Archive for January, 2011
Mirror Mirror Off The Wall
Our master bathroom came with a mirror dilemma. Instead of having the traditional mirror-over-the-sink set up, there’s a window (seen here on this moving day pic that we snapped before we removed those bi-fold doors).
But although that picture makes the window look all glow-y and angelic, staring out at the house next door (it’s a side window) isn’t exactly ideal for brushing your teeth, shaving, fixing your hair, or walking by after a shower in the buff. Nor is that the first impression that we really want to make on the neighbors. So we knew we needed a privacy solution stat.
We also needed a functional mirror solution too. The room is (ironically) far from mirror-less. There’s a full-length one on the water closet door (yep, just broke out “water closet”)…
…and another on the nearby medicine cabinet (that’s two mirrors in one 4′ span of wall if you’re keeping track).
And yes, those are both shots stolen from old posts (so you don’t have to worry that Burger spends all of his free time posing for pics in our bathroom) since you know we have since removed the ol’ backsplash to yield this result:
Anyway, back to the mirror dilemma. After living with the mirrors-to-the-right layout for a couple of weeks (while singing “To The Right” instead of “To The Left” a la Beyoncé), the traditionalist in us was just itching for one in front of our faces. Right smack in the middle of the window. Although we had an embarrassment of riches when it came to the number of mirrors surrounding us in the master, we just didn’t have one where it was most sorely needed. So we opted for a not-so-traditional solution. This:
Call us crazy, but we hung a mirror right on the window frame itself. Sure we’ll miss some of the light that it let in, but thankfully we have two other huge windows in the bedroom and a third in the bathroom- so the room’s not hurting for light). And we definitely won’t miss the actual view of the house next door (and the fear that we were making quite an odd first impression by sharing so many tooth-brushing moments). And the function. Can we just talk about the function? I am a man. So that stuff is king. And I can’t even tell you how much easier it is to shave without having to keep my head at a right angle to see what I’m doing.
The mirror itself is from the Allen + Roth line at Lowe’s. After searching unsuccessfully for a perfectly sized round one at HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Pier 1, and World Market we were more than happy to spill 65 beans on one with such a distinct shape and clean look (a whopping $614 cheaper than this similar version from Restoration Hardware). And all it took to hang it was one screw in the center piece of wood between the windows and a small square of velcro on the bottom (to hold it firmly in place from the bottom so it wouldn’t teeter from side to side). Bonus: the windows can still be opened and closed while it’s hanging thanks to the knob placement at the bottom of the panes (instead of the center, which would have been blocked by the mirror).
And let’s revisit the shape. We mentioned we were originally looking for a round mirror because the wife thought it would add some nice curves to those angular windows, but it needed to be huge because something that was under 28″ wide wouldn’t allow both of us to see our entire faces in it (thanks to our 10″ height difference) if it was hung completely centered (top to bottom) on the window- which Sherry was adamant about. The miracle of finding something this shape meant that there was a little extra span of reflective room on the bottom thanks to the irregular shape- which is almost like two ovals overlapping at 90 degree angles) which makes Sherry positively giddy about all that added “mirror real-estate.” Here’s a direct quote: “not only can I see my face, I can see my neck!” The girl was beside herself with joy.
Oh and for those wondering why we didn’t opt for a mirror that could be mounted on the side wall but folded out so we could look see our faces by looking straight ahead, we just thought that would look more bathroom-y, while this solution looked a lot more decorative and would read more as “vanity in the corner of a bedroom” instead of “sink across from the bed.” Plus it’s balanced, and you know we have a thing for balance.
But the project was not complete until we said goodbye to the old mirrored medicine cabinet.
So we took it off the wall, along with the towel bar on the opposite side (we now keep a white towel folded next to the sink which seems to do the trick) and added both the medicine cabinet and the towel bar to our ReStore donation pile.
Doesn’t it look even less bathroom-sinky in there now that those two elements are gone? And we don’t mean to tease, but painting the entire bedroom is on the agenda for today or tomorrow. Woot! We also might paint the mirror frame white (or a softer color to help it blend in with the window moldings like gray) though we haven’t decided on that 100% yet… so we could go either way.
And as for how it looks from outside, it’s one big tan shape from behind (nothing too messy looking) so it just a symmetrical light brown shape suspended in the middle of the window. Which oddly enough blends in with all the colors of the tree trunks and other exterior elements. And of course frosting the window could add even more privacy when it comes to the view from outside, but since the neighbor’s house is actually a ways away, we don’t think they can make out our shapes anymore with so much of the window obscured.
