After and all too long hiatus from the blog (which was totally not intentional, life just got in the way) we are back with a bang…and lots of updates! I am so giddy to share these, because the place is REALLY coming together. The more time we spend in the place, and the more improvements we do, the more I love the apartment. It is the ideal place for us, and my love for it grows everyday. It’s so light and big. It’s so well located and there are so many wonderful things about the neighborhood. (come to thing of it, I never really shared where in Montreal we are located….I will write a profile post of the neighborhood are we are in, promise!)
So let’s dig in!
Remember our kitchen? Dull, lackluster and messy? Well there is still a bit of mess, but it’s looking a lot better!
First off, we painted everything a light gray. We even painted the ceiling. There was water damage in one of the corners at the ceiling, and so we didn’t feel like repainting the ceiling white and painting the walls a different color, so we just went crazy and painted the whole things. Saving us time since we didn’t have to tape around those 9′ ceilings. Next, we put back up our pot rack, and magnetic knife racks. Along with the best paper towel holder I’ve ever had. This thing is pretty awesome, it has this ratcheting mechanism that allows you to tear off a sheet with only one hand. Very practical.
Then we started creating our little eating area. Isin’t it just darling?! We used a simple flip table from Ikea, which is both cheap and practical since it can be tucked out if the way if necessary. Then we added Ikea shelf brackets, but got shelves cut at our local hardware store. We still need to get edging tape to finish them off, but this is the most economic solution. Both shelves came out to 13.00$ total! So think about it if you’re contemplating a lot of shelving for your pad, because it adds up quickly at the Ikea register! Cha-ching! The stools are another issue. We bought these at Ikea, the are cheap and look alright….but man are they uncomfortable. After eating our first meal here this weekend we concluded that they needed to be changed asap. We need something with a backrest, and some sort of padded seat. And also, I would like something cuter with more color. So what’s left to do? We still need to get some window coverings for that huge patio door….the neighbors must be tired of seeing me run in my underware to get to the bathroom. Overshare I know, but think about what the neighbors must think! Oh and there is that lighting fixture that needs to be switched out. It’s cute and all, but it directs the light downwards and end up being a little blinding when right under it. So I want something not so opaque that allows the light to go upwards too, giving the room more light when the sun is down.
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Filed under TheMontrealApartment Painting Moving
Filed under TheMontrealApartment Art Prints
I’ve been a little quiet these past few weeks, in the beginning because I was bummed about being unemployed, and now because I am miraculously attending interviews in the hopes of procuring full-time employment within the next few weeks.
In short, I’ve been working on the Vogue mirror (and am waiting to sew some stellar pillows for the area it’s now hung in my room, so I can’t unveil the finished product yet!), listening to the new John Mayer album and not caring that he’s uncool because oh-my-god these songs are like candy for your ears that were probably made in New York but is marketed as if it’s from the south of the south/the town with the most mo, and visiting different parts of London-town.
You’ll be happy to hear that the weather has made a 160. One day, it was cold and rainy; the next, it was 30 degrees and sweaty. It’s been much easier to enjoy the city with this type of weather, even though now I complain about the heat instead of the rain. We took a bus tour around the city, did a riverboat cruise on the Thames, and a walking tour of Jack the Ripper’s murders, which was probably the coolest thing ever since I’ve been obsessed with the whole story forever. Did you know there’s a church in the middle of London that was built on a plague pit (filled with dead bodies), and was coined “The Prostitute’s Church” during Ripper days? It’s said that Jack even picked up one of his murder victim’s at the church.
Another big thing that happened this week is that we finally made my first trip to Harrods. People (my grandmother) have been making a big deal about this place, and I kept thinking, “I’ve been to Macy’s in New York. What’s the dif?”
Now I know. Harrods has an Egyptian elevator section and rooms full of breakable things. There were giant teddy bear security guards, and a chance to recreate a photo of my grandmother standing underneath the Harrods sign.
I took these photos as design inspiration and to keep the dream alive of one day owning a collection of your own beautiful pieces. Or, we could just recreate it ourselves, amiright?
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Filed under BudgetDIYs Harrods London England Jubilee
So what have we been up to lately? Lots of stuff! We’ve started painting and trying desperately to organize our crap.
Here’s what the living room currently looks like:
So the black wall is almost done, it has 2 coats right now, but we’re going to add a third to make it perfectly even. I absolutely love it and even Chris loves it. We started painting the general color too, the wall to the right of the picture is slightly gray. That’s the color we will use almost everywhere else. It’s light andmakes a great backdrop for artwork. It’s a tough color to choose though, even for a designer. It’s tricky to get the right gray that doesn’t look lavender, beige or blue. I lived with paint chips stuck to the walls for about a week, looking at them in different light. I recommend doing the same. Get small sample sizes and paint different spots in your place. Live with it for a couple of days before making a decision. Because there is nothing worst than choosing gray then all of a sudden it looks purple….not cool.
