mustard shells
A year ago, we wrote this post about our quest for dining room chairs. After much research and discussion, we decided to keep the IKEA ones we had until the right thing came along.
Well, hello Mr. Right:
It all started a few months ago, when Anna clued me into some mustardy yellow Eames fiberglass shell chairs that she heard about through Victoria. They were being sold through Midcentury Modern Finds, a vintage seller based out of San Francisco. Long story short, I didn’t act fast enough and before I knew it the chairs were gone.
But when I finally contacted the seller she let me know that they had about twenty more that just needed to be cleaned up! [Fist pump!] The chairs, which came from a SF longshoremen union hall (which conjures up all sorts of mental images), looked to be in pretty good shape. They were being sold with a wide mount stacking base for $150 each, but we knew we had our hearts set on the dowel base. Fortunately, we were able to purchase just the shells for $100 a piece, which seemed like a reasonable price for 6 matching chairs. (We were originally going to get just four to replace the ones we have, but realized that we often have 6+ people over at one time and making people sit on bar stools is just awkward.)
So anyways, we bought them. On Monday, the shells boarded a Greyhound bus bound for Seattle. (I had no idea you could ship via Greyhound!) Tonight, I headed to the bus station in downtown Seattle to pick them up (which was an experience in itself), but I didn’t care – because I knew the glory that was packed inside my green cellophane-wrapped box.
We held our breath as we unpacked the box, both secretly hoping that the color would be the right shade of yellow. To our relief, it was. We had discussed the merits of getting a more neutral color, but the yellow is actually playful without being too bright and we think it will work well in our house. (I decided to go ahead and snap a few photos tonight, even though the artificial lighting does not do them justice.) Plus, we love that they’re durable, easy to clean and the right scale for our small house. There are some very tiny marks/scratches here and there, but the overall quality is fantastic. And really, I think there’s also something to be said about getting a piece of furniture that’s already broken in.
Now, let’s talk about something serious.
Dowel bases.
We know of a few reproduction companies, like Modernica, Herman Miller and Modern Conscience, but if anyone has any other leads or suggestions, please share! (We’re ok with going the reproduction route, since it would probably be close to impossible to find 6 matching vintage bases.) Kyle has been eyeing the maple/chrome combination but I’d be ok with maple/black too. The shells came with wide mount shocks, but we’re willing to change them to a narrow mount if needed. (Of course, cost is also a factor – we’d like to stay under $100 per base if possible.)
I know the Eames shell chair is in every other modern house in America, but I don’t care. This is love.
steel planter box
What’s a good activity for a crisp fall weekend? Welding, naturally.
In our deck reveal post last month, we showed you the raw steel panels that we bought off Craigslist and had cut by a local sheet metal shop. Since then, they’ve been hanging out in the backyard, working on their patina. We had no real timeline for getting them built, but last Sunday (in a passing moment of boredom), Kyle got the itch to weld.
The boxes were designed to maximize the 4×8 sheets of material and limit waste. Since the north box needed to be about 10′ long, Kyle built one 8′ box and one 2′ box, the smaller of the two going in first.
The root barrier and pea gravel run underneath the planter locations. Since it would have been impractical to build the larger box in the shop, Kyle just welded the four pieces in place. But first, he used the laser level to place small concrete pavers at the four corners, each at the appropriate elevation to ensure a flat base to build upon.
The great thing about these DIY planter boxes is that the welds are on the inside and since they’ll be covered with dirt, they don’t have to be pretty.
To keep the larger piece of steel from bowing, Kyle welded pieces of rebar (leftover from another project) at staggered locations to provide more rigidity without compromising future plant placement.
Finally, he attached the boxes to the deck framing with stainless steel lag screws. The boxes are heavy and would take a considerable effort to move, but we thought this step would help prevent them from settling into the dirt over time.
The smaller box was built in the shop, hence the steel plates at the base for extra rigidity. We’re thinking maybe a small ornamental tree here?
It’s always exciting when a project finally comes together. Ipe, meet steel. You are one sexy couple. Heck, even the pea gravel looks good. (Although, damn you needles. You’re not even from our tree!)
…and on the opposite end. Hello lovely.
In less than six hours, the whole thing was done. The steel has already rusted a nice amount since we brought it home and should continue to weather and change colors. (FYI – the steel is thick enough that it will take many, many, many years to rust through.) The slightly mottled look is due to uneven drying from some rain earlier in the day.
