Urban Cottage House Tour

I just came across "Karen's Urban Cottage" house tour, and i LOVE it. The wall colors, choice of furniture, patterns, and objects -- all after my own heart. I've been waffling between painting my kitchen a shade of green or of yellow. This post has me leaning toward green, and for my room and/or living room: a light sage or french gray (which was the color of my bedroom in SB.)

Paint & Colors:
All Benjamin Moore
Trim/Molding/Bead Board/Doors throughout - Decorator White
Living Room - Sag Harbor Gray
Hallway – Woodlawn Blue
Kitchen – Pale Avocado
Downstairs Bath – Carrington Beige
Upstairs Bath - Marilyn’s dress
Master Bedroom – Pale Sea Mist
Front Bedroom – Covington Blue
Study – Dill Pickle

New Kitchen Furniture

This weekend is the final week of 2009 Kitchen Cure, which I am marking with the purchase of new kitchen furniture. Tomorrow, I am acquiring two craigslist finds: a kitchen table (and chairs) and a kitchen cart (CL pictures below.) I wasn't originally looking for a cart, since I don't need more cabinet storage, but I am looking forward to the extra counter space. Yesterday, I made panacea vegetable soup, and found myself needing more room to prepare vegetables and such. Also, since I am hosting my parents for a week for the Thanksgiving and My Birthday holidays, I've been looking for an attractive, modestly-size kitchen table. Ideally, I would have preferred an round table that extends; but the table I'm purchasing is simple, functional, and perfectly suits the space I have.

"After": Organized Pantry, No more black shelf

This past weekend, I accomplished a number of kitchen related "cures":

• I stocked and organized my pantry, transferring all my food items from the open shelves in my kitchen to the pantry shelves. I grouped food items by grains & cereals, legumes, canned foods, vinegars & oils, and baking-related supplies. I also dedicated a shelf to glass containers (for re-use) and another for cookware. I'm sure I'll re-organize this over time, but it's nice to have a well-stocked kitchen and see all my food in one place!
• I sorted my recyclables (which I'd been collecting all month, since I didn't know where my recycling bin was or when pick-up was!) Since I only have one bin, and need to separate glass/plastic/aluminum from paper, I will have to take out one or the other each week until I can pick up a second bin from the county. I'm impressed that Orange County has free curbside-recycling!
• I hung a picture and moved my makeshift "table" to the wall where the black shelving unit was. Eventually, that might make a nice wall for a kitchen cart, which would provide more counter-space than I current have. For now, it also serves as the meal central for the Kiddos™.
• Finally, it may seem like a small thing, but I printed out the oatmeal poprocks mosaic and pinned to the wall behind the oven. The colors make me really happy, and I'm still trying to consider the best way to incorporate this palette into my home.

Lazing About

I haven't completed my kitchen assignments yet, in part, because I've been catching up on my real assignments: for school! Also,  I'd originally  scheduled an eco-friendly housecleaner for this week, and was planning to wait until she worked her magic before cleanly my kitchen shelves and pantry more deepy. However, I ended up rescheduling the cleaning for next week, so I'll have to put in some elbow grease for Halloween.

"Before" Photos: The other half of the kitchen

In my previous post, I forgot to post photos of the other half of my kitchen, which includes a not-yet-organized dining area.  So far, I've been using this space to collect all the things on my to-do list:

1. Land line phone: I need a cordless phone for the wall, but since I have DSL, I'll also need a filter. Eventually, I can move my red phone and answering machine to my office/living room, but I also need to buy a splitter.
2. Recycling: Turns out that homes don't come with "how-to" manuals, so I'm still trying to figure out where, when and how to take out my recycling. I found an overturned blue recycling bin in my back yard, covered with dirt. I think that might be mine. Until then, I've been sorting my recycling into leftover moving boxes.
3. Veruca (my red bike) has two flat tires: One of the tubes needs to be replaced, so I need to find a good local bike shop. Also, I might want to buy a less expensive bicycle for commuting to/from school. Veruca prefers to live indoors and I'm not confident about locking her up on campus.
4. Kitchen table: As is evident from the photo, I currently have a makeshift table, which I rarely use for dining. I'd been holding off on looking for a table and chairs until I knew my roommate situation. Now, it's time to start looking.
5. Plants: At least half of my plants didn't survive the move. The other half didn't survive the kitties. Cricket and Oliver made it clear that they don't mind houseplants -- in fact, they love digging in the dirt and chewing the flower petals! I need to find a way for all living things to co-habitate under one roof.

