Not-So-Easy-Upgrade: The Fireplace, Part Deux

Yesterday I posted Part One of our horrendous, blooper-filled fireplace renovation, in which common sense and reason (usually P's strong suits) seemed to go out the window.  As I was re-reading the story (and cringing from the memory of it), I realized that I left out a HUGE blooper... in which P primes and paints the inside of the fireplace with latex paint!  All I can say is "Thank God for the Internet!"  According to the multiple websites I consulted, latex paint + flames = BIG NO-NO.  Stripping and scraping it all off tacked a couple extra hours onto our project time, but I think we saved ourselves from a much bigger (toxic-fume-related) headache in the future!

And now, back to where we left off...

After many hours, several different tools, and a dust-filled home, P was finally able to remove those nasty terra-cotta tiles, leaving a one-inch crater in the fireplace hearth.  

The stone slab we chose for the space was a big old hunk of limestone we found while shopping for our kitchen countertops.  That was, perhaps, the one thing we did right in this whole crazy scheme.  Buying for two different jobs from the same stone-yard was a great way to get a deal.  Since we were already purchasing a much larger piece of stone for our countertops, the owner was happy to throw in the limestone for next to nothing!

As brilliant as we felt about that decision, we were about to be seriously cut down to size...

Because the hearth was an inch deep and our limestone slab was only 3/4 of an inch thick, we figured we had about 1/4 of an inch to fill with Thinset mortar.  P mixed up a couple buckets of the stuff and poured it into the crater, trying to keep it as even as possible.

Unfortunately, mortar dries EXTREMELY quickly, and we had a hard time creating a perfect 1/4" crater all around.  We just had to pray that, if we dropped the limestone in before the mortar was 100% dry, the weight of the slab (and us stamping on it) would make it all level and even with the floor.  And maybe that plan would have worked... if the limestone wasn't too big for the hearth!!

You know that (very wise) saying, "Measure twice, cut once?"  Well, someone should come up with a version that applies to dropping heavy limestone slabs into quick-drying mortar.  Words can't even describe the madness that ensued when we realized the slab was slightly wide for the hole.  There was cursing, shouting, and yes, I even welled up a little bit (he looked so distraught!)  And so, with the piece of stone sticking an inch out of the hearth and only minutes before it would dry that way, P did the only thing he could think of – he grabbed a mallet and pounded that thing into place!!

We were overjoyed when the slab finally snapped into the crater (albeit not exactly flush to the floor); so overjoyed in fact that, at first, we didn't notice the giant crack in the limestone!  Luckily, because of the pattern of the stone, the crack is hardly noticeable at all – especially after applying an adhesive to the area and then a sealant to the entire slab.  Actually, I think the crack gives the limestone some character and rustic charm (that's my story and I'm sticking to it)! 

Some grout, a few accessories, and twelve hours of much-needed sleep later and we were enjoying our brand new, contemporary yet cottage-y fireplace...

This may have been our toughest home improvement project yet, but I'm hoping that, come winter, it will also be the most rewarding!  What do you all think?

Not-So-Easy-Upgrade: The Fireplace

This post is long overdue; we actually completed our DIY fireplace makeover a few weeks before the bridal shower, but I swear it's taken us until now to recover from the experience fully enough to be able to talk about it.  Yes, it was that terrible...

To be honest, the fireplace wasn't all that bad when we moved in.  The brick facade and terra cotta tiles were definitely not our style, but we slapped some semi-gloss white paint on the mantle and lived with it for a few months until we figured out what we wanted to do.

We knew for sure that we wanted to replace the hearth tiles with some sort of stone slab (more on that later), but we were torn over whether or not to keep the brick facade.  On the one hand, the brick is a great throwback to the time period and style of our house, and it creates some visual interest in an otherwise neutral room.  On the other hand, we like neutral.  And what's the point of owning a home if you're not going to make it yours?

In the end, though, the decision was pretty much made for us.  When the stonemason's estimate for brick removal reached $1,000.00, the existing design started looking more and more attractive.  We decided to take a cue from John and Sherry at YoungHouseLove and paint the brick... which leads us to Blooper #1, in which J paints the fireplace the wrong color.

Have any of you ever painted brick?  It's not fun.  Extremely porous material = an excessive number of coats.  Even after applying masonry primer (which takes FOREVER to dry!), we spent several hours going over and over the brick, dabbing at cracks and crevices to fully cover the surface.  P noticed right away how glossy and yellow the brick was looking.  I believe he used the term "cake-batter," but of course, not wanting to admit that we'd spent three hours on an ugly color, I insisted that we press on.  "It's cottage-y!" I assured him.

I wish I had a picture of our cake-batter fireplace to show you, but, truthfully, the thing was far too hideous to deserve photo documentation.  And after discovering that I had, in fact, grabbed the wrong can of paint from the basement, thus wasting our entire afternoon, I was far too embarrassed (and pissed off) to play photographer.  Luckily, P was about to embark on his own trial and error session...

