10.23.2010

A House Remodel - The Epic Before and After

We purchased our 1908 Madrona Box Style House 5 years ago in December.

It has been quite an adventure. My husband Jay and I had been looking for a bigger home and desperately wanted to restore a classic house.



This pic is during the remodel. Jay removed all the double hung windows and restored them. The windows that are where the wood is attached are the original leaded glass windows.



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Front Door Before


We found the front door and all the matching hardware at a 1908 Four Square style house that was being demolished in the Eastlake area of Seattle.


Front Door After

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The Original Front Door


The beautiful door After
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The Front Entry
This is a view from the front door into the entry. We took 3 feet from the kitchen to add a powder room which is at the back of this picture.

Yep, that's me removing the tile from the oak hardwoods in the entry!

After Hallway into the Powder Room.

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Staircase



Staircase during the remodel after gutting the area.


Staircase After.



Another view before


And after.

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The Dining Room
Before


And After
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The Dining Room Fireplace
Before

And After
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Dining Room into the Kitchen



Before
And After
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Living Room

Before

And After
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More Living Room

Before


After
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My Favorite View from the Kitchen to the Dining Room

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Kitchen
Before
After
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More Kitchen
Before
After
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Even More Kitchen

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Landing. Lets head upstairs!
During


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Lets Walk down the hallway to the East Bedroom



Hallway Before and After
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East Bedroom

Wow that was some nasty carpet!


Before and After. Lots of room for the boys to play. We added sconces to the nook which holds a twin size bed.


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West Bedroom

This was by far the worst room of all. The window was broken and there was water damage on the ceilings.



Another View

A view of the landing from the South Facing Bedroom.

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Hallway to West Bedroom



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West Facing Bedroom

This is a during photo. Post gutting of the upstairs and post floor refinishing.


Nook in West Bedroom


True Before of the West Bedroom



After of the same corner


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Upstairs Bathroom
Unfortunately I don't have a true before of the bathroom. Lets just say it was beyond horrible. Have you ever stopped at a gas station restroom that hasn't been cleaned for years? It was that bad!!


New hex tile floor.

We salvaged the claw foot tub from a 1908 Four Square on Eastlake that was being torn down to build town houses. It was quite a score. We salvaged all the five panel fir doors, period door hardware, the beautiful front door and light fixtures!
The sink and vintage Mixer faucet came from a local salvage store.


10.19.2010

Finally some sewing projects!

I've finally been doing a bit of sewing. I started this quilt and really like how it is turning out. It is called a "pickle dish" and is alot like a double wedding ring design. I'm following this tutorial from Aneela who just designed the most adorable line of fabrics for Moda. Can't wait to get my hands on them!
A detail - loving how the Heather Ross Gnomes and Ice Cream Truck prints look in here!

And last, a few squares of a gnome and mushroom quilt. I have lots of work ahead but am loving every minute of it!!

10.14.2010

Sneak Peek

It is mighty hard to imagine that this room
used to look like This!!!
(and this pic is post floor refinishing!)
The house remodel is finally coming to an end. I'll post the entire before and after soon.


7.11.2010

Summer in Seattle

Summer finally arrived a few days ago. I'll have to say Seattle is an amazing place when the sun shines.
It was low tide at Alki Beach in West Seattle. The boys loved it. We found crabs, shrimp, and a starfish.




We are feverishly working on the house - Yep pretty much every surface was ruined when we bought it. Jay is scraping the glue off the cement on the front porch that was left after removing the wall to wall carpet!

I hope you are finding time to enjoy your summer!

5.26.2010

Modigliani Inspired Self Portraits

I've been absent from blogging and missing it so. I have a few crafty projects in the works and will blog about them soon.
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We have been soooo busy lately. We are moving from our dream house in July (long story) and I have been busy sorting and purging. Amazing how much one accumulates in 4 years! I'm pretty pleased with the progress so far, albeit a rather daunting one.
**Thanks grandparents for all your help with kid sitting!!!**
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I've been the Art Docent for my son's kindergarten class this year and have been absolutely loving it. It has been such a joy to spend time in Liam's classroom getting to know all the wonderful kids. They are all truly amazing and talented!
There are tons of resources for art projects on the web, but my two favorite sites for kid's art projects are HERE and HERE. They are on my blog list as well.
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Today was our last art project. The painting we studied was Modigliani's Gypsy Woman with Baby. I followed THIS for the art project. We did a self portrait elongating our features as Modigliani did in his portraits.
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Here are some examples of the student's work:



I couldn't show the artists due to privacy issues, but I promise, the resemblance is pretty uncanny!!


My son Liam with his portrait.

Yeah, that is my portrait. If you have a bit of time, check out the link for the instructions and try it for yourself.
Everyone is an artist. I promise you won't be disappointed!!

4.18.2010

My baby is Three

I can't believe my baby is Three. Luc, you are the most wonderful little boy. I am so incredibly blessed to by your mommy.
You are talented and passionate...
Sly......

A warrior.....

You are incredibly silly, crazy and fun....


You are my little angel. I love you.

3.13.2010

Patina - to Leave or Remove?

I have always loved old houses and antiques because they are imbued with character and history. I love the patina that is the result of age and use.
I bought this lovely Murano glass mirror in Italy. The shopkeeper gave me a $400 discount because of the water damage - which I see as a beautiful Patina.
A doorplate in our house with a lovely 100 year old patina.

A chair passed down to us. Love the patina on the inside spindle and arm rests.
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I really hadn't planned on writing a post about patina. One of the things I love about blogging is the unexpected topics or subjects one shares.

As you've probably gathered from past posts, my husband and I bought a 100 year old house. In renovation we have tried to figure out how much of the natural patina to keep in tact. We have removed alot but have also tried to add it back by putting in used fixtures and salvaged materials, but ever so often a project will bring up the question - should we leave the patina or cover it up?

Case in point - this beautiful light fixture salvaged from a four square that was being torn down in the Eastlake neighborhood of Seattle to make way for condos. My hubby took off the years of paint and revealed this lovely finish. We were planning on painting them matte black but I Said NO!


I love the patina. The character. They look like they belong in the house and have been there since 1908.
If you love patina, you'll love this post from An Apple a Day.