Black tile / White Flag

Yes, we'll try most anything, but more importantly we know when to call in the professional. Bill's back, and we have a new entry way floor to show for it. Gone is the old scrap marble, and in its place is black slate. The old marble was in concrete so there was a jackhammer and some beefing up of the old floor joists and a huge mess in the basement, but this is WAY better. And it goes into the closet because I'm one of those "fewer flooring materials the better" guys.

The white flag part comes in with the bathroom. It was taking us forever, it was time. He started on that today as shown below.

And then our french door and new window are in (so excited!), so he'll install those in the family room when he's done with this tile.

This freed Brett and I up to work on our landscaping. We've started installing edging and a small boxwood border and the maple from a few posts ago. Today we put in a little mugo pine, a pair of artemesia, a pair of reed grasses and started installing weed cloth. We bought some more boxwoods to continue the border but they're not going in until later this week, we were beat.

Bullet dodged

Photo credit: Scott Cook via KSHB weather blog

I think this photo has had the color adjusted, but the cloud formations absolutely happened. I know because I was watching from my office on the 32nd floor of the second tall building from the right edge. It didn't look quite this green from my vantage point but it was seriously dark. I was in a meeting when the sirens went off, followed by the severe weather app on my phone. (Weather Alert USA, $3.99 from the App Store and totally worth it)

Shortly after that our COO stuck his head in the conference room and said "everyone to the stairwell!" The next hour and a half or so was spent milling around in the interior hallway, elevator lobby and stairwell with my phone watching the radar map and listening to National Weather Service radio before finally walking down 31 floors. Shortly after that it all passed and the sun came out. Totally strange.

The Rapture was a bust, so we landscaped

I read an early morning tweet from someone in New Zealand that said they were all still there, so we decided the Rapture must have been scratched. Its a shame too because the weather was beautiful, perfect for heavenly ascention.

Not perfect was Friday, when I took these first two pictures showing the enormous overgrown yews:
And the enormous overgrown yews coming out.

Here is our new Crimson Sentry Norway Maple shortly after we got it in the ground. We're in love with the color and the fact that it grows in a more columnar shape. The house is heavy on horizontals so we're trying to put in plenty of verticals.

And here you can see the beginning of the bed liner and the little boxwoods that will eventually become a low square hedge.

Weed cloth and mulch are coming soon. Hopefully the weather holds on Monday so the tree guys can come back and get everything finished.

We've been to the nursery a number of times and have found a variety of pines, both tall and tree-like as well as smaller and bushy, that we're planning to use. (There's a very odd dwarf cedar at Family Tree that I think I have to have too. The foliage is corded, it looks like a big green mop.)

I've also been to House of Rock which has some good smallish boulders, and Van Lieus, which has very good pricing on Japanese outdoor lanters. Hopefully there's more to show soon.

Regrets only

I'm a bit late here because I don't read fundamentalist Christian websites. I found out today that on April 29th vehemently anti-gay "pastor" Scott Lively wrote us a letter entitled "My RSVP to LGBT." Us as in the gays. All of us. (In case you didn't know, that LGBT stands for Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgendered. So clever.) It's long-winded and chock-full of chapter-and-verse justification, but it basically says we should repent. There's a hint of the usual "love the sinner, hate the sin" thing that we always get and a bit of "I've sinned too" as well.

It kills me to link, but should you be interested enough to take a look you'll find it here.

As a good-mannered gay I've looked around to see if anyone responded, and I don't find that anyone has. So I will.

Mr. Lively,

Thank you for your recent note inviting us to repent. You obviously spent a great deal of time composing it, and I know that you have little to spare with all your work convincing East African governments that loving someone of the same sex should be a capital offense.

I can't speak for all of the gays as I haven't personally talked to everyone, but among those I have chatted with the general consensus is either that the bible is open to interpretation, or is not actually the word of god. Another salient point raised by more than one of us is that our eternal salvation is our business and definitely not yours.

