Great Find: Lighting

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you've probably already seen the photos below of these latest finds, but they are just too good not to share on the blog, so I'm going to do it. Side note if you're not stalking, I mean following, me on Facebook and Twitter, then better get on that! Anyway my boyfriend's home renovation is coming to an end and he asked me to help him pick out some light fixtures, one of my favourite things! There are so many good stores to choose from in Toronto, but the key thing is not going over board and remaining on budget.  So here were the stores on our list:

• Morba
• CB2
• West Elm
• Living Lighting
• Modern Furniture Knockoff

Here is what we bought....

Master bedroom light fixture/ceiling fan. Full credit goes to my boyfriend as he found this one all on his own and at Rona. The best thing was the price, originally $250 reduced to a whopping $70 because it was a floor model. The other cool thing about this light fixture is that it's a ceiling fan too, as it spins, the blades open up, perfect for air circulation when you have a vaulted ceiling, just like my boyfriend does.

This beauty is for the living room and bought at CB2 for $149. He has a grey couch and coffee table with tons of red accents, so I thought this light would be perfect. Now I'm second guessing myself though, should we have gone with the gold instead? 

Next up is this one for the dining room bought at West Elm for $199. We bought some chrome tipped bulbs to use here and in the living room light above. Trying to keep it relatively consistent as the light fixtures are so different.

With a little bit of make shifting, these will be the new pendant lights hanging in the kitchen above the peninsula. We have tons of pot lights so we didn't need a light fixture. These pendants will get the same chrome tipped bulbs too! Oh and these were bought at West Elm too, $30 each for the pendant and $15 each for the conversion kit

One more special treat for today....we visited the granite manufacturing warehouse yesterday to hand pick the granite slab for the kitchen, it was really cool seeing everything in action....

And we ended up choosing this one...Alaska white, which will go perfect with the high gloss grey cabinets in the kitchen

Can't wait to see it all come together, we are so close to the finish line!

What do you think of our choices? Have any favourite lighting stores you would like to share?

1st Floor Reno Recap

A couple of months back I shared my 4th completed renovation project in the Junction Triangle, if you didn't get a chance to see the post, just click here. Anyway I just posted before and after pictures with promises to break down the renovation floor by floor. So here is the recap of what I did on the first floor. Stay tuned for future posts where I recap the 2nd floor, basement and front and backyard renovations.

Here is what I started with in the foyer, living room and dining room...

Here is what I had done....

• the whole main floor was gutted right down to the studs and all walls were taken out to accomplish an open concept main floor
• we exposed the entire right side wall to showcase the amazing brick that was buried beneath
• while gutting the main floor we discovered a brick fireplace in the living room, score!
• ripped out the main staircase and ordered custom steel stringers for a see through/floating effect
• re-routed vents
• re-wired the entire house as there was some knob and tube wiring, typical in old homes like these
• re-located the entrance to the basement back to underneath the main staircase
• kept the front door and all the window and door trim as I love me some character in a home

Here is what it looked like during the demolition stage...

Here is what I did to rebuild it back up...

• drywalled the entire main floor
• installed the steel stringers to give the home an industrial element
• installed wood steps, which were stained and varnished by yours truly, the stain colour I used was the same colour as my hardwood floors
• designed a new banister using cedar posts and cable craft wire, cedar varinshed by your truly again
• added 13 pot lights throughout the main floor, all on dimmers
• added a chandelier in the front foyer
• cleaned and varnished all the brick, not done by yours truly
• found a piece of an old wood railroad track which I used as my fireplace mantle
• installed oak hardwood floors in a pewter finish bought at Hamilton Hardwood Outlet (the owner will bring samples to you, so you don't have to go to Hamilton)
• installed tiles in the front foyer bought at Home Hardware
• installed all new light fixtures
• installed 7 3/8" baseboards throughout the main floor bought at Home Depot
• painted the walls in Pewter Grey from C-I-L paints bought at Home Depot
• built new cedar stairs going to the basement and stained and varnished by yours truly

Here is the finished product...

Now on to the kitchen...here is what I started with...

Here is what I did...

• demolished the entire kitchen, sparing nothing!
• the gut of the main floor included the kitchen to make it open concept, perfect for entertaining (there's the Realtor in me)
• got rid of the door to the back extension so the main floor flowed better
• closed off the entrance to the basement in the back extension and relocated it
• designed an Ikea kitchen complete with a breakfast bar/peninsula and pantry around the fridge, in high gloss grey
• added pot lights and 2 pendant lights to hang over the peninsula
• installed granite countertops
• installed farmers sink with goose neck faucet
• bought all brand new stainless steel appliances; slide in gas range, french door fridge, built in dishwasher and exhaust fan from the Canadain Appliance Store (heavily discounted appliances, check it out)
• decorated the kitchen with a small wine rack, antique finds and a chalk board

Here is the finished product...

