OK, life has gotten WAY ahead of me, but I’ve not abandoned the project at all.
Hell, the countdown to “sale without tax consequences” has begun: 694 days. By then, this place had better be sale ready so if it is time to pull chalks and go, I can. (And I think it will be time.)
But my week 1 is going to be somewhat extended. I’ve got a to-do list of things to tend to at my townhouse thanks to the home inspection that went on this weekend… Once those are done, I can get back to putting things right in my closet and vanity.
The market actually had tulips of all things! Bright yellow and currently ensconced in my kitchen. I’d put them on the mantle, but looking at it now, I’d actually need two sets, since putting them in the center will be blocking the artwork above it.
Went to Expo and Pottery Barn to try to get some more ideas about the vanity/dressing area. Did get a few ideas. I can’t wait to pick out the new hardware for the vanity drawers – I want something silver/pewter and somewhat whimsical. I’ve decided to do this with a mindset of how I would someday decorate my condo, so at least I can have a little of “that” here. I’ve also decided on a wicker/woven type bin that will blend with the baskets – but it’s going to be something I can put a smaller plastic bin in so that the bin liners don’t show. (Nothing worse than a nice bin and the bin liners sticking over the side looking fairly horrid.)
Though I didn’t come out with any huge revelations at Expo, I did see a LOT of gorgeous things that I’d love to have if we fully re-do any of the bathrooms here.
I’m still stoked about the project.
As I mentioned, I inheirted this house fully furnished and decorated. While a lot of crap has left the house, there are still disasters. The vanity and closet have never been stripped down 100% and restocked from the ground up – 50-70% maybe, but never 100%. And as a result, I’ve never really found the right places for everything, etc, etc – as is insanely evident from the photos behind the jump.
I’ve gone through several catalogues, and haven’t really seen anything that I like better than what I’ve got now as far as the basic design and setup are concerned. I will be planning a little field trip tomorrow to Expo and the mall to see what there is to see in these arenas. The “Style Tray” may not happen in this area given that I don’t hate it and haven’t seen anything that I must have instead. The are just really needs some old-fashioned elbow grease.
Overall, I think this is an excellent place to get things started. It’s small enough to keep me from getting overwhelmed and flipping out, but should have enough impact to keep me going on to the next room.
Budget:
Closet light fixture: $200
New swing out mirror: $100
New drawer hardware: $50
New Light Switch Cover: $25
New Cupholder: $25 (used for curling irons)
New Wastebin: $25
Cleaning supplies: $25 (there will be a very thorough cleaning, I don’t think I’ll need anything special, but just in case)
Touchup Painting: $50
Oh Shit Factor: $50
Grand Total: $550
(Funny how every time I look at the pics again I find something else to add to the budget…)
The “before” is behind the jump.
So, I took the interview/quizzes this afternoon. On the “health” score for the house, it came out “Weak. Energy drain. Visible problems in need of work and have probably put off for some time.” It was at least on the high side of the category – and much better than “very ill/depressing.” Honestly, I would have gone with the “Healthy, Comfortable. Could use improvement at least one area and toning all around” but I suppose we all tend to rank ourselves a little higher than we really are.
I’m pretty secure with my style. My style is, “I’d rather be at the beach.” Pretty straightforward. However, most of this house is decorated colonial. But, there is a fair amount of cool Asian that is sadly hidden away where no one sees it in the parlor/dining room. I see some rearranging of artwork in the future.
The repair list is pretty short, thank god.
– Fix curtain rod on back door
– New lampshades in the living room
– Entry hall light fixture needs replacing
– New lampshades in the master bedroom
– Re-secure the shelving behind the bed (it can be tippy)
– Re-secure one of the shelves in the vanity area
– Re-evaluate lighting in master closet
– New swing out mirror in vanity area in master bedroom
– Fix coat closet door
– Fix linen closet door
I’m sure there will be more as I hit each room more thoroughtly, but this is all we’ve got at the moment, and that’s OK.
Now, as far as the “one room remedy” goes, I’m kind of veering off track I think, but I want to start small, I guess to prove to myself that yes, I can do this. I’m starting with the master closet and vanity area in the master bedroom. It’s not that the area so much needs a makeover/redecoration, but it is a very non-functional area and it should be a very HIGH functional area. That simply MUST change.
So, the room has been chosen, I guess I need to find some pics of vanity/dressing area setups and see if there is something that pops out at me and set a budget on the changes to be made. I don’t dislike the setup and decor at the moment, so it may just stay the same – but I will make the effort to look around.
Tonight I’ll toss some fresh batteries in the camera and we’ll have some proper before and after pictures.
As I said, I finished up the book last night and we will be kicking off Week 1. I really like this because it is nicely structured without being militant about the whole thing.
I’ve got to do a little questionnaire thing – appears to get me to start thinking about things, hardly a bad thing. Then things kind of “split off” between getting things in shape and actual upgrades/improvements/redecorating.
First, there is the “deep treatment”, which will encompass the following:
– Listing the necessary repairs and solutions
– Vacuum and mop the floors
– Remove one item from the house and put it outside
– Buy fresh flowers
– Sit for 10 minutes in part of the house that I never sit in
– Look into earth-friendly cleaning products
This is all exceptionally do-able. The house is very structurally sound, which means the repair list should be pretty short. The vac & mop may be a tad more challenging, since I’m pretty sure they mean the whole damn house. :)
Then there is the “One Room Remedy” – this may actually be the harder part.
– Choose one room
– Gather pics of rooms I love
– Start the Style Tray
– Visit my fav home store
– Set budget
This is going to be very difficult, because I don’t even know what room to choose. There aren’t any rooms I want to radically makeover in the house – just some minor things. I want some different prints in the master bedroom, things like that. What each room needs more than anything is a massive decluttering. I still think I can make it work – just a matter of finding the place to get started.
OK, I think this may actually work for me better than anything else I’ve tried, because it’s a good combination of organization/flow/decluttering and design/decor.
So, Week 1 will start tomorrow. It will likely take more than 8 weeks given the number of rooms here, and it was designed for apartments, but the premise should hold up just fine.
Well, I received the book today. Just glancing at the first few pages, it looks like it will at least be interesting.
In other news, I’ve managed to at least kind of, sort of maintain since the blitz the other day.
Last night I was thinking about “what I do” – sometimes when I look at things in terms of a job, it makes it easier or just helps me see things differently. I run a very exclusive hedge fund. (IE, just my money) Private restaurant with 3-6 covers a day. Run a five bedroom B&B with two permanent guests. Triathlete. Of those 4 things, I do one very well. The other three I suck at.
Maybe I’ll get better and be great at all 4 someday. It’s worth trying at least, isn’t it?
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