Out of the Chrysalis

We've been in painting mode for about a month, and just finished Monday. I wasn't taking pictures because the whole place looked it had been decorated by Miss Havisham--painters plastic draped here and there, much dust (no disintegrating wedding cake, however)!

With only a few minor painting items remaining, my belongings were moved back in on October 7 (big shout-out to Gentle Giant movers!) but the place is still a bit scrambled, so I'll post some "after" pictures when things are more squared away. In the meantime, at least one creature enjoyed the novelty. Mr. Bo is a big fan of cellophane, scotch tape and ribbon...and crumpled paper. As I was unpacking box after box, he made a comfortable nest in some old catalogs and magazines, and promptly fell asleep.

What you can see in these pictures is how the rooms look painted. This is my bedroom, and I can attest that the first night I slept in my own bed I don't think I moved a muscle all night it was so comfortable. The basement is a bit dungeon-like and I was ready to come up for air and light!

Here's the guest room. The actual color is considerably darker than it looks here.

There are still a few loose ends, one being the wallpaper at the top of the stairs. Because the door was reconfigured to put in the powder room, there isn't enough of the old wallpaper to cover the new space. I went in search of a solution, and there is one possible paper which, while not identical is very compatible...unless I decide to paper the entire hallway. We'll see.

The kitchen can now be seen in full glory. The paint color is closer to the second image.

Looking up at the ceiling, you can see how Laura, the color designer, managed the color, with one color on the walls, another on the lower surfaces of the soffits, a third on the boxed in flat areas, and a fourth (the trim color) on the crown molding. Again, the photo does not do it justice!

Finally, the living room, which has always been the show-stopper. When I bought the apartment it was painted an inappropriate bright yellow, and even that couldn't completely obscure the beauty of this room. Now I think it probably looks more wonderful than any time in perhaps 100 years. With the oriental rug and the chairs from Grandma McAdoo, it all comes together. In fact the upholstery on Grandma's chairs is a virtually perfect match with the walls. Again the paint has really brought out the beauty of the ceiling with one wall color, two ceiling colors, and some trim color interspersed. Just fantastic!

Home Again

The spell of high heat and humidity in August pushed me over the edge, and I moved back home a bit earlier than I had intended. This led to a bit of awkwardness at first with the contractor's schedule, but we are now down to the last few "punch list" issues--things like doorknobs and hinges, grommets in the desk surface for computer wires and the like.

My furniture is still in storage so I'm sleeping on the garden level (aka the basement) on the futon couch. Perfectly comfortable, even if the environment is still quite dusty and chaotic. At least there was an air conditioner for those several unbearably hot days. Now we are in early fall, bright, clear and cool. Perfect for sleeping.

Next week the painting prep will begin and I'll finally have to make some decisions on color. Very difficult! You'll see color swatches in some of the pictures.

The kitchen appliances are fully functional, including the range hood (no more fears of cooking garlic and fish!), and the glass shelving and cabinet fronts are in place. Here is the wine storage area populated with some glasses adopted from Dad's house including the short white wine glasses I brought back from Finland (I gave them to Mom and Dad as a gift but I think I'm the only one who liked them!).

The ladder is installed in all its glory. It is a helpful thing to have, and I used it a lot when cleaning the glass in the cabinet fronts. The amount of storage is truly awesome, and I am resisting the impulse to fill it all up.

The counter will require seating and because it is about 45 inches high, the stools will have to be about 34 inches--not the most common size for bar stools. So I am currently surfing the web and driving myself crazy trying to choose bar stools. Alas, there is a certain amount of predictable tackiness in this product category--the longhorn cut-outs, and bowling motifs for example.

The cabinets now have their frosted glass fronts. I was worried about so much mahogany feeling dark and heavy so I went with all glass fronts on the lower set of cabinets. When the rest of my kitchen stuff is back, I think it will look good. Janet and Brian put me on to the two-drawer dishwasher. Perfect for one person--I cycle back and forth between the drawers.

