Hutch Buffet Update

Ladies and gents, I have some exciting news to share. I promised to post images as the hutch buffet is being custom made by Anne Quinn Furniture, and here they are.

Isn't it gorgeous as is? I love the simple clean lines and elegant moulding & carving details. It's made of solid mahogany.

Remember a few weeks ago I posted this drawing? They look identical right?

For the space I have in my dining room, I am only going to be able to have a three-door hutch buffet, but I also really want a symmetrical look. I didn't want to have hinge on one side and pulls on the other in the middle section. So Christine and I brainstormed and she had suggested that we fix the middle door - isn't it ingenious? I still have more than ample room to navigate from both doors and the unit will look completely symmetrical. Love it! The three drawers are working drawers but for some reason they are not open in the picture. 

This is the unit from the side. The next step is for it to get a few coats of creamy white paint, have the hardware installed and it will then travel a long journey and be on its way to me. So exciting!





P.S. I did pick up eight bone china place settings so more on that later.

Painted Staircase Reveal

If you've been following my blog for a while, you'd know that Project Foyer has been taking for-ever. It started from a complete overhaul of the floor tiles, twice; swapped out a pillow on the settee then yet again; then replaced some really ugly framed art with a DIY abstract art; to finally (hopefully) paint the staircase. It was not an easy decision to get to the last step but with some help from Photoshop and inspiration from a few fellow bloggers, I eventually decided painting staircase was the way to go.

This is the Before: we are fortunate to have a good-sized foyer and a curved staircase, but the stained staircase with wrought iron spindles is has so much presence that it's overwhelming. It also makes the wainscoting and moulding work in the same space look incomplete.

This is the mock-up from Photoshop: I needed to visualize how a painted staircase would look like in my own space. So far so good.

This is the Progress: after getting a few quotes all north of $1,000, I've decided to tackle this on our own. I was wrong to think the taping was challenging - it turned out to be the easiest part of the entire job. The trick is to be thorough: there's no such thinking as too much tape. Over-protection will make your subsequent tasks less stressful. 

Staircase in ScotchBlue Edge-Lock Tape

I taped up all the spindles, anything I imagined would likely be in the way of brushes and rollers.

Once I started priming, I realized making a decision to paint the staircase wasn't the toughest part after all. After the first coat of primer was when I had the most doubt -  just look at all the streaks on the risers! That's when I said to myself that I might have made a mistake to paint the staircase but it was too late. Moving forward and finishing the job was my only option.

This is our staircase after two coats of KILZ Odorless Primer. It's not entirely odorless so if you are up close painting and have sensitive airways like I do, I would still recommend you wear a carbon filter respiratory mask to reduce the amount of fumes inhaled.  

This is the After: it made all the uncertainty, doubt, fear, confusion, sweat, and muscle aches worthwhile. The painted staircase turned out to be so much better than I imagined and works so well in our foyer.

So bright and airy and more put-together.

With lights on, the space has a warmer glow.

A more close-up picture of our painted staircase.

So my verdict on the ScotchBlue Edge-Lock? I think the result speaks for itself and a picture tells a thousand words. It's not 100% bleeding-free, but I would say compared to most of the painters' tapes out there, the Edge-Lock certainly does a much better job. Because the rest of our staircase was stained in oil-base lacquer, it wasn't too difficult for us to scrape off the bleeding paint.

So my foyer transformation is now officially wrapped up, and I think I am completely happy with how it looks. One key lesson learnt from painting the staircase is that don't give up when in doubt (when you see those streaks). It will only get better once you paint over primer, I promise. Also don't forget to stock up on Ibuprofen before you start - your legs are going to be so sore from squatting and your lower back from turning and twisting that you are going to need some once you are done. That I promise as well. 

Hope you like the After as much as I do.

Happy Mother's Day

My Mom is a snowbird so she won't be back to Toronto in time for Mother's Day this year. I used to think the farther I lived away from her, the more I loved her. But that's no longer true. Though I am not a mother yet, as I grow older, I appreciate her more.

In the picture: Mom in early 1980s. 

Mom has been my single biggest fan and supporter, and she always has my back and makes sure I know it. She believes in me no matter what I do; she trusts my decisions and supports me in whatever way she can. She has such a big heart and strongly believes that everybody deserves a second chance. She is loyal, independent, and puts needs of others above herself. Growing up, I always wish I could become as good of a person as she is. She is the woman of style and substance that I aspire to be.

So on this Mother's Day, I will be fondly thinking of her.

Wish you all a Happy Mother's Day!

Bone China

With this gorgeous hutch buffet now being custom made by Anne Quinn Furniture, I can start to plan what goes on display. We have tons (when I say tons, I meant at least 4 different complete sets each serving at least 8 people) dinnerware sets already, some are for casual day-to-day use and others formal but none of them are made of fine bone china. I am thinking of buying a complete set of bone china because, first they'd look great in my new hutch; and second, fine bone china is not only a good investment but also a nice heirloom to pass down to generations to come. However, bone china is not cheap: a complete set with 8 place settings that I like go anywhere from $2,000 to $3,000, and I know as a fact that we are unlikely going to use them that often, probably not even for holiday family dinners.

Here are a few options I am considering, all available through Hudson's Bay.

When I close my eyes thinking about what I want my bone china set to look like, this would come pretty close, the Signature Platinum Set from Royal Doulton. I love all the clean lines of the plates and cups but not so much the design of the tea pot, creamer or sugar bowl.

Royal Doulton's Signature Platinum Teapot, Creamer and Sugar Bowl

Kate Spade June Lane 5-Piece Setting

Vera Wang for Wedgwood With Love

Wedgwood Signet Platinum, pretty similar to the Royal Doulton's Signature Platinum Collection

And then there's this set by Gluckstein Home, not fine bone china but really inexpensive , available in gold and platinum.

So do you use bone china? Would you invest in a set knowing you are not going to get much use out of it?

P.S. I went to William Ashley's private VIP sale this past weekend and picked up tons of stuff. Will take some pictures and share with you later.

Foyer Update

Well, you ladies have spoken. It looks like you also chose my favorite - this super fab wheat & cream linen pillow from CCDeuxVie. Isn't it gorgeous? The piping detail is just icing on the cake.  

I am really happy with it in my foyer now, not too busy, not too loud, not too much color or texture, it's simple and just right.

 

The other side of the foyer has a bit more action going on with this pair of turquoise foo dogs adding a pop of color. 



The next up in the foyer is to paint the staircase. After getting a few ridiculously expensive quotes, I've decided to tackle this on our own. After crawling on the staircase for a couple of hours, we got this -- it's all taped up in ScotchBlue Edge-Lock...let see if the tape lives up to its name.  

There's a lot of detailed work involved so fingers crossed. More update to come.