Words can’t describe how spoiled we feel to have a mirror above the sink again. Seriously, it’s rocking our world right now. And we’re not the first people to do the whole mirror in front of a window thing. Check some others out here, here, here, and here. What do you guys think of our not-so-normal solution?
Update: See how our sink mirror project turned out here.
Take It Away
You might notice a theme when it comes to posts like this and this and this and this. Making this house feel like ours seems to be just as much about stripping things down and removing stuff as it is about adding new furnishings and wall colors. Just like the old matted carpets in the sunroom and the bathroom of our old house had to go (along with the crocheted duck curtains, the wallpaper, some small doorways, a few bi-fold doors, and the linen closet door) we’re all about working with what we have. Which could mean altering things a little bit to help them fit more within our aesthetic instead of just junking them and starting from scratch. Which is why the granite backsplash around the bathroom sink (which happens to live in a nook on one wall of our master bedroom) had to go.
Wait, before you get all nervous, let me explain. We thought the backsplash made the sink scream “Look! I’m a sink! In the middle of the master bedroom!” And removing it might make it whisper “Hey. I’m a sink. But I look more like a piece of furniture because I’m slick like that.” We don’t actually mind the location of the sink, we just want to make it fit in more with the rest of the room instead of sticking out like a sore thumb. So this little project is step one of that process.
Thanks to some waterproofed caulk around the edge and some semi-gloss paint on the walls of that alcove, we won’t have any issues with splashing or water damage (our last house didn’t have a backsplash in either bathroom and the caulk and semi-gloss paint approach worked like a charm. I would even venture to say that the caulk & semi-gloss paint method took a licking and kept on ticking. Yes I just pulled out that hokey little rhyme. You’re welcome.
So here’s how it all went down. First I scored the clear silicone caulk by running a box cutter along the top of the backsplash:
Then I scored the caulk between the counter and the backsplash using the same method:
Next I used a thin metal spackle knife to get in there behind the backsplash and the wall and pry it away slowly:
I was able to teeter (yes, that’s a technical term) each of the three backsplash pieces back and forth away from the wall and back again until they completely broke free of the wall and could be lifted out. Those suckers were heavy but I got ‘er done. In fact I’m pretty psyched that I was also able to do this whole project on my own while John was on Clara duty (she says with pride, while simultaneously patting herself on the back and brushing her shoulders off).
Wait. Did I mention I started it without talking to John first? I just wanted to see if removal was even possible and once I got into it there was no turning back. Or telling John what I was doing since the sink looked like this. I would have been in so much trouble (cue all the kids in class saying “ooooh” when the principal gets on the loud speaker and calls someone down to her office by name).
I wasn’t totally going rogue though. I knew he’d go for the backsplashless concept since we had chosen it for both of our previous bathroom overhauls in the old house. So I just crossed my fingers that I could strip things down and make them look a bit more presentable before he and Clara came in to see what I was up to. So here I am furiously scraping the silicone caulk off the surface of the granite counter with the same spackle knife I used to remove the backsplash pieces (it worked really well without scratching the granite at all):
And here I am using the same trusty spackle knife to get in under all that nasty glue and flake it off to reveal a slightly roughed up (but much less gnarly and bumpy looking) piece of drywall:
Here’s what it looked like when John came in to see what all the noise was about. Thank goodness it was a lot less grody looking once all that glue was scraped off. And he was, dare I say it, pleased (!) with the surprise project that I sprung on him. Whew.
Then it was time to skim coat all the roughed up drywall so it would again look seamless like the rest of the wall. Some people would choose to mud the wall when skim coating, but I actually used some of the same lightweight Dap spackle that I mentioned in this post, which I was able to sand down to a totally smooth and even surface that looked seamless with the rest of the drywall (but remember, don’t sand until the spackle is totally dry). Then I used some white waterproof paintable caulk (I like the Dap door and window stuff) around the perimeter of the counter to fill and seal any tiny hairline cracks between the granite and the wall so no water could collect or drip back behind the counter or vanity.
Here’s what she looks like now from afar (ignore the baskets and all the junk that we have yet to organize):
It’s not too bad when you compare her to her glory days (this next photo was taken when we first moved in, before removing the bi-fold doors and of course that backsplash).
My apologies about the bad blue light, I’m still learning how to tell the Nikon who’s boss.
