BATHROOM UPDATE

Small changes yields big results 

This is an excellent example of getting some basics right, but not following thru with the finishing touches. 

The bathroom in our new home was recently remodeled and it is actually pretty well done. A separate shower was adding along with a new American Standard whirlpool tub, new tile, new vanity, granite counter top, sink, etc. 

Even self-closing toilet seats!

Not bad... 

PHOTO FROM LISTING

But, the gold tone of the tile really stood out and wasn't super appealing, especially with glossy off-white/Navajo white walls and ceiling, and there were a lot of small issues that needed to be addressed. 

We immediately added some of our own touches, and, even though the view was beautiful, we still wanted the option for privacy when we wanted it. 

NOTICE TERRIBLE SMEARY DARK YELLOW CAULKING ALONG BOTTOM EDGE OF TUB...

So we added a roller shade with a valance from Aero Shade. 
We wanted the shade to disappear completely so the window would be completely uncovered when shade is open so I had the valance made to go to the ceiling with the shade inside. Having the shade go all the way to the ceiling creates the illusion that the window is bigger and creates a vertical element to the room making it feel taller. 

NOTICE TOWEL BAR MOUNTED WAY TOO HIGH...

The roller shade is made using a new Aero Shade fabric called BANBURY, color: OATMEAL 

It's perfect. 

We were leaning towards a grey color for the walls and this fabric matched everything.

The wall color was tricky. There are grey tones throughout the mosaic tile and the granite so that was where we focused. We looked at every grey in the Dunn Edwards deck; some were too blue, some too red, and finally one was just right. 

DEC751 Ash Gray

What a great name! 

And Swiss Coffee for the ceiling 

I picked up a gallon of the Ash Gray in a satin finish. I did not want it too glossy as there are a lot of flaws in the walls and shiny paint makes flaws more visible. The Swiss Coffee for the ceiling is a flat finish. 

To prep for the painting, I did a few small things that made a big difference - to my eye anyway. I removed the caulking that had been badly applied along the bottom of the bathtub (where it meets the floor) and cleaned it out thoroughly. Then I reapplied a cleaner, less smeary line of caulk there as well as around the entire tub and around the top of the shower where there was a gap. It's so subtle it's not noticeable, and that's exactly the point. 

I also took down the towel bars and patched the holes. Both towel bars had been installed too high and, since wall space was limited, we decided they would be re-installed lower to allow room for some artwork to be hung in the room. 

THE FINISHED PRODUCT 

     

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

The finishing touch was a new light fixture. So both bathrooms would match, I found two vintage glass "bar" fixtures on ebay for $35!! 

The fixtures holds 4 bulbs and work perfectly - lots of light! 

   

BEFORE

AFTER 

We also move the toilet roll holder since it was completely awkward where it was. 

The last thing to do is have a contractor shave the bottom of the door so we can put down a nice warm rug because that marble floor is cold!! 

~~ O ~~

新年快乐 HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

Celebration of the Chinese New Year dates back thousands of years. It is China's most important celebration. 
Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the window solstice and 2016 will be the Year of the Red Fire Monkey - starting February 4th with New Years Day on February 8th. 
Also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, there are many rituals, traditions and celebrations before and after New Years Day. It is a time for Chinese families to reunite to start a new year together. 

The home is a key component to the festivities. 
Spring Festival Couplets, or Chun Lian, are composed of a pair of poetry lines written in gold or black on red paper. They are pasted vertically on both sides of the front door along with a four-character horizontal scroll which is affixed above the door frame. Couplets express peoples delight in the festival and their wishes for a better life in the coming year. Couplets are carefully pasted in place before New Years Eve. 

 

An example might read:

上联：丹凤呈祥龙献瑞 

下联：红桃贺岁杏迎春 

横批：福满人间 


Upper Scroll: Dragon and Phoenix Bring the Prosperity

Lower Scroll: Peach and Apricot Blossoms Welcome the Spring
Horizontal Scroll: Blessing on the Land 

For more couplet information: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/holidays/new-year/spring-festival-couplets.htm

On the days immediately before the New Year celebration, Chinese families give their homes a thorough cleaning. There is a Cantonese saying: "Wash away the dirt on nin ya baat", but the practice is not restricted to nin ya baat (the 28th day of month 12). It is believed the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck. 
Brooms and dust pans are put away on the first day so that the newly arrived good luck cannot be swept away. 
Some people give their homes, doors and window frames a new coat of red paint; decorators and paper-hangers do a year-end rush of business prior to Chinese New Year. 

In many households where Buddhism or Taoism is prevalent, home altars and statues are cleaned thoroughly, and decorations used to adorn altars over the past year are taken down and burned a week before the new year starts, to be replaced with new decorations. 

Taoists (and Buddhists to a lesser extent) will also "send gods". And example would be burning a paper effigy of Zao Jun the Kitchen God, the recorder of family functions. This is done so that the Kitchen God can report to the Jade Emperer of the family household's transgressions and good deeds. 

