living/dining...

In an effort to stick with our holiday goal, Justin and I are hoping to complete our two front rooms by Christmas. Having a goal in mind will keep us motivated, and I'm pretty sure we will be able to accomplish it! We have a couple images in mine for the overall 'look' but are still figuring things out as we go. Here's some inspiration:

Dining Room

Living Room

Progress this weekend!

Taking down and re-doing the picture-rail in the living room became Justin's 'labor of love' project. It had been put up during the last rehab by someone who didn't quite understand the whole concept of jointing wood together... we think caulk was their best friend! Additionally, the way it was situated on the wall left some very awkward terminating points, so Justin wanted to take it down so we could fix it all and just make it look better in general. We'd torn off the old picture-rail a couple weeks ago so Justin and his Dadwere able to put it all back up this past Saturday while I worked on painting our closet. The next day we all worked together and painted the brand new picture rail, the new trim in the dining room, the ceilings, and trimmed out all the walls. Here's a little bit of the progress... we still have 3 coats of paint left on the walls and some touch-ups on the basetrim. But, we got a LOT accomplished in one short weekend! Thanks to Justin's wonderful parents! It's SO nice to finally see it coming together!

Bedroom Lighting

We've been hinking about lighting fixtures... the bedrooms are getting pretty close to being complete but we still need to order some fixtures. We originally purchased this chandelier type light for our bedroom from Lowes then realized that the shades were alabaster glass (yuck) and that it couldn't be on a dimmer, which is a problem because our switch is a dimmer switch. So much for going the cheap route...

Now we are investigating other options. Rejuvenation still has some of my favorites. We are looking at these two similiar fixtures; the pendant for our bedroom and the ceiling mount for the other bedroom. They would both be in an 'oil rubbed bronze' finish. Thoughts?

out with the old!

the old

The day has arrived! We took the plunge and are having a brand new furnace and A/C installed. This is not a cheap endeavor; I think the money we are spending outweighs pretty much all of our rehabbing costs to date. But, this is a big investment and should last a good 15-20 years. Plus, there are tax credits available so right now is a good time to get this taken care of. And hopefully it will save us some money in the long run as well since this furnace/ac promises to be more energy efficient, etc...

Justin and I are both really looking forward to having a very quiet furnace... we will NOT miss the clunky rattling that we've grown accustomed to!

the new!

Since I was up there, here's the view of the skyline from our roof! Wish we could get a roof deck back up there... it's pretty nice! Maybe someday...

feeling pretty blessed

Lately we've been spending a lot less time working on our condo and a lot more time running. The Half Marathon is drawing closer and we're gaining in mileage every week! Tonight we enjoyed this amazing view on our 5 mile run along the lakefront. But it hasn't all been easy, did I mention the 95 degree sweaty heat? Oh, and the clouds of knats at dusk!? Well, you get the picture... it's not always pretty. But as we approached the skyline tonight I couldn't help but think back to this time last year and thank God once again for all the blessings he has given us! Every single one of our prayers from this time last year has been answered. We're very fortunate to have jobs in this city, near my family AND own our very own home. Inspiration is merely at our doorstep and the beautiful chaos of the city continually fuels our passions for urban living, planning and design.

Running along the lakefront this summer has been a dream! Not only are we blessed to live here but we are simply blessed to have such freedoms and luxuries to live in such an amazing country and pursue our dreams. I am constantly reminded that not everyone in this world is so fortunate to have such opportunities and resources at their feet. That's why I'm so excited to be running for the children of Angola this year. I know there are people far away from Chicago that walk a mile everyday over rocky ground, without shoes on their feet or sometimes clothes on their back, just to get water. And they have to carry that water (usually on their head) back to their children. Their children attend school beneath trees and sit on rocks and small stumps. If they are lucky they might have a tattered schoolbook. Many of them don't complete 5th grade and many of them don't get an education at all. Education is the key for Angola, a country that was plagued with civil war for years and years. They are on the long road to recovery and patching a country back together after such devestation is not an easy task.

