Archive for June, 2010
Budget Blooms: Sunny Delights
As most of you know, every month we like to enjoy one inexpensive- and sometimes free- bouquet to keep things feeling fresh around here (the idea actually stemmed from a super sweet Christmas present from the hubs a while back). And this month John actually came home with a bouquet thanks to the fact that for the first time ever, he went grocery shopping without me. We always run errands like that together, but since Clara was just two and half weeks old at the time, us girls opted to stay behind and send daddy out for food on his own. Guess what? He survived without us (the nerve). And of course it was a lovely surprise when he returned with this cheerful $4 bouquet of yellow alstroemerias along with the milk, eggs, and other staples that he ducked out for.
They look great on the console table by the front door (especially since people have been stopping by to see Ms. Clara, so we love the little pop of color that hopefully says yes-we-have-a-newborn-but-our-house-hasn’t-imploded-in-the-meantime). Even if a few other rooms aren’t nearly as neat these days…
We love alstroemerias because they’re one of the best bang-for-your-buck grocery store bouquets that we’ve found. They easily last three or even four weeks – all we do is change the water every few days and recut the stems on an angle about every eight days or so. And these yellow guys are so happy and sweet (we’ve always gone with soft pink ones in the past).
And instead of opting for a super bright vase, this time we went with a simple square glass one that we had laying around. It creates a nice balance to the glass greenhouse on the other side of the console and it really lets the yellow blooms and those fresh looking green leaves be the stars.
So that’s our bloom o’ the month breakdown. Have you guys been enjoying alstroemerias or any other cheap but oh so charming flowers these days? What’s the state of affairs in your backyard? Any free blossoms to clip and pop into a vase for a quick little dose of happy in your kitchen or living room? Tell us all about your latest floral related endeavors.
Wanna see our first grocery store bouquet from last January? Itching to check out February, March, April, May, June, July, August, and September too? How about this year’s January, February, March, April and May bouquets? Just follow the links for some pretty sweet cheap-o (and even free) bouquets.
Email Answer: Space Planning 101
Q: I need help with space planning! Just your tip in the comment section of Ania’s design dilemma to “let the room breathe” made me realize that I’m so guilty of filling ever available inch of wall space. I need to edit some rooms! I’d love to get a post on space planning and room flow somewhere down the line! – Threadbndr
A: This is such a good question, and a topic that we’ve been meaning to tackle for ages. First we’ll include the comment that Threadbndr is referring to in her question above. Someone asked what we thought Ania should stick in the bottom right corner of the room (between the desk, #10, and the bookcase, #3, that we hunted down for her in this mood board).
And here was our response: “Ania could always pop a potted plant into that corner (we love a crisp white Ikea planter with something green and leafy) but we tend to like keeping spaces that tight blissfully bare. Otherwise there’s something lining the entire perimeter of the room every 12 inches or so, which can look a lot less airy and open than leaving a few spaces like that for the room to breathe.”
So our first floor planning tip would be to resist the urge to stick something into every bare corner and fill the entire perimeter of a room with furnishings and accessories. Sometimes you want to keep certain areas open for flow and to keep things from looking too cluttered and chaotic. But when it comes to creating a true floor plan, like the sketch above, we actually have five specific approaches, all of which can help pin down the best furniture and accessory arrangement in any space. Let the fun begin…
Floor planning method #1 is graph paper. It’s a super easy way to experiment with endless room layouts without any commitment at all (all without breaking a sweat). We’re definitely no stranger to this method- in fact here’s a detailed how-to video (see more basement planning details here) so you can whip up your own graph paper models of each room in your house and play around with the layout until you hit on something you love. Watch the video below on Vimeo, or check it out here on YouTube.
Floor planning method #2 is sketching. The upside is that it’s not as numerically demanding (no counting graph paper squares) but the downside is that it’s not as exact as the graph paper method outlined above. But it can still really help you uncover a number of floor plan ideas that you might not see while standing in the space and staring at the furniture. There’s something about the aerial view and the act of drawing a number of options that lets your brain go a bit further than it usually can when you’re standing in the room looking around. And although this method isn’t super exact, it definitely saves you (and your back) from moving the sofa to every wall in the space (since you can sketch it on each wall and hopefully hone in on which layout will work better than the rest). See more info about this specific floor plan right here.