Here is the Walker Bramble china, adopted from Dad's place. I associate this with special dinners throughout childhood, both at our house and at Grandma McAdoo's and the cousins' houses in Ohio. It's a pattern from Walker China, made in Bedford, OH where Mom grew up and was a wedding present from Grandma and Grandad McAdoo. Walker made the heavy white china famously used in diners, as well as commemorative pieces, and customized sets for hotels, railroads, passenger ships, the Coast Guard, etc. This was the fancy stuff. I know it's a bit "retro" but I've always liked it and look forward to getting a lot of use out of it. Currently these are my only dishes, and the sterling flatware set are my only utensils, adding a touch of elegance to my "camping."

Some things do not change. Mr. Bo is in his normal dinner spot and hoping I will notice that his food bowl is getting empty!

No pictures of the master bath today, as the closet had to be torn up and fixed and it's a bit of a mess now, but here is the guest bath--one of the major improvements, and one that I hope many will appreciate when they come to visit! I was using this bath initially when I moved back and discovered that the shower head is aimed too high (a shorter person could stand under the shower and not get wet!). However, a new junction between the hose and the shower head has been ordered and will solve this problem. Notice the safety grab bar. I'm seriously thinking of having a teak floor made for both showers. This one in particular is trecherously slippery.

Original Inspiration

The design for this kitchen really started for me with the idea that I could have cabinets that went to the ceiling, accessed by a library ladder. I suggested this somewhat hesitantly to Steven and Katharine, the architects, at our first meeting, and when they didn't laugh at me, the vision started to become reality. Now it is in place! I visited the ladder in Erik's shop a couple of weeks ago, and satisfied myself that it looked about the right size and was something that I had the strength to lift. Now it has been stained and finished to match the cabinets, the ladder track is all in, and voila! Of course I climbed up to test out access to the top cabinets. It will be great!

Also in are the counters, which may look white in this picture, but actually look like marble. The material is a manufactured stone, mostly natural quartz, more durable than most other materials, and definitely superior to natural marble which is very porous and easily scratched. Above is the eat-in counter top, with the sink in the background. Below is the bar area with the counter and all the cabinet lighting in place.

The other new development is a set of color schemes from Laura, the color consultant recommended by Steven and Katharine. Today I'm walking around the house, taping swatches to the walls and pondering!

Counting Down

Each day the apartment gets a little closer to being finished. The HTR crew is trying to complete their part by July 31, after which I will still need to deal with the painting and probably a few other loose ends. I’ve nearly blinded myself looking at cabinet hardware and towel racks. Finding sconces for the living room is another challenge still unfinished. There is, however, a working toilet now--civilization returns!

The pictures below were with the cell phone camera; sorry about the lower quality!

Many of the lights are now in place in the kitchen, and I'm ordering the glass for the cabinets just above the counter.

I visited Erik's shop and saw the ladder, waiting to be finished to match the mahogany. I tested picking it up as I've been assuming I would be able to move it around the kitchen without too much difficulty, and I'm confident I can handle it.

Downstairs, the lighting is in place in the hallway:

The new heating system is being installed in the kitchen/living room level—European-style Runtels. Someday I’ll have the same system installed on the bedroom level, but I have to recover a bit (financially and psychologically) first!

This week I should receive some ideas about paint colors from Laura Knight, a color expert who also runs a bed & breakfast in upstate NY and with her partner does “community-supported agriculture.” She is trained in fine art and has a deeper understanding of color than I am likely to have in my lifetime.

Today I returned from a big reunion on the McAdoo side of the family, celebrating the 85th birthday of twins Murt and Eunie, and welcoming the new set of twins, Parker and Peyton, just 3 months old. Many promised to visit Boston!

End in Sight?

It seems impossible, but it looks like the contractor may finish by the end of July. The intensity has been notched up a bit with more urgency about decisions like molding and hardware. New doors are being hung. The counters are being templated; likewise the glass shower enclosures. The new heating system on the top floor is being installed. The bathroom tiling is just about done.

The appliances have arrived and have been herded into the living room. The cabinetry is nearly all in place—my job is to select the hardware and the glass that will go in the lower range of kitchen cabinets. The library ladder is in hand and is now being finished to match the cabinets. The wall with the desk, pantry, and wine area is taking shape. Below you can see the desk on the left side of that wall...

...the bar/wine area with the wine fridge (!) on right side of the wall...

