee Street neighbors will on a whim spread the word on any given nice day during Spring, Summer or Fall that all should join for a "Wall Party". This is the signal to whip up an easy appetizer, grab your beverage of choice (wine) and commune with our awesome neighbors!