creative architecture

I always walk the financial district in San Francisco, mostly through the construction zones, just to see the progress of the latest architecture marvel being built throughout the city.

So of course, it’s not a shock that I also appreciate this website and the most amazing art and architecture photography they post on Facebook.

I wouldn't mind one of these in my backyard

a nice alternative to a rainy day

Oh yes this is a must in any high rise apartment

Sunny side up

Awesome bookshelf - you know how I feel about the kindle

Gorgeous camouflage

 

 

beautifully simple interior decor

First weekend of Fall and we, meaning San Francisco, experienced our first rain-ish  of weather the season. You know what? I didn’t mind it a bit, because it gave me the chance to stay indoors and clean up and believe it or not get inspired about my writings.

This time of year I tend to shift my attention to warm and cozy indoor places and daydream about Parisian lifestyles. So, of course, it’s no wonder I cam across some visuals here, which remind me of just that.

condo remodel: kitchen and bath update

Well, things are coming along, slowly a bit but surely. It’s difficult to coordinate a full-time job and a condo remodel, but it is exciting when the pieces come together.

We felt it was important to add new hinges plus knobs to all the cabinetry in the kitchen and the bathroom to give it a modern look. In addition, a new linoleum continuous flooring was laid in the bathrooms to give it a tiled look without having to deal with grouting (which is time consuming and sometimes a pain to work with).

These minor changes made all the difference to the previously dated condo. Check out some photos.  Have an amazing weekend everyone, see you here on Monday.

before: dated kitchen

after: minor changes

before: old floor and toilet

after: new floor and toilet

kitchen floor – a condo remodel on a budget

Like the home remodeling shows on television ( HGTV in our case), I must repeat my opening statement just in case someone just tuned in.

I have embarked on a condo remodel with a friend of mine and it has truly been a learning process but a fun one as well. The benefit of a d.i.y. project on a place that is not your own is easy to do with a tight budget. Because although your main goal is to make it a functional and safe environment for the future owners, it is also easy to opt for a low-end product, which still gives you the warranty, functionality and the look  you want without feeling too attached to the place once personalized.

The kitchen floor of the condo is a 6×9 galley style space.  Currently the flooring is self stick linoleum tiles that are stuck together with no gap in between. Although it was a fairly new flooring, I knew we needed a fresh look to compliment the freshly painted cabinets and newly purchased appliances.

Ceramic tiles with  grout was what I envisioned for the space, even though my favorite is hardwood floors. However, dealing with ceramic tiles required precision cutting and I am not an expert to say the least. So, I did my research and discovered there are  self-adhesive tiles which you can actually grout. They are a little bit thicker than the normal self-adhesive linoleum tiles and can give you the look of ceramic flooring, without the hassle of precision tile cutting.  The added benefits were  lifetime  warranty and priced perfectly.  At 26.00 dollars for a box of 40 12×12 tiles, not a bad deal for such a small space.

So, we walked out of Home Depot with the box of tiles, grout  in alabaster tone to match the neutral hues in the flooring, sealer as  well as 1/8inch dividers to lay down the tiles with just the right amount of spacing .

Keeping my fingers crossed that we can actually do this with minimal or no hardship. Stay tuned for the results

condo d.i.y kitchen project – continued

The only benefit to the fog and cold weather in the city is the fact, you have no choice but to work on indoor projects. So, we did just that over the weekend.

As I stated here, we were experiencing small disappointments last week while painting the kitchen cabinets. Now part of the problem was, we were a bit impatient for the end result, so we simply over reacted midway through. Anyway,  while trying to keep the costs down, we opted for a prefabricated formica counter tops, which give the impression of granite but for alot less.