RISE seeks to build up the children of Angola by bringing them education. If there's anything Justin and I have learned through planning & design is that EVERYTHING comes back to education. And I think education will mean a world of difference in the lives of these children and Africa as a whole. If you haven't already, please consider supporting me as I run 13.1 miles on September 12th for Team RISE. I'm hoping that I can make a small difference this summer by contributing my time, training, dedication and and even summer sweat to the children all the way in Angola.

You can sponsor me by visiting my fund-raising site:
http://www.firstgiving.com/brettweidl

the little things...

We've been taking very small (but neccessary) steps over the past couple weeks on the condo. A host of different visitors have stayed with us over the past month (which we have loved, by the way!) so we haven't had any large chunks of time to work on things. But we have been making headway in getting some small things accomplished! Like doorknobs!

As usual I agonized over the style of doorknobs and plates to purchase from Rejuvenation. It was between a beaded metal knob design, glass or the white porcelain. We ended on the porcelain because we like how they contrast the oil rubbed bronze plates and it's also very Victorian inspired. We're also really excited that the plates have keyholes (you can't get those at home depot!)

One other small accomplishment is that we put up some curtains in our bedroom. I know everything is looking very black and white right now... in time, I promise, we will have some color in our lives. The overall plan for our bedroom is for most everything to be black and white with simple pops of color as accents (new duvet and pillow covers soon to come as well as some additional furnishing pieces).

coach house cabinet

The history of the coach house cabinet: So, when I was a kid, my parents rehabbed houses. We moved a lot and were often living in the houses they were fixing up. When we weren't rehabbing a house, we were living with my Grandmother at her old coach house in Wilmette. The house used to be a real stable to the larger house next door. The horses and coaches were kept downstairs and the upstairs was an attic apartment for the coachman. In the 70's my Grandmother bought the place and fixed it up as her little getaway... it was called 'Happy House'.

So we lived there on and off when I was a kid up in the attic apartment. It had 2 bedrooms, a living area, small kitchen and bathroom. The kitchen had the cutest vintage stove and refrigerator. There was also a small countertop for food preparation, which we are assuming the coachman built. Though currently painted with about 3 layers of various paint, the wood is a mixture of oak, birch and maybe mahogony? The back of the piece is actually wood beadboard that was used throughout the coach house itself and the top is possibly zinc - the coolest part being that it has hundreds of knife marks on the top of it from chopping assorted things over the years. We stored all our cereals, cookies, snacks, etc in the bottom roll cabinets and our silverware in the top two drawers.

Now that we have our bedroom all set-up we've decided to rehab the cabinet and turn it into a dresser of sorts, I'm thinking those old storage cabinets would be a great place for jeans and t-shirts! =) We just started the process of scrapping off some of the paint this past weekend. More progress photos to come in the following weeks!

can you tell I made him pose for this one?

bedroom!

We moved into our very own bedroom this past weekend! Horray!! We've finally moved out of the kitchen and in our very own bedroom, and it feels SO nice! =) Ok, so the photo probably doesnt do it justice but after countless hours of patching, caulking, sanding, sawing and painting... the room was in good enough shape to live in; and that's good enough for us! We still have to put on outlet faceplates, install our ceiling light/medallion, finish the door casings and purchase our closet doors. Not to mention decorating! I have plenty of ideas, now I just need to find the time to help make the room truly look finished... but in time I suppose.

The other monumential occurance is that since we moved our bed out of the kitchen, we were able to move our couch and tv in to take it's place! We haven't had a couch/tv in about 3 months, so it's very nice to have that pair back in our lives. Justin and I made a realization while living without these things just how truly lucky and blessed we are to have such luxuries in our lives. Most of the world lives with very little 'space' and very little 'things', yet we live in abundance here in America. For most people here, having a family room with a tv is just a standard way of life. This experience has once again humbled us and shown us how lucky we really are. We are so blessed to have a home of our own and the freedoms to make it exactly what we want. And for that, we are thankful to God.

historic photos

A week or two ago I downloaded the Dover Street Landmark District report and read through the entire thing over a 2-3 day period during my EL commutes to and from work. I am in love with the history of place so knowing that our street has a significance in Chicago history is just so much fun to me! The report was filled with wonderful historic photos of the street, old architects, train stations and architectural detail shots. I love seeing old photos with buildings I have begun to recognize and are still standing today. And I get the most fun out of seeing people in the pictures and thinking about what their life was like back then living on Dover Street.