Oh. Excuse me – Bailey would like to interject and show you his new Halloween bandana.
Ok, moving on. The remaining steel is for the boxes on the other side of the deck, though we’re thinking we might need to build the awning first to make sure a certain rain chain detail is properly composed…
We also probably won’t fill them with dirt or plant anything until Spring, which should give us plenty of time to contemplate our options. Tall grasses? Edibles? Something that is resistant to death-by-zerbey?
At any rate, planter box #1 is done. Including the cost of the steel and cutting, the two north boxes set us back about $250. It’s not pocket change, but if you’ve ever priced custom steel boxes or even the small ones that some companies sell, $250 is a bargain. A bargain that should require zero maintenance. We like.
flex room redo
With all of the improvements we’ve made to our home in the last few years (coupled with record low-interest rates!) we decided to refinance our mortgage. (More on that later!) Aside from the obvious, one of the biggest changes we’ve made is that our house now has two bedrooms (which has a big impact on home value, as appraisers have to use other 2 br/1 bath comps when determining their numbers).
Anyhow, the new second bedroom (which we’ve been referring to as the “flex room“) has mainly served as a cozy TV room. Even though it was already a bedroom by building code standards, we decided play it safe and add a bed and closet before the appraisal.
So a few weeks ago I went down to IKEA and bought a wardrobe for the room. In lieu of a framed out closet, our plan has always been to add another wardrobe, similar to what we did in our bedroom. With the customization and interior fittings options, they’re simply a more efficient solution for small homes.
This time however, we wanted to spend as little money as possible (with the idea that we can always add units or interior fittings later), so I bought a single 39″ PAX unit and the cheapest white doors they sell. (I was going to do another curtain system but couldn’t find anything I liked.) The knobs are IKEA as well, a purchase I made years ago when I thought I’d spruce up the old kitchen cabinets before we could afford to remodel.
[The wardrobe assembly was another project that we tackled on our anniversary. After carrying the boxes inside, Kyle must have seen a look of unmotivation on my face because he quickly offered to handle the installation and let me get back to shoveling pea gravel in the backyard. Secretly, I think he likes to see how fast (and with how many power tools) he can assemble IKEA products. Love that guy.]
For now, the inside just has two shelves and a hanging bar and serves as extra storage for pillows, blankets, dresses, Xbox accessories and occasionally, the curious kitten. (FYI – PAX doors require four hinges per door. That would have been good to know.) Also, PAX boxes are heavy. Thank you to the kind soul at IKEA who helped me load the boxes onto my flat cart.
We also moved our old brown couch to the basement and set up the Aerobed that we use when guests visit. The West Elm duvet cover and IKEA stool are from the loft.
Although it’s been several weeks since the appraisal, we haven’t brought the couch back up from the basement. Truthfully, it’s kinda nice being able to watch TV in bed…without having a TV in your bedroom.
All in all, the only thing we bought was the wardrobe, which cost around $200.
And that’s our second room. It’s still lacking in the decor and accessories department, but those kind of decisions require months of careful mulling. We’re also debating getting a real bed for the space or maybe upgrading ours (we’re still sleeping on the mattress Kyle bought in college!) and moving the old one into this space. We’ll see. Although I do admit, the idea of owning two beds makes me feel very grown-up.
fall
This is secretly my favorite time of year. Sure, there’s a lot of hype about summers in Seattle and it’s usually for good reason – for three to four blissful months, we enjoy sun and warmer temperatures, with incredible vistas of mountains and sparkling water seemingly everywhere you look. Sometimes the energy is so great that I half expect people to break out into song and dance. But summertime also comes with a lot of pressure. Pressure to plan a hike, go out on a boat, picnic in the park, collect blackberries, go up to the islands and eat every meal outside (with the tomatoes that you lovingly grew in your organic garden of course). So of course, when people plan a visit we always tell them, “come in the summer!”.
And they did. This year, we had 13 family members stay at our house between July and October! We’ve loved showing our family our house (some hadn’t visited in 4-5 years!) and new favorite spots around the city and it’s been a good lesson on how our house can accommodate 4-6 people at any given time. (Note to self: we really should think about adding that second bathroom in the basement.)
