The Grand Reveal: Queen Anne Cottage Bathroom!

I’m so excited to share the first AFTER photos of our upstairs unit in the Queen Anne Cottage … tempered slightly by the fact that we moved before the unit was fully staged, and these snapshots are pretty bad.

As a reminder, these were the key inspirational images (full inspo post here):

     

Here’s the befooooooooore:

And here’s how it all came together! I’ve included pictures “in the nude” and with accessories, some super-imposed.

1- West Elm, 2- Houzz, 3- Wayfair, 4- Macys, 5- Misty Lee Cosmetics, 6- Lucky Clover (does not include liner), 7- Ballard Design, 8- Overstock

Sink – OfferUp << Check OfferUp, Craigslist, Let Go and search terms like “vintage trough sink,” “antique sink,” “retro schoolhouse sink,” etc. We paid $75 for ours unfinished. We paid a small fortune to get it and the clawfoot tub refinished, but we are so thrilled with the results.

Vanity – Dragotta Designs on Etsy << LUUUURVE their stuff, and the owner, Jonathan, is super easy to work with and great at customizing pieces to your liking. We were in a pinch to get the vanity in before the sink was refinished, and he rushed the order for us over Christmas! Cannot say enough good things :). Here’s a better shot of the vanity before we added handles/towel bars from Wayfair.

Tile Floor – Tile For Less … I look forward to any rendezvous with my gal Rainbow at the SoDo store. She suggested a linen finish to add warmth and I love how it turned out!

Medicine Cabinet – Amazon

 

1- Lucky Clover, 2- Lowe’s, 3- Etsy, 4- Macys, 5- Ribbon Bazaar and Amazon, 6- Barneys

Well folks, what do you think? It’s weird to sum up hours and hours of research (me) and manually labor (Tristan) into a single blog post and essentially two photos, but I’m hopeful that you get the jist.

Would love to hear your feedback! 🙂

 

 

A French Farmhouse Bathroom

Hi folks!

As promised, I wanted to share the results of our #QACottage upstairs unit gut job. I’ll start with the bathroom.

I’m even more excited to dig into the reveal of this unit, as opposed to the lower unit, because we put a lot of extra TLC (and expense) into it, since we thought we were going to live there with our baby girl for the next few years.

Here is the bathroom BEFORE:

I should note that you had to enter it through the master, and it is/was the only restroom in the unit. Glad those days are over! The most significant change we made was to move the door from the bedroom wall to the kitchen wall and widen it a touch.

To set the mood, let me share with you some inspiration images. I was kind of going for a French farmhouse vibe, with a combination of black and white with rustic wood and yellow pops. I know, I’m the only one doing farmhouse. I was then planning to add plants and art, but as mentioned in my last post, we rented out the place before I got to fully zhush.

Without further ado … the inspiration images.

– M O O D – 

(click picture for source!)

– N A R R O W I N G  I T  D O W N –

I had my heart set on a double-faucet vintage trough sink. The reasons are aesthetic as well as practical. We didn’t have enough width in the bathroom for a double vanity, but my marriage depended on that extra source of water before bed each night.

I love the exposed basin of the trough sink, but I knew I needed all the storage I could get. I set out to find a cool rustic wood base that could also have storage.

I decided to use this image as my main inspo, designed by Tiffany Farha Designs:

Here was my highly official sketch:

Other details…

Wall storage:

Flooring:

Instead of checkered floors, I did a linen-finish tile with a checkered rug that I could take with me whenever we moved.

Lighting:

I really wanted hanging pendant lights on each side of the mirror, but because of the proximity to the shower, it would’ve been an electrocution hazard. And trust me, I was willing to risk it, but Tristan reminded me that tenants could sue us, which didn’t sound so great.

Spoiler alert: I probably will not get to do hanging pendants until house after our new one we just bought. UG! I have cried real tears over this. I will do a dedicated post about all of my very favorite pendant light bathrooms, which I think will help with the grieving process.

Shower Curtain:

Our clawfoot tub was just BEGGING for this stunning shower curtain that has been floating around Pinterest since its early years –

Now that the groundwork has been laid, I can’t wait to show you how it all turned out! Come on back for the full reveal :).

-t&T

Meet Our New Home

Happy Monday, everyone!

Days of the week are mostly meaningless to me, now that I’m on maternity leave.

However on Saturday, Tristan and I plus baby had our first family outing that wasn’t home renovation related! I had the BEST time. We searched for estate sales and garage sales, had lunch, came home and napped … is this what life can be?

