The Meaning of Things

With all this talk about “recession”, one would think that limiting discretionary spending is at the top of our To Do list. I mean, HandyMan may be in a precarious position working as an architect. With lower economic growth, there is less spending on building and expansions. I could be in the same boat… I work as a Project Manager and my work could be offshored to India or other low-cost delivery centres if needed. So naturally, with these possibilities looming I’ve questioned our need to forge ahead with the bathroom and guest bedroom renos we’ve got planned.

I’m sure many of you are the same. “Do I really need to buy that” is a question that crosses my mind regularly, especially in these heady days of holiday shopping. Surprisingly though, I’ve found that even in my circle of friends the level of spending hasn’t taken too much of a downturn. I know quite a few people that are undertaking renovations right now. Have they scaled back plans? Not really. What they have done is consciously chosen to make this investment, rather then spend the money on something a bit more superfluous, a bit more impermanent. I guess its that whole “cocooning” effect – when the world outside seems like a big, scary place, where better to retreat than “Home”.

People also seem to be taking their time to make more “meaningful” purchases too. You can see it in the appeal of vintage, hand-crafted, repurposed, restored, or green products. Our collective excessiveness over the last few decades has really taken a toll on our planet, our resources, our future generations, and our pocketbooks. We’re realizing that everything has consequences – and that’s a good thing. Like, I could go to my nearest big-box store and buy the cheapest, ready-made, ready-framed, poster art. But what if I instead dropped by the dusty neighbourhood thrift store and found a vintage poster from the 60’s? Or dug into my boxes in storage and found family photographs to arrange into an art wall? Or shopped on etsy.com to buy an original, limited edition print? It just “means” more. And in these times when prosperity and material goods and financial security seems more fleeting, isn’t “meaning” one of the few things we can hold on to?

My wise dad said to my sister once about her young son, “Don’t give him toys, give him your time. Because when he grows up, that is what he will remember.” Its true. It is sometimes the thought and intention behind a thing that is most important, and not the thing itself. I’m sure some day I won’t remember what my kitchen handles look like, or the pattern of the tiles in the bathroom… but I’ll remember the time that it took HandyMan and I to build those rooms together, side by side. I’ll remember how we bickered, and strained our muscles, and worked quickly to get it all done before our baby arrived. I’ll remember how building a room meant more than the sum of all the shiny fixtures and tile put together. And I will love looking around my finished/unfinished house and recalling all the stories that each piece of furniture or decoration tells. I hope when you need to retreat from the craziness outside, you too will find the same comfort and meaning in your own homes.

You Made Me Do It...

...and I'm so glad you did :) Based on your feedback, HandyMan and I went hunting for the Toto Aquia toilet. It had similar specs to the Kohler Prelude we were considering - skirted design, dual flush, soft close, compact - but it had similar flush performance to the Cadet 3 (800 grams). This toilet was well suited to solve our "clean or green" dilemma -- so we bought it! One unanticipated benefit was that the back of the bottom skirt is cut away from the wall (unlike the Prelude). This means the toilet won't interfere with the baseboard we intend to put around the room. Bonus :)

Work on the bathroom is progressing quickly. Demo is done and electrical too. Plumbing and rough framing (we're flushing out one wall) should happen over the next two days. I hope there'll be time left to clean up a bit because my girlfriends are coming over Sunday for our annual Christmas get-together... and drywall dust sooo doesn't taste good on French toast :o\ I'll post some pics soon.

Call the police!

The Monet has been vandalized!!!  Say goodbye to the bathroom mural.  Demolition begins tomorrow!

A Soft Place To Land

We finally picked up the cushions we had the seamstress make using outdoor fabric we bought from Designer Fabrics. She did a great job and the cushions have nice piped edges and straight seams and patterning. I can't wait to use them...but we'll have to wait because two inches of snow blankets the ground right now. Next summer, we'll paint the whole porch in white and add some beadboard on the ceiling. I can hear the summer breeze already!

Clean or Green? The Toilet Debate

One thing we haven't been too concerned about with the bathroom reno is finding a new toilet. Early on, we spotted the American Standard Cadet 3 Compact at our local Home Depot. The size was right, the price was right, it was on the city's rebate list, and it had good reviews. We weren't entirely fond of the design and we'd have to wait for the toilet to come in (its currently out of stock across the city) but those definitely weren't deal breakers.