Floor planning method #3 is blue painter’s tape. This approach is so simple that nearly everyone we suggest it to is chomping at the bit to get started. We’re huge fans of using blue painter’s tape to outline where a piece of furniture could be placed on the floor (just to get a feel for the flow of the new arrangement without having to actually move anything. This method is especially helpful before ordering an item, so go ahead and tape off the floor where your new buffet would sit before you buy it online- just to be sure the proportions and the placement don’t crowd the dining table. In fact we even used this method when we were changing our kitchen’s floor plan from this L-shaped arrangement…
… to this U-shaped one…
Because as nice as it was to refer to the computer renderings of the new layout, we really liked the idea of standing in the space and seeing exactly where we would be able to walk and where the new cabinets and appliances would be placed. It really eased our nerves that everything would be too cramped, because once we taped things off on the floor we could actually “stand” in the new floor plan. It was so worth the ten minutes it took to stick down that blue tape.
Floor planning method #4 is floorplanner.com. We’ve definitely relied on this free (and pretty simple to use) site to lay rooms out and to help wrap our minds around what something might look like before we pull the trigger. Again, it’s just another tool to help you see things from a new vantage point and experiment with a bunch of options… all without lifting a finger (or a sofa).
Floor planning method #5 is furniture sliders. We definitely like to avoid the dreaded furniture shuffle when we can, but sometimes there’s nothing like shifting a few pieces around to see exactly how everything will look in a few new configurations. And the good news is that you can save yourself some major aches and pains by investing a few bucks in some easy furniture movers which you can use over and over again in every room of your house. They slide seamlessly on hardwood flooring or carpet and they make one-person-furniture-arranging possible (no more waiting for the hubs to come home with these babies). Which makes them great for surprises. In fact John has come home to many a new layouts here at Casa Petersik thanks to sliders like these.
So there you have five ways to approach floor planning along with the obligatory warning that the perimeter of a room likes to breathe (so resist the urge to fill every corner and expanse of wall with tiny tables, plant stands, and other items that can take away from that airy effect). We also love using large area rugs to define floating furniture arrangements, so that’s another way to anchor furniture that may feel unfinished or restless when you pull it away from the wall without anything defining that new room within a room. And if you’re still stuck in the space planning department, feel free to scroll back through some of our more recent Design Dilemmas for a number of sketched floor plan ideas that you might be able to implement in your house. So many possibilities, so little time.
But what about you guys? Do you have any other floor planning tips to pass along? Any specific room layouts that you love? Share and share alike.
Reader Redesign: Pattern Perfection
When one of our favorite paint prodigies sent over photos of her recent transformation we couldn’t wait to share them. Here’s her letter:
Hi guys! I just wanted to send you this recent project I did because I thought the colors and style screamed “Young House Love.” I came up with the pattern and design on my own- then I made a custom stencil to achieve the pattern. I was really happy with the end result (which looks like wallpaper, but with WAY less hassle!). Hope you like it! – Kristen
Here’s the room before Kristen worked her magic:
And here’s the room after Kristen’s amazing paint project:
Didn’t she do a fantastic job? We love everything from the subtle tone on tone treatment to the sophisticated and classic pattern (which Kristen designed herself). Oh and don’t forget to drop in on her amazing blog to check out a ton of other paint projects that she whips up on the regular. So inspiring! What do you guys think? Anyone itching to tackle something like this to achieve the look of wallpaper without the hassle? Do tell.
Office Progress: Bookcase Building
We mentioned a few times that we wanted to get a bookcase for the office/guest room/playroom since they’re so great for storing things, displaying things, and adding some architecture and height. We thought a bit about placement and quickly realized that the area to the left of the uncentered window on the far wall of the room would be the best place for a bookcase, so we headed off to Ikea with the measurements of that wall on a little scrap of paper in my purse. And in a few short hours we found ourselves assembling our $69 Billy bookcase:
We actually checked out a few other Ikea options (like the Expedit and the Lack bookcase) but the measurements of that wall seemed perfect for the width and height of good ol’ Billy (and the $69 price tag wasn’t to shabby either). Plus whenever we snag something affordable we don’t feel too bad taking the time to tweak it a little. So when we realized that it wouldn’t sit flush against our wall thanks to the baseboard and shoe molding we grabbed a small coping saw and chiseled out the perfect shape.
