Decorate My Dining Room, Part 2

By ADD | Published: July 23, 2010
dining room renovation ©Moya Mc Allister

©Moya Mc Allister

Following up on my recent invitation for readers to DECORATE MY DINING ROOM, here’s a wider view of the sad and barren room.  I got some great feedback in the comments to my first post and I hope you will keep the tough love coming.

First things first, this room needs a rug to both warm it up and anchor the table.  We are all in agreement on that point.  Yesterday I ordered nine samples from Flor and I’m leaning towards creating a custom rug out of the interchangeable squares.  Because of the long skinny shape of our table (7′ X 2.5′), a custom rug is the only way to get the right proportions.  Here are two of the samples I ordered.   Do you think I should stick with a neutral or go for a splash of orange?

flor carpet cinnabar decorate my dining room

Flor "Corrugated Rib" in Cinnabar

flor carpet decorate my dining room

Flor "Well Suited" in Bone.

The table is staying because it is a rustic workhorse that stands up to our dinner party festivities and to Scott’s stencil cutting.  The much panned ceiling fan is staying for now too.  It’s just impossible for me to consider replacing a ceiling fan with a groovy chandelier in the midst of this sweltering New York summer.

I was surprised that only one reader suggested a paint color change.  Everyone else seemed to like the light aqua walls.  I was also surprised that nary a one of you suggested wallpaper!   Perhaps this is because I was so emphatic about my budget limitations.  Well, I’m inspired now to invest a bit more time and money in the dining room, which is central in our floor plan.  Wallpaper might be just the right company for those lonely vintage ship’s sconces.  Besides, wallpaper is my favorite topic.  So, let’s discuss.

Is wallpaper sheer madness?  Or is it just the pick-me-up that this sad room needs?  Send me some links please to your favorite wallpapers.  Think graphic, irreverent and gorgeous.  Perhaps something a bit tamer than this, though I do adore it.

chloe sevigny apartment house and garden wallpaper

Chloe Sevigny's wallpaper from a House & Garden spread.

Next up in the dining room series:  I’ll post wallpaper samples and also some mood boards(when I have a bit of time) that incorporate all of your great ideas.  If you haven’t already done so, subscribe now to my rss feed (on the top right rail) to receive dining room updates.

Big thanks to Steve, Allie, Jackie, Rachel, Melissa, Barnaby, Devon, Doris, Kate, Ati, Kara, Thirty, herlongwayhome, and Samantha for your great comments. Please keep them coming!

Happy decorating (by committee), ADD

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Your Kitchen Questions Answered

By ADD | Published: July 19, 2010
kitchen renovation diywithadd

Photo: ©Moya Mc Allister

Some of you may remember that Scott and I recently completed our galley kitchen renovation, replete with hand-finished floors (which I goofed and still have to repair) and a DIY pot rack.  It was featured on Apartment Therapy and  in a guest post on BrooklynLimestone, but if you missed that, you can catch all of the action here.

Aside from the little DIY projects mentioned above and the home-cooked design, we can’t take any credit, so in truth, we recently watched as our galley kitchen renovation was completed.  And it was heavenly.

The kitchen was one room that we left entirely to the professionals because kitchens are bloody expensive and we wanted to make sure everything was done right.  Scott is very handy, but plumbing and electrical are above his pay grade.  (He gets one pint of B&J’s coffee heath bar crunch per project.)  Our contractor, who got paid significantly more than a pint of B&J’s, did an amazing job and we love our kitchen down to the last detail.  That doesn’t mean that you will and that’s ok.  How could anyone ever love your child as you much as you do?  So you’ll excuse me for bragging on our child.

I did a lot of research on the appliances, the hardware, the sink, and everything that we eventually chose.  A few readers have asked me for more info on the finishes we picked and I’m just pleased as punch to share details.  Thanks so much Amanda, Melissa and Allison for asking.  Here you go!