After using and enjoying my kitchen, I did end up making one minor change for the better. I didn't do a back splash in the kitchen and for the most part it worked out well, except behind the stove. The wall started to get really dirty and it started to look awful. I decided to install a back splash just behind the stove using matte black subway tiles in a brick pattern. So I called my dad and we did it together, it took no time at all. The longest part was waiting for the glue to dry so that we could grout it.

Here it is in progress and yes majority of it, is my handiwork...

Here is the finished product...doesn't it look so much better?



 I hope you enjoyed my first floor recap and thanks for making it this far down the post. Make sure to subscribe to my blog so you don't miss out on the remaining recaps. The second floor, basement and front and backayrds are still to come!

In the meantime, what do you think? Do you have any questions about anything I did on the main floor?

Project Update In Photos

I realized that I haven't done a recent project update on my home renovation. There were definitely some obstacles since my last update, but they have now been resolved and things are moving along. I'm anticipating that the renovations will be complete in a couple of weeks and I can begin the fun task of decorating. So here are some pictures, I'm sure you've probably seen a lot of these if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, but here's a round up of them all, located in one place.

Front Entryway/Stairs...Before

Front Entryway/Stairs...Now

Long gone are all the walls, making the main floor open concept and hello exposed brick wall! I decided to go with tiles in the entryway, hence why the hardwood floors didn't get extended into this area

I also ripped out the old stairs and decided to order these custom made steel stringers....the only thing missing....wood steps that will be stained the same colour as the hardwood floor. The look....floating, open concept stairs = love!

These new cedar posts complete the look of my stairs by acting as the new banister as well as supporting the 2nd floor considering the entire main floor is now open concept. I'm yet to install the cedar hand rail and the air craft cable wire that will act as my pickets in between the posts

Living Room...Before

Living Room...Now

Exposed brick fireplace hidden behind all that lathe and plaster, why would anyone want to cover this beauty up?


Kitchen...Before





Kitchen...Now

Ikea kitchen with a farmers sink and granite counter tops!


This stainless steel slide in gas range and a hood fan will be inserted here.....



This stainless steel french door fridge will be placed here........


Master Bedroom...Before


Master Bedroom...Now

I decided to vault my master bedroom ceiling, so my ceiling went from 8 feet to 16 feet, can't wait till it's all done!

Can you tell I love exposed brick? This chimney stack was uncovered and will be left uncovered, the remaining brick will be covered by drywall

Well, that's all I got for now, what do you think? Do you have a before and after you would like to share with me?

PS. I know I need to learn how to use Photoshop, it's one of my goals this year!

More Great Finds!!!

I was busy all last week shopping up a storm for my project home and I'm excited to share some of my finds. First off, let me say it's hard to shop for finishes when your home is a complete reno mess, but somehow I managed, with a little help from a good friend of mine (Renee Elliott), to help me see the complete vision and be confident in the choices I was making.

Let's start with the paint colours, the pictures of the swatches are not the greatest, but I'm sure you will get an idea of the colours in the home.

The paint colour is from C-I-L, it is a Pewter Grey colour from their Clean & Playful collection and will be used throughout the whole house including basement. I have a lot of chunky window trim and tall baseboards that will all be painted white, so I think this Pewter Grey colour will act as a great contrast against the white and really  make the baseboards and window trim pop!


Next up is Grey Tweed also from C-I-L, this colour will be used in both bathrooms, as I like using a darker colour in the bathrooms and comes from their Deep & Luxurious collection.


Last, but not least, is the accent colour in the master bedroom. I LOVE accent walls, as is evident throughout my previous projects, so of course I decided to do one in this home too. This colour is Dark Cavern from Behr and will be used, you guessed it, in my master bedroom for the accent wall. I can't wait to see it all come together.

Let's move onto the flooring. The main floor and upstairs will have oak hardwood floors installed, whereas the basement will get carpet. Again you don't want to spend to much money in the basement as your focal points are on the main level anyway, so I find carpet is the best, inexpensive option. It also makes the basement feel more cozy and usable. Normally I choose a traditional medium brown colour for the floors as it's not too light (which I don't like at all), not too dark, where every dust particle shows and it's safe. But this time around I decided to live life on the edge and go with this colour.......

I love how this floor colour incorporates warm tones and cool tones, which is perfect for the home considering one whole wall on the main floor is brick (warm tones) and the other walls will be in the grey family (cool tones), how perfect is this? I received a great price for these floors too, courtesy of my good old friends from the Hardwood Liquidation Centre.

Now that I have established the colour palate in the home, here are some of my great finds....