Anyway, I know the after pic above this one still might not look like much, but we’re psyched. We can picture how great some wipe-able semi-gloss paint will look on the walls of that little nook, and we have some other big plans for that area (to make it look even less bathroom-sink-ish). Oh and as for where those three slabs of granite that I removed will go, we’re sending them off to the Habitat For Humanity ReStore since someone else might be able to use ‘em. You know in case they buy a house from someone who went crazy and stripped out their backsplash while the hubby was watching the baby and they’d now like to add it back in. Haha.
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Now You’re Speaking My Language
We realized in all of this new house hubbub we never shared what we gifted each other for Christmas. Fishsticks! (No, we didn’t give each other fishsticks, I’m just practicing our resolution to not curse around the baby anymore).
Sherry wins the “best gift” award this year. In continuing her efforts to grow our art collection, she considered a couple of Richmond-themed pieces (including this one that we’ve always liked) and finally ended up getting me this awesome Richmond Type Map:
It’s a colorful map of our fair city made up entirely of identifying text. See what I mean?
The black grid is made up of street names and the colored area behind them are the neighborhoods. So if you’re equal parts Richmond enthusiast, map connoisseur, and typography lover (like me) it’s basically the gift trifecta. And if you love cardboard mailing tubes as much as Clara seems to, the packaging is the icing on the cake (if you can’t watch the Vimeo video below, find it here on YouTube):
Oh, and some of the proceeds of each map go to a local kids art charity called Art180. We haven’t picked out the perfect spot for it in the house yet, so for now it’s joining the pile of frames in the family room that are sitting around waiting to be hung.
I was a close second (aka last place) for the “best gift” distinction this year. Given Sherry’s growing love of tea-drinking I finally got her a proper tea kettle (no more microwaving) and two new mugs. The kettle is the Chantal Loop in cobalt blue (which seems to be our color of the moment given that it’s actually pretty similar to the backs of our built-ins). And the “Tunnel Vision” mugs are from an NYC-based dishware shop called Fishs Eddy. I figured it was a nice nod to the city where we met (NY) and the state where Sherry was born and raised (Jersey, baby).
Of course gift giving isn’t really a competition. But if it were, there is one area in which we’d tie. When my sister drew Sherry’s name in our “Petersik Sibling Gift Exchange” (which keeps the adults in our family from going present-crazy because we each just have one person to shop for) I suggested that she get Sherry a new Three Designing Women stamper with our new address on it (we both loved saving our hand and using our old one to mail out things like thank yous and holiday cards). Sherry apparently had the same thought and ordered one for me too, which I opened about ten seconds after she opened hers.
Since they’re customized gifts we can’t exactly return one, but at least we chose two different designs (my sister ordered the design on top, Sherry ordered the one on the bottom). So for now we’ve decided to just enjoy being able to mix things up when it comes to stamping our return address on stuff. And Sherry actually loves the one on top more than the one she chose, so she’s happy about the whole overlapping gift snafu.
So that’s how we Santa’d each other this year (well, with a little help from my sister). What about you guys? We’d love to hear what you guys scored – especially if it’s home related. Any ceramic animals?
***UPDATE***
Mollie at The Paper Cafe is generously offering a special 15% discount on all Three Designing Women stampers through Monday, January 10th. Just enter code YHL15OFF2011 at checkout. And if you ordered yours yesterday (Jan 6th) or already today (Jan 7th) you can apply the discount retroactively by contacting Mollie directly (info@thepapercafe.net).
Breathing Room
One thing we learned from our last house was that we prefer to let rooms breathe a little. Which means resisting the urge to fill every corner and span of wall with furniture and plant stands and coat racks and storage baskets and everything else that you can stick in there to crowd the perimeter of a room. So after a bit of deliberation we decided that letting the previous shelf-riddled corner of the fireplace breathe was the best choice for us. I actually attacked them after only a few days of living here and realized I never shared the pics while writing my list post- so here they are.
We’re planning to add storage ottomans and to build or buy a new media cabinet with lots of storage space in other areas of the room, so we’ll still have a nice amount of stash spots in there without potentially forgoing the whole balance thing by keeping those shelves.
See balance is key to us because it seems to keep spaces feeling more inviting and relaxing. And we knew that a shelf full of baskets, books, and stuff on one side of the fireplace would make that small niche feel heavier while the longer bare expanse of wall on the other side would feel, well bare and unbalanced by comparison. And we didn’t want that wall to feel lopsided. Especially since it’s such a small nook. You know how you wouldn’t try to stuff the smallest corner of your bedroom with the largest piece of furniture (like a floor to ceiling bookcase?) and instead you’d save that for a larger expanse of space (and would probably leave that smaller corners well enough alone)? That’s why we thought those shelves had to go.
