blackout shades
Today is our 7th wedding anniversary! Seriously, where does the time go?
(Oh, remodeling a house together. That’s right.)
Anyhow, I’m not totally sure what the traditional 7-year gift is, but I think it might be blackout shades.
No? Crap. Sorry about that Kyle.
At any rate, we finally ordered and installed shades for the new basement bedroom (no more cardboard!).
When we replaced our windows on the main floor a few years ago, we did quite a bit of research on different shade options. To keep a light and airy vibe (and show off our sexy window jamb detail) we wanted simple roller shades in a translucent material that would allow filtered light in while still providing privacy. We scoped out both local and online companies and ultimately ended up with The Shade Store. They had the best selection for the best prices (although we’ve been proud owners of IKEA’s roller shades in the past, they don’t make ones larger enough for some of our windows).
So when it came time to outfit the basement bedroom, we knew we’d need something custom that had blackout capabilities (for sleeping guests and movie-watching). Fortunately, The Shade Store had several options so we ordered a handful of swatches before selecting the perfect blue-gray for the space.
The mounting hardware has also improved in the years since we ordered our main floor shades and now comes in a nice brushed silver option. Due to our window jamb depth and 2×4 walls, the mounting hardware does stick out a bit from the face of the finished drywall, but it’s not enough to be annoying. (Yes, because we installed them within the jamb there is a tiny bit of light seepage around some of the edges but again, not a deal breaker for us.)
The room feels more complete now, despite its lack of actual furnishings. Of course, now that we’re used to having the TV in our living room we’re unmotivated to move it downstairs. I think this is all part of Kyle’s ploy for a bigger TV and the eventual realization of his man cave.
Uh-huh. I think that’s the 8-year gift.
Note: The Shade Store provided us with a trade discount on our recent order. They didn’t pay us to say nice things about them, we’re just happy with the product and service we’ve received and wanted to share it with you guys.
two months!
(I promise this isn’t turning into a baby blog – I’ve got new house and Studio Zerbey posts in the hopper!)
Avery is two months old today!
Our little girl is growing fast. She had her 2-month checkup on Friday and is right on track for weight and in the 90th percentile for length! Who knows if it that will stay consistent, but I’m already imagining those awkward preteen years when she’s taller than all the boys.
This month we are seeing more smiles, more cooing and more times of quiet alertness. This girl also loves to move her legs – I think one of those jumper contraptions will be in our future. Y’know, the kind you hang in doorways…or from exposed ceiling joists. 😉
See her one month post here!
the last days of summer
Tomorrow may be the last official day of summer, but here in Seattle we’re squeezing out every last drop.
When I realized I’d be on “maternity leave” during the peak of summer, I thought I’d be spending my days taking long walks with my newborn and lounging on blankets in the park. Well, that didn’t happen, but we have been able to get out and enjoy these last two months. (Seattleites – we’re officially calling this a good summer, right?)
A few weeks ago we drove to a friend’s lake cabin in Eastern Washington (right on the Canadian border!). It was our first road trip with Avery and even though she was a trooper there were lots of new experiences for us – like changing a diaper on the driver’s seat and nursing in the parking lot of a gas station. Bailey had his own backseat adjustments to deal with (eventually a truce was reached). As for lakeside fashion, the wolf onesie and handmade jorts were a special gift intended just for this event. Oh, she owned it.
There have been lots of peaceful moments too. We moved Avery into her crib this week and I wish we’d done it sooner. She has been sleeping through the night for about a month now but sleeps even longer in her crib than she did in her bassinet. I know this may not last, but I am enjoying every.blissful.minute while it does.
Yesterday was my birthday. Kyle brought home a chocolate cake from Macrina and we went to a little Italian place in our neighborhood for dinner. Avery got all dolled up for the event and charmed our waiter into free tiramisu. Yes, I already succumbed to the color pink and this week it was baby headbands. I’d been unwavering in my resistance, but my mom sent me a few this week and ok…they are kinda cute. And that smile! (Bailey, not really a fan of anything strapped to his head.)
On Sunday, we (and another family) were featured in the Seattle Times(!) in the Pacific NW magazine’s annual architecture issue. Becky Teagarden wrote the article and Ben Benschneider took the photos, coming out to our house on three different occasions to document the progress (on the house and my belly!). The family photo was taken about a week after Avery’s arrival. It was a great experience working with both Becky and Ben and we’re humbled by the story. And yes, Bailey photobombed almost every single image.
studio zerbey
Things have been quiet on the blog lately but only because I’ve been busy working on a new project! It’s a project that’s actually been several months in the making and I’m excited to finally be able share it with you…
Yup, I’m officially a small business owner.
During the last several years I’ve given a lot of thought to my career and which direction I want it to go. When we found out we were expecting, defining what that new direction would be became more pressing. Balancing motherhood with an architecture career has always been important to me (I even wrote a paper on it in college nearly 10 years ago!) and ultimately, I decided that the best solution for our family would be for me to work from home while taking care of Avery. Having a baby and starting a new business are two very big life changes and even though it is overwhelming at times, I am happy. This feels right.
