It's been quite a while since my last post. We finally finished the cabinetry in the dining room and while the room isn't quite finished I thought I should post pics of what is complete. I'm really happy with the way the storm windows worked out as cabinet doors. Take a look and see what you think and   I'll try to post some more pics soon.

Dining Room Cabinet Update

So....we were not able to complete the cabinets before Christmas. So, we just went with what we had. There is still a long way to go, but these pictures sort of give an idea of how things will eventually look. 

Try to picture crown moulding, trim, paint, maybe wallpaper, new light(s), art, a few more balloon back chairs....eventually. Maybe by springtime...Happy Holidays!

Dining Room Redo

My posts so far have been mostly of past projects that have already been completed, but we are actually working on our dining room at the moment. We really need more storage in our house, so I bought an antique sideboard for the dining room. It still wasn't enough, so we decided to ad some cabinets on either side of the sideboard. And then I thought while we were at it we should redo our wainscotting too. Anyways, here are the pictures up to the point we're at now(nowhere near finished).

We picked up these old storm windows from a farm in Campbellcroft, Ontario -$20 each

After some TLC they'll be our cabinet doors.

Here's the dining room, almost a before, with the paneling we did originally. 

Paneling removal

Lots of holes in the wall.

Some destruction and some construction.

New bulkhead. 

Paneling up and filled, ready to paint. 

No explanation needed. 

Done, well almost.

Cabinets under construction. 

Dry fit of door.



Stay tuned. 

Some Character for the Living Room!

I don't know about you, but I just love the character a fireplace can add to a room. Now we have a gas fireplace in the family room (I'll save that project for another post), but our small living room was in need of some help. We really couldn't afford to add a gas insert, so I started thinking about a faux fireplace. We didn't really need the heat, just the look. At first I thought we should build the whole thing ourselves, use brick veneer inside…but it just wasn't coming together. Then I though, "what if we used an real cast iron fireplace?" My husband liked the idea and so, I started the search for one.

It was from a beautiful, old Victorian in Whitby, Ontario. The fireplace was very dirty and rusty from years of use.

Here's what the room looked like before we got started.

So,

with a little elbow grease, and a lot of hard work, here's what we came up with...

Cheers!

Spring is in the Air

     Well, it looks like spring is in the air. I do love our seasons, but I am ready for some warm weather. Anyways, I thought it was time to give things a nudge so I bought some spring flowers for the front entrance and inside too.

Happy Easter!

These are a few of my favorite things...

    Kitchens.  I dream of the day we redo our kitchen.  Ours is a functional, basic builder kitchen.  It just lacks any character at all, whatsoever, none.  We didn't go for any of the upgrades when making our choices for the kitchen, we knew we couldn't afford what we really wanted at the time.  So, we just went with the basics.  Anyways, I thought I would share a few of the inspiration photos that I've collected.  I tend to lean towards a bit vintage, not too fussy( ok, a bit fussy).  A great place to bake cookies with the kids.  Here they are:

Which is your fav??

Beadboard Entryway

    Our house is a new build home, or it was when we moved in 9 years ago.  Since that time we've been working hard to infuse some character. I like old, vintage things and old vintage houses, so I keep coming up with these projects to give the house some architectural detail.  A couple of years ago I was having a conversation with my cousin about his victorian home in downtown Toronto. He had been interested in putting some wainscotting in the front vestibule.  I love those old vestibules! And I love beadboard and old coat hooks.

before

Before

    Anyways, my imagination took over and next thing I knew I was having one of those conversations with my husband.  The kind that starts off with " You know..." Our hall lacked any detail other than the slate floor and the custom trim we installed when we moved in.  So we created a transom and slapped up some beadboard!

    It still needs a nice ceiling light and some glass in the transom window,  but I'm pleased with the way it has come along so far.

    I have plans for a vintage door to replace the builder's steel door ( it's a work in progress) and probably some curtains, etc.  More to come...