As I’ve mentioned to friends, my favourite part of moving is the “nesting” phase. Which I’m currently in and loving!
So I mentioned all my special plans for my house in the last post…well last night I went shopping! I completely struck out at Zeller’s and Home Outfitters, but had some good luck at Ikea. I finally got a good shelf for my bathroom (the Lerberg, and only $20!) and another Billy bookcase (I have so many books and not enough space for them!). However, I’m still chasing some elusive finds. I though I’d solved my lighting issues, for over the dining room table and by the front door, but when I got them home, it just wasn’t going to work.
One of my new favourite things to do though, is taking out closet doors! As I previously said, one of the first things I changed in my new place was the dark closet door in the bedroom. The other closet is over in my office area. It was already lacking doors, which was fine for me. So I bought another tension rod last night and put up my navy drapes. And instead of just putting the drapes in the frame of the closet, I went from the outside wall-to-wall. And I pushed the rod right to the ceiling. So they are floor to ceiling and look mysterious. I was giggling that they look like they could lead to some mystical world because you have no idea what’s behind them!
My second favourite thing to do is use mirrors. Especially in small places. I think the only time they’re being used incorrectly is when they’re over a bed, lol! Every girl should have at least one floor-length mirror, to see her whole ensemble, head to toe (or hair to heels), before she leaves the house. I usually put the tall mirror either by my closet or by my front door. I also have a collection of 3 mirrors from Ikea (they were only $8 each) that do a great job of opening up spaces. When I have a laser thing, I will be hanging them near my dining room table. That corner is by far the darkest, and needs the most brightening. Hopefully I will find a good light for it this weekend; it will make it less cave-like.
As I totally bombed at Zellers and Home Outfitters, I will next tackle Canadian Tire (yay Debbie Travis collection), Wal-Mart, and HomeSense. I will share my success or failure tomorrow!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Settling into the new place…
This past weekend I moved into my new place. It’s a one bedroom basement suite, well actually more like a one bedroom plus den. There was great space, high ceilings (for a basement), and big windows. I saw the potential in it, which is why I took the place. I got in on the 14th in the early afternoon, so with the help of my dad and brother, we moved all my small stuff that day. The big stuff came the next morning. It was nice to have it split in two days, especially because I had to clean the old place too.
Without tooting my own horn, I have a good eye for improving houses. I don’t have to do anything to the kitchen, which is terribly small but brand new at least. The living room is also good, with me just needing to put up better drapes. There is no overhead lighting in the dining room area, so I will be visiting Ikea for that. The office/den area is good too, with great lighting. My biggest two projects, that had to be dealt with as soon as possible, were the bedroom and the bathroom.
The bedroom was improved by day 2. The previous tenant had painted the walls a beautiful dark blue-grey, but it needed some “lightening” to counteract the cave feeling. The baseboards and closet doors were dark cherry wood, so the first thing I popped off (seriously, I don’t think I unpacked anything before I did this!) was the dark closet door. I have a tension shower-curtain rod, so I put that up with my pale beige drapes. Instantly, the room felt lighter and bigger. My dresser and side tables are all a light maple, so that really added a brightness to the room. My bedside table lights are a nice soft cream, and my duvet is white. Lastly, I am adding white drapes (floor to ceiling to add height) to add more to the brightness. For some drama and interest, I used a giant black and white picture of Paris (from Ikea & only $60) as a headboard and it looks gorgeous!
The next day, I tackled the bathroom. It had terrible yellow lighting, a 1’ by 2’ mirror (like that’s good enough for a girl), some weird totally ineffective towel hanging thing, awkward shelving (square when it should have been rectangular, so I moved it to my storage closet instead), and a basic showerhead. Everything I’m putting in can be taken down and brought to a new place (or left in and I can be credited with making it better!). So with the help of my parents, we put in a light that had three adjustable spot lights, so I could direct some light into the corners by the shower and toilet. I got a pretty oval mirror with a frosted edge, and some simple brushed nickel towel racks (hand and body towels). Today I’m venturing to Ikea (at the very least to get the new catalogue!) to get a better shelf thing for my bathroom stuff.
I actually really enjoy the challenge of working with small spaces. If I have the money to pay for the solutions, that is. It’s been an expensive month, but it will be worth it! I'll try to post some pictures soon...
Without tooting my own horn, I have a good eye for improving houses. I don’t have to do anything to the kitchen, which is terribly small but brand new at least. The living room is also good, with me just needing to put up better drapes. There is no overhead lighting in the dining room area, so I will be visiting Ikea for that. The office/den area is good too, with great lighting. My biggest two projects, that had to be dealt with as soon as possible, were the bedroom and the bathroom.
The bedroom was improved by day 2. The previous tenant had painted the walls a beautiful dark blue-grey, but it needed some “lightening” to counteract the cave feeling. The baseboards and closet doors were dark cherry wood, so the first thing I popped off (seriously, I don’t think I unpacked anything before I did this!) was the dark closet door. I have a tension shower-curtain rod, so I put that up with my pale beige drapes. Instantly, the room felt lighter and bigger. My dresser and side tables are all a light maple, so that really added a brightness to the room. My bedside table lights are a nice soft cream, and my duvet is white. Lastly, I am adding white drapes (floor to ceiling to add height) to add more to the brightness. For some drama and interest, I used a giant black and white picture of Paris (from Ikea & only $60) as a headboard and it looks gorgeous!
The next day, I tackled the bathroom. It had terrible yellow lighting, a 1’ by 2’ mirror (like that’s good enough for a girl), some weird totally ineffective towel hanging thing, awkward shelving (square when it should have been rectangular, so I moved it to my storage closet instead), and a basic showerhead. Everything I’m putting in can be taken down and brought to a new place (or left in and I can be credited with making it better!). So with the help of my parents, we put in a light that had three adjustable spot lights, so I could direct some light into the corners by the shower and toilet. I got a pretty oval mirror with a frosted edge, and some simple brushed nickel towel racks (hand and body towels). Today I’m venturing to Ikea (at the very least to get the new catalogue!) to get a better shelf thing for my bathroom stuff.
I actually really enjoy the challenge of working with small spaces. If I have the money to pay for the solutions, that is. It’s been an expensive month, but it will be worth it! I'll try to post some pictures soon...
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