That last point leads me to a question which I've always wanted to ask: If we're not going to change our ways (and clearly we're not), and you believe (which you clearly do) that we're going to spend eternity in a firey hell of unimagineable agony, wouldn't a Christian response be to support our safety and security in this lifetime? You don't have to love us. Indeed I sleep just fine knowing you believe my 13+ year relationship both displeases god and will bring about the eventual fall of civilization. Couldn't you just stand aside, perhaps read one of those Left Behind books, and just let us live our lives with the rights and dignity you enjoy? Couldn't we all just live the way that feels right for ourselves? And when the afterlife finally arrives we can play whatever hand we're dealt. Wouldn't that be fair?

Sincerely,

David (for a bunch of the gays)

Chipper

Earlier this week we had trees along the street trimmed up as they'd grown down to where it was hard to walk down the sidewalk. A different arborist (we split the job between two) and his crew are here again this morning. The dying tree on the corner is down and being fed into the chipper. Lines are up in the enormous oak in the back yard to clean up the trunk and ventilate the top. Crew chief is mowing down the overgrown yews that ring the house. Soon the monster magnolia will be trimmed back and ventilated.

We look less like the Munsters house every minute. THRILLED.

***UPDATE*** They got a good start but have been rained out. To be continued Monday...

Its an Airstream with a tortilla press

Food trucks aren't a new phenomenon, but they are kind of new for Kansas City. I follow a few on the Facebook and Twitter, which is how most of them let everyone know where they'll be.

Tonight we tried Port Fonda, which was parked downtown doing their mexican street food.

Local and organic and handmade, from a vintage Airstream. I was kind of far down the street when I took this, you can't see Brett there in line asking if they had dessert (they didn't tonight).

Brett had the carnitas, I had the chicken livers and pipian rojo, all on handmade tortilla, washed down with Mexican Cokes. We both liked our dinner a lot and I'm already looking forward to going back. Its in the 50s tonight so we ate in the car. When it's warm enough to eat out on the sidewalk I bet its even better.

The other cool thing is that the Airstream has a chef's table. By reservation, groups of six can hang out in the trailer, watch the cooking as well as whatever's going on out on the street, have some drinks (byob) and fill up on a family style taco spread. We're trying to figure out the perfect occasion to give that a try.

13 bears, a big dog, one pot-bellied pig, and a raccoon

Enjoy your weekend!

Baughman on the Bay

I love to type Milo Baughman into the search box on eBay. You always get a few things you've seen and loved, and sometimes you get something new.

Twill wouldn't necessarily have been my choice for this but it's simple and I don't hate it at all. I love that its white. The Buy It Now is pretty steep but you could make an offer. Here.

Then you'd need a spot to set your drink. Wouldn't one of these pull up nicely? Plus you get an extra to use somewhere else. Then when you feel the need to move things around you've got a pair. Here.

The Contender

I've owned a number of sofas, I think they may be the single most difficult piece of furniture to choose. I've never owned one I really loved, but I've learned along the way. Rolled arms take up too much room. Slipcovers always look like an unmade bed. Dark brushed fabrics fade and show stains. Chenille fabrics look and feel good as a swatch but don't live the way you'd like.


Which brings us to the sofa above, the Beckett sofa by Bernhardt Interiors.


This is a contender. First and foremost is the look, kind of a streamlined chesterfield. Next and just as important is the size. At 83 inches it will center nicely on my 9 foot media wall.


I know I've bitched about the cheap furniture wasteland that is Nebraska Furniture Mart, but knowing their Design Gallery carries Bernhardt we went to take a look. They didn't have this frame on display but there was a similar one and it sat nicely. There were a number of good fabrics to choose from and strangely they're all one grade and price. And finally was their price, which was shockingly less than I was expecting.


I also learned that they sell American Leather. I had her quote the Rex bench that I'd like in front of the fireplace and they're about 400 bucks under the quote I got from Black Bamboo. Yes, I'd prefer to support the independent retailer, but I need a house full of furniture so I've got to save where I can.


The only sad news was that Henredon's Warren dining table appears to be discontinued and I haven't seen anything else I like as much.

So, has anyone owned a Bernhardt sofa? I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say.

What it looks like

Just in case you're interested, this is the view from our new lobby looking out from the receptionists desk. My boss picked the finishes and did a beautiful job. The white wall is a wood panel product of undulating waves with a glossy white finish. The wall behind the receptionists desk is this too, with verticle glass panels on either side and our logo in steel embedded in the panels.