But then HandyMan and I paid a visit to PMF Plumbing, a distributor who would let DH take advantage of his architect's discount (gotta love that!). We went and visited their showroom... and all our original selections about fixtures went right out the window :o\

We found another viable option for the toilet, the Kohler Prelude. It is dual flush high efficiency toilet, even more compact in size, a comparable price, and the stylish design works with the vanity we've chosen. Some drawbacks though... well, I worry about the toilet's ability to expel waste cleanly on the first flush (sometimes a problem with high efficiency toilets). Plus, the Prelude toilet has a Maximum Performance (MaP) rating of 350 grams, compared to the Cadet 3's impressive 1000 grams.

What is a MaP rating? A Canadian and American engineer developed Maximum Performance (MaP) testing to identify how well popular toilets (nearly 730 different models) performed bulk waste removal using a realistic test media, and to grade each toilet model based on this relative performance -- an excellent reference for anyone shopping for a toilet! The MaP level is "the maximum media loading (expressed in grams) at which the toilet model successfully clears all media from fixture in at least four of five attempts." Basically, a MaP level gives you an indication of a toilet's flush performance - the higher the level, the better. For the study, the minimum recommended MaP level was 250 grams.

So here is the dilemma... while the Prelude saves on water, it has lower flushing performance. You could argue that even with the occasional double-flush, you'd still be saving water overall with the Prelude. What to choose, what to choose... a toilet that is sure to get the bowl "clean", or one that helps you be "green" and conserve water??

A Sweet Suite

HandyMan and I finally made a decision on the bathroom vanity. Its going to be this petite beauty, the Kohler Kelston, which we saw two weeks ago at the Tubs showroom. While not much bigger than the current pedestal, it offers two drawers and a shelf for storage. I figure I'll put some woven baskets on the shelf to hold baby WanderLuster's diapers and toiletries. The design will add a bit of femininity to the space too, I think. The scallops on the door front and the curved legs remind me of my dining room chairs...slightly Barbara Barry-esque :)

Now the only hold up is deciding on the faucet, which we need to do before we order the vanity because the sink can be customized to fit a single, 4", or 8" center set. I'd like something that looks vintage, maybe with porcelain handles. One suite that has caught my eye is the Fairfax model from Kohler. Here's a few pieces from the line:




I would really love a handspray on a slide bar...easier for cleanup, and good for short people like me. But boy, its an $investment at about $250 for just the bar. What do you folks think - worth it or not? I've used aftermarket shower heads before, but most of the time, they just don't look right with the rest of the fixtures.

Reader Question: LR's Kitchen

LR wrote in recently with her kitchen dilemma:

I just ordered white cabinets, a dark wood floor, and I haven't picked my countertops quite yet. I have always loved the butcher block look but have considered silestone as well. I would love to know you thoughts since everything I have read on your blog seems to be exactly what I'm thinking. I started ripping pages out of magazines months ago that I could use as kitchen inspiration and I have glued them all into a notebook where I try my best to keep my ideas organized. When I looked back through my kitchen inspiration notebook all of my kitchens had wood floors and white/light cabinets! I am not sure what tile to pick for a backsplash, I was thinking of going white but I am torn between white or bringing in a punch of color... any thoughts?

Great idea with keeping an inspiration binder, LR! It really helps to focus a look. By the sounds of it, you prefer a more warm, traditional look in the kitchen. I love the look of wood floors against white cabinets.

Butcher block is a great feature if you've got ample counter space. If you have a separate island, mixing butcher block on the island and stone or quartz counters around the perimeter is beautiful look. Check out how the butcher block island enhances the look of the wood floor in this space from Hampton Design.

For the backsplash, I find the pure "white on white" look of white cabinets and white ceramic subway tiles a little sterile. Instead, why not go for a little bit of pattern or colour in the veining. Tiles set in a unusual pattern, marble subway tiles, interesting contemporary tile shapes... all of these would add a bit of interest.

