I apologize to Good Taste for I have offended it!

To paint or stain?

That was NOT the question I asked myself about updating our oak staircase. To paint the treads would be a job half done. I will put in the time to strip and sand the treads in order to stain them to match (as closely as is humanly possible) the Brazilian Teak which will go down on the floor.

Teaser photo:

Isn't this staircase absolutely gorgeous?!

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Obviously not my staircase but probably the most beautiful I've even come across.


Anyhoo...

When we bought the house one of the selling features for me was the oak staircase. I am not a fan of carpeting. Everyone in our family has stock in Puffs with lotion because of dust; so, 'carpet begone', said I of the faded rose runner up the stairs.

Fast forward 3 years (omg?!) and the stairs are sans carpet but remain the same 'honey oak' as when we purchased them. I hang my head in shame. I should have done something about them at least 2 years ago. 

I apologize to 'good taste' for I have offended it!

So I now blog to you, dear readers, with wrinkled fingers (*nb* latex does NOT stand up to stripper). I promise to have the stairs stripped and sanded by the end of this week come Hell or high water! I've stripped and sanded 2 treads this afternoon to see how I fair. All is well other than needing new thicker gloves.

There are, wait I have to go count....

....

11 more stair treads to do which I feel confident I can get done in 2 days...spread out over this week...'cus, you know, life and shit.

*bisous*

Dane

p.s. If anyone has used paint and varnish strippers and can tell me of one that works better than Min Wax...do tell! 


*Sept. 26, 2011* Update:


Stairs are moving forward! I've now begun prepping the risers, banisters and posts.

A Kitchen Trend I Can Totally Get In To

I've got the itch for a couple of tall wing chairs for my kitchen. Talk about comfy for that first coffee in the morning or tea in the evening.

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I love the height of this chair I found on Kijiji but unfortunately they only have one and I need a pair...for my kitchen of course!

Bedroom Make Over

I've been absent for 3 months! Time really does fly when you are having fun. Hopefully you will forgive my absence, due to summer vacation. Yes, I do appreciate having such an extended time off in the summer. We were in South Carolina for the largest part of the summer. Waking up on the ocean is wonderful!

Alas, we are home, Steve's back to work and the kids are off to school tomorrow. Yippy on the school! The Boy is going in to French Immersion Grade 1 so he'll be in school 5 days/week now. Lot's of time for me to get working!

Remember my ensuite bathroom reno? Remember we gutted the bathroom, hallway and 2 walk-in closets? Well, I've got some photos and corresponding info to update you all with. That will be later in the week so please check back next weekend for the post.

We have made the life altering decision to move to a small horse farm. So long bedroom community! We are looking in the Port Hope area which is the prettiest town East of Toronto. It is artsy, stylish, has a vibrant gay community and is pet friendly on the beach all of which are important in the community we choose to raise the children in.

So I have been busy redesigning our kitchen for a mini reno, helping with the plastering and sanding of drywall, ordering NuHeat radiant flooring, picking up truckloads of tile and of course selecting colours to paint.

I'm excited about the colours I've selected for our Master Suite. For the walls: F&B Dimity and for the trim: Tanners Brown. Ceiling will likely be Archive or Joa's White. I've got more sanding to do in the ensuite and dressing room so I can't start painting for a while. As soon as I can, I'll have photos for you to get a peak!

Till then, enjoy some loveliness in Dimity as well as Tanners Brown!

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Dimity on ceiling, Archive on trim and Hague Blue on walls.

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Dimity on walls and ceiling.

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Tanners brown

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Tanners Brown although over exposed photography :/

Elle Decor Modern Showhouse: Study By Sara Story

I must confess I found the study by Sara Story to be weak. The Venetian plaster walls and ceiling were stunning with the addition of the decorative paint details but I found the space to be under utilized and therefore not at all functional...as a study. 


The main space had a daybed with occasional tables around it and the closet in the room was made in to a nook to do makeup...or serve drinks...sort of; which I'll explain soon. 


There was nothing functional to convey this was a study. The daybed made it feel like was designed for occasional guests to sleep over but there was nothing functioning to hold or place 'study' type things like bookcases/etageres etc. for books, files and no workspace for a laptop. 


There was a desk in the closet but it was styled for doing makeup, well it had a small mirror but then it also had a tray with aperitif crystal glasses and what looked like a decorative dispensor. As odd as the styling was, it was not at all suitable for doing makeup (inadequate lighting...an uplight...and red paint in the closet).


The room seemed it should be off of an ensuite bathroom or closet.


There was also the drapery which made the room unbalanced. They were beautiful lined golden dupioni silk but the left side of the room had them wrapping around a bulkhead, so at least 3 panels wide; however they were not meant to be closed. Then on the right side there was one panel which was not to be closed. 


