Recent Posts by Devyn

Detail Matters – Salvaging an End Table Fail

Detail MattersWhen it comes to finding furniture and lighting for our apartment, I am always trying to strike a balance of using pieces which are readily available mixed in with new and vintage pieces you won’t find at your local store. If it is going to come from a mass marketer, it will nearly always come from

Continue Reading…

Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen…. Part IV – Floored and Walled

[Mott’s Modern Plumbing Catalog from 1910. This would have certainly been a fancy kitchen in 1910, but it is still quite utilitarian compared to the “Old World” style kitchens we see today. Image: NYPL]

Kitchen floors and walls….. Using common tile and elevating it to classy and timeless.

[Update at bottom] As the plans for our kitchen renovation are forming and the anticipated start date of August (October/November-ish) (January-February 2016) is getting closer,

Continue Reading…

Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen…. Part III – Countertops; Black or White?

[Photo: This is one of the more beautiful kitchen combos I have run across in my countless hours of obsessing and planning our new kitchen. Source: Remodelista]

In my last post, I went into great detail about how compromise won when it came to figuring out what we are going to do for our cabinets. I am completely in love with the shaker cabinets which are commonly available in the UK, but are not easily attainable in the good old boring US of A. But, in the end, I think I have a solution we can be happy with

Continue Reading…

Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen…. Part II – Cabinets and Compromise

[Image: Stiffkey Blue is named after the village near north Norfolk beach (UK) where the mud, along with the cockles, is this very particular blue hue.]

You say “Stiffkey”, “I’ll say Stewkey”. . .

Those close to me know that I have been obsessing over our kitchen design for months, and months, and months, and…. you get the idea. And in doing so, I have discovered that what I thought I liked three months ago may not be what I like today. As I have delved deeper and deeper into the possibilities of what we can do, I have made surprising discoveries about my taste and desires for the new kitchen.

Continue Reading…

Material Objects – Componibili

Material ObjectsThis past weekend I walked into our bathroom and the sun was shining through the textured glass of our rather large window and a big smile came across my face. It’s not as though the sun doesn’t shine often in our bathroom, or that I never have a smile on my face while in the bathroom, but the sight of our bold red Componibili sitting next to the window with a bit of greenery on top just made me smile.

What the hell is a Componibili?

Continue Reading…

Finally…. The Big Living Room Reveal

OK, I know you all have been patiently waiting with baited breath to see the living room in all its glory….

OK, I know two or three of my readers have been patiently waiting with baited breath to see the living room in all its glory….

Well, finally….. The living room reveal is here. But first a few thoughts and a bit of background….

Continue Reading…

Patience Grasshopper – Sneak Peek!

OK… So I know I promised that I would have a full reveal of the living room last week, and I shot a bunch of pictures with my trusty iPhone… But after looking at the photos, it was clear that they didn’t quite capture what I was hoping to convey. Mea culpa…. Oy!

It was obvious to me that I needed to re-shoot the room and use a better camera to better capture the space.

Continue Reading…

The Big Oops and the Big Fix – Center Hall, Part Two

A few weeks back, I wrote about the The Big Oops and the Big Fix in our center hall. The tale of my making a huge dumb-ass choice in paint color for the ceiling, and then the magical fix a few hours later.

I am sure after last weeks posts about the black ceiling (Part one and Part two), that you are expecting photos of the living room…. but you’re gonna have to wait… (Soon…. I promise!).

So, instead, I am excited to show you the newest updates to the center hall.

Continue Reading…

Oh Yes We Did! – The Big Black Reveal (Part II – Tronchi Dreams)

Yesterday was The Big Black Reveal (Part I) where I described how I was enthralled with the idea of a black ceiling, yet terrified of doing it. And then after letting go of my fear and getting the approval of my husband, moved forward and painted our living room ceiling black.

Continue Reading…