This is it in detail.
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| image via Light Waves Concept |
I can't wait to see it strung up.
Showing posts with label great room. Show all posts
Showing posts with label great room. Show all posts
Thursday, April 21, 2011
cable lighting in detail
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
cable lighting in the great room
John and I originally fell in love with cable lighting eleven years ago. We were staying at Walkerson's, a gorgeous Hotel & Spa in South Africa. It was the first time we had seen cable lighting, and we were immediately enamored.
However, the unique look of the cable lighting didn't really 'go' in our Bay Area home, so we didn't pursue it.
We plan to string 2 sets of cable lights from the (front) exterior wall to the second exposed ceiling beam. That beam happens to be where the great room "ends" and the kitchen "begins", so it is a good place to stop the cable lighting.
I was again reminded of how I love the look of cable lighting when I saw this image in House & Home.
John has been researching online cable lighting options and kits all week, and I went to a local lighting source today. Thankfully, we are at the end of this search, and I'm pretty sure we will be placing an order soon. Tomorrow perhaps?
Once we have placed our order, I'll post a better-detailed picture of the cable lighting system. I realize that it is extremely difficult to see in the scanned photo above. My apologies.
However, the unique look of the cable lighting didn't really 'go' in our Bay Area home, so we didn't pursue it.
But here we are, eleven years later, and we have the perfect spot to string a couple of cable lights.
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| yellow lines show approximate placement of cables |
I was again reminded of how I love the look of cable lighting when I saw this image in House & Home.
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| image via House & Home |
Once we have placed our order, I'll post a better-detailed picture of the cable lighting system. I realize that it is extremely difficult to see in the scanned photo above. My apologies.
What do you think of cable lighting? Yay or nay?... or are you waiting to see a more detailed photo?
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
a new gas fireplace
Right off the bat, John and I decided that we wanted to change the original fireplace to a gas fireplace. An unexpected bonus (in my opinion) was that we could remove the chimney! It's not the chimney itself that bothers me, it's those two funny bumps on top... (see a better picture of the offensive bumps here)
We will most likely put a flatscreen TV above the fireplace. There will also be a concrete bench that runs underneath the fireplace for additional seating. It will look very much like the photo below.
Our new gas fireplace will be more than an aesthetic feature. It will also serve as the only heat source in the entire house. Therefore, we have made sure that it includes a blower. We're thinking --hoping actually-- that along with sufficient insulation, it will be enough. Afterall, we're on the central coast of California... it doesn't get that cold around here.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
in lieu of a dining room :: a roll out table
In yesterday's post, I mentioned that we are planning on building a table that rolls in and out of our island. It's best explained through pictures.
If you look closely at the picture, you can see how the rolling table works. The frame of the island is built by using cabinets that are usually wall-mounted.
source: O magazine, 2008
The description reads
We are going to do a few things differently with our roll-out table and island:
Our roll-out table will be made so that there is always room for 4 (or more) at the table. In other words, the table will never completely disappear into the island. If space allows, we would like to make it big enough to seat ten people.
To be clear, this will take the place of any dining table. You can revisit a blueprint of our great room/kitchen area here.
So what do you think? A creative space-saver or an eyesore?
If you look closely at the picture, you can see how the rolling table works. The frame of the island is built by using cabinets that are usually wall-mounted.
The description reads
Under the stationary, standard-height counter, Williams installed cabinets that are normally wall-mounted. Shorter and shallower than base cabinets, they allow the table to pass over and around them when it is stowed away. The tabletop is stainless steel wrapped around a sound-dampening plywood core, and rolls on six casters that lock to hold the table in place. When the table is fully extended or fully collapsed, the legs are positioned to allow all the cabinet doors to open.
We are going to do a few things differently with our roll-out table and island:
- No sink in the island.
- No casters on the roll out table. We're yet to figure out what 'sliding' mechanism we'll use, but it won't be wheels.
- If space allows, we would like to have an area at the island for barstools.
- Wood-topped island, but roll-out table will be made of stainless steel.
- The legs of our island will be a little different -- we're not loving the look of all those table legs.
Our roll-out table will be made so that there is always room for 4 (or more) at the table. In other words, the table will never completely disappear into the island. If space allows, we would like to make it big enough to seat ten people.
To be clear, this will take the place of any dining table. You can revisit a blueprint of our great room/kitchen area here.