At home depot you can actually purchase the counter tops in various lengths to fit just about any kitchen. They come in 4, 6, 8 and 10 feet long by the standard counter top width. They are  easy to cut a hole for the sink and cut  down to several smaller sizes to fit the counter space around a stove area. So while we waited for the 4th coat of paint to dry, we worked on installing the counter top. Meanwhile, Home Depot delivered the new dishwasher and oven, which are currently parked in the living room area. I really don’t care for electric stove tops but since the condo was pre-wired for that, we had no choice but to replace the old with the new.

So, everything is coming together slowly but surely. We still have the floors to do in the kitchen and that I will share with you another day.

This is what we started with

The mistake of using white primer for dark paint

The cabinets at coat number 4

The pre-fabricated countertop fitting

mental escape from condo remodel

It has been an interesting week to say the least. With work and having to shop for all the necesaties for the condo project. I simply wanted to get the shopping out of the way so I can spend the entire weekend painting, cutting, pasting, well you get the point.

Although I enjoy this type of challenge, last night I finally felt extremely tired from all the running around. So, I decided to escape online and find some of my favorite photos of home decor I would love to incorporate into my own fantasy loft.  Click on photo to see more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend.

never mix paint with pleasure

Just in case you are scratching your head with the title, I must explain why I chose it.

You see, I have a weird appreciation for painting various areas of a home and feel painting should be a pleasure rather than a chore. I love discussing the options, I enjoy chosing the paint color, the brushes and various other gadgets to handle the project and most of all I truly enjoy rolling up my sleeves and diving right into it.

However, when the actual project begins, the fun can sometimes turn into a sad occassion, especially when you realize the outcome isn’t  as wonderful as you had hoped.

Take for example our attempts to paint the kitchen cabinets. Although we spend several hours consulting with the paint experts at Home Depot (in this case) and followed their suggestions on how to proceed, the mid-way result has been a bit worrysome to say the least.

We were told to prime the cabinets and then paint over them. Which made sense. We were also told that High Gloss looks the best (which I can visualize) and one coat would cover the cabinets. However, after priming the cabinets with white primer and then painting the first coat, we realized that white primer was really not the best choice for dark paint. So, after three coats of paint, we haven’t seen the results we were hoping for.

So, we consulted with a handyman and was advised that high gloss paint was hard to work with and it is the worst when trying to cover blemishes, so he recommended we use a roller to do two more coats and see how that turns out and if we aren’t satisfied at that point, to do one more coat with high sheen paint.

Ok, we nodded and agreed to follow his instructions, so stay tuned to see how it all turns out in the end.

1970s interior design disasters

I don’t know about you, but I don’t care much for the original 70s interior design or decor. I say original because since the 70s, we have been introduced to retro 70s design to consider incorporating into  today’s home decor. So, it’s important to understand I am referring to the original 70s sense of no style.

With the remodel or revamp of the condo, I have pointed out some  items which must go and while I was compiling the list, I couldn’t help but wondered what the designers were thinking about back then?

Here are some of my most dreaded items which we both agree to get rid of

poorly designed and placed appliances

miss matched bathroom decor

wall to wall carpet in bathrooms

cultured marble vanity for bathrooms

overbearing couches and green carpet

mirrored wall in dining rooms

Can you think of anything else? If so, please share.

condo remodel – d.i.y. project

A funny thing happened to me or perhaps not so funny, depending on how I look at it. I inherited the project of renovating or sprucing up a condo for a friend, who intends to sell it as quickly as he can.

Now, as we all know, the home prices have plummeted in the U.S. and we are still in the midst of the real estate crisis (even if we are told the market has picked up or is moving upward) it is still very difficult to sell or buy a home in the U.S. these days, condos are even worse.

Based on this fact, his concern was, being able to renovate without putting alot of money into the condo, so that he can make a small profit, if any.  After finding out his budget, I gladly took on the project and  suggested we do most of the work ourselves in order to meet his financial commitment. He agreed

Based on this new adventure I have embarked on, I decided to  periodically share with you the various aspects of what we did to accomplish the task of renovating tastefully and of course economically. Stay tuned!