...and in between the pantry which is still waiting for its doors.

Another treasure has been brought to Boston from the Connecticut house--a Tiffany mantle clock. Unlike the chandelier, we don't have much knowledge of its origin or the background story, but it's a very pretty thing. It was likely made sometime between 1890 and 1910. The damage to the glass will be repaired, the clockworks cleaned, and it will live on my mantle.

I’ve also engaged a color expert to develop some possible strategies for painting nearly everything in the apartment. She met with me last weekend and it’s clear that she will come up with ideas that I never in a million years would have thought of. I have wanted a more vivid set of colors, but realize I don’t have confidence in selecting them. Left to my own devices I would make very dull choices.

I feel very lucky in my choice of project partners--they are making everything look wonderful!

The Tyranny of "Stuff"

I’m just back from CT where Ellen and I spent the weekend readying Dad to move from the house into the condo…a weekend engaged at a deep level with stuff, more stuff, and even more stuff. Tax returns going back to 1951 when Mom and Dad were married. Vacation pictures by the boxful. Cut glass, candles, and linens that exceed the ability of any person to use in a lifetime.

None of us realized the full scope and scale of my mother’s acquisitions, each one protected with fierce loyalty. Without her to protect them, most are going to charities, and the local dump. We can hear her protesting in our mind’s ear. Never mind her promise (after emptying her own mother’s house) that she would never inflict such a burden on her own children. For her, “stuff” had a very strong attraction.

The “tag sale” plan had to be scrapped. The sheer scale of disposal made this the only possible course of action, given that Dad still has to get all of his belongings out by the end of July.
While I feel I successfully discarded a lot in emptying my place for the renovation, with this experience fresh in mind I see another round of de-acquisition on the back end of the renovation.

Back at my space the pace has slowed as the team gets into the detailed finish work. Last week was the beginning of the tiling in the bathrooms. All three now have floors, and the guest shower is almost complete. A bit of plumbing in the master shower needs to be re-located which will clear the way for the completion of the master bath tile.

Now that the tiles are here, I can see the shapes and colors and am pleased with my choice. Below is the floor of the powder room with marble mosaic.

In the kitchen, James tells me he’s spending hours on the phone with the cabinetmaker figuring out how the whole intricate puzzle goes together. Despite the complexity, pieces are being fitted into place and the overall vision is getting clearer. On the lower left is where the sink will be and on the lower right will be the microwave.

Looking out of the center of the kitchen, you can see where the wine area will be on the right. Wine racks are on the lower right, next to where the wine fridge will be. The large open space is pantry--just deep enough for cereal boxes and canned goods. My challenge will be to resist filling all these cabinets to capacity, given my possible genetic predisposition to accumulation.

Even Quicker

Back at the house only a couple of days later, you can see the upper cabinets taking shape. The gap between the rows is where the library ladder will be located, and it's a good thing. The cabinets are so high, I'll need the ladder just to get to the top of the lower cabinets. Standing on the floor I can just reach over the lip of the top shelf in the corner cabinet with the tips of my fingers. Here's the current view:

I picked out stone for the fireplace hearth today--a plain black granite, about as dull a piece of stone as you could find, but adding another color to that crazy quilt didn't seem like a good idea. Next week I close on a home equity line of credit to finish some of the optional and unexpected items, and address other items like paint and refinishing some furniture--people told me this project would put me on the road to perdition and it appears to be true.

A Quickie

This entry will be brief, just to note that the cabinets were delivered this week and have more or less filled up the living room.

The material looks great--a dark mahogany that will go nicely with the mahogany furniture in the living room.

As of Thursday night the first few cases had been hung on the wall--just a hint of things to come. This wall is where the refrigerator will be (on the right side of this view).

There will be two rows of cabinets over the counter with a library ladder and rail between them so that I can get into the upper ones. The lower row of cabinets will have frosted glass fronts and one of my jobs this weekend is to pick out the exact glass that should be installed. I'm trying to get a similar translucency as the old etched glass panels in the pocket doors. Alas, each pocket door only has one of the original panes--the other one is plain frosted glass. Another possible mission is to see if I can find a couple of replacement panes at a building salvage place. They were a standard design and chances are there are some still around.

