I have always loved to use my imagination. As a young girl, it was imagining while playing dress up or running around in the backyard. Now, I imagine about the house. Sometimes, I try to abstain from pinning and planning too far in advance. We are still working on the walls, so is it silly to be contemplating paint colour, or even sillier, wall art? Then I think about how in school, we were always encouraged to brainstorm and draft out our work. That scrap piece of paper with the sloppy cloud drawing in the middle and the sticks radiating around it was important. The brainstorm didn't have to be pretty and, in fact, it was better if it was a jumble of sticks with random ideas. The brainstorm gives your imaginings a more visual and concrete presence, making them easier to organize and create in reality. As with school projects, I believe that brainstorms also hold power and value in home renovation. Below is my brainstorm for 212 thus far. Keep in mind that, as with anything you concoct in those deep, creative recesses of your mind, these plans are subject to change. We will see how much these ideas transform. Overall trends I'm noticing in my brainstorm are: rustic wood pieces, clean lines, and neutrals.
LOVE LIST: 1) A chalkboard for the front foyer or kitchen for notes, grocery lists, etc. 2) A porch swing. 3) A round table for the kitchen (this will allow for optimal space). 4) A large mirror in the foyer to enlarge the space, and for last-minute hair/ makeup checks :). 5) Cozy knit throws and pillows in the living room. 6) Light, simple counterspace and fixtures in kitchen.
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I think that we can all agree that it is now officially a Canadian winter, and that it is FREEZING outside. While a fireplace is now more of a luxury in most houses, as a decorative piece you enjoy while reading a book or watching a movie on the couch, there was a time when the fireplace functioned as a means of survival. As someone who is always cold, I am in awe of the people of the past who lived day to day without a furnace or heated blankets or the option of a hot bath. All they had were fireplaces-- and oftentimes, not very effective ones at that. Were I to time travel and live a day in 212 in the winter of 1896, I would be permanently glued to the side of my fireplace, wearing all of the layers of clothing I owned. Going outdoors would simply not be an option until the late spring. Our house has two chimneys, one on either side. The left chimney would have went through the spare room and traveled down to a wood stove in the kitchen. The right chimney would have started in the middle of the living room downstairs, traveled upstairs and into the back room, which is Kyle's office, then through a pipe along the ceiling to heat the master bedroom at the front of the house. We can see where the chimney exit would have been by a dark smudge above the master bedroom windows. We think that initially, the upstairs would have been one big room, which sleeping spaces commonly were at the time. Whole families would share beds, which seems uncomfortable to us, but given their pitiful heating situation, it would have been the best option to stay warm in the night. Our two chimneys would have worked together to heat both levels of the house, though it is hard to say whether there would have been wood stoves on both storeys. Often, chimneys would open into two fireplaces, so that the heat could really be dispersed equally throughout the house. The earliest fireplaces were basically campfires set up in the main living space of a home. As you can imagine, this would have been incredibly smoky and dirty. Later on, people started to build their fireplaces in more enclosed shafts on the exterior of the house, which was much better than the open range campfire, and nicer to look at. In the 17th century, fireplaces became fashionable and people started to decorate them with carved mantles and tiled faces. However, the style got in the way of the function and these larger, in-set fireplaces were not very heat efficient. Finally, by the time our house was built, people started to build smaller openings in their fireplaces and use heat grates, which made a huge difference. While there are some remains of the fireplaces, like the crumbling shaft of a chimney and the chimney pipe openings in the floor, the actual wood stoves are long gone. However, eventually, we would like to put a fireplace in the living room again. There is just something so appealing about being snug at home with the warm glow of a fire. *Fun Fireplace Fact: Today, it is popular to hang a large mirror above the fireplace, but did you know that this trend began long ago as a safety measure? There was an uneasiness about standing or sitting by the fireplace with one's back turned from the rest of the room; the mirror enabled people to always be aware of what was behind them, even while warming their hands. **AND, a quick shout out to John: While we expected an ugly couch on the front lawn, you surprised us with a ploughed driveway! Thank you so much-- we really appreciate it :).
