Summer Shades

We've been on the lookout for lights for the back deck since last summer and these ones we just picked up from Ikea fit the bill perfectly! The rattan shade adds to the whole breezy vibe and I love how you can see the silhouette of the lightbulbs through them. We bought the globe-shaped lightbulbs at Ikea too - they're energy efficient and should last 10,000 hours. Perfect for those long, languorous summer nights... can't you hear the crickets chirping already?

Summer Lovin'

Are you eagerly counting the days to summer? I sure am. I can’t wait until Baby HandyLuster arrives and we can go for long walks, explore the back garden, or lounge out on our back porch. Ever since we built the banquettes last year and got the cushions made, I’ve been waiting for the warm weather to arrive and just get outside.

A trip to Ikea last week got me even more in the mood. Have you seen their new summer collection? Its phenomenal! I’m loving their outdoor furniture, patio umbrellas, and especially outdoor cushions. I contemplated getting a few to use as floor cushions for Baby’s room, the colours were so fresh and vibrant. And what about the Solig mobile? Baby would love that too… multifunctional, people! We have a few more things to finish on the porch this summer like adding lighting and breezy curtains so I’ll be on the lookout for those things as well. Head out to your nearest Ikea before all the goods get scooped up!

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!

All Decked Out!

HandyMan and I have been dreaming of renovating the deck all summer. Maybe it was romantic visions of making french toast topped with strawberries in our new kitchen and enjoying it out on our deck that got us eager to jump on this one. Funny, but with the kitchen reno lingering, and the days of summer dwindling, I never really thought we'd get started on the deck anytime soon. Boy, was I wrong.

It all started with a little plan to take our deck from drab to fab. We knew we wanted to build a banquette and Handyman asked me to figure out what size I wanted it. A few quick measurements and a rough drawing later, we had the dimensions to build an L-shaped banquette. It would be 24 inches deep, 16 inches high (without the cushions), with one side 8 feet long, and the other 40 inches. We'd put a piano hinge on the top so (theoretically) we could use the benches for storage. Wouldn't you know it, Home Depot was open late so we made the trip and came home with a truckload of wood. I'll admit - figuring out how many sheets of plywood or planks or 2x4s was totally HandyMan's domain. Things like making the long bench 8' so you can use a single 2x4x8, or make the bench 16" high so you can face it in plywood (which conveniently is 4'x8' and can be cut into 16" strips). Yeah, I sooo didn't think of any of that!



We started early today and did rough framing for the boxes ("rough" as in let's say the boxes aren't perfectly square ;) ). Next step was to affix 1/4" plywood to the face of the boxes. Then we applied some 4" wood strips around the edges. This would tie in the look of the benches with the shaker cabinets in the kitchen. Finally, we made the tops out of two wood planks, a couple of piano hinges, lots of construction glue, and myriad calculations for the overhang. Turns out, we needed to brace the top more than we thought so actually using the benches for storage may not be possible. HandyMan - being an architect - worked on the smaller details like leaving room for decorative trim, and rounding all the edges with a sander. Eight hours later, we have the sweet beginnings of our deck.



We still have to do the major demo (removing the existing slats and latticework) and rework (straightening and fattening the posts, changing the railing, installing beadboard ceiling, painting the floors, railings, ceiling, and benches), but its a start. Not bad for our first piece of DIY furniture ever. Hopefully, we'll get it all done before the summer end :o)

The Great Outdoors

With the kitchen in full swing, HandyMan and I have started to turn our attention to the next room on the renovation list - the back deck. After we finish putting down the kitchen tile, we'll have a very long six-week wait until the custom kitchen cabinets arrive. What better way to spend that time that tackle another home reno project.

As I blogged about before, we want the back deck to have a breezy laidback vibe... think billowing striped curtains, a built-in banquette, beadboard ceiling, nice railing details, and everything swathed in white paint. Here's what we're working with:

It seems we may have to make more structural changes than originally planned. Part of this is driven by our neighbours (with whom we share a driveway lane) who plan on building their own deck this year. With two decks encroaching into the backyard space, we're a little worried that we won't have enough room to manoeuvre our car out of the laneway and into our garage. We had already planned to remove part of our gate and narrow the deck steps to make way for the new jumbo recycling and garbage bins that the City is issuing to all homeowners. The neighbours' deck plans just present another wrinkle. After HandyMan and I host our Pecha Kucha on Friday, our calendar will be clear to start drawing up some plans. In the meantime, here's a few more inspirational photos I'll be tucking into my notebook.

From L to R: This Old House; Southern Living; Southern Living; House Beautiful; Domino; Domino

Wedding Inspired

I'm a newlywed. I'm also a new homeowner undergoing renovations. What that means is I spend my time surfing on the wedding chatboards and home blogs in equal measure. It's so hard to get the "wedding bug" out of your system... having planned my own wedding for over a year, I'm still drawn to the beauty and the creativity of weddings today. Leave it to this fabulous wedding to serve as inspiration for another home reno project, the back porch.

Held at the Viceroy Palm Springs, with an up-to-the-moment palette of yellow, black and white, this wedding was chic, modern, and playful. Now my back porch is none of those things - but it will be! I'm looking to make it modern yet casual, relaxed yet design forward, charming and sexy. I want a Palm Springs - belle of the South - Havana - British Colonial kind of feel.


I want this:

from this:


Come this spring, we'll be tearing out all the old lattice work, beefing up the columns, and trimming down the width of the stairs. I'll be painting the walls in white and the floor in a dove grey. We'll put some beadboard up under the roof and drop some pendant lights. And finally, we'll build an L-shaped banquette, covered in a yellow and white striped fabric, and drape the columns with some sheer white curtains. Right now, it looks and feels like a cottage deck as opposed to the stylish spot I want.


I've already done a bit of shopping and picked up these fab pieces from Designer Depot:
The ceramic garden stools were a steal at $16 -- that's right, $16!! I've seen them online for as much as $132. The lanterns are a good copy of more expensive versions you'd find at Restoration Hardware or the like. It'll be great to light those at night, sitting on the banquette, enjoying a glass of wine.

So that's the ambitious plan. I really should stop surfing those wedding sites. They give me more ideas than I know what to do with.