Gray matters

We went yesterday to pick up our new cabinet from Kincaid's and fell in love all over again. Here it is with my new white jars from Nell Hills. (and a little asian-esque wood stool that never sold at the mall) Yes, that's the big picture window smack in the middle of our house. The verticle line is blue painters tape and some masking tape, and is a representation of where we're building wall, and where we're removing. It makes more sense when you see it from the other side, where this piece will eventually live.

Something else we found yesterday is this:

You'll remember that I found what I thought was the ideal gray flooring for Chez Malaise. Ideal except for the price tag, which would land in the neighborhood of 20K before installation.

This above is a gray stained prefinished oak just like the first product, but is made by Armstrong rather than Mirage. I like the look a lot. The cost is nearly 2/3's less if we buy a pallet, (and we'll need at least one), and not a whole lot more than the cost of refinishing the existing floors. This would allow us to easily remedy the floors in parts without having to deal with drying times and stop/start finish issues.

So the only question is the quality of the product. The one manufacturer review I've been able to find was neutral, and an installers review named it an average product. I'm pretty much ok with average because it's the look I want, and I don't think we're especially hard on our floors. If you've had any experience with Armstrong's hardwood products I'd be very interested in hearing them.

Moving day

It's here. And it's kind of amazing because not that long ago we'd pretty much decided it wasn't coming. I'm off work the rest of the week and will be shuttling SUVloads of all that stuff that doesn't go easily into boxes. Artwork, lamps, stuff.

I'm looking forward to my next dispatch...from the new Chez Malaise.

Mr. & Mr. Clean

Apparently they had our new house cleaned after the estate sale and before it hit the market. If we hadn't been told that I would have guessed it was sometime during the Ford administration. We spent the day cleaning the kitchen, bathrooms and closets so that we're not totally creeped out putting our dishes or clothes away. And even after the spraying of cleaners and scrubbing of dirt and dust, we still put down a layer of drawer/shelf liner just so there's something somewhere thats clean and white. Happily the combination of Green Clean, Clorox Cleanup Bleach and Windex Spring Rain seems to be eliminating the old lady smell.

Tomorrow we continue the scrubbing and mopping, and moving more of our stuff to the garage. It's going to be a hellish week, but I'm already excited to get started. We have foundation work beginning Monday, and gutter replacement just as soon as we schedule it. As he does, Brett's vacillating between excitement and soul-crushing dread.

Mrs. B, is trash day on Thursday?

Bingo

I've continued to comb through plumbing websites hoping that something would speak to me, and finally something did. Simple and graceful like the Kohler pedestal, but different. Classically good looking without calling attention to itself, and the right size. The Lutezia pedestal by Porcher.

Pedestal sinks

Things are cruising along toward the move. It's a continuing roller coaster so there are more folks coming to give us more estimates on necessary repairs. One minute we feel fine, and the next we're sick to our stomachs, and I expect that's perfectly normal.

We've talked about doing the hollywood bath sooner rather than later because we think having one updated bath might make the work on the rest of the house less of a long, hard slog. You may remember I'm planning on a white carrera 3X6 tile for the walls and shower, and I'd planned on a matching 1X2 herringbone mosaic for the floor.

Then I remembered a mosaic tile floor we had in a past house, and how I hated scrubbing all that grout. So I've changed my mind and am now planning on China Black marble (black with white veining) for the floor. 12X12 would be a good scale with the wall tile, but if I find it in something larger I'll give it a look.

So my question for you is on sinks. I'd planned to use a pair of Kohler's Memoirs pedestals and a matching toilet. Yes, I know you see them all the time. But do you know why you see them used a lot? Because they're graceful and good looking, and I think they'd be perfect in a marble bath.

However, getting back in there with a measuring tape, I'm not entirely sure the smallest Memoirs pedestal will fit. More measuring to do before I know for sure.

My question for you now is, in a fairly traditional feeling bathroom, do you think this pedestal could work?

It's from Porcher, and just about the perfect size to nestle into the corners on either side of the window. I like the design on it's own, and I think it could work perfectly in a classic marble bath, but I have a slight worry that it would be too stark, but then I also think the classic tile and the sleek pedistals might be a nice mix. Opinions please!

Roller coaster

Because Mrs. Bell's house was being sold as-is, when we made our offer Brett made sure that we could inspect and cancel if necessary. The inspection was this past Wednesday morning, and it was action-packed.