Monday, February 21, 2011
uh oh
Anybody who has ever done a remodel, knows that you are bound to uncover details in your house that you didn't foresee. Things that you couldn't have foreseen without tearing open the walls...
We found our first snafu:
That, my friends, is a sheer wall that we didn't expect. You may remember it better as the backside of a closet in 4's room (seen here) and seen below.
What does this mean for us?
We had intended to steal that space for the great room, as every square foot of living space counts. But since it's a sheer wall --a loading-bearing wall-- we can't remove it. The wall has to stay put.
We were talking about it this weekend, and John and I came up with a solution that we're happy with. We still intend to *steal* the space from 4's room, but we're going to turn it into a storage closet or linen closet, accessible from the great room/front entry. However, we don't want to be *greeted* by a door, when we work through the front door. (see our front entry here)
We haven't figured out the exact details, but we might try to build a "secret" bookshelf or something. Once we figure out the plan, I'll be sure to update.
p.s. Our trip to IKEA was a big success -- I'll post about it later.
We found our first snafu:
That, my friends, is a sheer wall that we didn't expect. You may remember it better as the backside of a closet in 4's room (seen here) and seen below.
We had intended to steal that space for the great room, as every square foot of living space counts. But since it's a sheer wall --a loading-bearing wall-- we can't remove it. The wall has to stay put.
We were talking about it this weekend, and John and I came up with a solution that we're happy with. We still intend to *steal* the space from 4's room, but we're going to turn it into a storage closet or linen closet, accessible from the great room/front entry. However, we don't want to be *greeted* by a door, when we work through the front door. (see our front entry here)
We haven't figured out the exact details, but we might try to build a "secret" bookshelf or something. Once we figure out the plan, I'll be sure to update.
p.s. Our trip to IKEA was a big success -- I'll post about it later.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
house tour, part III
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, there is no *formal* entry to our house -- once you step through the doorway, you're immediately in the great room.
Besides the bedrooms and bathrooms (and the loft space above the spiral stairs), there is only a great room and a kitchen. No living room. No separate dining room.
That is both one of the things that we loved about this house, and it's also one of the drawbacks.
One of the things we learned from our previous remodel, is that we lived in our great room. I mean, we spent all our time in there. Even though we had a seperate living room and dining room, we rarely used them. In fact, we never used the living room. It was simply a place to put the Christmas tree in December.
The extra rooms were wasted space.
So now --in this house-- we don't have the wasted rooms, but we're limited for space.
That's where our renovation plans come in.
Before we made an offer on the house, John figured out how and where to relocate the stairs, as well as push the kitchen back.
Lucky for me, I married a man who is very good at visualizing wall placement, as well as understanding terms like "loading-bearing wall" and "structural engineering." Lucky for him, he married a woman who has the patience and imagination to live with (and in) yet another remodel.
house tour, part II
Like our previous house, there is no *formal* entry to this home. Once you step inside, you are immediately in the living room/great room. (Changing this and adding a small front entry is in the plans.)
To the left is a small hallway to 7's room, 4's room, and a bathroom in between the two.
Don't mind the avant garde mirror that came with the house. It will be soon be looking at the inside of a dumpster.
But don't you just love the recessed shelf?
7's room faces the street, aka the concrete oasis that we call the front of our house.
a view from another angle
This is the downstairs bathroom, that lies between the kids' rooms. The true beauty and craftsmanship of this room is not totally evident in the photo. Even the kids commented how ugly it was. But whatever. It's functional, and that's all you really need in a bathroom. (There are future plans to renovate it, but it's not a current priority.)
Next is 4's room...
another angle
4's room currently has two closets; however, closet #2 is going to go away.
To the left is a small hallway to 7's room, 4's room, and a bathroom in between the two.
7's room faces the street, aka the concrete oasis that we call the front of our house.
This is the downstairs bathroom, that lies between the kids' rooms. The true beauty and craftsmanship of this room is not totally evident in the photo. Even the kids commented how ugly it was. But whatever. It's functional, and that's all you really need in a bathroom. (There are future plans to renovate it, but it's not a current priority.)
Next is 4's room...
4's room currently has two closets; however, closet #2 is going to go away.
See that curved wall in closet #2? That is the backside of the spiral staircase. When we remove the spiral staircase, we will also close up this second closet -- all in the name of gaining more living space for our home.
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