It was probably one of the very first family outings since Tristan and I have known each other. On weekends we weren’t working on the house, we typically had friend or family plans. Very excited for more family days this summer :).

I’m also very excited to introduce you to another new addition in our lives.

Meet our new #BallardHomeBase

It’s in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, where I lived before I met Tristan, and is around 2,200 square feet with 4 BR / 3 BA. I call it “home base” because it’s our home for the indefinite future – we may buy other properties to renovate and rent out, but this one’s for us :).

The garage has been converted into a studio unit that is currently rented out by our friend Val. There’s a real fenced yard and en suite bathroom – two rarities in Seattle! And don’t even get me started on the sunroom.

___

One question we’ve received a lot: “I can’t believe you moved! Are you bummed that you just finished a two year long renovation, and you don’t even get to enjoy your new space?”

The answer is no.

The housing market here is bonkers, and we’re thrilled to be out of the rat race.

Tristan is on Redfin as a hobby several times a day (kind of like how some mindlessly scroll through Facebook). We’d tour houses or make offers from time to time as we’d come across a Forever Home potential.

To finally have “won” a house, and know that we won’t have to drop everything and quickly tour a house, make an offer, make sure financing is approved, and then ultimately lose out to foreign all-cash investors – while juggling a newborn – feels FANTASTIC. The pros of moving definitely outweigh the cons.

(For those who aren’t aware, our Queen Anne Cottage is actually two 600 sq. ft. units, so our time was extremely limited there, anyway.)

I do feel a teeny bit bummed because I don’t have fully staged AFTER photos of our Queen Anne Cottage to share.

We lived upstairs for a few weeks and moved out before I had art on the walls or all of my decor pieces in place. So can you just use your imagination when I say so? And per usual, I have TONS of inspiration photos to show you to help along the way. 🙂

I’ll get full house tours up of each house on the blog at some point but the first room I’ll share is the QA Cottage Bathroom! Stay tuned.

-t&T

Fashion Obsession: Denim Get-ups

I’m obsessed with Denim Get-ups.

I know what you’re thinking.

Not that.

Not your average denim-on-denim, either, a la these ladies:

I’m talking matchy-matchy denim SETS!

You know I love a set. Kind of like Justin and Britney, but for 2017. And matchy-matchy with yourself, not with your partner.

I was first inspired by a sleeveless denim boatneck shirt with matching high-waisted trousers I saw in a Neiman Marcus catalog a few years ago. I hung onto the clipping for a long time, but cannot find it now :(. It’s apparently not on Google, either.

Then just last week, I saw a sleeveless denim boatneck shirt with a release-hem that matched some cropped release-hem denim pants I got last year. My set… finally realized!

Here is me struggling to take a selfie, per usual…

   

Shirt: Bella Dahl, on sale for $65!

Pants: H&M, similar here (only $55!) and here.

***

Here are some other matchy-matchy denim looks that I’m ALL ABOUT!

(pictures linked to original source)

And here are a few other get-ups you can purchase now. Click the picture for source!

and if you REALLY REALLY like this trend (and want to pay beaucoup bucks), here’s a designer version:

What do you think?

-t&T (aka Team SET!)

 

Mother Daughter Matching: The True Story

Lots has happened since I last posted. My last post outlined my future nursery inspiration while making it clear that there was no baby.

In fairness, I have had nursery inspirations since I was about ten years old, looking through the huge quarterly JCPenny catalogs and mapping out my future life. So I totally would make a blog post about babies I don’t yet have, like my Mother Daughter Matching post from three years ago.

But that last inspiration was actually THE inspiration, and there was, in fact, a baby. Sorry for the huge fib! We were feeling the need to be a bit protective. Anyone paying attention could’ve read the comments on that post and called my bluff immediately :).

So here we are, nearly two months into our life with our beautiful baby girl. I know we still want to be protective of her but I will share what I can as we gain our footing as new parents. For now, we’ll refer to her as Baby S.

One very special event was held recently and that was her baby dedication. My friend Miriam, who owns Savvy Seamstress, had the awesome idea to create a dress for Baby S using a leftover piece of fabric from my wedding dress, which I had shortened to a sheath a few years back (you know, for every day wear). Cue squeals and jumping up and down. Yes, best idea ever!

Here’s the original:

These are the remnants she was working with, after the dress was shortened to the sheath:

And I couldn’t be more thrilled with how it came out.

And here we are, Mother Daughter Matching, in the flesh.

Another shot of the dress:

AND THEN, last weekend we held a Sip and See for little miss S, and she wore a dress that I wore when I was her age. She totally looks like Tristan but at least her fashion will look like me, as long as I can help it!