Although the study had some really beautiful elements it fell short on meeting the design requirements. The other rooms in the apartment where cohesive and displayed a personality type that was very much *not* like the person Sara created the study for. So I was disappointed with the study.


However, do not take my word for it. Below are photos I took so you can decide for yourself. Please, let us know your thoughts! Yes, I'm *that* close to begging for comments ;)

Even the Best Make Mistakes - Albert Hadley

Very few admit it. Albert Hadley is one of the few who very freely admits it when he hasn't achieved his design goals. 


While being interviewed by Christopher Mason for the NY Times Hadley motioned to the concrete walls of his own Upper East Side apartment and commented:

One of the first projects Hadley worked with Sister Parish on was for the Bronfman's. It was to be a true Sis Parish design with lots of Chintz until, that is, the Bronfmans vacationed in Mexico. They sent a telegram to the Parish-Hadley firm with the message: "Stop all work. We want a floating apartment." Now this apartment was at 740 Park Avenue:

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It wasn't working, until Parish sourced eighteenth century furniture for the space: 

“The chairs became like sculptures, and it was fantastic. That was a big turning point in Sis’s thought process. It was a challenge. I could never have done what I did without Sis. And she couldn’t have done what she did without me.”

Another project that had a mis-step Hadley recalls with humour was at another Park Avenue apartment. The drawing room had a Regence chandelier with real candles. At a glamorous party thrown to 'inagurate' the room:

“the air-conditioning was going full blast and the candles spilled all over the guests,” Hadley recalls, “and that was the end of that.”

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I've made mistakes myself. The worst to date which Steve will never let me live down was a chair rail I painted in an old apartment. The walls where painted eggplant when I moved in and the chair rail was a dull creamy colour. I wanted colour! I loved lime green with eggplant so I went out and got a can of what I thought would bring a hit of colour to the space. 

Now, lime green is much like yellow when you paint it on the walls:  it is amplified 100 times and I was mortified. My hit of lime turned out to be  neon bright. I know now what I did wrong...but I had no idea at the time what was wrong with the colour I'd chosen.  

What is your worst design mistake?

Antiquing Finds & Tea with Barbara Barry

I'm so excited to share a couple of the items I found when I stopped in to a (new to me) local Antique Shop, Harvest Antiques in Hampton, Otario. They have 18,000 square feet of antiques spread out over 2 barns (2 floors each) as well as another building with the 'girly' stuff and chandeliers.


I usually try to avoid Antiquing because it can become very expensive for me...very quickly.


But I was good today and behaved ;) 


I'm head over heels in love with the tea cup and saucer I found. They are marked Bell Fine Bone China England. The deets I've found: they where made in Staffordshire by Shore & Coggins of Longton, who also produced the Queen Anne Mark, who produced from 1911 to 1966. The mark on the bottom of my sweet new set predates the mark in use from 1936-1966. But what I love about them is the pink coral pattern and doily edging. 

How cute is that pattern?!

My second find is the interesting plate under my tea set. Again, I love the pattern. It is so unique. I don't know if it is for decorative purposes only but that's ok. I'm planning on using it for display. 


The deets on the plate:
Mark is 'Ridgways England, Royal Semi Porcelain' which was manufactured by Bedford Works, Shelton, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent (my guess this is somewhere in England). The date for the mark as it is on my plate was used from 1912 on...till I don't know when.

Isn't the pattern great?! I love the black and white graphic used in combination with the illustrations of India. The photo doesn't do justice to the pink sky. 


I enjoyed a cup of licorice spice herbal tea as I worked on this post. I'm going to have to get myself a box of Barbara Barry's new tisane (an herbal tea) Citrine which she created for Tea Leaves. I was fortunate enough to enjoy a cup of Citrine with Ms. Barry when I was in NYC for BlogFest2011. Citrine is outstanding!


My camera battery died just as I met Ms. Barry so I couldn't get a photo although another designer was kind enough to take one for me. Just as soon as I get a copy of it I'll get it up. Till then...you'll have to take my word for it ;)

Chinatown New York

When I was in NYC for BlogFest2011 I had some time to wander around in Chinatown. I had on my personal agenda to get me some yummy Vietnamese for lunch. Success on that!


I had a terrific meal at Xe Lửa a Vietnamese restaurant on Mulberry Street, just south of Canal.


I had a street side seat to people watch. You can't see me in the photo but you can see where I sat devouring my food :)

I had the Barbecue Pork on Rice Vermicelli and it was HEAVEN!

On another stroll through Chinatown I noticed a small lighting store with adorable rice paper lanterns. If I had room in my luggage I'd have brought these and more home with me!

I can't wait to go back to NYC. Steve and I are hoping we to get there some time in the next 2 months. Fingers crossed!


Where do you like to go for a stroll and light lunch in NYC?