Sorry for the uber blur, I was standing on the couch and it’s not so stable for picture taking. As you can sort of see, we decided to paint the plate rail the same color as the wall. A lot of people would say that the rail should be white like the rest of the trim….and I guess they’re right, but not in my case. I hated the idea of chopping the wall in the middle with a white line, it would simply cut the room in half……not the right idea. So by painting it all the same, at least is doesn’t distract.
Continue Reading >
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Filed under TheMontrealApartment Black Painting Moving
In honour of the Queen’s Jubilee, we’re curating a collection of British goods on Pinterest. It’s called “Jacked! (Jubilee Inspiration)” and we’d love for you to contribute - just send us a note and we’ll add you to the pinboard!
Get your bunting up and baking done - Jubilee celebrations this weekend!
Filed under Queen England Jubilee Union Jack Pinterest
I am an impatient person. It’s in my nature to do things quickly and figure it out as I go. I’m not saying this is the right way to DIY, quite the opposite actually, I wish I were more patient, but I’m not. So dealing with DIY situations is a little rough for me. My OCD makes it tough for me to cope with mess. Right now we’re in a situation that has me annoyed and stressed out. Everything is still everywhere after a month of living here. We’re starting to paint only now, and up to this point we have not been able to hang any shelves in order to put crap away, since we would only have to take them back down to paint….ugh! So living with stuff everywhere is starting to get to me. I just want to close my eyes and have everything miraculously and meticulously done right now. I want it all done right now, right this second, and obviously this is impossible since neither Chris nor I have this magic power, so I have to bite my lip and deal with it. I think the part of my brain that controls my rational thinking has overloaded and now the OCD part is taking over.
I just want to come home and not trip over piles of stuff. I want to be able to simply open doors, without having to first move the things blocking the doors.
*deep breath*
Chris is very sweet and is very patient with me, even though I am impatient with him and myself. This is not a side of my personality that I am very proud of. Slight OCD is beneficial in my job, it makes me very organized and methodical when it comes to planning out projects, which is reassuring to project managers and clients, but boyfriends don’t seem to appreciate it as much. And since designing is not only something I enjoy doing in my spare time, but is also my profession…..watch out. I need to apply the patience that I have at my job in my personal life. When dealing with other people like contractors, I can be remarkably patient, but dealing with myself? Forget it. That serenity goes right out the window.
Does anybody else have this problem? How patient are you when everything is chaos around you? What’s your secret?!
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Filed under TheMontrealApartment DIY Frustration
Hello Vogue Renters!
First, let me apologize for the lack of posts on my end – I haven’t made the kind of progress with my condo that I had hoped for. That being said, I think I’ve done pretty good for only being three months in and having limited expendable income.
Here’s what I’ve managed so far!
It’s easy to have sweet dreams in bedding like this! I splurged a little on this darling looking birdie sheet set (sunbird sheet set) at Anthropologie, but was able to offset the cost by scooping up Anthropologie’s last season Oh to Dream quilt on eBay. I was hoping to create a really dreamy feel to my room with this bedding. I wanted to go really bright with my room; I’m planning on sticking with very neutral solid colours with the rest of the apartment – so this was my chance to have a little fun. I can’t wait to get some art on the walls and find the perfect lamp for my personal brand of adult whimsy (a term coined by my beautiful friend Katie Richard).
I’m trying my hardest to bring everything together in the open space that is my living room / kitchen – my favourite item purchased to date is the nautical lamp I bought on sale at Anthropologie (at this point, you are noticing a trend). I am going to try and build the rest of my decor around this lamp. I am also starting my very own DIY project and attempting to make a second rope lamp for my living room.
What do you think?
I’m heading to the hardware store to buy the base of my lamp and the rope to decorate it with this weekend, so I’d love a little feedback on what you all think! I have found websites like Houzz.com to be extremely helpful in giving me inspiration for décor.
For the art in my living room, I have decided not to stick to any particular theme. I have so many wonderful pieces that it would break my heart to see them discounted because they aren’t exactly uniform. That being said, I plan to use similar framing for all my pieces to create some form of continuity. Hoping it works!
Along with my DIY lamp, the next projects I’ll be tackling will be decorating my bathroom, putting in a shelving unit under the t.v. (and figuring out how to hide all those cords!), finding fabric to make some couch accent cushions, and investing in some bookshelves. It’s going to be a busy summer!
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Filed under Anthropologie Birds SmallSpaceSolutions Bed Art Contemporary Art Alternative Art