We knew there was plenty going on with this house that we'd have to address, but seeing it all spelled out on an inspection report, with a few things we hadn't noticed, was bracing. That said, things seemed to be moving along fine (I was taking pictures!) until they got down to the basement and crawl space (we have both).

I was chatting with Phyllis in the kitchen when Brett came upstairs and said "Ok theres a potential dealbreaker down there." The inspector found some water and was convinced that basically all three of the waste pipes under the house were rusted through. Huge deal.

Eventually they got to the fuse box (yes, fuse box) upstairs. The inspector said that it had wrong fuses in it and acted like it could pretty much burst into flames at any minute.

The sellers have stated clearly that they will be making no repairs, so staring down the barrel at these two large issues, along with an endless list of others, you can imagine how heartbroken we were. The only thing to do was to get professional plumbers and electricians there to assess the damage and make our decision then.

I went to work Thursday pretty much certain that the necessary repairs were going to be more than we could deal with right now. Until I got a text from Brett that said "Good news, call you in a bit." As it turns out, the plumber said it was no big deal. The water was coming from a foundation issue (which we knew about and are having repaired). He said "you're going to remodel arent you? We can replace the pipes then, it's fine for now." The story with the electrician was the same. He said it's perfectly safe for now, and when we're ready we can upgrade service and get breaker boxes all at once. No big deal.

Also, the two old furnaces and two not-quite-as-old air conditioners? Covered under a transferrable maintenance contract.

Everything is signed and returned, and it's our (worse for wear) baby now. I'll dedicate an entire post to the kitchen soon as promised, but for now a few shots of some fun and/or horrible things you haven't seen.

Here's the stove in all it's original glory. I can't say I haven't thought about having it restored. It's just that I've thought about a big stainless Wolf range more.

The flooring in the entry hall. Don't fall in love, it's gotta go, along with the asbestos tiles in every closet in the house.

Bedroom number three, which we refer to as the Blue Room. Half the paper is gone because it was falling off the walls, and what remains up seems to be seriously stuck.

The hollywood bath between bedrooms 2 and 3. Yes, the wallpaper is a chinoiserie design, no, sadly, there's no way to salvage. Inspector guy also said not to try using this shower!

The sink in the hollywood bath. There's room for two of these on either side of the window, and indeed there are two of the mirrored medicine cabinets, but for some reason there's just one sink with a big built-in vanity. There will be double sinks in here eventually, along with lots of marble and polished chrome. And who knows, maybe some new chinoiserie paper.

The powder room in all it's purple fixtured, bronze mirrored, fluorescently lit glory. There's a plan cooking for in here too, especially since I found good deals and free shipping on sleek Duravit fixtures on HomeClick.com.

The dining room, with the coved ceiling that first made me want the house. See all the windows? That's why I think I can get away with black walls here, as well as a pale blue ceiling.

Original barkcloth drapes. Everyone had disappeared when I was taking this so there was nobody to hold them open. It's a cityscape sort of pattern with buildings and trees. We'll be using them for a while as they're the only curtains that remain.

The coved ceiling in the double entry, shot through the doorway we plan to close up when we open up the wall. LOVE these ceilings, and love the ribbed glass, although we'll likely remove and salvage that for use somewhere else. It feels a bit congested now, and you know how I like open space.

A shot of the fireplace and bar, and the doorway to the entry. That dinner plate hardware will be visiting Hiles for some chrome plating and returning home. The bar cabinetry is shot, but rest assured a bar will be there again, with some mirrors and better lighting.

Armillary chandelier

I'm looking for something distinctive without being too off the wall. This is Eric Cohler for Visual Comfort. It says the finish is polished nickel, although looking at the picture I'd have to verify that. I think it needs black shades. 25" high, 35" in diameter. What do you think?

Welcome!

Alright, time for the interior reveal, starting with just the photos from the online listing. You may be horrified and that's okay, in it's current state it's kind of a mess. Hopefully though you'll be able to see that the bones are good. While there are changes we want to make, which I'll detail here, in large part its a matter of updating surfaces.


First, the entry:
It's a rectangular space, sort of made up of two square bays. If you look up towards the ceiling you'll see that there are two divided spaces with coved ceilings. There is lighting behind the crown, which is nice. What's not nice is the pony wall to your left with the scrolley iron and the planter. Originally I wanted the entire entry opened to the living room, but after a great deal of thinking and doodling I think it just needs to become three square columns that line up with the ceiling bays. Open, but with some visual separation. The entry to the family room is straight ahead, and should be closed up.