About ten minutes of sawing left us with this nicely customized setup. Flush bookcase = happy dance.
And when we stepped back and surveyed the full scene we loved how the bookcase added some much-needed balance to the entire wall. The height that it introduced on the right side of the wall really worked with the height of the window to the left. And the fact that it tucked right in next to our sleeper sofa without feeling crowded (thanks to the modest footprint of the bookcase) was the icing on the cake. But there was something that totally rubbed us the wrong way about Billy. The thin cardboard-ish back panel was folded into thirds in the flat-packed box, so when we unfolded it and secured it to the back of the bookcase with small finish nails it still had some telltale creases and looked a bit shoddy to boot. Cripes.
So we decided to take a moment to brainstorm a few possible solutions. We decided we could grab some foam core and cut it to the size of the six rectangular openings in the back of the bookcase and slip it back there (to obscure the view of the creased back). Heck we could even paint, wallpaper, or cover the foam core with fabric for a nice little customized look. But that seemed like a lot of foam core and a fair amount of work. Then came our second idea. What if we removed the back of the bookcase altogether and painted the wall behind it for the same effect? So off came the back:
Then we realized that we could apply a quick and dirty tape rectangle around the wall (with the bookcase still in place) so we knew where to apply our background color. After we stuck up some Frog Tape and removed the bookcase, here’s what we were left with:
We opted to go with Mythic’s Adanna Aire, which was paint that we had leftover from the nursery ceiling. Gotta love a soft aqua tone that’s 100% free. Plus it worked really well with our blue-green sleeper sofa. Then we just slid the bookcase back into place in front of the painted portion of the wall.
But we had a second eyesore to solve. Removing the back panel left a dark crevice in the back of the bookcase that we could definitely do without. And all the holes for moving the shelves around didn’t exactly look high end either.
So we broke out some white caulk and filled them in. We opted to leave one hole above and below each shelf (in case we wanted to shift things slightly to accommodate something a smidge taller or shorter) but we loved the look of six unformly spaced shelves, so we knew we’d never use the other holes to create extra tall or short ones. And in an oh-happy-day moment, the white Dap window and trim caulk that we used turned out to be nearly identical in color to the bookcase, so it definitely obscured that ridge near the wall along with all those extra holes:
We did notice that deciding to lose that back did slightly compromise the bookcase’s sturdy-factor. By no means was it super rickety, but it didn’t feel quite as reinforced as it was with that panel in place – even though it was basically just a folded sheet of cardboard.
Happily, after anchoring it to the wall at the top it added back a bit more of the structural integrity, but for even more dependable sturdiness and kid-safety we would highly recommend adding some metal L-brackets for more structure (which can be painted white so they virtually disappear). We definitely plan to take that reinforcement project on soon when we do other kid-safe things like anchor the TV in the den and a few other bookcases around the house.
When it came to loading up the bookcase, we aimed for equal parts function and form. Since the room would have to work as an office and a guest room, we didn’t want it to feel like it was all business, but we also didn’t want to sacrifice practicality in the name of guest ambiance. So we actually whipped out a pad and a pen to jot down everything that we wanted to store (to be sure that we got the function in there before moving on to the form):
- office supplies like envelopes, tape, scissors, a stapler, notepads, etc
- extra printer paper and cardstock
- paint decks galore (since we refer to them while blogging, they were too far away in the den ottoman where we used to store them)
- books & binders
- a clock (I feed Clara every few hours on the sofa in here, so I knew that would come in handy)
- a few of Clara’s favorite stories and toys (since one of us plays with her while the other tends to the blog)
- treats for Burger (can’t forget about our other baby)
- a few decorative items to keep it from feeling too office-focused when we have overnight visitors
And here’s what we ended up with:
The baskets (from Michael’s for 50% off) easily housed things that we’d rather keep out of view (office supplies, extra paper for the printer, Clara’s books and toys, and a slew of paint decks) while everything from books and binders to a glass container of treats for Burger got premium placement on the shelves. We even had a small clock sitting around and a few decorative vases, frames, and other accessories on hand to keep it from feeling too industrial and office focused so our friends and family feel right at home when they spend the night.
