Random on a Sunday

Posted on Sun, 27 Nov 2011 by KiM

Hey folks. Things are a little nuts here at casa di cats so I thought I’d just show you some of what I’ve been doing lately. Hope you don’t mind.
First, I published a post on my page yesterday on the subject of something not interior design related but do have a looksie here because I think it’s pretty cool.
Second, Jo shared a post last weekend of her office, so I thought I’d share a bit of mine. You see, my husband moved in to what is now OUR house a year ago last May and we attempted to share the tiny office at the back of the house. That did not go over so well so I relocated to the only other available space – the dining table in the middle of the kitchen. My laptop and I have been there ever since. Kind of annoying but hopefully this time next year I will have a fantastic office on the third level of our new house (more on that shortly). Anyway, I took some photos of my “new office” a while ago and thought I’d share some of them. Of course, they feature some of our fur children. Consider this a prelude to tomorrow’s Pets on furniture feature. 😉

Here is a shot of the kitchen with my laptop in “my spot”. In this one Mimin is on the table in her basket (made out of old tires), Felix is on the Panton chair, Milo is slightly visible behind the chair, and Felix is to the left (the others were napping).

Here’s a cute one of Felix looking up at me and Mimin wanting some love.

Here is the same cast of characters as the first shot, but Edgar and Milo switched spots.

After the jump, I’ve got something I’ve been working on with my husband when I’m not blogging or studying French. Our plans for our new house. A little recap (for those who don’t know what’s going on, and I frankly can’t remember what I’ve mentioned of this here): In the spring my husband and I started planning renovations to our 925 sq ft house which included a large addition and reworking the upper floor (see posts here and here). Work was supposed to start early summer….then late summer….then fall….and it was when we got feedback from the city that we discovered the architect our builder had set us up with had no freaking clue about the rules of building houses here in Ottawa and the plans we had submitted were essentially garbage. (We were really sorry to see the designs that our designers Dylan and Thu had created for us go to waste). We decided to scrap the architect, the builder, the plans – everything – and start fresh. Really fresh. We decided to tear the house down and rebuild. My husband and I managed to come up with some drawings (done by hand) that we think may work (based on a few phone calls with the city). Considering that I am a programmer and my husband is a network administrator and we’ve never designed a house before, we are slightly clueless so I’d love to get your thoughts. 🙂 And for reference, the plans are loosely based on this home I blogged last month.

selina says:

Hi Kim, as an author of DtI I'm sure you have a pretty good idea of what you want. Having said that, I hope you don't find me patronising for what I'm going to write next. At this stage your plans are actually only sketches and I think it is really worth considering using an architect who will have experience in residential building. You will avoid costly mistakes and he/she can produce detailed plans that will ensure that whoever builds your house knows exactly how to quote you for price and time scale. Trust me, you will save yourself a huge amount of stress and aggravation. The one thing is, that choosing an architect is a bit like choosing the right hairdresser, doctor, nanny, maid of honor… best friend… ask around, go by word of mouth, ask for references, go and visit their previous clients and their previous projects, interview them and make sure you get on well. I believe that would be be money and time well spent.

Lisa says:

Love your site and the kitties. Love your existing kitchen — the cabinets and the tall chest — too. I'm happy you are planning to keep the cabinets. Good luck!

tina says:

My 2 cents- I have to disagree with Cathy on the double sinks in the master bath. When my parents built their house they were totally going to go that route until their architect explained that it isn't the sink that most people fight over, it is the countertop space. So they skipped the double sinks, and put in a desk/vanity area for my mom to put on her makeup, and it works so much better than their old dual sinks set up.

KiM says:

Maura, I agree about the bathroom opening onto the bed. Rethinking that. And rethinking pretty much that whole floor. But it's troublesome. Especially since it appears the 2 bedrooms are too small (10×10). Jeff was at my parent's place today checking out my old bedroom (14×12) and my little sister's (10×12) and now 10×10 seems like a bit of a tight squeeze. And we're trying to keep all the pipes together as you suggest.
Deb – 🙂
Selina – agreed. Only thing is we so far have had pretty shitty luck with architects. We don't have alot of time left so we may end up using a draftsman instead.
Thanks Lisa!
Tina – my husband and I think we agree with you too. I was all keen on the 2 sinks because that seems to have become the norm but I frankly would prefer more counter space. How often/how long do you really use the sink anyway? I spend much more time styling my hair/applying makeup so as long as a large mirror is in place and there is decent counter…

Maura says:

I don't know what are of plans for the future, but do you really need 3 bedrooms? I know one has to plan a house trying to combine personal needs with marketability, but two good bedrooms upstairs seem much better to me than 3 "not so good" bedrooms. Make two suites and, in the event of selling the house, whoever buys it has the option of reforming the third floor.

And I am totally in favour of one sink only in the bathroom. Two sinks are a waste of space, and pipes (laughing, I told you I am obsessed with them) 🙂

Holly says:

I've been watching your posts about your new house with much interest! We live in Hintonburg and have been sloooowly renovating an old house, also on a pretty skinny lot, for the past six years. We aren't doing anything as ambitious as you are planning, but right now we are putting a kitchen addition on the back of the house. I have spent LOTS of time at City Hall, sometimes in tears in the past. But when it all gets done, it's worth it. Good luck. Your new pad looks amazing. Maybe I'll share some pics of our reno with you one day.

Ruth says:

You are so fun, Kim! LOVE the plans you and hubby came up with. I'd like to jump on the bandwagon and suggest a great heating/cooling product because after our home flooded (500 year flood?!) we tore out all the ducts under the house. Eew, gross. We installed Mr. Slims so we could have "zones" in the house for heating and cooling, feel the air immediately, and be silent. Love a warm office (home studio) but we didn't want to heat it at night when we're snuggled in the living room! Looking at your posts everyday, I see these in numerous pictures. They disappear! http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/bu/air/products/room_air.html Thanks for sharing your dreams!

J Umm says:

wow the love those cupboards!! they give the room an ethnic vibe!

claartje says:

Dear Kim, I was trying to go through all you older post, but I couldn't find it; your kitchen table lights. They are great! what brand are they??
Good luck with the house!
Best regards,
Claartje

KiM says:

Thanks Claartje!
I am not sure of the brand of those lights – I bought them at a local design shop, where the owners told me they found them in Vegas at a design show. Sorry but that's all the info I have.
(P.S. All the details of my kitchen can be found on my kitchen blog. There's a link to it in our banner).

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