Living room:
So here is the living room. Wouldn't that end wall be better just being columns? You're also thinking "Why would you close up that entry to the family room?" Well, look to the left of the photo and you'll see that there's a huge picture window between the living and family rooms. Not an addition, the house was built this way, and this is the single thing about the house that Brett hates. I dislike it as well, and think it's the perfect spot to open up the wall. The rooms then would be open to each other, but with a bit of separation again. Yes, those are original barkcloth drapes, which will head to either eBay or the auction house. The planned paint color is a pale silvery gray.


Hungry? Here's the dining room:
Through the living room to the corner of the house is the dining room. Making an appearance again here is the coved ceiling with the backlit crown. This will eventually open to the kitchen, but that's last on a list that will take us years to get through, so we'll just treat it like we're keeping it that way for now. So much window and not much wall is the perfect opportunity for a black room. Flooring throughout will be refinished in a medium gray, all trim will be white. Also, Brett's not only on board with the black walls, but with painting the ceiling in here as well. I'm going to try a really pale gray blue. I've always wanted to do that, hopefully it works. And if not it's just paint.


Come on into the kitchen:
Sporting it's original metal cabinetry (and lots of it!) as well as it's original 1952 range, it's a flashback in black and white. Yes, they papered the ceiling. What's nice is that it's an eat-in kitchen, so there's already all the room needed to expand. The plan is to eventually open the kitchen to the dining room with large pocket doors so that the dining room becomes the eating area. Lots of people have mentioned keeping the kitchen as much in tact as possible, and uh, I can't. I need new cabinetry, more gray wood flooring, quartz counters, stainless appliances, and an island. Anyone who's in love with the vintage charm can have first crack at the cabinets as they're removed to the driveway.


Here's the other end of the L shaped kitchen, what was the eat-in area. We'll keep the functionality of the built-in, just in updated material. What we WILL reuse is the dinner plate-sized hardware. The french doors lead conveniently to the patio where we'll have to retrofit the built-in stone grill.

Back through the kitchen is the family room:

Retro fireplace anyone? How about one with a little bar built in next to it? The bar cabinetry needs updated (it's pretty beat), and that parquet has to become more gray hardwood to match everything else. Also, it's got a tile ceiling that will have to be dealt with. Should we happen onto a buttload of money we'd vault the ceiling in here and replace that picture window with three pairs of french doors. Until then we'll want to just fix the floor and cabinetry and get rid of the paneling.

Looking the other direction:

That cabinetry originally held a TV. Back when TVs were big monsters. So it's not only unnecessarily deep, but there's a walk in closet behind it. Also pretty beat, this will have to be replaced to match the bar. I'm thinking a gray-stained cerused oak. Also back there is the pink tiled half bath with the purple toilet and pedestal sink and smoked mirrors. When we get to bathrooms this will be the easiest to remedy, plus I like it's location sort of away from where people would tend to congregate.

Where the magic happens! The master:

There's not much to see, but it should give you an idea. The room is 14 by 18, with two large closets and a bath off the east end. Love love love the corner window, and even the integrated valance. Floors will be finished to match everything else, and we're planning on a pewtery gray, finely scaled grasscloth for in here. For drapes I've found a silver geometric fabric from Kravet that I love. I'm currently scouring the net to find at a discount.

There are two other bedrooms bookending a hollywood bath, and really all they need are the floors refinished and the walls de-papered and painted. Each has sliding closet doors that I'd prefer to convert to regular hinged doors in a modern, three panel design.

Finally, the back yard:

Hard to see much here. It's a nicely sized yard, needs a fence, and someday a pool. That building on the right is the garage, which along with a side entry is off the kitchen.

So there you go, the Befores of our new place. It'll take most of our time and all of our money, but eventually we should end up with a nice spot. I'll try not to let the blog be taken over by the mundane details of updating a house, but if anything interesting happens or I have any good After shots I'll be sure to share.

Homeless!

I'll be go to hell, Chez Malaise is under contract.

It came about quickly and we're still a little bit in shock, but it's good news all in all. Phyllis is in New York visiting her kids, so there have been calls and texts and faxes and emails, but it's all signed now.

Up next are inspections of course, but we know what needs attention and those few things will be repaired even before the inspectors arrive. The thing now is that closing happens at the end of October, so we've got to figure out where we're going.