Our cabinet pulls are the satin nickel Aubrey pulls from Renovation Hardware.  I fell in love with these early on, but I knew they were overpriced.  I tried hard to find a less expensive replica from one of the gazillions of online discount hardware dealers, but nothing could compare to those Aubreys.  I finally just scoured the web for a 20% off coupon code and bit the bullet.  In person, the Aubrey pulls look and feel like a million bucks. I’m happy I didn’t skimp on this detail and if you’ve found a less expensive version, I’ll thank you for keeping it to yourself.

Scott and I both just had to have a fireclay apron front sink.  They are pricey.  I did a lot of comparison shopping and the least expensive (nice) one I could find was the Belle Foret from Vintage Tub and Bath.  We love ours.

We also just had to have a bridge faucet.  You can easily spend over a thousand dollars on this item.  Well, some people can, but we definitely couldn’t.  So we settled on this Kohler bridge from Efaucets.  Also in satin nickel.  Again, we are happy.  Even when we have to do dishes.

You’ll find links to our appliances in this previous post.  Three dinner parties later, they all get a big thumbs up.

If you’d like to know anything else about the who/what/where/how much of our little kitchen, I’ll be happy to share.  Just leave a comment and I’ll reply as soon as I can get to a keyboard.  Maybe your comment will even inspire a post, like Amanda’s did.  Happy renovating, ADD

P.S.  That’s our dishwasher hiding between the sink and the range.  If you scroll down to the next post, you’ll understand why it’s hiding.

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Dishwashers aren’t sexy

By ADD | Published: July 18, 2010
lonnymag.com kitchen

photo: Lonnymag.com

How much, pray tell, do you love this kitchen?  It’s from Lonny and personally I adore it.  I wish I’d had the guts for marble counters.  But I drink far too much red wine in Winter to take that particular design leap.  I especially love that the door to this all-white kitchen is black.  It adds much-needed weight to the right side of the room and I wouldn’t have thought of it in a million years.  I may need to paint one of my own doors a sudden, accidental, and yet absolutely sensible kind of color like black or navy.

I love the floating shelving.  I know that those of you who inherited the practicality gene (which skipped me) are thinking, “But where do they store their ugly things?”   Let’s just pretend that there’s a giant pantry to the left of the fridge, shall we?  (The Lonny stylist had to have stashed a few ugly things somewhere.)  Open shelving is a cheap & practical kitchen design solution.   I didn’t even realize that it was practical until after I’d done it.  I just thought it was lovely.  And we couldn’t afford any more cabinets.

What would I change in this fabulous kitchen?  Well, thanks for asking.  I would have put a custom panel on the dishwasher to match the cabinets.  To me, the stainless dishwasher is a distraction.  Subzero fridges are sexy.  That range is totally sexy.  Dishwashers aren’t sexy.  It’s like going to a lovely beach and seeing an unattractive man in a thong; cover it up, please.  Thank you.

Now, what would you keep or change in this delightfully light filled kitchen?

~ ADD

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decorate my dining room, pretty please

By ADD | Published: July 16, 2010
dining room renovation diywithadd

My post-renovation dining room is naked! Photo: ©Moya Mc Allister

Here it is during the demolition phase.

Readers, please help this wayward blogger.  Renovation of the dining room on the parlor floor of our brownstone apartment is DONE.  But as you can see, this naked room is crying out for decor.  And a mop, but that’s a story for another post.  I thought I would decorate the minute we moved back in, but… work, budget constraints and some lazy time on the newly upholstered sofa have sapped my enthusiasm.

What I am badly in need of is some inspiration.  Let’s see, I also need a rug for that big brown floor, some art for the walls, a runner for the table, a color scheme…  Did I mention that I have almost no budget for this project?  So high end pieces are out.  Target, flea markets and DIY projects are in.  Working with pieces I already have is a must.