First up, me:

Thirty years later:

And one more of the full look!

Who wore it best? Obviously Baby S! Looks at those shoes :).

When I wrote my last post in December, I was five months pregnant and we were about to finish our upstairs remodel and move into our new [teeny] unit. I had begun to pare back on my extracurriculars, i.e. freelance work and teaching a fitness class, and thought I’d have all this time to nest and get ready for the baby, due mid-April.

But no. You see, we are those crazy people who bought a house when I was eight months pregnant and moved into it two weeks before my due date. And rented out the two units in the previous house.  Then proceeded to remodel three rooms in the new house, with a bathroom still in progress.

It just sort of happened … ?

But that all means that I have so many fun updates to post about! I am on maternity leave until mid-August, so there’s at least a chance I will actually do the posts.

And believe it or not, we have slowed down. Having a baby kind of forces you to! And we welcome it … though there is a learning curve. 🙂

-t&T

 

Nursery Inspiration

I’ve never been one to shy away from planning for the future. I’ve had a running list of baby names since the 5th grade. I remember pouring over the huge quarterly JCPenney catalogs as a kid, and part of the ritual was deciding which maternity “wardrobe capsule” (before that was even a thing) was best, and which crib set was the cutest.

That’s not to say I’ve always been obsessed with babies… far from, especially as an only child.

But anything one could decorate or fashion design was well within my planning territory, and still is.

My latest inspiration is for a little girl nursery that’s white, beige, fuchsia, purple, orange and yellow. With everything that is within me, I’ve attempted to not introduce gold and black as well. I try to limit myself to six colors, which isn’t really much of a limit, is it?

Here’s the vibe/colors I’d go for:

Clockwise from top left: Hallway, bedroom, chair, pillow, rug and chair, lobster, couch, tea set, cloud shelf, flower mobile, neon sign, art, rug, couch

You can see these and a few other examples on my Color Me Crazy Pinterest board.

What do you think? Any other fab nursery ideas I should get on my radar now?

-t&T

Adventures with Chalk Paint

I wanted elaborate a bit on the bed and dresser I painted using chalk paint. I love this product because it’s relaxing to use, in that it’s so easy to use. The leisurely weekend projects I come up with actually happen. Here’s why I like chalk paint –

1. It can paint over any surface without major sanding and prepwork. I, for one, have no time or patience for such measures.
2. You don’t need 4,000 coats. For those of us who have thought spray-painting or “regular”-painting a dresser would turn out well, chalk paint accomplishes what you were picturing in your head versus the lumpy, spotty failure you may have encountered.
3. Annie Sloan, original chalk paint queen, charges $30/tub for hers and you have to order it online, but the knock-off Americana Decor brand sold at Home Depot worked just great. One small tub is less than $10 and typically yields enough to do 2-3 coats on one piece of furniture. This keeps project costs down.
4. Glazing is not nearly as intimidating as I thought it would be and, especially if you buy the wax brush, is simpler to apply than other paint sealers.

Scroll down for pictures! 🙂

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Here’s what I used for the dresser project. The materials cost around $30 and I applied the winter white paint on day one and the black stripe and glaze on day two.

BEFORE – a Craigslist find for $20:

AFTER PAINT/BEFORE GLAZE:

AFTER!

For this project, I didn’t buy the wax brush for the glaze, and instead applied it with a rag. But I now have the brush and it makes the process faster and easier, while helping make sure the right amount of glaze is applied. I will need to re-apply glaze to the dresser at some point, since the rag kind of wiped off some of the glaze I was trying to apply and it’s wearing through in areas where there’s more wear and tear.

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Our traditional sleigh bed was transformed into a gilded statement piece thanks to black chalk paint and gold leaf paint by Martha Stewart. I used the same black paint and glaze as in the previous project (new containers) and again was able to finish the project in one weekend.

BEFORE:

AFTER PAINT/BEFORE GLAZE:

AFTER:

I’m still a tad intimidated to do the rustic application of chalk paint, using brown glaze instead of clear glaze. For instance, I believe the inspiration for my dresser is sealed in a brown glaze:

Anyway, though I am craftily inclined and detail oriented, I am impatient with projects. Once inspiration strikes, I want my vision to become reality, like, yesterday. If you’re like me, chalk paint will be your new best friend!

-t&T

 

BEDROOM REVEAL

So, this room is BEYOND just the basement remodel. I’ve had this bedroom design in mind for nearly three years, ever since one of my first blog posts, Winter Bedroom Inspiration.