On top of all that, summer is also the informal start for new house projects. Even though we didn’t tackle quite as much as we had originally planned for 2011, we’re still pretty exhausted and ready for a break.
On Monday night, I snuck this picture of Kyle out in the shop (assembling his new grinder!). It was a blustery and rainy evening, but I felt a sense of calmness and anticipation for a slower pace of life. I’m sure by February I’ll be looking at flights to Hawaii, but for now – I’m good.
I’ve noticed that we tend to spend the first part of the year researching and designing, go through summer in full remodel mode, then spend the last few months decompressing and finishing up small projects. Does anyone else have this remodel cycle?
Even though we’re slowing down, we’re not putting away our work jorts (ok, the jorts are going in storage, but the jeans will stay). We have a list of smaller projects to keep us busy, some of which we’re pretty excited about. But those projects will be interlaced with lots of reading, movie watching, cooking and kitten snuggling. I can’t wait. In fact, just writing this post has officially pushed me over the edge. I’m making cocoa.
drainage report: all buttoned up
We closed on our house in August of 2006, a month before our first year wedding anniversary. Fortunately, we had about four weeks of overlap between getting the keys and the end of our lease on our rental house. During that time, we spent almost every night and weekend at our new home, furiously cleaning, painting and making it habitable. On the day of our anniversary we sat on the grass in the backyard, eating burritos and the top of our wedding cake. Maybe it wasn’t the most romantic of anniversaries, but looking back, it kinda was.
5 years later, we celebrated our 6-year anniversary – working side by side in the front yard, continuing to make this little house our home. Maybe it was the anniversary or maybe it was the fear that this really would be the last nice weekend, but we got a whole bunch of stuff done. Behold:
The first step of our porch stoop has always been too tall, so we decided to use some of the leftover ipe from the deck to build a landing of sorts that connects to the 1910 concrete steps. After excavating out around the area, Kyle installed a pressure-treated ledger board against the face of the concrete stoop footing and then poured a new footing next to the concrete steps.
He then built a frame out of pressure-treated 2x’s and 4x’s that hangs on the ledger and bears on the outboard concrete footing. Initially, we planned for the ipe to run parallel to the steps, but realized that the stoop (and therefore the house) is not exactly parallel to the concrete steps, which would have created a weird trapezoidal condition. Ok, whatever…it was 1910. I’ll cut them some slack. So anyhow, we decided to run the boards perpendicular to remedy the problem.
The animals oversaw the operation. GC Bailey and site superintendent Felix.
After the deck boards were attached Kyle skirted the landing in 1×8 ipe boards. Eventually we’ll have plants(!) that will help soften the edges, but we like the way it turned out. It reads more as a bridge that connects one yard to the other.
No, we didn’t have a Penofin accident – it’s just water. The rain is here.
Speaking of, if we do get another dry weekend we’ll go ahead and put a coat of Penofin on the ipe. In the photo above, the dark boards are from the step that was installed (and finished) two years ago. We’re curious to see how the color will change with a new layer of finish on both. [We also plan to add an abrasive admixture to the stain to prevent people from busting their butts on the wet wood. Not that I know what that feels like.]
Ooh, looks like someone’s been to the doggie spa. [If not regularly groomed, Bailey’s paws get so hairy that he unknowingly carries leaves, dirt and other debris into the house. Drives.me.crazy.]
Naturally, Bailey took this evening’s photoshoot as an opportunity to work on his own portfolio. Too bad Kitty totally photobombed him!
While Kyle was busy with the bridge, I sucked it up leveled out the rest of the dirt.
We decided that it would be smart to wait till next year to install the large-scale pavers (aka our old sidewalk and driveway). This would give the dirt time to settle and compact – because the last thing we want is to have to redo 600 lb. pavers. So in the sideyard they sit.
But alas, the joy of a freshly raked dirt yard was short-lived. Stupid tree and your stupid leaves. What is this, fall?
We also swept the driveway, sidewalk and pavers. No more construction site. Finally.
In addition to finishing up the drainage system, we also cleaned out the gutters, repainted the side of the house (that was victim to the bobcat “incident”), painted the dining room window trim, weeded the planting strip and spread the remaining pea gravel in the backyard. And now, we are ready for winter.
At the end of the day, we also squeezed in a celebratory dinner at Tavolata. Here’s to 6 years – I think we make a pretty good team.