Families often offer sweet foods such as candy in order to "bribe" the deities into reporting good things about the family. 

Zao Jun, The Kitchen God

Traditionally every Chinese household 
would have a paper effigy or a plaque
of Zao Jun and his wife (who write 
down everything that is said in the 
household over the year for her 
husband's report to the Jade Emperor) 
over the fireplace in the kitchen 

Zao Jun, The Kitchen God



~~ O ~~



Once the home has been cleaned and decorated, the biggest event of any Chinese New Year's Eve is the Reunion Dinner. This meal is comparable to Thanksgiving dinner in the U.S. and remotely similar to Christmas dinner in other countries.

One detail to point out here is the dining table. A round dining table is preferred in many Chinese households to promote intimacy and ease of sharing - making it most appropriate for the yearly Reunion Dinner. 

A CIRCULAR DINING TABLE UNITES FRIENDS AND FAMILY 

After dinner, some families go to local temples hours before the new year begins to pray for a prosperous new year by lighting the first incense of the year; however in modern practice, many households hold parties and even hold a countdown to the new year. 

Traditionally, firecrackers were lit to scare away evil spirits - with the household doors sealed - not to be reopened until the new morning in a ritual called "opening the door of fortune"...

~~ O ~~

NATIONAL GROUNDHOG DAY

Stuff I found on the interweb...

                  

And finally...

A baby groundhog 

#happygroundhogday

CUSTOM MADE: Yes, it's worth it

Finding a fireplace screen to replace the hideous folding thing our house came with proved impossible. We needed something the fit better than the prefab brassy mess we inherited. 

INHERITED MESS

I searched and searched for anything close to the dimensions we required and found nothing. It soon became clear to me that we needed something custom made. 

I found this website:

http://www.custommade.com/

And chose to contact Mr. Dante Garganese III in Vermont and his workshop, Iron It Out:

http://www.custommade.com/by/iron-it-out/


I picked a style I liked based on his previous projects, I asked if it could be modified a little, I sent some photos along with our dimensions and he responded right away with a cost. 

THE NEW SCREEN WOULD FIT UNDER THE LEDGE ALONG THE TOP OF THE FIREPLACE 

It took less than one month and I could not be happier with the result. 

Having a screen that fits might sound trivial, but it's safer, it's more attractive and it frees up space in front of the fire for someone to sit and get warm. 

Worth every penny 

BEFORE

AFTER

TWIN PEAKS, CALIFORNIA

Friday's sunset...

DIMMER SWITCHES!

Finally installed dimmer switches today... 

~ - a moment of silence - ~

I'm obsessed with lighting. Our new home has been a challenge to light...but a good challenge.

One problem was solved using a remote control dimmer switch from Lutron. 

A switch placed in the middle of a wall can ruin the whole wall. 
In our case, we have a large plant that made reaching the switch very difficult. 

see it there?

The Lutron Caseta System includes a wireless in-wall light dimmer with remote 

I installed the new dimmer 

paired it with the remote 

and ta-daa! No more jungle dimmer switch! 

more later on the Lutron Caseta Wireless System...

http://www.lutron.com/en-US/Products/Pages/SingleRoomControls/CasetaWireless/Overview.aspx

as soon as I figure it out 

PETALUMA PROJECT - A preview

My current project in Long Beach is coming back to life as each day passes.

A couple photos of the entry so far to entice you...

You can sum up this stylish house in 5 words: plaid, butterflies, shag, bricks and mirror. There is/was a total of about 10 mirrors in this house, creating a very strange sensation. I actually walked into one! Most have already been removed and, lo and behold, the space doesn't feel any smaller.

After a brief moment of concern, the new owners agreed to remove the ramshackle coat closet somebody erected during a remodel.

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After about 12 hours of ownership, Mrs client had removed a good amount of wallpaper and Mr client had removed the carpet, the under-laying and about 10 millions staples and nails. 

Unfortunately, the wood floor isn't great. There is water damage, there is carpet damage and the hole where there used to be a furnace is an eyesore. Not only that, but to everyone's unexpected surprise, the planks of the wood floor run left to right rather than front to back. 

Secondly, the lower half of the wall to the left, now void of plaidness, is actually composed of nothing more than paneling attached to two by fours. 

So. The walls have to be re-done (which conveniently allows us to update any missing insulation) and the wood floor is being nixed.

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A few days later, with dirt, dust and holes everywhere, you might say the house looks worse, but

look at the change without the coat closet!! 

I'm so happy

Now, the entrance is open and expansive, and the lower ceiling flows rather than feeling choppy. (I love how it drops down again in the far door way)

We have also removed all the baseboards as they will be replaced within something simple and substantial.

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Now, all I have to do is come up with a right color to paint the front door...

Between you and me, I want the homeowners to install this front door hardware, but I REALLY want them to change the doors to glass, so...it won't happen, but it's great hardware, isn't it?? 

Stay tuned