Lighting…Choices

The time to make our final choices on a variety of elements in the “L” Shaped House is rapidly approaching. Just as the cork floor, window trim, and countertops have recently appeared it will soon be time to hang lighting fixtures in the foyer, dining room, and kitchen. We’ve visited stores from Lowes to Cartier and perused websites from CNS Lighting to Barn Light Electric as we have searched for light fixtures to be used in our new home. The photos below show three fixtures from the Kichler Lighting Hendrik Collection we think we are going to use. The question is always… “how are these going to look in the space?”

Fortunately…the catalog photos of the lights can be combined with a digital image of the room using Adobe Photoshop to help answer this question. In the photograph below I have copied & pasted the catalog images into a photo of the space to create a pretty nice image that lets us “see” the lights in place.

I like the lights…now if only I had taken a photo from this angle with the Cambria countertops in place…

Painting…Day 24

Rick and the Carmichael Decorating crew is busy masking and painting in the “L” Shaped House today. The photos and video below show some of the fast paced progress. In the first two photos we see the kitchen area with the cork flooring covered and the island ready to be sanded after the first coat of sealer.

The underside of the Cambria countertop in the island is built-up using two layers of plywood (only the edge is 6 mm thick). Rick and his crew stained this surface as they worked their way around the base cabinet and support brackets. The whole island cabinet is now stained and sealed…waiting for sanding and then the finish coat of polyurethane varnish.

The next photo shows the intricate masking that is a part of the process of spraying white enamel on the stair risers & balusters as well as the base boards and door trim. Each element is masked at least once in this process…It sometimes makes you wonder if the old system of using brushes might not be easier.

As his crew works on the first floor masking; Rick is busy spraying the finish coat of enamel on the second floor trim. The first photo shows him working on a closet doorway in Helen’s room. The second shows the set of three windows in the hallway outside Sam’s room right after Rick was finished spraying.

And finally…the video shows Rick in action spraying the window trim in Helen’s room!

Cabinets…The Basement Kitchen (2)

Just how big is that upper corner cabinet in the basement kitchen?

No Photoshop here…really!

Cabinets…The Basement Kitchen

After carefully considering a few basement bar options we settled on installing a modest kitchenette in the back corner of the basement family room. We want the basement of the “L” Shaped House to serve as a family room, home theatre, and game room… as well as provide a private retreat for out of town guests. The refrigerator, microwave, and free standing induction cook-top will allow our basement guests an independence that may well encourage longer visits.

In a layout considered earlier we projected an island bar into the room from the front wall of the house. Although a bar arrangement like this provides an efficient seating area this layout works best with the (full size) refrigerator placed on the outside wall…especially if you want to preserve family room space. Furthermore the volumetric (and cost) efficiency of an “L” shaped set of cabinets is compelling.

And this house is all about the letter “L”…Remember Bogr?

The basement of the “L” Shaped House may well end up looking something like the sketch below and “game-night” at the Arneson house will live on in high style!

Carpentry…Day 11

The Solid Construction crew spent the day finishing up carpentry work in the basement. The photo shows the basement stairs with the balusters and hand rail installed. They also finished installing crown molding on the cabinets as well as hanging a wall cabinet in the bathroom.

Painting…Day 23

After all the masking of the last couple of days…the Carmichael Decorating crew went to work today spraying the first coat of white enamel on the second floor trim. The first two photos below show the entry to the master bath and one of the second floor laundry windows after painting. The air was still thick with paint fumes as I walked around at 6:00 pm…I could “taste” the paint all the way home!

The next photo shows the two doorways leading out of the master bedroom with all the door trim and baseboard freshly painted. The photos don’t do the paint job justice…it all looks very shiny and nice.

The last photo is a (warped) panoramic view of the closet wall in Helen’s room looking toward Ann’s at the far side of the house. This shot shows the over-spray left on the floor as they worked their way around the rooms. I had to be careful not to walk in it as everything was still pretty “tacky”.

Painting…Day 22

Rick spent the day spraying varnish on the stained, sealed, and sanded cabinetry throughout the “L” Shaped House. He and his crew spent yesterday preparing all of the second floor cabinets as well as the living room window seat for the finish coat of varnish today. The first photo shows the living room cabinets with the late afternoon sunlight reflecting off the window seat. The next photo shows the cherry cabinets in the second floor laundry room shortly after Rick finished spraying. All of the finished cabinets look absolutely fantastic!

 

Rick also sprayed the finish coat of varnish on the first floor staircase. All of the stair treads, newels, trim, and handrails are now finished. The late afternoon sunlight provided another opportunity to catch some nice reflections in the nearly perfect finish Rich puts down with the sprayer…The staircase is stunning!

Carpentry…Day 10 (Evening report)

Dan and his crew from Solid Construction made a lot of progress in the basement this afternoon (enough for another evening report). The first photo shows the kitchen cabinets installed in the South East corner of the basement family room. The scale of the kitchenette seems about right for the space and the giant corner (upper) cabinet kind of disappears into the corner of the room.

The next photo catches the corner of the basement stairs in front of the new cabinets in the background. This view does a nice job of showing the scale of the cabinetry. The last photo shows a close up view of the first flight of stairs leading upstairs from the basement. The Solid guys installed the full hardwood treads on the first five steps and finished all of the risers and trim. Next they will install a hand rail and balusters just like the one on the first floor.

 

Carpentry…Day 10

The Solid Construction guys are back this morning installing some of the Great Woods Cabinetry items delivered earlier this week. The first photo shows the cherry countertop installed in the dining room hutch. The next photo shows the first two upper kitchen cabinets installed in the corner of the basement family room. This corner will include a lazy-Susan in the lower cabinets with a giant corner cabinet above.

The Fireplace…Final Artwork!

April 1, 2010

After nearly a month of careful deliberation Deb and I finally came to an agreement on the artwork for the space above the fireplace. Initially I felt it might be a little too strong but Deb insists that the piece works so well she unwilling to compromise…who am I to argue!