Different strokes for different folks though- I’m sure some people would have loved to keep them around. I, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to break out the ol’ screwdriver-as-chisel method:
The wood shelves lifted right out, but the shelf supports turned out to be tough cookies thanks to super long nails holding the shelf supports in place on each side. But I was still able to get ‘er done all by myself while John was on Clara duty. Girl power (why do I always picture the Spice Girls when I type that?).
The walls were looking a little rough in some areas due to some particularly clingy nails. Yikes.
… but it was nothing a little spackle couldn’t solve. And the previous owners had sweetly left behind this lightweight kind so I gave it a try for the first time in my life (we always get the heavy duty traditional stuff, also by Dap).
The verdict? I loved it! It’s really airy and whipped, like shaving cream. And it’s easy to get a super smooth skim coat over every hole in the wall – even that insanely large one pictured above. Look how easily it cleaned up:
I just used a flexible metal putty knife and smoothed it on. Unlike the heavy duty spackle that I’m used to, this lighter stuff said that it didn’t even need to be sanded. But I gave it a good once over with some high grit sandpaper after it was fully dry just to make it as smooth as possible. I’m in love with how easy it was, so I already have a big tub of this new lighter spackle stuff on my shopping list. Now all we need are a few paint touch ups to make all evidence of those shelves a thing of the past.
If only we had the wall paint around to touch things up. Wop wop. We haven’t come across that yet (although it might be hiding in the basement somewhere) but if we don’t find it we could always bring home a bunch of white swatches and try to make the closest match. Or better yet, we could get our butts in gear and paint the entire room in the soft gray color that we have yet to settle on (and take the trim to a nice glossy white color while we’re at it).
That little corner might not look like much now, but we promise to share pics of the whole room from that angle as it evolves and we take on more projects (like painting, hang more stuff on the walls, and adding in more furniture). That small breath of uncluttered space in the corner will be a welcome break indeed. Plus we picture kiddos hiding there with their eyes squeezed shut who fully believe that they’re invisible. Ah youth. Remember when you’d close your eyes and hide somewhere totally obvious and fully believe that nobody could see you? Those were the days.
Pssst- We announced our random winner for this week’s giveaway. Click here to see if it’s you.
What’s Wrong With Us?
We’ll admit it. We’re a little relieved that the holiday season is over. As fun and exciting as all of the hoopla is, December can be a stressful month with all of the last minute shopping, long distance traveling, family gatherings, and weather madness that come along with it… which is probably why lots of people called us certifiably crazy for adding moving-into-a-new-house to the mix.
It definitely was a bit crazy of us, but it just dawned on me and Sherry that this wasn’t the first year that a major project fell over the holiday season. In fact, it’s happened for the past FOUR YEARS IN A ROW. So it seems that we’ve got a chronic case of making Christmas-time more complicated. Observe.
In the last month of 2007 we were at the tail end of our kitchen remodel. By Christmas we had already lived sans kitchen for two months and our new cabinets were installed, but we were still waiting on our counters to arrive and officially make the room functional again.
Oh yeah and did we mention that we didn’t have a kitchen sink, so we were washing dishes in our tiny bathroom vanity. Yeah, that got old real quick.
In 2008 it was our floors. Right before leaving for a family Christmas out of town we shoved all of our belongings into the kitchen and den so the rest of the hardwood floors in our entire house could be professionally refinished.
It was more than a bit “disruptive.”
Then 2009 welcomed the bathroom remodel, which commenced the weekend after Thanksgiving. So by New Year’s we found ourselves in the midst of tiling. Which meant that our only full bathroom was still a few weeks away from being functional again.
Let’s just say we did our fair share of showering at the gym and at my sister’s house. Sherry even hosed me down in the backyard after a particularly dusty day of work (she wouldn’t let me get in the car and drive to have a proper shower for fear of getting the car all dirty). Brrr.
And we had more than a few adventures when it came to this year’s mid-December move, which involved packing up every last possession and loading it into a UHaul…
… which then slipped into a ditch about .05 minutes after beginning the journey to our new house…
… which ended up looking a lot like this while we unpacked…
But now that we’re more settled, in hindsight it wasn’t so bad. Which is kind of how we feel about all of our other annual end-of-year adventures. So I guess we’ll just have to wait about 11 months to see what crazy project we’ve got going on at the end of 2011 to keep the streak alive for a fifth year in a row. Maybe we’ll be in the midst of a simultaneous kitchen remodel, floor refinishing project, and bathroom tile job. You know, just to put the other years to shame…
