Bedroom Progress.

A little update on what has been keeping us busy these days. We decided a few months ago that it was time to tackle the fourth bedroom in our home. The only room that had not been touched (aside from refinishing the floors) since I bought the home 6 years ago.

I came up with this plan for the space and we are slowly working away at putting it in to action. For us, it's never as simple as just slapping up some paint and calling it a day. This room is kicking our butts.

Let's talk about the walls. I believe at one time the room was laid out differently and the closet had been moved. When this was completed, the work was poorly done, which left us with uneven walls, poor patch jobs and wallpaper that was a mega pain to get off.

For a couple of weeks now, we've been picking away at the room. We both did some wallpaper stripping and Steph plastered and sanded the walls in the really bad spots. In the end, the walls are still really just fair. We've decided to use a paintable wallpaper over them, as it will give a much smoother finish. An extra step but we believe the finished product with look much better. We were able to find a paintable wallpaper at Home Depot that has no pattern on it all.

Steph is also building a set of bunk beds that will fit in between the two walls. I am pretty sure I understand his vision but I'm anxious to see it all finished.

Last night, we primed all the walls with an alkyd primer in preparation for the wallpaper and paint. Working with that stuff is awful and the smell is nauseating. I was scared to go to sleep for fear we wouldn't wake up in the morning! We survived but I am happy to head out to work this morning, just to escape the lingering odor.

I also primed the small Ikea armoire so that I can give it a coat of white paint. It's going to stay in the room and act as my linen closet.

Sorry for all the terrible photos. Very shortly it will be much prettier! It will be a fun room to decorate so I'm very anxious to get to that point! Stay tuned!

Fiddle Figs and Reno Woes.

Marion House Book (I wish it were mine!)

I bought myself a fiddle leaf fig bush over the weekend.  The beloved plant that's taken the design world and Pinterest boards by storm, stealing our hearts with it's big floppy green leaves. I've been dying for the tree version since I saw it over at Marion House Book.

I can't seem to find the tree around here. Prestige Floral, a local florist got some of the bush variety in stock so I snatched one up. Let's see how long I can keep it alive.. I always have the best of intentions. I found a guide online so I'll do my best to do what I'm told.

In other news, I've mentioned it here before but 2013 called for a long overdue bathroom renovation. Like really long overdue. Is there such thing as further than the back burner? We finally had our plumber in today for an estimate.

Insert reality check here.

I spent the rest of the evening feeling a bit dejected. Not about the cost (bathroom renovations are expensive and we knew that) but more so about the scope of the project and the reality that renovating a bathroom, when you only have the one, is extremely challenging, and disruptive over an extended period of time.

This led to an entirely different discussion:

What we want out of this home?
How long do we plan to stay?
Are there other options?
Should we add another washroom? 
Maybe we should move! Nah:)

I wish I could tell you more but I don't know just where we go from here, just yet. All I know is that I want a new washroom! Like yesterday.

A Beautiful Reno.

A busy weekend... scrambling to get my report cards finished. I start early every time then it's a mad rush to finish them up the night before. Same thing every time! An awesome meeting with our vendor group about the next styled wedding shoot that we are putting together. Nothing like an evening with some like-minded women to get your creative juices flowing! Speaking of which, you can check out some photos of our last shoot here. Thanks to everyone for your comments and support!

I love a good renovation. Especially in historical homes that were made to feel modern yet stay true to the architecture of the original structure. I came across a tour, at Desire to Inspire, of a home that make my heart swoon. It's the home of the couple behind the blog 47 Park Avenue. It reminds me very much of Stephane's home, which he recently sold. The renovation, while not my first instinct style-wise (yet LOVE), is unbelievable. You must check out the full tour but here is a sample of the before and after.

To me, a beautiful renovation is a great start to a Monday morning. Strange, yet true! Thank you to Amanda at Serenity now for featuring my cabinet makeover over the weekend!