My other quest is the stone for the replacement hearth on the downstairs fireplace. It's a crazy looking thing, a random mix of brown and green stone, and very shallow. These were originally coal burning fireplaces and the coal was burned in a small iron basket that hung on brackets that you can see sticking out of the edges of the fireplace opening. It's hard to believe it did much against the chill of a Boston winter. In those days this would have been a small parlor and all the bedrooms would have been upstairs, above the parlor level in the space now occupied by two other apartments. Unlike the upstairs fireplace, this one will never be pretty, but I like the fact that the original pieces are still in place.

Quintessence of Dust

Whatever Hamlet had in mind, he certainly could have been describing my apartment which now has a fine glaze of dust on every surface, including the keys on which I am typing.

Today the sheetrock and plastering began and the actual contours of the rooms are becoming clear. I’m working on figuring out a way to add links to this blog so that readers can see the architects’ three dimensional rendering of the kitchen in comparison to the actual shapes. Until then, here are the latest views:

Looking into the kitchen area from the living room, you can see the corner of the new utility closet, and a bit of the storage space above it (which extends partially over the powder room).

Looking up you can see the soffit where the range hood will connect to the outside vent and the spots where pendant lights will hang.

This view is into the center of the kitchen. On the left wall will be the sink and dishwasher. On the right will be the microwave and the refrigerator (out of view), and just in back of the low wall is where the range will be. It's a small space but I think it will be a very easy to use kitchen.

The powder room is so compact, it's hard to photograph, but standing inside, it feels like just the right size.

Downstairs the master bath is really taking shape with shower, storage closet and tub on one side.

Bath anyone?

On the other side, space for the medicine cabinet and sink with the toilet on the far wall.

In the guest room, the new wall and closet configuration is clear. The closet space will be limited, but sufficient...

...and the closet situation in the master bedroom will begreatly improved with the conversion of the old lavatory into additional closet space.

Here you can see the location of the recessed lighting in the downstairs hall.

All the electrical work has required an expansion of the circuit box. I'll have to select a larger picture to cover it up!

Lights! Plumbing! Inspection!

I try to get back to the house every few days—partly out of curiosity, partly to pick up the mail, and partly to empty the dehumidifier. I have the window AC going in the basement/garden level, but it’s been so unseasonably cold, I don’t think it can do much. I also take a peek at the garden to see how it’s doing under conditions of total neglect. Not well, but the rose bush is carrying on without any encouragement.

Lots of changes today—especially plumbing and electrical, and I believe the building inspector will sign off on the rough plumbing tomorrow. Also lots of mess. The demolition phase, paradoxically, was the cleanest so far. Now there is lots of “stuff” to deal with.

Here are the sink and toilet hook-ups for the guest bath, and the basement, spared until now, has been opened up to connect the new toilets to the south-side waste pipe.

On the way up the stairs this odd arrangement caught my eye—I’m guessing that all the dust was probably setting off the fire alarm—hence a sort of improvised fire alarm condom?

Big changes in the kitchen. Here’s the soffit for the area where the pantry, desk and wine storage will be:

And the soffit that more or less corresponds to the outline of the cabinets and counters. Couple of exciting things—lighting! I think it’s safe to say that never in nearly 160 years will this kitchen have been so well lit. And finally—ah, joy—ventilation to the outside of the building. No more second thoughts about that extra clove of garlic!

Here's the start of the counter-level seating:

The current controversies relate to the detailed design of library ladder and who should fabricate it. Also the heating system that will go in the kitchen. Because the rest of that floor (and the whole apartment) is the old tube and fin style of baseboard heat, we’ve had to set aside the idea of using a more updated style (Runtal) in the kitchen if it is to connect successfully to what is already there.

However, I’m having difficulty putting something so ugly in my pretty new kitchen. I have dreamed of re-doing the entire floor with modern radiators, and eventually the rest of the apartment.

So, will she be sucked into the vortex and go way over budget, or will reason prevail? Stay tuned for the next episode...

Back at Trish’s, her nieces (great-nieces?) Zebedee and Amaia have joined the household for the week—all the way from California. Even Mr. Bo is charmed!