Monday was my birthday. This January, I actually do feel one year older. People jokingly say that life experiences have aged them. Now, I can really see the truth behind this. While we document and celebrate our age by the calendar, our actual experience of aging is not determined by the time we've been alive, but rather by the combination of random and choice events that we encounter and their affect on us. I came across a quote that speaks to this: "What age would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" This question shows the silliness of categorizing people based on how many "years old" they are. It also makes me think about what I've done so far and what I still want to do. What experiences have I had that make me older, and what about me is still young? One experience that has aged me in the last year has been the house. From the financial side of home ownership, to the planning and labour of renovating, I definitely identify as being older than I was before the house. That being said, there are still days when I feel very naive and unaware of the ways of the world. For instance, I am still getting used to paying a mortgage and prioritizing how I spend my time off work. Sometimes I struggle to choose work over play, particularly this last month with Kyle doing overtime night shifts. But while hanging out with friends or a relaxing night in are obviously more appealing, Kyle and I have had to make the adult decision to spend free time at the house and get things done. These not-so-fun tasks are responsibilities that age us in the best way. What I mean is that shovelling the driveway, paying bills, and constructing our own house are challenges that are making us into more developed and self-aware individuals. I have a much greater appreciation of money, of the quality time I do have to spend with the people I love, and a more grateful heart for what I am learning. I am aging with this house project, but it is a good thing. If you took all of what you've seen and done, your challenges, the people you've encountered, the places you've visited, and the goals you've made for yourself and strived to meet, how many candles would you stick into your birthday cake? Are you a youthful 19, or a worldly 45? It is interesting when you give yourself the power to decide what life stage you most identify with. The current focus at 212 is the staircase. Before we do any framing in the library/ office space or foyer, it is crucial that we get exact measurements for this feature of the house. Our stairs are "box stairs," which means that they are built in between two walls. If the measurements for the head space, or incline of the stairs, or length of the steps are even slightly off, the rest of the house measurements won't work. Apparently stair-making is a very precise art.
That being said, for this particular job we decided to call in an expert. Our requirements for these new stairs? That they are sturdy, wide enough for people to safely use, and that they open up into the living room downstairs (right now, the stairs start in the foyer). A staircase can make such a statement in a house, and we would like ours to not only be safe, but act as another charming call back to our home's roots. The plan that we have for the stairs is to save and restore the railing at the top of the stairs. Our vision is to paint the spindles white and stain the rest of the railing for that more traditional look. We also have oak flooring that would look nice running through the living room and up the stairs to the library. Fingers crossed there is enough left over for the master bedroom! This week, I have decided to be completely and utterly honest. Not that I haven't been genuine all along on the blog, but I have tried to keep most posts more on the positive side of the renovations and avoid taking on the role of "Debbie Downer." No one wants to read about someone grumbling and complaining, right?! But I also want this to be a true reflection of what this project has been for Kyle and I, so here is a fore-warning that what you are about to read will not be all sunshine and kittens and blanket sweaters (yes, I am a fan of the new blanket sweater trend, lol). Here is a rant/ confession/ my uncensored feelings about the renovation: Renovating a house is HARD. It takes A LOT of time, money, patience, etc. For the most part, I love this house, but there are moments when I do not. In the darkest corners of my mind, there have been slivers of doubt. I have had times when I've wondered if Kyle and I should have bought a house that was live-in ready, even if it was lacking in charm. Originally, we set a deadline to be in our house for Christmas. That was back in August when we were newbies to the whole owning a house and renovation thing, and we were, frankly, a little naive. As we got into tearing down walls and surveying the situation, the Christmas deadline began to look more like wishful thinking. Now, we are aiming more realistically for a summer move in. As much as this frustrates me, I know that the amount of work that still needs to be done and the way in which we are approaching the project (which is doing as much of the labour as we can ourselves), requires time. In an age of instant gratification, it is challenging to do this thing called "waiting." I am working on being better at the act of waiting. That being said... When the house starts to seem all doom and gloom and I wish there was an 'Undo' button, I go for a stress run or rant to Kyle or eat a snack or have a good cry. Afterwards, my mind clears and I think about all that I have learned from this experience and the pride that Kyle and I now have for our house, and I know that it was not a mistake. This house is simply an ongoing test of optimism for a girl like me who, admittedly, is more of a pessimist/ worst-case scenario thinker. I have realized that it is important to focus on what is currently being worked on and not worry as much about the big picture. So, this January, my scope will narrow in on finishing one room at a time, rather than an entire house. After all, smaller goals eventually amount to a bigger outcome. |
About MeKyle and I just became new homeowners. The house we purchased is not what one would classify as "move in ready"; in fact, it is quite the opposite. Built at the turn of the 20th century, our Victorian style house is both beautiful and terrifying in its ancient status and will be a project in renovation. This is a documentation of our triumphs and lessons learned, as we deconstruct and reconstruct this house. The end result? A space that we can proudly say we created. Archives
December 2016
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