Archive for May, 2008
Move It Or Lose It
This weekend we helped John’s sister and brother-in-law move into their fabulous new home (that they just happened to design themselves) and along with some obligatory back pain we took away some pretty fail-safe moving advice. And now that we’re in the know, we figured we’d share the wealth. After a picture of their breathtaking new kitchen of course:
Moving Tip #1: Clean top to bottom. When you’re cleaning something in your new home (like the kitchen cabinets before you load in all your dishes, or a closet before you add the linens), it only makes sense to start from the top. This way any spare dirt or dust that doesn’t stick to your rag won’t end up dirtying the shelf below that you’ve already cleaned.
Moving Tip #2: Touch things once. If you’re carrying a huge box of bathroom stuff, it makes no sense to toss it into the foyer assuming that you’ll get to it later. If it’s already in your arms, you might as well take it to its final destination. Why bend over twice?
Moving Tip #3: Save the seated tasks for last. It’s much easier to rest when you’re doing stationary projects that can be accomplished in a seated position, so save folding clothes or organizing drawers for the very end of the day when you can pull up a chair or sprawl out on the floor. (Here’s one of the last projects that I completed while perched on a stool: installing dish dividers into their island’s fabulously deep drawers).
Moving Tip #4: Don’t bother unhanging clothes. Unless you’re moving across the country and have to ship your items, drop your clothes (hanger and all) into oversized black garbage bags. Instead of wrestling hangers and clothing into a restrictive box (or taking the time to unhang and rehang everything) it should only take a few giant bags and a few minutes to pack your whole closet. Then simply deposit the bags into the right room, and you’ll have everything back into the closet in about 60 seconds.
Moving Tip #5: Toss stuff you’re so over. You’ll probably move lots of stuff that wasn’t even good enough for your old house (so you sure as heck won’t be whipping it out in your new one). Even though you moved it all the way to the new place, cut your loses and toss it (or donate it) before it takes over the closets and cabinets in your new abode. From editing glassware and silverware to old clothes and even bathroom stuff as you unpack, you’ll feel fabulous about your fresh start (look at all the stuff Emily and Todd left out for the garbage man).
Now it’s your turn to share the wealth. Tell us your favorite moving tips for the next time we get roped into helping our seemingly nomadic family and friends. And stay tuned for the stunning “after” photos of their amazing new home in the coming weeks…
Dig This
It’s been so long that I betcha forgot about our front walkway project, didn’t you? You can get a full refresher here, but the gist is that we ripped up our shoddy old path and used leftover slate to piece together a bigger and better walkway to our front door. It was a weekend full of work and we left off with the simple task of digging all the slate into the ground. Here’s a pic to jog your memory (before the big dig):
That simple task of digging in 48 pieces of stone turned into a four-day back-breaking adventure, all in hopes of engineering a wobble-free perfectly-graded welcoming walkway to our house. Which is why my follow-up post is coming so late. But in the end, victory was ours.
Why did it take so long? Let’s just say there was a lot of trial-and-error involved in digging perfectly shaped holes for each piece of slate. Some people use a bed of sand to make this process easier, but we feared that it might jeopardize our chances of getting grass to sprout in between the slabs of slate, so we did it the hard way. No guts no glory, right? Making sure the stones didn’t rock when we walked across them ended up being more art than science, and it typically took 4 or 5 tries to get it just right. Not to mention keeping all the pieces level with the slope of the yard.
But it’s done and you can now walk to our front door without twisting an ankle. And as of last night we laid grass seed along the seams and are now just waiting for some green to show. So there’s one more “after” photo still to come… just don’t hold your breath.
Laura’s Design Dilemma
When Laura contacted us for some living room first aid, we wasted no time doling out some decorating CPR. Here’s her letter:
I’ve been reading your blog for a month or so and love what you’ve done with your house! I am hoping you can help me with my living room. We recently painted (the color is Restoration Hardware “latte” which we had color-matched at Sherwin Williams) and got new window treatments (from Pottery Barn Outlet- love them). As much as I would like to replace the burgundy sofa and chair with something light and slip covered, we can’t afford to right now. So my dilemma is trying to work with them even though they’re not the look I’m going for. We are pulling up the yucky carpet to install hardwood but have not chosen what kind. We also need an entertainment center with lots of storage to house our TV . Your ideas would be greatly appreciated. – Laura
Well Laura’s space came with just about the perfect base. Latte colored walls and breezy white curtain panels are some of our all time favorites, so the challenge was to find items that work with the current sofa and chair but will also compliment a new lighter slipcovered version down the line.
Here’s the mood board breakdown.
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A Little Anniversary Love
Dear house,
We remember moving in exactly two years ago like it was yesterday. And boy were we head over heels for you from the start. God knows why when we look back at the first exterior picture that we took…
But you had us at hello. Even when you greeted us with that crazy shelf divider in the living room complete with a stained glass square and a faux stone linoleum landing.
And who wouldn’t have been charmed by that dated dining room wallpaper and the ancient kitchen cabinetry that shouted “Paul Bunyan wuz here”?
Sure the master bedroom was kinda nondescript, but we were positively over the moon about our first pale blue-gray paint color choice (the only one that we didn’t change at least once in the next 24 months).
And that den was the scary smoking lodge we always knew we never wanted. Yet we couldn’t wait to sign those 890 mortgage papers to make you ours. Maybe because we had grand plans to paint the paneling and move in some pretty sad furniture until we could work up the energy to paint the brick and the beams (and work up the funds to replace those terrible dorm furnishings).
But the room that sealed the deal was your lovely and fabulous sunroom. Even though the carpet smelled like pee, we plugged our noses and plugged away until you were looking a bit more presentable.
And even though you boasted five dilapidated and dusty ceiling fans, we looked the other way (and feasted out eyes upon your two fireplaces). And although you had not one single electrical outlet in either bathroom, we didn’t even notice until we moved in and tried to plug in our hairdryer. We were too busy oggling the front porch- one of the only ones in the neighborhood. And yes dear house, regardless of the fact that everything about you made us weak in the knees (in a good way and a bad way), it was the vintage cow weather vane that convinced us that you were “the one.”
So thanks for the laughs, the memories, the almost-hernias, the snafus, the life lessons and the transformations over the past 731 days. Here’s to many many many more.
IKEA Tells It Like It Is
Newsflash: Home is the most important place in the world. At least, that’s what IKEA is telling me.
Apparently IKEA just completed a “landmark study” where they surveyed Americans to find out what our homes mean to us. The study is peppered with some interesting facts – like that the #1 bedroom activity for Americans is watching TV (not you-know-what) but has also revealed that 92% of Americans (including us) believe that home is the most important place in the world. You can still add your two cents to the survey here.
And to make some profit off the study, IKEA has adapted it into a coffee table book and documentary both named “America at Home.” The preview of the book online is pretty interesting, actually, and I’ll admit it’s kinda cool that you can customize the cover with a personal photo.
Not sure what’s up with the documentary, but they’ve posted some short clips of real people talking about their weird, I mean, real homes. I was particularly entertained by this clip and what I will generously call a “canine chic” decorating style. We love little Burger, but someone please stop me if this happens to us. (Oh, and for some reason the video plays two times in this YouTube version.)