(Source: House Beautiful; Unknown; Sarah's House)

As for colour in the backsplash, this is a personal preference but I prefer to keep things neutral and bring in the colour through paint on the walls, fabrics, and accessories. The blue tiles in this picture from Cottage Living look lovely, but I fear down the road they'll look 'oh-so-2008' - like the tumbled backsplash look from the 1990's. With a more neutral backsplash, you can change accessories and still get the pop of colour you're craving.

One important thing in the kitchen - no matter what finishes you choose - is ample lighting. You can change the mood and look of a kitchen with a well chosen mix of potlights, pendants, and under-cabinet lights, so leave a little room in the budget for that :)

Thanks for the question LR and do send in some after pics! If you have a decorating dilemma, send in your question to ramblingrenovators@gmail.com.

Three Strikes

Three strikes today and I’m out. First, I had a press pass to see the unveiling of the renovated Art Gallery of Ontario today. It would have been my one and only chance to see Frank Gehry in person – but fiddlesticks, here I am stuck at work, working. (Don’t you hate it when work gets in the way of all the fun stuff??)

AGO photo by flickr user wvs

Then, I approached my fave designer Sarah to present at the next Pecha Kucha I’m organizing. Yes, I’m organizing another one as part of this show. It’ll be on Trade Day of the show. The theme of the Pecha Kucha is “Inspired By…” and since it will be designers/decorators/architects presenting to their peers, I’m sure they’re going to try and one up each other and show brilliant and unique presentations. That’s the hope anyway :) Alas, Sarah wasn’t available and her sidekick Tommy wasn’t either. Strike Two and Strike Three. Argh. But I’ve got a few more big names to approach and an interesting roster already lined up from all walks of the design industry… graphic designers, art gallery owners, architects, advertising, fashion designers. If you’re interested in attending, and will be in Toronto in cold, blustery February 2009 you can sign up for free admission here (I know it says Professional trade registration, but I've never seen that enforced or verified ;o) ).

Now to find something to wear that will de-emphasize the watermelon sized belly I will have by then!

Buyin' for Baby

The baby growing inside me is now the size of a baked potato. What a strange, surreal, incredible, scary thought. I'm in that in-between period, where I'm no longer feeling the nausea and tiredness of the first trimester, and a few weeks from feeling the first definitive kick from Baby HandyLuster. So, aside from the bigger belly that makes it difficult to have a restful night's sleep, I don't really feel too pregnant. I'm not worried though. I know the rest of the aches and pains will come soon enough. In the meantime, I guess I'll shop. Here's some of the things I've got my eye on. If you've had experience with any of these, I'd love to hear about it!

Phil & Ted's Sport Stroller; BabyHawk Carrier; Swaddle Me Wrap

And this, I think this would look adorable decorating the baby's room...French alphabet cards from etsy seller bibitty:

Bathroom Layout

Ever notice how when you're working on something fun, it doesn't seem like work? That's how HandyMan is with AutoCAD. Task him with drawing something up and he becomes as productive as a spider making its web. He can whip up plans, elevations, and drawings in no time. So when we found the tile for the bathroom walls, he got really excited and came up with myriad options. Which was great, because sometimes having a visual of the end product really helps with the planning.

At first, we thought of having the tile just on the tub walls and put a half wall of beadboard on the other walls. But with the carpet tiles in marble, we thought that would be mixing styles too much. So then we played with the idea of putting tile on two of the four walls... but where to stop? Put the tile only in the shower stall? Run the tile across the top of the door and behind the toilet? Here are some looks:

Okay, looking good so far. And what about the other two walls? It would be easy just to paint them and be done with it. Or we could tile them which would be a little more work. Maybe tile only half the wall to keep from overwhelming the small space...

So many choices! But now seeing it all on paper, we can clearly see the look we want. Here it is:

I love the vintage feel of the room. Using white tiles will help keep the room from feeling too tight and claustrophobic. The band of grey ceramic tiles beneath the cap rail will run around the perimeter of the room and will help tie everything together. As well, we're going to wrap the top and front of the half wall between the tub and toilet with marble, which ties in with the marble tiles on the floor. And the half frosted/half wood door will bring in natural light and brighten up the space.

There's a few things we're not loving (like the front skirt of the tub - would have looked better plain and simple), but at least we've managed to find fixtures to fit in the small space. I'll post pics of what we've picked out so far soon.