Exhausted

My office moved this past week, and as I work in Operations it was our big show. Think about your last move, only imagine there are 130 people in your family, and you lived in your last place for a decade.

Back with something interesting as soon as I'm recovered.

Wall tile

We started on wall tile today! Had we remembered to buy a rotozip to cut some holes for those pipes to slip through we might have more to show, but I'm thrilled that we made the progress we did.

Colored Ceilings

We're going with a very pale grey for our ceilings throughout the house, but in the entry and dining rooms we have some very cool old backlit coved ceilings. I gave this pale turquoise a shot and we really like it. (pardon my tape there) I can't wait to do the dining room now.

I'm very nearly floored

Bill was here yesterday and today, and fingers are crossed that he'll be back tomorrow. He goes back to work on Monday so his availability is about to plummet. Flooring has hit the home stretch! Here's a shot of what we started with. Sad old, worn parquet with a bit of old termite damage over in the corner by the patio door. And now, oak plank running continuously from the living room into this room!

Yes, there's plenty left. We've had one floor finishing quote and Tuesday afternoon the cute french guy who redid the bedroom floor is coming to quote . Also Tuesday a window guy is coming. If we can resolve the replacements for the patio door and awful picture window then this room will be close to done.

I can't wait to be paneling free.

China Black

You thought we abandoned the bathroom project didn't you. Turns out it was a good weekend for getting things done. While I was priming and painting new drywall Brett was slaving away mixing mortar and setting floor tile. And that green is waterproofing, not a wall color. Originally we'd planned to lay this on a 45 degree angle because I think that usually looks better. As we were measuring we got to looking and decided that with the black tile and black grout it wasn't going to make all that much difference. Now that theres a big spot of it down I like the way it looks and I'm glad we switched gears. More to come!

Full strength

Chris got the photo for me (thank you Chris!) so you can see this little side table from yesterday's post without squinting. Wouldn't it be nice by a chair or in a stray corner? $179 at Urban Outfitters. If it goes on sale its mine.

Industrial Strength

The living room/family room project isn't anywhere near done (but there's progress!), and when it is its going to be a while before its furnished, but I'm already thinking. I found this great tufted tight-back sofa at Neiman Marcus. No, I probably wouldn't buy a sofa at Neimans, but I like this one a lot. When it comes time I'll have to figure out who makes this frame.
And a white garden stool from Williams Sonoma Home. I can't resist cane pattern.

But you know how I like a mix. A little industrial sounds good, doesn't it? I've got the perfect spot for a pair of these, the Decker Bookshelf from Anthropologie. I love that they have drawers.

And in front of that velvet sofa, some rough wood. Like this coffee table from Environment Furniture.

And at 15" by 29", this little Iron Strap Table from Urban Outfitters could tuck in next to a chair or anywhere.

And UO, I'm telling folks about your product, let me grab the damn full-size photo rather than the thumbnail. Big picture here.

Call me

I inquired about some grasscloth, found it was available, and she said she'd call me back with pricing within the hour. That was Wednesday.

Last Friday I sent a sample off to have some paint matched. I included my email and mobile number so they could get my credit card. Nothing so far.

Retailers, I got money to spend if you'll just help me out.

Slightly unrelated, mud and tape have begun here. Pray that I weather the impending dust storm.

***Update*** The paint guy called me, order complete!

I wish this were Tom Colicchio's new restaurant

Photo credit: JoeMyGod

Sadly it's just a restaurant in need of some sign maintenance. Shame.

Waterworks Tile

I was wondering around the Waterworks website. I love a white crackle glaze, especially on a field tile with a raised chinoiserie pattern.
There were a crazy amount of trim options, this was my favorite, although they were all really good.

I'm sure pricing is pee-your-pants high, but you know I'm trying to figure out where I could fit a few square feet.

The Lull

There has been a whole lot of nothing going on with the current entry/living room/family room project for the last week or so. Bill came to finish the drywall, with the exception of a few little pieces that I can't understand why he didn't put up. The Phantom Drywaller, or Steve, who does the mud and tape has bid, and we've said go, but I have no clue when that is supposed to occur. I will be texting Bill tomorrow, a call might reveal that I'm mildly annoyed.