Ok, let’s do this!
Chezerbey started out as a modest remodel blog but over the years it’s become a means to make connections, meet other like-minded bloggers and allow me to discover what I’m truly passionate about. Although my professional experience covers many building types, the project I’m most proud of is our house. For us, chezerbey was a tricky puzzle to solve with each piece (budget, size, schedule) adding a layer of complexity that made coming up with a successful solution all the more satisfying. While we don’t plan on starting a new remodel anytime soon (c’mon!), I’m looking forward to working with other homeowners and business owners to create their own successful solutions.
With any remodel blog, there is that one inevitable end point – finishing. While we still have plenty of small projects and a few big ones left to tackle, our remodel pace is definitely slowing down. We’ve put a lot of heart and energy into chezerbey and it’s my hope that the blog will continue to grow and evolve while retaining the type of content that brings people here in the first place. While I am still figuring out how everything will flow moving forward, one thing I’d like to do is feature Studio Zerbey projects on the blog. Our house is one example of how things can be done but there are so many other solutions out there and I’d love for this blog to become a forum to share those ideas with you. Who knows…maybe your house will be featured! In addition to upcoming projects, there are a few other partnerships in the works that I’ll be sharing in the coming months.
Guys, I’m excited.
Of course, I’m also thrilled that Anna was on board not just for the redesign of chezerbey but also for the creation of the Studio Zerbey site. It was important to me that the two sites have a strong graphic relationship while maintaining their own identities and Anna totally nailed it. Not only is it, well…pretty, but I’m a big fan of the simplicity and ease of navigation too. The emphasis is on the work itself, organized in a way that is clear and easy to understand.
So what’s in a name? Coming up with a business name is akin to naming your firstborn – you want it to be unique but easy to spell, a reflection of what your business is all about and something that can grow and evolve over time. I knew that including Zerbey would be important – there’s the connection to the blog and really, it’s just a cool name (thanks Kyle!). I considered including “architects” or “architecture” (a naming privilege I worked very hard for!) but it didn’t feel quite right. For me, Studio Zerbey just clicked. It’s a name that makes me want to pull up an Eames shell chair and sketch out some ideas, a name that could include opportunities for design outside of architecture.
So, here we go! I’ll be sharing more posts about Studio Zerbey in the weeks to come, but for now I’ll leave you to poke around the new website. I’ve been looking forward to finally making this big announcement and appreciate all the support and encouragement I’ve received to forge this new path. And really, I owe a huge thank you to Kyle. He has been incredibly supportive of this decision and my biggest advocate. I know this year will be filled with lots of firsts and I’m glad he’s on my team.
Psst – if you live in the area you might want to grab a copy of the Seattle Times this Sunday and take a gander at the Pacific NW insert. Just sayin’.
redesign!
It was 1992 and I was getting ready to start my first day of middle school. Like most kids, I was apprehensive about the transition, especially when it came to the one thing that strikes fear in every newly-minted 6th grader – lockers. But I wasn’t only concerned with memorizing a combination, I also needed to figure what I was going to do with this metal storage unit that I would occupy for the next year. (Because, obviously it needed to be improved upon.) The week before school started, when most kids were swimming or vacationing or otherwise enjoying their last bit of summer, I dragged my little sister to the middle school to help me remodel my locker. Contact paper in a floral print? Oh yeah, this was 1992! Applying the sticky-backed paper within the narrow confines of a school locker was no easy feat, but before long I had (sort of) mastered the technique. Next came the Locker Mate (those flimsy shelving systems) a locker mirror (duh!) and finally, all of my class folders – neatly labeled and in rainbow order. There, I was ready.
Despite my questionable fashion and hair choices, I had a functional and pretty locker and with that – I felt empowered to tackle anything.
And that’s similar to how I feel right now. Oh, you don’t notice anything…different around here? This blog started out with humble beginnings (a Blogger format that is now extinct) and three years ago I moved over to WordPress where I dabbled in theme manipulation and developed all sorts of coding bad habits. Although part of me wanted to learn how to properly design a custom blog, I finally decided that I just didn’t have enough time. I needed professional help. Fortunately, Anna came to my rescue.
It’s pretty, isn’t it?
We are so thrilled with the redesign and not just with the new colors and sexy graphics (hover over the header – oh yeah!), but because it is also way more functional and cleaner than the old format. [That being said, if you notice that something isn’t working, please let me know!]
While Anna worked her magic, I’ve been updating pages that had grown stagnant over the last few years. Looking for before and after floor plans? Design! Want to know where something came from? Resources! Curious about how we’re making our house as green as possible? Sustainability! Looking for a comprehensive summary of all of our “before and afters”? House Tour!
And if you want to find us in other parts of the interwebs, check out all those little social media icons on the right!
I’ve got a bit more organizing and cleaning up to do, but it feels so good to have a fresh start for our 4th year of chezerbey. Just like the first day of middle school, but without the culottes and layered bangs.