Kitchen

These will be the colour of my kitchen cabinets, which I will be purchasing from Ikea. These stools I bought for my peninsula in the kitchen, from Urban Barn last week for $99 (on sale)!!!!!

A white farmers sink from Ikea will be placed in the peninsula and above it will hang pendant lighting which I haven't decided on yet.


Main Bathroom

I found this vintage beauty last week at one of the antiques stores on Queen St W in Parkdale for only $150!!!! I have been dying to use a vintage dresser as a vanity for my washroom and I finally got the opportunity after scouring the stores. I would normally go to an outdoor antique market, but there aren't many options during this time of year, so I had to stick with stores. This dresser has a long way to go, his and her white bowl sinks will be installed on top and the whole dresser will receive a makeover from Re:Creative Works, I can't wait! That light fixture I found at Home Depot for $79.99 and will go above this bathroom vanity, amazing!

3rd Bedroom


My 3rd bedroom closet is big and was missing closet doors. I really wanted to put up sliding barn doors, but didn't want to go through the hassle of finding ones I liked. Therefore, I had my contractor build these with some pine and a bit of stain, all that's missing is a cool handle. You also can't beat the price, this project came in under $100!!!

Front Porch


I found this great vintage light fixture during my visit to the Queen St W antique stores for $95!!! Upon seeing it, I instantly thought it would be a great front porch light fixture for my new beautiful porch (which still has some work). I love how the exterior of the home will have an old meets new look, just like the rest of the home.

I hope you enjoyed my great finds from last week, and let me know if you have any great finds of your own, I would love to hear about them!

Great Find: Kitchen Faucet

I was at Costco the other day and came across this great faucet! When I saw the price, I was even more excited, who knew that at some point in my life, kitchen faucets would excite me so much. Since the closing on my next house is around the corner, I thought I might as well buy it and save myself the trouble and money, looking for a faucet when I'm actually ready to redo the kitchen.

Here is my beautiful, new, kitchen faucet:

Available at Costco, in store only, the price is $124.99 + tax. Call your local Costco store to make sure it's in stock, Item# is 430936. Based on my experience, these faucets are usually $300-$400 so this is a great deal!

I highly recommend that if you're even thinking of renovating your house or any parts of it and spot a good deal, that you should snatch it up. At the time it might seem as a costly investment for something you don't need right away, but in the long run you will save yourself some money by not having to buy certain things at full price, not to mention the hassle of running around and trying to find a good deal. My other piece of advice is to put yourself on every home improvement stores newsletter list, because they send out great deals that you may be missing out on. Some of the stores I recommend are Home Depot, Rona, Lowes, Costco, Canadian Tire and Home Hardware, you never know what you will find. Also the good thing about the majority of these stores is that they will do a price match as long as you show them the flyer. You have absolutely nothing to lose and tons of money to save!

Let me know what you think and feel free to share any great finds with me.

Kitchen Island vs. Peninsula

In my neighbourhood, the Junction, I see tons of young couples and families snatching up old homes and renovating them to their tastes. These homes are at least 50 years old if not older, meaning no open concept main floors and small kitchens. We all know that kitchens are the focal point of a home, as we spend most of our time in there either cooking or entertaining or both. Most people will spend a chunk of their renovation budget on re-designing their kitchens and why not, as it improves the resale value of their home.

We live in a generation where open concept main floors are a "must have", but it's good to have a definitive separation between the kitchen and the rest of the house. A huge trend I've noticed recently in the homes I've seen is either big kitchen island or peninsulas, which also are great for creating extra storage. Now at first I didn't even know what a peninsula was or that it even existed, but I soon realized that some of the kitchen islands that I was calling islands were in fact peninsulas. So here's the major difference between the two:

• a kitchen island is a separate entity and has circulation on all 4 sides
• a peninsula is usually attached to a wall and has circulation on 3 sides

Kitchen islands are great, but usually require more space so a peninsula might be a better alternative, depending how much space you have to work with, and in my neighbourhood it's usually not too much. I know that for my next project house, I will definitely be building an island, as entertaining in your living room is a thing of the past!

Bottom line, I want you to be the judge and check out these photos of kitchen islands and peninsulas and let me know which one you prefer:

Kitchen Islands
I love the vintage feel to these islands and the stools and light fixtures are great!

contemporary kitchen design by other metros interior designer kmh design, inc.

traditional kitchen design by bridgeport architect Austin Patterson Disston Architects

traditional kitchen design by boston kitchen and bath Venegas and Company

spaces design

eclectic spaces design by chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff
Peninsulas
Great use of limited space!

eclectic kitchen design by chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff

eclectic kitchen design by new york architect Ken Levenson Architect P.C.

eclectic kitchen design by chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff

traditional kitchen design by chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff

modern kitchen design

***All images via Houzz***