Fun with Subway Tile

Though I love renovating - all of the demo, the planning, the decorating, the shopping - one thing that exhausts me is shopping for tile. Tile is a finicky creature. You can't just pick one tile and be done with it. Nooo, sirree. The tile has to mix well with other tiles, its colours working with other colours in the room, and the texture has to fit too. Not to mention that there are more tile options out there than all the toilet, tub, and vanity options put together. Its mind boggling.

HandyMan and I and found tile for the floor fairly easily but figuring out tile to surround the bathtub was a bit more difficult. Going for a slight vintage look, you'd think classic white subway tile would be the logical choice for the walls. But I'm finding that look - subway tile with maybe a line or two of glass tiles as an accent - very common and a little boring. So taking note of what Sarah Richardson did in her "low" cost bathroom, I decided to mix different sizes of tiles. We lucked out at Lowe's and found a variety of ceramic tiles to create something interesting, yet classic. Here's a little sample board HandyMan put together:

The different sizes create interest, the rail piece adds texture, and the grey bands add colour. Awesome! We're planning to use moonstone 1x6 strips (the same strips we'll use to surround the basketweave tile for the tile carpet) instead of the grey ceramic tiles in the mockup, provided the heights are the same. If not, the grey ceramic bands will work just as well because they are in the same colour family as the moonstone. Best thing: this pattern works out to less than $4/sq ft. Sweet.

So now we have the basic pattern, but how is it going to look laid out? Watch for the next post where HandyMan has pulled out his AutoCAD bag of tricks and created some pretty cool renderings.

Decadent Molten Chocolate Cake

Every year, my four best girlfriends and I get together and exchange Christmas gifts. Hard to admit, but we’ve been doing this for 20 years, since we graduated from high school, which for you math geniuses out there makes me...old. Anyhoo, festivities are being held at my place this year and I'm eager to whip up a good meal in the new kitchen. I'll be tackling one of my favourite recipes for dessert, a decadent molten chocolate cake. Its so good, I had to share with you. Word of warning: only make just enough servings, because you will be tempted to eat more than one (or two or three...)!

• 5 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• Whipped Cream

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.


2. Butter six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups.


3. Microwave chopped chocolate and butter until melted. Cool slightly. Optional: Add a couple splashes of liqueur (Grand Marnier, Frangelico, Amaretto, to name a few).


4. Whisk eggs and egg yolks in large bowl to blend. Whisk in sugar, then chocolate mixture and flour. Pour batter into dishes, dividing equally. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)


5. Bake cakes until sides are set but center remains soft and runny, about 11 minutes or up to 14 minutes for batter that was refrigerated. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Immediately turn cakes out onto plates or serve in dish.


6. Serve w/ whipped cream. If you’re feeling especially sinful, serve with chocolate sauce on the side!

Makes 6.

Tile This, Tile That

Not much progress on the bathroom reno.  We've had two contractors in and are just waiting for the quotes to come back.  I'm still hoping for a late November start.  By the looks of it, the contractors will have their work done in less than a week.  That leaves ample time for HandyMan to do the tile work after, and still have time to move onto the guest bedroom before the baby arrives.  Speaking of baby, we're at almost 17 weeks and everything is going fairly smoothly (minus the nausea which seems to stick around most of the day :o\ ).

HandyMan came up with a few floor tile options.  We're going with a basketweave tile carpet, not hexagon tiles as shown, but you get the picture.  The toilet will go in the niche at the top right.  If you look closely, you can see the dashed lines which indicate where the new vanity will be placed.

Options 2 and 3 show the carpet off nicely; the tub and carpet line up and will look pleasing visually.  Option 2 has the remaining tile in an offset brick pattern.  With Option 3, the other tiles are in a grid pattern.  Neither of these really appeals to me... the mishmash of grout lines seem chaotic.

Option 1 is what we're planning to go with. Stretching the tile carpet the full length of the room will make the overall space seem bigger.  And since the vanity will have an open slat shelf on the bottom, you'll be able to see through the vanity to the floor.  Keeping the brick pattern of the remaining tiles to just the toilet area will also minimize the visual clutter.  Now all we have to do is tear out the bathroom, move the plumbing, buy the fixtures, buy the tiles, and put everything back in.  Easy as done  :oP