Random Updates

A quick update on a few new things for the house:

(1) Curtains in the dining room

I used my gift certificate from Restoration Hardware to buy these Thai silk curtains and the curtain rod. They are so pretty and look great with the grey, I think.  I hung the rod high and wide to give the window a larger look.



(2) Dishwasher

At the beginning of January, I began to notice a funny odor coming from the dishwasher when it was running. It smelled a little like smoke. This was alarming enough to prompt us to buy a new dishwasher. We picked a Bosch because it had very high satisfaction and value ratings on Consumer Reports. My favorite aspect is the fact that the control panels are hidden from plain view and sit on the top of the door. The dishwasher is SO quiet. I love it.  AND It really fits in well with the rest of the kitchen (sarcasm).


 
(3) Back Door

The back door that came with the house was very neat.   It belonged to the mother of Mrs. Megginson, the woman who owned the house before us. It had stained glass and a little doorbell in the center. We were a little worried about the security of the door, though, and wanted to (attempt to) update the look of the back room. We took some of the Lowe's gift certificates we received from Christmas and purchased a door. Our good friend (and Luis' softball coach) Grier Stanford happens to be a "door guy" and measured, ordered and installed the door for us.   This wasn't as simple as just ordering a new door, though.  We had to have a new frame constructed as well since the old door was on an odd frame.

Grier and Mike (Stanford - Grier's brother) did the installation in one afternoon.  I can happily report that we now have ONE key for the whole house and a back door that has blinds within the glass. It's very nice and we are very happy.

Before shot:

(4) Speaking of doors, we also got new handles on the front door.   The old door knob was broken and would lock you out all. the. time.  Big Luis helped us install the new hardware over Christmas.  Don't have a before shot but here is an "after':

Guest Bathroom

They say that a coat of paint can really transform a room. If I didn't believe it before, I sure believe it now. We finally got around to painting that guest bathroom. We is actually too many people - it was all Luis!  I supervised and pointed out places he missed.  If you recall, there were originally two (TWO) patterns of wallpaper in the bathroom. We had those stripped off when we did the others, but I wasn't ready at the time to pick a paint color. I had tested some greens and yellows but didn't really see anything that I loved. After seeing how neat the dining room turned out, though, I was inspired.

I went to Sherwin Williams on Selwyn and bought a few samples of grays. The first round that I brought home were just not cutting it.

They were very dark and a bit overpowering in that small bathroom. I did need something dark enough to break up the all white of the bathroom. Back to Sherwin Williams! Stacy, who was working that afternoon, was very helpful and steered me towards really light grays. I didn't think there was any way that I would like her choices but I bought the samples anyway. I also threw in one that I liked personally that was a bit darker. Once I painted the squares and let them set in for a few hours, I knew I had found a winner. Stacy's original pick - Gray Screen - was the winner. It had a rich color but did not overpower the small bathroom.

Luis was a trooper and painted the whole thing the following Saturday (even while I went out to lunch with friends). It turned out great.

Next step was to get rid of those light fixtures! I HATED them. I bought three Bazz light fixtures from LightingDirect.com. With some help from Luis and our friend Patrick and his voltameter, I installed them the next Saturday. They look great!

View from before:

After:

Another before:

 

After: