let's pretend it's winter

reminds me of walking to class back east ...

silence rug by norwegian design studio permafrost ...

my treehouse: the chandelier

i mulled over buying this nuevo bulle chandelier for at least a week since it was a little more than i wanted to spend. but i ended up getting it since i figured i would be able to bring it with me even to my next place.

so here it is installed. just the shell. took only 40 minutes to uninstall the ugly standard issue ceiling flush-mount fixture and install the pretty new chandelier.

then i had 187 of those little acrylic balls to attach to the frame.

another hour and a half or so later, all done! i considered getting a ceiling medallion to hide the paint circle, but realized it didn't bother me too much.

looking at it makes me smile =)

my treehouse: the slipcovers

in my head, making the slipcovers was only supposed to have taken a few days. instead, i think it took me 2 or 3 weeks to finish it all. way more involved than i had expected, particularly since the pieces of fabric were so huge. but i'm really happy with how they came out. and i got to spend some quality time with the sewing machine, and practice some stitches.

those little slits at the bottom corners are where the side rails of the bed hook into the headboard.

the awesome cream tweed from britex. and the clean corners i was so proud of.

and the blind stitch at the bottom hem, a stitch that i tried for the very first time.

so happy with it!

my treehouse: bedroom

didn't realize how different my bedroom looks until i looked back at the original pictures. so this is what it looked like when i first moved in. just a little too much of the dark details for such a small room.

so i made a slipcover for my headboard and footboard with cream tweed from britex fabrics. and installed my nuevo bulle chandelier.

and to soften the plantation shutters, installed some sheers i made with 100% silk with silver metallic polka dots from satin moon. and added another linen wing chair.

i love lying back on my bed and staring up at my chandelier, especially after a long day of working or running around the city.

my treehouse: the living room

i think i'm finally more or less happy with how my living room looks. for now. even though i still don't have dining chairs, which i don't even want to get into (60+ back-and-forth emails, calls and texts and still nothing!).

so i started out with just my sofa and desk the first week i moved in.

since then, i added an ikea expedit bookcase along the same wall as the desk. to fit all my random books and boxes. all that stuff got put into the empty bookcase on the right.

then added a 42" round pedestal dining table against the wall opposite the backyard double doors. and had the living room like that for 2.5 months. until my restoration hardware french wing chairs arrived! at which i point, i had to pretty much swap everything in the living room except the desk.

very happy with the layout now.

fun birthday purchases

made a couple fun purchases over my birthday weekend last week.

made my very first ever etsy purchase from decoylab: the kirie 01 clock. and it arrived exactly on time last monday!

and last saturday, went across the bridge to heath ceramic's open studio and sale, and picked up this cute little bud vase in a sample color, which i like to call starry night. and funny, i just noticed that my vase shows up on the right side of the heath blog post's picture. fun!

my treehouse!

for a while there, i was doing so well with the regular postings ... and then ... i moved! saw the listing on a tuesday. studied the pictures so i knew what to expect. confirmed that i liked it that saturday. applied and gave my deposit check that same day. and told that it was mine on monday. less than one week from seeing the listing! crazy!

but i said i would need a couple weeks before moving in, so i would have time to pack up everything. i also went in a few days before my move-in day to sign my lease and take measurements.

so here's the floor plan i put together before moving in. more or less. i didn't have the sofa or rugs yet, but they were on order. and it really helped on moving day. i was able to tell the movers exactly where to put everything and haven't had to move a single big piece of furniture since moving day (except lifting the bed to slide the rug under it).

and here's a quick snapshot of the living room taken a week after moving in.

i'll probably be posting a lot of progression pictures since that's what's taking up most of my time these days.

splish splash ... moved back into my bath!

over the long weekend, we finally finished up a month-and-a-half-long project/remodel that was only supposed to take a couple weeks. but that's how it goes. and i'm quite excited about it. except now i have to find my next project (to design and supervise ... i don't do the actual grunt work).

B E F O R E
hollywood vanity lights, overflowing medicine cabinet, a window that extended into the shower, finicky tub drain, missing shower soap dish, and blue tile everywhere

D E S I G N
i tend to get pretty detailed and specific with my visions, and i wanted to make sure our bathroom guy could see my vision ... so i put together a little diorama which he thought was neat and helpful

D E M O L I T I O N
the whole bathroom was stripped down to the studs and bare floorboards, even the old old hexagon floor tiles were uncovered

A F T E R
slight deviations from the diorama but i think it came out with the same feel. the wall color, tilework and toiletries shelf inside the shower are my favorites.
(note: in the picture, it looks like the window extends all the way across the shower, but that's just a reflection. the window was shortened to be completely outside the shower.)
so construction-wise, it's all done. i just have to figure out how to best organize the alcove next to the sink.

little miss muffet's tuffet

another element of my room! in addition to a huge floor mirror (i've decided to get something that actually exists and is readily available, yet still somewhat similar: from west elm), i think i'll get a custom barcelona stool.

this stool but in the sand color.

i was thinking all last night whether to get a matching chair made as well, but the chair would set me way past the budget i've set. but then if i decide to get the chair in the future (which i likely will), then i'm running the chance of the two pieces not matching. what to do?!

man, oh man. i'm so excited to put this room together. although the pièce de résistance is something i have yet to mention and i'm pretty sure it's more than double my entire budget. so i'll have to think of a way around it. hmm, maybe up my budget?

and oh, as for the mirror, i thought about getting the west elm mirror and applying zebrawood veneer to it and framing it with chrome molding. but i looked up the veneer and i haven't been able to find the right length or grain. and plus, zebrawood apparently stinks like nasty when working with it. so, yea, i dropped that idea. and then i thought of doing a faux paint treatment to mimic the grain of zebrawood, but knowing my history, i'd probably mess it up. so a plain mirror it is!

i'm a big kid now

whoa! west elm has grown up! their bedding lineup for fall totally reminds me of the likes of dwell and amenity. very nice.

ok, this one is old, but i still like it

mirror, mirror, on the floor

so i decided that instead of waiting to decorate/design my room until i move out, i'm going to start now and hopefully be able to transfer it to my next place.

first item of business, i really really want a zebrawood floor mirror. williams sonoma home has a 32" x 42" wall mirror in zebrawood for $395 but it's much too small.

they also have a 38" x 84" floor mirror in the same family, but it doesn't come in zebrawood. maybe i can special order it, but then again it is a whopping $1,095.

i don't know why i'm bothering to ask, but does anyone know where i can find a similar floor mirror in zebrawood, preferably but not necessarily a little less expensive?