The house we love is still available, but we've run the numbers and it's not looking good. There may be an offer made, but likely not one they're going to take. Then again I don't think either of us were really expecting to sell at this point so one never knows.

The moment we had an offer we were both all over the online listings, and the nice surprise is that there are others we're interested in seeing. We'll be doing just that this Sunday, followed by the getting started on the packing. It seems early in some ways, but in others all I can think is "30 days."

Cross your fingers for us, and if you're in town and run across something you think we should see let me know!

Grey floors

We've had a few showings lately here, which is good news. The house we want to buy is still available as well, and I'm starting to wonder (foolishly perhaps) if something isn't afoot. Are the real estate gods conspiring to put us somewhere new? Is that somewhere the place we hope? There's no way to know of course, but in case it is, we can prepare.

As I've been reworking that house in my head, a task that will take years to complete unless we happen onto a pile of cash, there are two issues I've been unsure how to handle. The first problem is a pair of walls, one which should (and I believe can) go away, and the other which should change. I can't explain it coherently here without drawings, but I've figured out what we'd need to do.

The second problem is the floor. I hate broken up floors, which is what this house has. Stone in the entry, parquet straight ahead, hardwood to the left and right, and eventually linoleum in the kitchen and a different tile in each of the 2.5 baths. Looking at photos I discovered that a quirk of the house could be the saving grace for my floors.

The family that lived in this house for all but the first two years of its existance owned a carpet business. As such, the living and dining rooms, as well as the hall and bedrooms were always covered in wall-to-wall. And under that carpet, the original oak flooring was never finished. It's there now, raw as the day it was installed.

More importantly, it's a standard three inch oak plank, still available today. Which means that the stone entry and the "family room" parquet can be easily replaced. Same for the kitchen. I don't know what's under the lino, but if necessary I can install what I need. I can even run it into the powder room, a far better answer than the pink mosaic you'd find there today.

The photo above is an engineered wood from Berti. I'm not a fan of engineered wood, but this is exactly the color I have in mind. One unbroken surface of grey-stained, satin-finished oak, as far as the eye can see.

This warm neutral ground also helps me in the kitchen, where I want dark base cabinets. A lighter floor means those cabinets won't blend in and disappear.

We'd end up with exactly two flooring materials in our home, an idea which appeals to me greatly. The master and second full bath get a carrera marble herringbone mosaic bordered in six inches of China Black marble. Everything else is warm grey wood.

Taking a break from the hand-wringing

Nobody has bought this pile, I mean scheduled a showing here at our comfortable home, in the last week and it's gotten kind of maddening. We're on the realtor tour this Tuesday, so hopefully we'll see some traffic from that. In the interim I'm perking myself up with some fantasy decorating. This time, the living room. All photos courtesy of the Baker website.

The house currently has a living and family room, divided by an interior wall that for some reason contains a large picture window, complete with it's original barkcloth drapes. We'll take that out, as well as the half walls that separate the entry from the living room, leaving one large space. There's a floor-to-ceiling panel of ribbed glass that divides the entry in half, and we'll reposition it to the left of the front door to visually separate the entry. Moving a closet in one of the front bedrooms leaves us with a perfectly rectangular entry, and to the right we'll place Baker's Chinoiserie Cabinet.
At the front of the house there's a large picture window, which should be replaced with something even larger, with oversized panes and a steel frame. In front of that we'll position a pair of Barbara Barry's reeded base sofas. Other than a shade of gray I haven't decided on fabric.

Between the sofas, Jaques Garcia's scroll cocktail table. You know how I love greek key.

And down toward the arch into the dining room, another small conversation area made up of a pair of the Architype collection tub chair. These covered in my perennial favorite, charcoal mohair velvet.

Finally, straight ahead from the entry, in the former family room, is a flat wall of stone that contains the fireplace. The perfect spot for lounge chairs. I love the shape of the Jacques Garcia Tuilleries chair. He has one called the Sorbonne chair that has an even funkier wing, but I think this would be the most comfortable for reading by the fire with schnauzers snoozing at my feet. Definitely in black leather.

Opposite the fireplace wall there's a wall of built-ins that we'll resize to fit a television and components. A small sectional should work there as we plan to open up the back wall of the house with three pairs of french doors out to the patio. I haven't found a sectional I think is perfect so I'll keep looking for that.

Your assignment for the week: think "Sell!"

Confidential to Boyfriend

Let's move. Westover Road between Ward Parkway and Wornall. Obscenely expensive, totally worth it. I'll even mow the (expansive) lawn.