"Before" Photos

Storage, storage everywhere, but not a single full-sized drawer.

The Fall 2009 Kitchen Cure

What better way to finish unpacking and organizing my kitchen than to sign up for Apartment Therapy's four-week Kitchen Cure? I was excited to see my friend, J-fer, participating, since her orderly kitchen inspires me already!

Unlike many cure-takers, I suspect, I moved into my home less than a month ago, and am stocking my kitchen and my pantry nearly from scratch. In the past, I've always shared kitchens with roommates, so although I have a minimum foundation of kitchen tools and utensils, my kitchen's symptoms are best described by the nursery rhyme:

Old Mother Hubbard
went to the cupboard
to get her poor dog a bone.
But when she got there,
the cupboard was bare.
And so the poor dog had none.

The Gift of Flower Power

In honor of my first week of classes, I stopped at the Harvest Food Co-op and bought myself some fresh flowers! According to Apartment Liberation Theory (as I am now calling it), flowers set a standard for attention to detail that will inspire each day the return home.

Yay for nurturing my home and taking care of it. Even if there's still a pile of junk in the hallway...

Week One: Creating A Vision

Heart
I'm still working on a vision for my bedroom, but swapping my desk and bed was a huge start. I also removed my big green carpet and replaced it with a beautiful woven rug., which is more appropriate to the small space and brings together some of the colors. I may want to find a smaller rug yet, but the room is starting to feel cozier. I realized that I'm sort of going for an eclectic cottage vibe -- so that I can imagine myself in some sylvan retreat.

Bones
I started a clipboard to hold my list of repairs. So far, one of the most annoying items is the wooden floorboard around the radiators and in some doorways. They are chipped, degraged, or black. In one case, a folded pizza box is used to hold the radiator in place. I need to do some research on wood repair. I'm also inclined to refinish our wooden floors this summer.

My most exciting accomplishment this week was to mop and vaccum all the common floors in the apartmet, including the entryway. It took three hours, but there were parts of the apartment hadn't been fully cleaned since we moved in. The whole house smells like Murphy's oil now.

Breath
I put a clock and a pair of candle holders out on the curb. It's not much, but they were taking up space and I have no intention of using them. I'm considering replacing my laser printer (in photo), since it's so huge -- but I will have to research replacements before kicking it to the curb.

Head
Having moved my room around, I am now able to observe the space from the Southeast window. I'm reconsidering my hallway and behind-the-door storage, both of which are visible from the corner. I also need to relocate my paper files to the basement.

The Interview

Favorites
actresses: parker posey, judy dench
actors: bill murray, vince vaughn
artists: klee, rauschenberg, mondrian
writer: gloria naylor
music: gutherie, be good tanyas
restaurant: del rio
automobile: my toyota, old school jaguars
TV show: buffy the vampire slayer, law and order
clothing: my hat, red shirt, good pair of jeans

Describe your styles (3 words)
1. colorful
2. eclectic
3. simple

Where have you lived?
Born: traverse city, mi
Grew up: ann arbor
As an adult: santa cruz, santa barbara, somerville

Whom would you consider a role model?
my folks

What 2 adjectives describe qualities that you admire in this person?
capable
generous

What is the problem with your apartment (3 words)?
1. storage
2. clutter
3. flow

If you apt could speak, what would it say is the problem?
"Too much baggage."

What one thing would you like to do or do more of in your apt?
Study.

Eight weeks from now, how would you like your friends to describe your home (3 words?)
1. Creative
2. Clever
3. Functional