The Rockaway upstairs apartment is now ready for it’s (not so) close up! The original goal was to start showing by the end of May. (The original original goal was to have the house sold by the end of 2012, but we all know how that worked out.) Ok, so this new deadline was somewhat delayed due to the fact that I mistakenly decided to have a life and go away for Memorial Day weekend. But whatev. I’m back up to speed.
I wish every room could be as interesting as doing a bathroom or kitchen. Remember my original pink bathroom that I was determined to keep? Well, it has been resurrected! Still on the to do list: vanity pulls, scrape paint off door glass, lock set, stain saddle and a few other things that don’t show up in the photo.
The decision to do a Mexican kitchen was born when I found the ceramic “terracotta” tiles at a Habitat Restore. The upper cabinets were there when I bought the house. Because of my not-so-great planning skills, the fridge, which was originally for the downstairs kitchen, was moved up here because it was too wide. It was meant to go on the opposite wall but proved too big for that also. I ended up tearing down some more cabinets to fit it in that corner. It works so much better there, but now I have to move an outlet. To do list: Move outlet, cabinet pulls, replace broken stove knob, switch plates.
This is the living room. I stuck the chair in the photo because it looked so empty, but now it looks even more sad. To do list: Hang crystals from light fixture, re-coat window trim and inner white, switch plates.
This is actually the small front room, but it looks bigger than the living room in this photo. It can be a second junior bedroom, an office or child’s room.
The main bedroom is Manhattan sized also, but it has a room off of it with a closet that can act as a dressing room. Nothing at all interesting about this corner photo. I just wanted to show off yet another vintage light fixture.
Related: Apartment One
Here are some “before” shots…
Front Room
Living Room
Kitchen
Pink Bathroom
The Mexican kitchen in apartment #2 is coming together! Backsplash by eBay. $60 including shipping.
I decided to go Mexican when I found fake terracotta (ceramic) floor tiles at a Habitat for Humanity. FYI, 25 bucks. But then I ran out of them. Oops. Anyway, that set the theme for the entire kitchen.
The eBay tiles are mismatched, as you can see. Included in the box of 100, there were about 3-4 design repeats. Some are meant to be patterns that make up a single design but that design can’t be completed. Because they are handmade, none of them are the same size, which makes for uneven grout lines.
If consistency and perfection is your thang, these tiles ain’t for you. If you likey, just punch in a “Mexican tile” search on eBay and you’ll have a nice selection to choose from.
There are also these Mexican tile resources from an earlier post.
The same pink bathroom that sold me on this house was the very thing I had to say goodbye to during demolition. I vowed that I would keep that bathroom pink by any means necessary and I’m keeping my promise.
As you can see from the photo, the tub has been saved. It was touch and go for awhile because I wanted to move the shower body over to the far side of the toilet, getting rid of a wall that blocked the window. That means the drain is on the opposite end of the faucet. Since one side of the tub is against the wall, there was no turning the tub around. I started to search for right side (or is it left side?) pink tubs but then I said “Fek it. So the drain is on the wrong side.” That cast iron is too heavy.
The only pink floor tiles I found were pink and white and since I wanted a pink and black bathroom, I decided to pick up these Home Depot black and white mosaics which will make the pink pop. BTW, Weisman’s Home Outlets carries retro pink and white floor tiles as well as 4×4 wall tiles.
I cleaned Build it Green out of their pink 4×4 vintage wall tiles. Got about 300+ tiles and still have about 250+ more to go. Astoria and Gowanus tiles have slight color variations so I’ma gonna have to mix and match. Now I can’t buy new pink or black to match because of the thickness.
The pink toilet that was salvaged from this bathroom will be installed once the grout is applied.
Looking for a vintage dresser today to act as the sink vanity. This bathroom will be screaming 1950′s when I’m done. A far cry from the Victorian bathroom downstairs. The one that has been too messy to take pics because it’s actually in use.
Why didn’t I stencil that clawfoot tub I put in the bathroom? It’s not too late. Love these!
Before there were Ikeas and Targets in NYC, National Wholesale Liquidators was the place to go for inexpensive home goods. Right there on Broadway just a touch north of Soho (“Noho” my ass) was a three level megastore of savings.
NWL still exists in three boroughs and out in the suburbs. Hey, it’s the type of place where a car comes in handy to schlep all that merch anyway.
Although not quite as stylish as Ikea, it’s a great place to hit if decorating on a budget. They carry a decent selection of table linens, bath accessories, curtains, rugs and bedding. They also stock kitchenware and small appliances as well as large furniture.
Don’t need home goods? The New Jersey store even has a full supermarket and wine shop.
Doesn’t matter if you’re a big drinker or not. Home bars are pretty darn cool. Whether it’s a tiki bar or Mad Men version, what better way to entertain your guests than pretend you’re a bartender?
Who needs a tiki bar when you can have an entire tiki room?
This cute pink bar was in a home for sale in St. Louise, MO. Entire home was listed at $55k.
Outdoor pallet bar. How much does this cost? Oh yeah, free.
Ok, so the house is a bit McMansiony but the idea of putting the bar under the stairs is great. Plus, they have a pool table.