Anyway, here's a short clip from the Report and some of the pictures capturing what it was like in the old days! Enjoy!

"The handsome residential buildings of the Dover Street District reflect the history and development of the Sheridan Drive Subdivision (later known as the Sheridan Park neighborhood within the larger Uptown community area) and the associated importance of middle-class housing in late 19th- and early 20th-century Chicago. Possessing a distinctly suburban character, the District is made up of single-family houses, two and three-flats, and small apartment buildings. Situated on wide lots that are generously set back from Dover and Beacon Streets, the buildings of the District exemplify the residential growth and development of this North Side neighborhood in the years after its annexation by Chicago in 1889."

This photo (above) was taken in front of our condo building looking north at our neighbors house - the one with all the children on the front stoop.

Dover Street today

doors, medallions and hardwood

After 5 weeks of waiting, our doors are finally in! We ordered them custom through Lee Lumber in Chicago. We picked them up yesterday right as the skies broke open and a thunderstorm blew through (perfect timing, right?) But, they are everything we hoped and dreampt about! =)

We debated endlessly over the paneling: 5 panel? 3 panel? 4 panel? raised panel? flat panel? jamb style? hinge style? hinge finish? There are honestly too many decisions to make when choosing doors. But we finally decided: 4 panel, flat panel, colonial jambs, square hinges, oil rubbed bronze finish.

Today Justin and my Dad worked on installing two of them. Of course, in an old building like this nothing is plumb or level, so it look took them about 3 hours of shimming, nailing and sawing but they're up! And now, every time we walk down the hall we catch ourselves doing a double take because a.) we actually have doors again! and b.) they're beautiful!!!

pre-installation

post-installation

We also purchased and just recieved the ceiling medallions we're going to install above our light fixtures. Medallions compliment the victorian style and should add a little extra detail to the bedrooms. The style of the bedroom medallions is pretty simple but we will probably pick something a little more ornate for the living room (once we get to that project.)

I also got fed up with our lovely brown paper/blue tape protective flooring and took it all out in the bedrooms. In general I'm starting to get a little tired of feeling like we are living temporarily (first in my parents basement and now in our kitchen); I needed to see something pretty in my house to keep me sane and optimistic that we are still progressing - slowly but surely. We put that paper down in the bedrooms the day after the wood flooring was complete, so getting to finally see it again was a very welcome sight. Farewell brown paper! Now, I just need to get it out of the hallway...

tile accomplished!

Finally finished putting in the tile this week! Last week we laid it, Thursday we grouted it and yesterday my Mom and I spent a couple hours buffing it clean. Let me just say... tiling is not as easy as you would think or as easy as the people at the tile store like to make it sound; just dont believe them. It's a pretty stressful job because you are limited in time. From the second you mix your thinset or grout, you only have about 20 mins to use it until it dries up and becomes useless... so laying tile is kind of like running a marathon. You've gotta keep up the pace and dont stop until the job is done! Luckily, we made it through our first tiling job and are pretty happy with the results. We saved a lot of money doing it ourselves and we learned a lot along the way.

The only change I would make would be to have gone with the black grout instead of the dark grey grout. The lady at the tile store did a good job of convincing us that we would absolutely hate having dark grout and I almost believed her until I got home and remembered my true vision for the tile. And the more I walked the streets of Chicago, the more I was confirmed in my thinking that darker is better. Just about every vintage door stoop in this city has mosaic tile with dark black or dark grey grout, so I had my answer... we ended up returning the light 'wisper grey' she convinced us to buy and getting the charcoal. It's a dark grey, but not true black. I'm definitely happy with the dark grey but next time I'm going all the way with the black! =)

Lesson #37.6793: Always trust your gut when it comes to design desisions.