I’ll post again soon with more pix of the room and some ideas that I have in mind, but if you have time to browse around my blog to the kitchen and the living room to give me some decorating ideas that suit the rest of the apartment, I’d be ever so grateful.  Here’s a current floorplan to give you the lay of the land.  Note that the dining room does triple duty as it is the entrance to our apartment as well as an occasional workspace (this is NYC after all).  Also note that there is no window in this room, but the ceilings are gloriously high.

floorplan/diywithadd.com

What we’ve done so far:  New floors, a new stair case and a glass transom above the guest bedroom door are the biggest improvements to the space.  I designed the stair railings and our carpenter built them, so they are one of a kind, which I love.  Scott and I oiled/stained the floors and banister ourselves, which makes me happy every time I walk in the room (him, not so much).  The walls are valspar “breathe of blue”, which is also continued into the living room and kitchen spaces.  I’m open to repainting this room, but I do like that right now there is one color continued throughout much of the parlor level.  This room needs some definite PUNCH, so perhaps it’s due for a richer hue.  Or just some pops of colored fabrics?

Office Closet diywithadd brownstone renovation

Two closets, like this one, separate the living and dining areas

The goods:  We added a ceiling fan from restoration hardware (we actually bought that pre reno) and I sourced three vintage ship sconces from Olde Good Things.  I don’t really mind that the fan and lights are different finishes, do you?  We bought the 8ft long table a few years ago at an ABC warehouse sale.  The antique folding chairs (a set of 4) were donated by my friend Allie and I recovered the seats with a latte/sky blue fabric.  I’m very open to recovering those again and I’m on the lookout for additional chairs.  So, especially if you have any great rug, chair or fabric links, please leave them in comments.

I plan to post your suggestions (perhaps in individual mood boards) and give credit where credit is due, so let the decorating by committee commence!  Many thanks to everyone willing to take time out of their busy lives for this decorating intervention.  Best, ADD

Posted in Decorate My Space, Small Projects | Tagged , , , , | 40 Comments

Natural fiber rugs- love or hate?

By ADD | Published: July 15, 2010
natural fiber seagrass rug diywithadd renovation

©Moya Mc Allister

I love seagrass, sisal and natural fiber rugs in general, but I was always cautioned against them by people whose opinions I respected.  Is it a high traffic area?, they would ask.  Do you have pets or children?  Do you eat in that room?  Or drink red wine?  Or even water??  Then don’t get a seagrass rug, they would say.  You’ll be sorry!

Did I listen?  No, I rarely listen to the voice of practicality when it comes to decorating.  But after having a few natural fiber rugs, I feel like seagrass and sisal have gotten a bad rap for durability.  Yes, we walk on them.  We eat on them.  We spill things on them.  We even have a dog friend who occasionally scoots his bottom across them like Toby the dog in the Stanley Steamer commercial (so not cool).

Our seagrass has held up surprisingly beautifully over two years of regular wear (and some not so regular wear).  In fact, it doesn’t seem to show dirt at all or to absorb any of the spills that it has already been subjected to.   I say, if you want a natural fiber rug, go for it.  Life is short.  Live amongst things you love.  If you are worried about dirt showing, go for one in a medium tone.

Do what I say, not what I did…

To maintain a natural fiber rug, wipe up any actual spill immediately (I know, duh) and vacuum it frequently with a bristled attachment.  Heavy furniture will leave marks on the rug- see top photo where my repositioned sofa has left discolored indentations.  Prevent this easily by using furniture coasters.   Get the right binding.  We had our herringbone seagrass rug bound with serge stitching, which is only 5/8″ wide.  The stitching is not wide enough to capture all of the fibers in the carpet weave, so the carpet is fraying a bit at some of the edges.  Go with a 2-3″ canvas binding instead.  Here is a great link to all of the binding options for natural fiber carpets.  If your seagrass or sisal does fray at the binding, it’s nothing a little gorilla glue won’t fix.  Is there anything that gorilla glue won’t fix?

Do you have a sisal/seagrass horror story?  Love it?  Hate it?  Share it.  I’d love to hear your comments.

Practical?  Want some budget/synthetic rug ideas?  I don’t blame you in the least.  Check out this post.

Best, ADD

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Do what I say, not what I did: painting

By ADD | Published: July 14, 2010

diywithadd choosing paint colors brownstone renovation

I just got this hot paint tip from Leila of design blog In the Weeds.