This shot doesn't show the floor, so you can't see where the partial walls used to be. You'll have to trust me when I say it's WAY more open now. That opening in front of the front door alone used to have a 2 foot wide pane of ribbed glass narrowing the space. Its way less congested now. We also have some gorgeous black slate tile to replace the scrap marble there now. We got enough to continue it into the closet. Wet shoes? No worries.

Yes, you're wondering why the electrical box is there. Well, that used to be a closet behind a wall of cabinetry, and framing out and drywalling around it was the most simple solution. The soon to be burnt orange sideboard will likely go in that spot with some art or a mirror or something over it so it will be accessable but not in view. Speaking of that furniture, I got my chrome ring pulls from the place Jenny suggested (lookintheattic.com). They're very nice, the perfect size, and exactly what I wanted.

The other thing this picture shows is the absence of the parquet floor. I'm glad its gone and I'm looking forward to the oak plank coming soon. I'm not thrilled about the nails Bill missed. We have a dog for Christ's sake. A dog we adore. He's been very good about staying out of there but tomorrow we'll get down with our hammers and remove the danger in spite of the fact we paid for demo. Yes, mildly annoyed.

Looking from the living room into the family/tv room, here's the front of what we call the "media wall." The tv will mount on the back side. SO much better than an 11 foot picture window. Also, removing the header over the hallway was a small detail with a big impact. The hall gets more light and somehow seems less long.

There's the media wall from the tv side. You can also see where the bar next to the fireplace used to be. Its not as deep as it was and has sheetrock now, and some built in shelving or cabinetry sometime in the future. Way better.

And that closet in the hall you can see through the opening? Those doors are gone, as are the scentless cedar planks that lined the walls, and the laundry chute. I did leave the cedar on the ceiling for texture. One of those fun little details you'll never see. Holes are filled and I'll be sanding and priming the walls and ceiling and then painting. We need to order new doors for that and the entry closet.

That's it for now, hopefully there will be something new to show soon. Enjoy the tournament if you're watching. My bracket is already shot but my Jayhawks won!

Glee-ful

Finally. Can I get a hell yeah?

Naked

We have no window coverings in the public half of the house. Walk by and those naked windows let you see pretty much right through. So I've been looking at fabric and trying to figure out what to do. First up, some sort of curtains for the big picture window in front. (Yes, the picture window will go, eventually becoming a row of casements, but the total size stays the same)

I know generally what I'm looking for in fabric. A little bit of pattern, a little darker than the pale gray paint waiting to go up on the walls. Something like Schumacher's Silk Fret (above), which is perfect except for the Schumacher price.

What I'm not sure about is the kind of curtain. I know I don't want blinds or shades, and Brett nor I are fans of sheers. My default is a simple pleated curtain on a fat chrome rod. Have you seen anything else you think I should consider?

Fair and balanced and spelled incorrectly.

Via Sly Oyster

Things I found, and a "what would you do?"

I've spent a lot of time the last couple of weeks sweeping, shop vac'ing, dusting, and dragging construction debris to the dumpster in the driveway. When not doing those things however, I've been window shopping online.

If you need a pair of interesting sconces I present the Fortune Teller Sconce. Made by Global Views (yeah, they make a lot of things I like), you could buy them for $435 a piece from Horchow, or you could get them on eBay for $250, here. I wish I had a spot, but I don't.

From this week's online sales (Gilt or OneKingsLane, I forget which) I discovered Environment Furniture and their Campinas Console. I've got the spot but not the money (even though its not outrageously priced) so I may try to build this if I can find some reclaimed lumber to face it with. And should the math become too much for me (which could totally happen) Bill builds furniture!

And finally, a little success on eBay, and my dilemma.

I've been watching West German pottery lately and was totally taken with the simple shape and red-orange glaze of this little pot. It had been running with a Buy It Now over $100, and then another $40 for shipping from Switzerland.

That was all way too much for me, but I kept it on my watch list. Sure enough, the Buy It Now came down and it went on a 7 day auction starting at $19.99. I tossed out a 20 buck bid, won, and Paypal'd the seller.

A few days later I received two emails explaining how between the start and the end of the auction Swiss postal rates had changed, and that while the package had been shipped, the cost was $13 more. A third message followed shortly explaining that paying the extra shipping was my choice, but that they were a non-profit and would have a difficult time making up the loss.