Of course we still have a bunch of files and other paperwork that we’re planning to store over on the desk side of the room (stay tuned for those details) but we love the balance, practicality, and visual interest that a simple $69 bookcase (along with some free paint that we already had on hand) added to the space. Oh and we even had room to squeeze a white planter that we already had (from Ikea) into the corner to hold some mailing tubes (which we use to ship shop stuff). Hooray for even more storage space.
So that’s the latest office update. What have you guys been up to this week? Any bookcase makeovers going on at your house? Any basket-buying going on to add concealed storage somewhere else in your casa? Do tell.
Psst- Wanna follow the entire office/guest bedroom/playroom makeover? Click here for the intro post, here to read about the big sleeper sofa hunt, here for the DIY desk play-by-play, and here for the homemade light fixture project.
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Fab Freebie: Father Lowe’s Best
****This giveaway is no longer accepting entries***
Having now been a father for one whole month (Happy 1- month birthday, Clara!) I’m totally psyched for this Sunday: my first Father’s Day. Another reason I’m psyched? Because our friends at Lowe’s have offered to help us celebrate Daddy Day with a handy gift guide mood board along with a totally testosterone-ready prize. So if you’re still scratching you head about what to get ol’ pops, here are a few ideas to get you started. And if you’re our lucky winner, you might just be covered entirely (for the next few years even):
- What’s Father’s Day without tools? Kobalt 22 Piece Set ($50) is a great starter set if your guy happens to be tool-less. It covers all the basics, plus dad gets a tool bag to keep it all organized.
- If dad’s covered in the tool department, help him step it up a notch with a Kobalt 60 Piece Driver Set ($54) that has a bit for just about any job you can think of and then some.
- Now if you really want to splurge on pop this year (or your last name is Trump), pimp his workshop with a Kobalt 53” Tool Chest ($1798). It’s not your everyday tool storage space – it’s got a radio and mini fridge built in! Like woah.
- If tools aren’t his thing, help him tend to the yard with the Fiskars Momentum Reel Mower ($199) that we’re enjoying. It’s an eco-friendly way to mow, plus he’ll get a little extra workout in.
- Or hook him up with a Troy-Bilt String Trimmer ($100) to keep those edges in check. Bonus: he might just stop mowing over the flower beds.
- You can also send him on a power trip with the Porter Cable 4 Piece Combo Kit ($129) that’s got a cordless reciprocating saw, circular saw, drill and flashlight all powered by the same battery.
- But enough about gifts that put dad to work. What about letting him relax with a nice meal straight from the grill? This compact, but powerful 2-burner Char-Broil Urban Grill ($269) could do the trick.
- Lastly, if he’s like most guys and is just plain hard to shop for. You can never go wrong with a Lowe’s Gift Card, right?
If you read this morning’s post about my experience with the Fiskars Momentum mower, you already know that it’s part of this week’s prize.
What you don’t know is that this week’s winner is also gonna score #7 on our gift guide too. Yep, the Char-Broil Urban Grill is also making it’s way to one of you. That way you can spoil the dad in your life with a one-two punch of prizes (or split ‘em up if you got a few fathers to pamper this year). Okay, and we wouldn’t blame you if you just kept ‘em for yourself. Can’t beat nearly $500 in free stuff, right?
Now let’s get on to how you enter:
- PRIZE: The Char-Broil Urban Grill and Fiskars Momentum Reel Mower courtesy of Lowe’s, Char-Broil and Fiskars
- TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “HAPPY FATHER’S DAY _______!” (inserting the names of the dad(s) or father-like figures in your life) and…
- BONUS QUESTION: … why not share something you love about them or how you plan to celebrate, honor or remember them this weekend. Feel free to gush, get sappy, or just tell an embarrassing story that captures why he (or they) make your day.
- GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Wednesday, June 16th at 8pm EST
- NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
- PRIZE SHIPS: The 50 United States
- USUAL STUFF: One entry per e-mail address is permitted. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Thursday. Good luck!
Find more freebie info on our Giveaway FAQs page. Pics courtesy of Lowe’s.