She responded to my post detailing my haphazard and last minute paint color selections.  Leila says, “ You can also order (for FREE!) bigger color sheets from Benjamin Moore. Go on the Architect/Designer section of the website and you can order a slew of paint chips in 3″x5″, 5″x9″ or 8″x8″ pieces. I just did that yesterday and can’t wait to get them in the mail to tape up all over the house!”

I, who have repainted many a room twice and even thrice, was not aware of this service when I renovated,  so I checked it out and I’m sharing it now with you, dear reader, in the hopes that you will utilize this service BEFORE you embark on painting your whole space from tiny chips, like I did.  Of course, you can also always buy the little samples and paint them on large pieces of paper yourself. Either way, it’s best to live with a color in your space on something larger than a paint chip before committing to a whole room of it.  Do what Leila says, not what I did.  Happy painting! ~ADD

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Bathroom Renovation Revisted

By ADD | Published: July 13, 2010
master bath renovation diywithadd Photo: ©Moya Mc Allister

Master bath AFTER renovation. Photo: ©Moya Mc Allister

It’s been two months now since the major renovation was completed and I needed a little “recovery” time before revisiting the construction photos.  Even though our renovation was thoughtfully planned and quickly executed (by an allstar contractor),  it was still traumatic.  Renovation is generally a tough process for many reasons, amongst them:  It displaces the renovators, it costs a lot of money, it requires a number of expensive and snap decisions, and did I mention that it costs a lot money?  Oh yeah, I did.  But for Scott and me, it was well worth the effort.  Our budget was tight, but we managed to fix a whole bunch of structural problems and we still had a bit left over for our quirky designs.   The bathroom on the garden level of our brownstone apartment  was one of the most satisfying transformations.  It went from tiny, dated and downright gross to spacious, useable and a little bit retro-glam.  See for yourself and let me know what you think!

diywithadd master bathroom floorplan renovation

Lower level floorplan showing master bath before and after.

Here’s a slide show of the master bath before and during the gut-wrenching renovation. Just click-ity-click the arrows next to the diabolical toilet picture if you want to see the progress.

◄ Back
Picture 1 of 8
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The downstairs bathroom was a disaster when we bought our place.

And more AFTER pix of our decadently large standing shower…

diywithadd master bath renovation

New shower with dark grey grout on the hex tile floor.

diywithadd master bath renovation2

The handy shower niche was boxed out of some dead space behind a supporting column.

diywithadd master bathroom renovationI’m not thrilled with the shower set, but it was one of the many snap decisions that just had to made.

All of the beautiful AFTER photos are by Moya Mc Allister.  Thanks Moya!  And thanks to all of you for stopping by and leaving comments! ~ADD

Posted in Big Renovation | Tagged , , , , | 23 Comments

The Hunt: Vintage Buys At The Brooklyn Flea

By ADD | Published: July 5, 2010

diywithadd.brooklynflea.L1040831

diywithadd.brooklynflea.L1040837diywithadd.brooklynflea.L1040839

I hope everyone had a spectacular 4th of July weekend!  Scott and I spent it here in HOT Brooklyn because he’s furiously making new work for a show on August 6th and I’ve been busy on a fun freelance project.  Here are a few pix from my recent visit to the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene.  The top three pix are from my friend Doris’ amazing collection which she sells most Saturdays at her Flea stall, Hippie Danish.  She sources everything from vintage flags and fabrics to antique toys and sleek midcentury furniture.

I bought a few of those vintage mason jars that I blogged about recently.  Check out the Flea next time you are stuck in Brooklyn on a steamy summer weekend.  You never know what you “need” until you see at the Flea.  Happy hunting!

diywithadd.brooklynflea.vintagemasonjars.L1040841

Vintage mason jars at the Brooklyn Flea.

diywithadd.brooklynflea.vintagemasonjars.L1040826

NYC inspired artwork at the Brooklyn Flea.