No, this isn't P playing "Fort."  This is the (very amateur, extremely unsafe, poorly ventilated) tent that P erected in an effort to contain the dust created during the removal of the terra cotta tiles.  Of course, those tiles, encased in three inches of mortar, were pretty reluctant to come out.  P got friendly with the Tool Rental guys at Home Depot, making repeated visits to pick up...

a Hammerdrill,

(which did little to chip away at the tiles)

a Grinder,

and, finally, a Jack Hammer.

(No, that's not P in the pictures, but yes, I did let my fiance use a Jackhammer in our living room!)

Despite P's clever little tent-trick, the dust from the tiles managed to seep out and cover everything in our house.  And I mean EVERYTHING!  Somehow, the dust made it all the way up the stairs, around the corner, down the hallway, and through the closed door of our bedroom to settle on our comforter and pillows!  Needless to say, it was not a happy night in our house.  

At least the Jackhammer got through the stubborn tiles, and in the morning we were able to install our awesome (and super-cheap!) stone slab, but of course, not without a few more bloopers....

Ah, the joys of home renovation.  Stay tuned for Part Two tomorrow!

Oh. My. God.

My jaw literally dropped when I saw these photos of designer Suzanne Kasler's studio on La Dolce Vita this morning.  Of course, I don't have a huge private office (yet), but Kasler's incredible design concept – open and airy, contemporary yet cozy – is exactly what I'm going for on the first floor of our house.  We knocked down walls and used neutral color schemes to make the living room, dining room and kitchen all feel as if they're one big space (maybe not as cool as Kasler's loft-style room, but as close as it's gonna get)!

Hey look, we even have a similar oversized drum shade!

We've been totally balking on buying a few (much-needed) key pieces of furniture for the living and dining rooms, too indecisive (and lazy) to make decisions.  But Kasler's studio has pulled me out of my design doldrums.  Cream-colored upholstery, linen slip-covers, jute rugs, and nickel accents all the way!

Don't you just love a good inspiration room?

How Divine!

For months I've had the Divine Twine website bookmarked on my computer while I've been brainstorming ways to incorporate the adorable string into some of our DIY wedding projects.  Well, when I flipped open the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living and saw a half-page feature on it, I figured I'd better scoop some up now before they sold out!

Five days later and I'm the proud owner of two rolls of Divine Twine (which came with a sweet little thank-you card and two sheets of stickers)!  I'm still not sure exactly how we'll use it, but there are some great ideas on their blog...

So cute! I think it's safe to say that I am in

:)

Photos courtesy of Whisker Graphics

Love Her, Love Her Home: Meg Ryan

I don't care how much bad plastic surgery she gets; I will always love Meg Ryan. When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, When a Man Loves a Woman, French Kiss, and now a sneak peak on Elle Decor's website of her gorgeous Martha's Vineyard home; in my mind, the woman can do no wrong.

Images courtesy of Elle Decor

Just beautiful. The full spread will be out in the next issue, and I will definitely be picking up a copy to put in the old inspiration folder.

Easy Upgrade: The Breakfast Bar

T minus 5 days until my at-home bridal shower! Of course, I'm not hosting the party (I'm actually being kicked out of my house that morning so my mother and aunt can set up), but I'm still feeling the pressure of having thirty of my friends and relatives over to inspect my unfinished home. P and I have been working overtime to complete our last-minute projects and spruce up the areas of the house that are still in their pre-renovation stages.

Number 1 on our list was tackling the ugly, unfinished breakfast bar. When ordering our cabinets, we thought to purchase matching panels for the exposed sides of the uppers and lowers, but, for some reason, we didn't think about the half-wall under the breakfast bar.  

Ugly, huh? And because we elected to knock down the wall between the kitchen and dining room to create an open-concept layout, this unfinished little half-wall is one of the first things our visitors see when they walk in the front door.

We had two options: 1) Spend $500 and 3 months waiting for the cabinet company to send us custom panels or 2) Build them ourselves.  

Which do you think we chose?

A trip to Home Depot for some lumber, a few cuts on the miter saw, some nailing, some painting, and VOILA – custom breakfast bar panels. We topped them off with two of these vintage-style pendants...

and added some matching counter stools to our Crate and Barrel registry...

Breakfast Bar Update... Check!  On to the next item.

Oh, and by the way...

P and I couldn't resist tearing open one of the shower gifts that arrived early. (Don't worry, we got permission!) I take back anything I've ever said about pots and pans being boring. These All-Clad babies are incredible. (And so shiny too!)

I may just have to learn to cook... and then serve a meal at my fancy new breakfast bar!

One Step At a Time

Image courtesy of BlissInImages

Image courtesy of Design Sponge

Image courtesy of ReStyled Home

With the first wedding-related event being hosted at our house in less than three weeks, I should probably be focusing on more crucial projects, but I can't stop thinking about these numbered stairs! I'm contemplating grabbing a vintage-style number stencil and trying my hand at it tonight.

Just a reminder; here's what the bottom of our staircase looked like pre-renovation...

And here's what it looks like now...

Definitely better, but I still think it could use a little something. I wonder if P will mind...