I'm not inclined to pay any more shipping, and here's why: I've sent a small piece of pottery, a Royal Copenhagen bowl in fact, to Germany for 20 bucks. I've also sent a heavy Ralph Lauren coat to Australia for $27. I dont know Swiss postal rates but $40 seems high to me, unless the promised careful packing involved an enormous box.

I've also miscalculated shipping on things I've sold, and to maintain my 100 percent perfect feed back I've eaten it. Once to the tune of 50 bucks. I just don't think you change things after the auction ends.

And finally, if you were a non-profit using eBay as a fundraiser, wouldn't you mention that in your auction listing? I would.

I don't think there's anything to be gained by responding. If the pot arrives in good shape I'll leave positive feedback and be done.

What would you do?

The first Saturday in March

I'm exhausted, there couldn't have been more packed into the weekend.

The AIDSWalk Open, our annual putt-putt pub crawl kicked things off Saturday morning at 10am. Cindy was determined to buy me a drink so the shot of Kahlua I requested went right into the coffee I was still nursing from breakfast. Would enjoying that every morning be a problem?

We were highly efficient covering all the holes in the Westport entertainment district, including our favorite at Morning Glory Antiques. It had a Studio 54 theme, lots of mirror balls and silver glitter, and the best obstacle of day: Members of the KC Wave swim team, in Speedos, on a swing hanging from the ceiling over the green. Why I didn't take a phone pic of the adorable boy dangling overhead in his banana hammock I don't know. Actually I do know. I was preoccupied. Note to self: attend more swim meets.

After a bloody mary and lunch and finishing the 3 holes not in Westport Brett and I were off to Kincaid's. As you know our entry has an opening into the living room where there used to be a planter and scrolly wrought iron. Bill is changing the size of that opening to accomodate the piece of antique Chinese lattice we bought. It's a plain grid pattern rather than anything more intricate, but I think that makes it feel a bit more contemporary, which I like. I'll have photos after I figure some sort of floating mount for Bill to pull off. If you've ever had to do anything like this I'd love to hear how you did it. The lattice frame is about an inch and a half thick.

By now you're wondering what's up with the paint chips above. In anticipation of our new room I've nailed down the details on what I'm going to do with that Henredon sideboard we bought a while back. I'm going to give the Fine Paints of Europe sign lacquer a try. And as a foil to all the neutral walls and floors (and future upholstery), I'm painting it burnt orange. Benjamin Moore's Fireball Orange was a strong contender, as was Navajo Red, but the winner is Orange Copper from Dulux. It's the big chip, sorry about the flash glare.

And for hardware, a simple three-inch ring pull in polished chrome,from Look In the Attic dot com, here.

I spent today browsing Nell Hills looking at rugs and an enormous wall mirror, also hitting up a new thrift store to see if there was any good project furniture (there wasn't). The living and family rooms are moving along and all I can think is that I'm going to have big empty spaces to fill very soon. Pictures of that progress later this week.

Dusty!

Alex says "What the hell? Our ceiling is gone..."

Dirt and dust everywhere.

It'll all be done soon, and we'll clean. Then the floors will get sanded down and refinished, and we'll clean again. And then we'll start decorating, and that'll be fun. Hang in there Alex.

Expansive

So you'll remember these before shots from when we moved. First, from the entry, which was sort of made up of two "bays" divided by a half wall (with wrought iron and a planter!) and a panel of ribbed glass that did nothing more than narrow the space you walk through. Once through the first bay you could go right, down the hall to the bedrooms, left through another archway to the living room, or straight through a pair of double doors into the panel-clad family room.
You can still go any of those directions, but you won't be contending with many walls now. That in-the-way ribbed glass is gone, as is the scrolly iron and planter. That opening is getting changed a bit, and eventually filled in. In fact, the entire second "bay" is gone, and is part of the living room. You can see the header over the hallway is on its way out as well. Long spans of uninterrupted ceiling. Oh, and those big studs? A fat wall that will hold the tv mount on the family room side. With big openings in the wall on either side.