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Less is more in our compact kitchen

By ADD | Published: July 1, 2010

diywithadd.ledeshot.kitchen.renovationI’m not a kitchen designer, but I play one on my blog diywithadd.  I’m excited to guest post on brooklynlimestone because Stefanie’s blog was an inspiration to me when I was planning my own renovation, especially the photos of her gorgeous kitchen.  Like many a would-be Renovationista, my kitchen dreams were constrained by some serious space and budget realities.  Design compromises were made, but in the end (hallelujah, we made it to the end!) my husband, Scott, and I love cooking in our cozy new kitchen.   What follows are some small kitchen design ideas that worked for us and I’d love to hear what has worked for you.

diywithadd.before.kitchen.renovation

Kitchen BEFORE renovation

diywithadd.after.kitchen.renovation

Kitchen AFTER renovation

Because we opted not to move the 75 sq. ft. galley kitchen in our Brooklyn brownstone apartment, it didn’t get much bigger.  But it did get taller when we raised the ceiling and built our cabinets sky high for extra storage. And it got cleaner when we opted to paint the shaker cabinets white and to keep the overall color palette muted.   It’s definitely brighter since we swapped out the old door to our deck for a single pane glass one.  It even feels wider because we replaced a chunky old clunker of a fridge with a sleek counter-depth model.

I designed our kitchen around a few relaxed and retro elements that Scott and I both knew we wanted, like a fireclay apron front sink, bracketed shelving, a satin nickel bridge faucet and cleft slate countertops.  I took a “less is more” approach with the rest of the design so that these key pieces could stand out in the small space.

Our cabinets and hardware, for example, are deliberately simple. We chose custom panels for our appliances so that they would disappear into the cabinet wall.  We took a pass on the professional hood trend (which I think can look great in larger kitchens) and instead installed a discreet but powerful exhaust fan in the ceiling above our new range.  We even tucked the microwave under the counter in order to keep the eye level lines clean and unbroken.

Of course, a tight budget informed some of our decisions. Custom paneled appliances were a splurge that didn’t leave money left over for fancy tile work, so we painted the century-old brick exterior wall rather than adding a backsplash.  The flooring is the same vintage wide-plank pine that we installed throughout our apartment.

You can click here to see our kitchen floor plan and to get links to the appliances that (thankfully!) work really well in our small space.   Our simple, efficient and compact kitchen design suits us, but I’m curious about what has worked well for other kitchen remodelers.  A friend just asked me to redesign her Brooklyn kitchen, so I’ll be blogging more small space ideas soon on diywithadd.

diywithadd.lastshot.kitchenrenovation

All photographs © Moya Mc Allister

Posted in Big Renovation | Tagged , , , , , | 28 Comments

We all scream for ice cream

By ADD | Published: June 24, 2010
Ciao Bella gelato diywithadd

Ciao Bella classic chocolate gelato. Photo by Iain Bagwell.

My cousin and gelato advisor F.W. Pearce of Ciao Bella has published a book of recipes.  Now we can all churn out his world famous gelatos and sorbettos at home this summer.   I haven’t made ice cream since I was about eight, so this will be a DIY nostalgia trip.

I spent a week traveling with F.W. and his family in Tuscany one summer, where I packed on the requisite 10 pounds.  We sampled every frozen treat from Assisi to Poppi.  Trust me, the man knows his ice cream.

Some of the more exotic Ciao Bella gelato flavors include Rose Petal, Maple Gingersnap and Crème Fraîche.  My personal faves are the Pistachio gelato and the Blood Orange sorbetto, which is also an Oprah favorite.   The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato and Sorbetto is available on Amazon.com and at Williams Sonoma.  Here’s the recipe for the classic chocolate gelato pictured above.  Mangia Bene!

Recipe for Ciao Bella Classic Chocolate Gelato:

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (about 60% cacao), finely chopped

4 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

  • In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the milk and cream. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn’t form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. Add the chopped chocolate, and stir or whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
  • Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well incorporated and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Temper the egg yolks by very slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture, whisking continuously. Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches a temperature of 185°F. Do not bring to a boil.
  • Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl and cool to room temperature, stirring every 5 minutes or so. To cool the custard quickly, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water and placing the bowl with the custard in it; stir the custard until cooled. Once completely cooled, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.  Makes enough for about 1 quart of gelato. From “The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato and Sorbetto,” by F.W. Pearce & Danilo Zecchin, Clarkson Potter.
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