I finally finished gathering all of the pieces for the design just in time for summer – ha! But I have a summer version of the design which I’ll implement next year. In the meantime, it’s certainly cozy!

My inspiration was the Ralph Lauren Duke Collection in the winter that can convert to the Apartment No. 1 collection in summer:

FALL/WINTER

SPRING/SUMMER

Here is the before:

I wish you could smell those carpets

Here is the after:

The duvet and euro shams were sewed by Savvy Seamstress using flannel from Joann’s. It was difficult to find a plaid that included black, green, red and gold and of course, Ralph Lauren’s Duke tartan fabric cost a fortune. I ended up paying $60 for the flannel during a crazy Joann’s sale. It’s not an exact replica like the Glen plaid fabric you’ll see below, but after months of research, I decided that no one was making the Duke plaid affordably.

Note the new windows and windowsills, courtesy of Tristan. 🙂

The Ralph Lauren version of this wool throw is $350+. While still pricey, I got this Lands Downunder throw last Christmas and it was around $100. I have never felt so grown up!

Tristan had the FABULOUS idea to re-paint his traditional sleigh bed black with gold accents. I LOVE it now! I will post more later on this project.

We still have to build a top for this nightstand, but in the meantime I purchased a large clear acrylic picture frame and removed the back. I’m liking the peek-a-boo to my jewelry.

Tristan calls the wall above our bed the Wall of Death, and if there were an earthquake, it would NOT be a fun wake up moment.

The sham fabric was also used in the curtains, made by my mom. Go mom!

Closet, for reference

Really excited about this art from Etsy – it includes the blue, green, red and gold from my winter bedroomscape but also the magenta and purple from my spring/summer bedroomscape. It took me awhile to find pictures that would blend with both!

Obligatory vignette

Rug purchased in Mexico – fun Aztec-y pattern

This bedroom took awhile to put together and it seems overwhelming to comment on it all. If you have a question about a source or how-to, let me know!

-t&T

 

KITCHEN REVEAL

Our upstairs kitchen was barely functioning by the time we moved downstairs, so the brand new appliances, counter space and functioning outlets were a REVELATION.

I was a bit more involved with the kitchen remodel – I went to the marble slab yard to pick out the counter tops and numerous tile shops to pick out the stainless steel penny tile. Home Depot, a bajillion times. Tristan and I installed the backsplash together. Tristan did everything else :). I’m so thrilled with how it turned out!

Here are the before pictures:

Entry from living room to kitchen

Nothing like dented linoleum to really drive home the need for change

A weird small room adjacent to the kitchen which we ended up including in the kitchen footprint

… as tempting as it was to try to salvage this bookcase with three-inch-deep shelves …

Here is the after:

I had some leftover fabric from when I had slipcovers made for the Parson’s chairs, so I whipped up some matching curtains

Any excuse to show off my vintage barware collection…

We needed to keep a pole here, so we added wine storage as a filler so that the oven could open without hitting it

Yays! For those who are curious, Tristan poured the concrete floors and dyed them the burnt umber color. The cabinets are from thertastore.com.

-t&T

 

BATHROOM REVEAL

This is one of those rooms in which one can’t appreciate the after without noting the atrocious before, including baby blue sink and toilet that was impossibly positioned (you can’t see it but it’s behind the raised shower). Seriously, there’s no way an adult male could have done any business on that thing.

Here is the before:

Here’s the after:

In terms of decor, the After bathroom would be snooze-ville without the magical hands of Mandi at Living for Pretty. Given her entry way stencil experience, she graciously said she’d help make my ikat stencil dreams come true. Without her, I would’ve collapsed in tears several times I’m sure. But because she was there, I had to be on my best adult behavior.

There used to be a hallway AND a bathroom taking up this same space. Tristan combined the spaces and now you enter the laundry room on the other side of the ladder shelf you see. The angled door helps keep the space feeling open.

View from the door

View from the shower

These are regular sheer curtains with a white plastic liner behind. We mounted them as close to the ceiling as possible to make the space feel light and big.

I’m really happy with this double medicine cabinet you see here. I was surprised to see how high-end medicine cabinets can be and was initially super opposed to the idea. This one has mirrors on the inside as well and is SO convenient.

The larger photos weren’t working of the light fixture, which I LOVE, so here you go.

This vanity is by Martha Stewart at Home Depot and the color is Sharkey Gray. We liked it so much we painted the entire basement Sharkey Gray!

I am loving our peaceful new bathroom with good storage and new plumbing! And I’m happy with how the stenciled wall came together. I’m on the hunt for some bright orange and magenta bath towels to freshen up the color palette even more.

-t&T