At Kim’s house

Posted on Sun, 5 Oct 2008 by KiM

Things are a little nutty at my house, as I’m trying to get some projects finished before the kitchen renovation work needs to start. I had 2 things I was determined to complete, the renovation of my staircase to the second floor, and my basement.

I took Friday off from work to start the stairs and I managed to get them pretty much done. A couple paint touch ups and a few nail holes left to fill but I am too tired to finish it. I thought I’d show some before photos first so you can see what I’ve been living with since December. This first photo is what the stairs looked like for about a month after I moved in.

I ripped the carpeting off because it was so dirty (from moving in a snowstorm) and not installed properly – I almost took a tumble down them a few times. This is the horror that was underneath. Linoleum tiles, aluminum trim and lots of paint splotches.

I am dying to paint all the floors in my house white, so the stairs were no exception. I painted them white, and the staircase is now so much brighter than it was. Now if I could just figure out how to get them to clean themselves…

Here is why I am too tired to finish the stairs. Below are photos of the remnants of what was on the floor in my damp and leaky basement (there’s more that has to come out but I’m too tired and need help with the rest). I am so pissed off that someone was stupid enough to decide to hide leaks by putting down layer upon layer of plywood on a damp floor. The smell once the top layer of linoleum was removed was so disgusting. The wood in some places was BLACK and crumbly. I am afraid my cats and I will get sick from the mold. I wore a mask while I was working down there but the smell was so bad I can still smell it, and I feel kind of nauseous. There are alot of annoying and poorly executed things I keep finding around this house, but this one definitively tops the list of bad judgement.

Cats

Posted on Sat, 4 Oct 2008 by KiM

My friend B sent me a link today to this photo on Flickr, by kaylovesvintage, saying she saw it and thought of me. She knows me well. It’s so cute I had to share.


While on the subject of cats, I know some of you were concerned about my friend’s cat Binky who needs a new home. Sadly, she hasn’t found anyone willing to take him. She has an appointment at the Humane Society Monday. I’m just praying he doesn’t mind being in a cage, or they will put him to sleep. (That happened to a stray cat I took there once). That will totally break Jenny’s heart, and mine. I told her if I can manage to make it through the front door (although I will be a blubbering mess, I am just typing this for crissakes), I’ll visit him since I live just around the corner. I really wish I didn’t already have 6 cats.

Kelly Hoppen

Posted on Fri, 3 Oct 2008 by KiM

Thanks to my sister for pointing out that Kelly Hoppen’s site has recently been updated (or maybe I just haven’t been on it in ages) and is full of gorgeous photos of her interior design projects. This queen of contemporary design never ceases to amaze me. Her spaces are always timeless, livable and functional. Many more photos to see on her site.












Compact in every sense of the word

Posted on Thu, 2 Oct 2008 by KiM

My younger sister’s boyfriend Dave sent me a link to this video today, with the subject “Maybe this should have been your kitchen :)”. My kitchen is pretty small, but not this small. Thanks Dave, but I think I’ll stick to my Greentea kitchen. 😉 (video via Gizmodo)

 

 

Rachel Whiting

Posted on Thu, 2 Oct 2008 by KiM

I was pretty much rendered verklempt when I discovered the portfolio of Rachel Whiting, a photographer based in London. The light and composition are so perfect for these relatively simple spaces. There seems to be a little something special and noteworthy in each photograph.