Monday, May 6, 2013
Asparagus
Our asparagus is noticeably sturdier than last year. Next year we should've able to start harvesting!
New raised vegetable beds
Mark was hard at work all weekend building new raised vegetable beds. 170 cinder blocks delivered, a few more days of work ahead!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
New roof
Our reno is now safe and sound under our new metal roof from Zim Group. With its 50-yr warranty we should never need to do this again.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
April 16, 2013: The Shelves
I wanted to create a vertical focus in our largely horizontal bungalow, with two storeys of books, art and nature objects displayed alongside our new staircase and framing the separation of our kitchen/dining and living spaces. It seems so unfortunate when a staircase is regarded as just a utilitarian means of getting from one floor to another that takes up space - now it is almost like a room of its own, with its functions of library and gallery.
The open upper display shelves were inspired by industrial pipe and wood shelves at Restoration Hardware. The lower solid-backed white shelves were designed to reflect light into the stairwell and help fill in some odd niches in the basement wall.
There are three "light boxes" in the shelves, picking up the orange, blue and yellow colours used elsewhere on the walls. The LED light in the top of the boxes highlights objects within, and makes the boxes glow. As I worked out their appearance, I realized how similar they were to the deep, colourfuly painted window wells of Will Alsop's OCAD building. The orange box (not shown in the photos below) is visible from the couch in the living room; in the evenings its warm glow is reminiscent of a fireplace. From the basement the blue box is suggestive of a sunny sky. And the yellow box provides an enticing focal point that draws the eye all the way to the bottom portion of the shelves. (I must confess that I'm loving the light boxes so much that I never turn them off).
Our salvaged maple hardware flooring is used in the false beam overhead, and is repeated in the casing that finishes off the edges of the opening in the floor. It has also been applied to the solid back of the bookcase that faces the kitchen (not shown in the photos below).
The only thing left is to install a planter filled with shade-tolerant bamboo at the base of the stairs, which we hope will grow up towards the light tube over the entryway. We've got a species of bamboo and supplier picked out, but are having a difficult time finding a planter that's big enough. More trips to garden centres are clearly required (we're glad to have the excuse). There's also the possibility of adding some more lighting in the upper shelves, as it's been wired for that.
Many thanks to Mark and his dad for hours of priming, painting, sanding and staining, and to Phil Hogg for the meticulous design and construction. Miles gets some credit too, for hours contentedly hanging from his carrier while watching me fill and rearrange the contents of the shelves.
There's just a little bit of work left now, in finishing the staining of the newel posts. And the rearranging and categorization of the books is never truly done...
The open upper display shelves were inspired by industrial pipe and wood shelves at Restoration Hardware. The lower solid-backed white shelves were designed to reflect light into the stairwell and help fill in some odd niches in the basement wall.
There are three "light boxes" in the shelves, picking up the orange, blue and yellow colours used elsewhere on the walls. The LED light in the top of the boxes highlights objects within, and makes the boxes glow. As I worked out their appearance, I realized how similar they were to the deep, colourfuly painted window wells of Will Alsop's OCAD building. The orange box (not shown in the photos below) is visible from the couch in the living room; in the evenings its warm glow is reminiscent of a fireplace. From the basement the blue box is suggestive of a sunny sky. And the yellow box provides an enticing focal point that draws the eye all the way to the bottom portion of the shelves. (I must confess that I'm loving the light boxes so much that I never turn them off).
Our salvaged maple hardware flooring is used in the false beam overhead, and is repeated in the casing that finishes off the edges of the opening in the floor. It has also been applied to the solid back of the bookcase that faces the kitchen (not shown in the photos below).
The only thing left is to install a planter filled with shade-tolerant bamboo at the base of the stairs, which we hope will grow up towards the light tube over the entryway. We've got a species of bamboo and supplier picked out, but are having a difficult time finding a planter that's big enough. More trips to garden centres are clearly required (we're glad to have the excuse). There's also the possibility of adding some more lighting in the upper shelves, as it's been wired for that.
Many thanks to Mark and his dad for hours of priming, painting, sanding and staining, and to Phil Hogg for the meticulous design and construction. Miles gets some credit too, for hours contentedly hanging from his carrier while watching me fill and rearrange the contents of the shelves.
There's just a little bit of work left now, in finishing the staining of the newel posts. And the rearranging and categorization of the books is never truly done...
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Feb 06, 2013: Renovation, one year later
One year after we started deconstruction (salvaging our wood floors) we are still renovating. But not for much longer. The built-in shelves are close to completion, then the lighting can be finished off, final coats of paint, and the last odds and ends.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