Kitchen
Hallway
Dining Room
Bedroom
Bathroom
Living Area
It’s true. I have an addiction to light fixtures. I buy light fixtures like women buy shoes. They go with many designs, they are easy to carry and they won’t make you look fat. Plus, if it’s a bargain, who can resist?
Granted, I’m pretty sure I had enough lighting to cover the whole house, but I picked up three more fixtures yesterday at Vaccaro’s. Although the entire renovation is a potpourri of salvaged styles, the lighting is decidedly tole. I suppose I’m trying to achieve a kitsch bungalow look. I did buy some deco sconces and gothic chandeliers for good measure. Can’t be too consistent! It would get boring.
All lights need to be cleaned, painted and rewired. What fun would it be if I couldn’t work on them?
No space? No problem! There are some awesome design for tiny kitchens. The lime green tiny kitchen above was designed by Miles Redd right here in New York! It’s both functional and wayyyy cool.
This circular kitchen by Compact-Concepts sort of looks like a public restroom when the doors are closed. (Note to self: Public restroom in home would be kind of suh-weet.) The German company doesn’t seem to have a dealer here in the US.
Under the stairs. Of course, there are no cabinets so you would probably be ordering lots of take out. Fine by me! Via Pinterest.
Via Apartment Therapy. I don’t care if it’s functional or not. It’s turquoise.
I always think of stenciling as a finishing touch to dress up a home after the renovation is complete. After having some setbacks in the house that I’m waiting on for repairs, I found myself there yesterday with nothing to do, so I decided to get to some of those finishing touches.
There’s the correct way to stencil and then there’s my way. Since I was anxious to get something done without running to the store to get more supplies, guess which way I did it?
To stencil properly, you should have the following materials on hand.
1. Paint & Stencil. Duh.
2. Stencil brush
3. Blue masking tape
4. Pencil
5. Tape measure
6. Level
7. Paper towel
8. Water or denatured alcohol
9. Stencil adhesive
If you don’t have these items on hand, you can do what I do and use your fingers and a foam roller.
1. Have your base coat down and have the stencil paint on hand. You may use as many colors as your little heart desires.
2. Measure out where to start and the distance between stencils. You’ll most likely be using the same stencil over and over. That’s where the pencil comes in but you can also mask off where it will go. Personally, I like to get this step over with so I can just paint my stencil, but you can stop and measure/level each time. Whatev. Up to you.
3. The spray adhesive will keep the stencil in place. If not on hand (I’ve never had it on hand.) you can tape the stencil but honestly, it pops up and if you’re sloppy like me, there will be some touch up. That’s where your fingers come in. You have to hold it down and you’re literally painting your fingers.
4. Dip the stencil brush or foam in paint and dab it off on a paper towel. You don’t want too much paint.
5. Stipple the brush into the cut outs. Do not, repeat: do not use strokes or it will bleed underneath the stencil. Been there, done that.
6. Carefully remove it without smudging the paint all over.
7. Take off the tape, blah, blah, blah. Beautiful, huh?
8. Repeat over and over again, cleaning the paint off the stencil each time.
9. Touch up with small brush as needed. If it looks perfect, well la-di-da….aren’t you superior?
The stencil you’re looking at has dressed up a boring newly sheetrocked archway between rooms. After the setbacks, it made me feel a bit better about the house. She cleans up real nice.
After suffering through the endless demo, sheetrock, taping and mudding, I finally got some color on the walls. Personally, I prefer rich jewel tones but since I’ll be trying to sell the house, I went with a lighter palette.
So, my lighter palette choices don’t translate into “safe”. I couldn’t bear the thought of using white. I tried to go with “beach housey pastel” but as you can see, some of the walls are more reminiscent of desserts. Mmm, mint chocolate chip and orange sorbet…..
Refrigerators can take over a small room. They especially look out of place with open plan kitchens. Pricey Sub Zero units take custom panels but if you’re creative enough, who’s to say you can’t hide any ole fridge? Click on the images for more info.
How do you accessorize the front of your house for not a lot of money? Well, window boxes would be a good start! The bright box shown above has a DIY tutorial on the Lowe’s website.
I like this interchangeable plant idea because you can never get bored. Stephanie Lynn lists ten window box DIY project plans in her post!
The Polished Pebble posted Pottery Barn planters. Pleasantly pretty.
It’s not all about the box. For folks like me who can’t maintain live plants, this is a great idea! Bottle holder window box. Personally, I’d make sure those bottles are secure in there, knowwhatimsayin?
Who says you even need a real window? This reclaimed wood window box is for sale from Aunt Debbie’s Country Store for 24 bucks. For that price, I wouldn’t even bother taking the time to make it myself. Just order it.
Join the mailing list for updates!
Love everything, especially the beautiful kitchen back splash tiles.
Will you be reversing the way the fridge doors open? I had mine open that way in our last house and they always seemed wrong.
You’ve made so much progress. It must be so satisfying.
Comment by priscilla — June 3, 2013 @ 6:27 pm
I didn’t even notice. I guess….if I can. Another thing to add to the list!
Comment by RH — June 4, 2013 @ 1:46 pm
Is the pink bathroom vanity tiled? I love what you have done with it.
Comment by Karen Fenter — June 6, 2013 @ 8:28 pm