On the left of this shot you can see the interior picture window. Yes, nearly 11 feet long, smack in the middle of the house. With curtains no less. You'll also see an entire wall of cabinetry that housed the TV back when TVs were really deep. So the closet behind the cabinetry was worthless. Oh, and since it was opposite the fireplace you could never easily enjoy both.

Now, all gone! It adds nearly 28 square feet to the room, minus that little corner we need to deal with. (Furnace venting, but I need it to move as its impinging on my layout for a pair of french doors and new windows) Those three old studs sticking up at the bottom are where the window used to be, and now where the fat studs in the above photo are located.

I hope that gives you a little idea of how we combined the rooms, trying to open them to each other but still keep a bit of separateness. More framing has happened, in fact the entire center wall is done as is the wall to the left where you see the electrical panel.

This week will be exciting. The dumpster arrives tomorrow (we've got a mountain of debris on the patio), and then Bill will demo the family room ceiling. The electricians will be in on Wednesday to install all the new lights/outlets/switches. Bill will likely demo the parquet then as well and then hang the new drywall ceiling. And if the rain and ice and snow ever stop Bill can go pick up the new oak plank and get that put down.

I'll get more pictures posted when the drywall goes up. I can't wait to paint!

Construction update

So what has happened this week? The media wall and surrounding partial walls have been built where the old interior picture window used to be. The old tv cabinetry wall and worthless closet are gone and a new wall has been framed in its place. Assorted other tear out has happened, just part of the entry and the whole north wall of the living room left to go.

The dumpster will be delivered Monday morning so we can move the mountain of debris off the patio. The family room ceiling comes down Monday or Tuesday, and the electricians are coming Wednesday to rewire everything and install lighting.

Bill will be back in to put up the new drywall ceiling and walls, and also remove the old crumbling parquet and install the new oak plank. Which may not be stained for a bit because we're thinking if they're here they might as well refinish everything, hallway, entry, living/family room and dining room.

Photos soon.

In happier news

The entire middle third of our house has been demo'd!

We live in crazy times

In addition to the Wisconsin union busting, Iowa and Nebraska are seeing bills introduced by their teabaggers that will grant civil and criminal immunity to those who use deadly force to prevent an abortion. Oh, and allow anyone who is arrested for using said deadly force to sue the police.

Because the assault on women's reproductive rights isn't enough. We must ensure those who attempt to kill providers don't pay for their crimes.

America has lost its mind.

The perfect carpet

Chris had a post about Michael S. Smith in Architectural Digest recently, discussing his use of pairs of accessories. What stopped me in my tracks though was this carpet. Source? Anyone?

What's new

Remember I was looking for the Austin Productions copy of this statue from the V&A? Google finally gave it up at a gallery in Seattle. I emailed today to find out how to purchase. I'm kind of excited as it was one of my favorite things at the museum. Brett's mildly worried because we have an aquaintance who has a copy of Michaelangelo's David in every room of his house, but I've assured him I'll never let that happen. (If we ever get together for drinks remind me to tell you the story of the aquaintance's new hot tub, the shorty robes we were given to change into, and my uncontrollable laughter.)

But that isn't the big news. The big news is that there might actually be a nice place to put it sometime soon. Super Carpenter Bill is back, and we've given him quite a list:
-open up wall between living and family rooms
-build media wall between living and family rooms
-new family room ceiling (bye bye asbestos tile!)
-new family room floor (goodbye sad old parquet, hello oak plank to match the living room!)
-demo old bar and frame for future built-ins
-replace family room paneling (ick!) with new drywall
-open up entry, removing a myriad of odd partial walls
-demo old television cabinetry and closet, adding 4 feet to the room
And with any luck, hello two new french doors and new windows looking out to the patio.

So in addition to continuing work in the bathroom, Presidents Day weekend will involve emptying out the living and family rooms as well as the entry and hall closets, and making ourselves a temporary living room in...the master bedroom.

I'll post some refresher before shots when we get everything emptied out, and then I should have some fun "during" shots when he really gets going in a couple weeks.

Wish us luck!

Maison21 needs you

A friend of Christian's has taken in this gorgeous boy, but he needs a permanent home. Full info is here. I'd take him in a second if I had any way of knowing he and Alex would get on. If you're not in the market please pass this on to anyone you know who might be. Look at that face, somebody is gonna hit the jackpot.