... and now for the details

The drywallers finished up with the final tweaks yesterday. Overall things look pretty good. The doors off the corridor came out nicely (the transom idea was Bryan's... it really does give an illusion of full height doors). So... are we now FINALLY ready to install flooring upstairs? Not quite yet... we still have some messy work upstairs. The master bathroom's plumbing, electrical and framing must be completed and drywall/cement board must be installed. The goal is to get all the really dusty/sloppy stuff done before the nice floor and trim get installed.

Flooring will be a separate post (er, posts). Originally we were going to go with carpet, but I think we're both now leaning towards bamboo. As for trim...

My dad used a beautiful detail for door and window trim, on all the houses he worked on (a lot of commercial office interiors use one variation or other of this detail)... I'll have to upload some photos and some drawings illustrating the way he constructed the trim, however in the meantime, I have attached this Fry Reglet trim piece that is pretty much the same detail:
Usually at door and window openings, trim/moulding overlaps and sits atop the drywall. This detail puts the face of the trim flush with the drywall plane, and leaves a reveal between the trim and the drywall... a separation between different materials (Golden Rule of Architecture: If different materials are constructed to be on the same plane, ALWAYS leave a reveal between the materials... allowing them to breathe... and also because construction is never perfect).

My dad did majority of the construction work himself, so he knew his was framing and drywalling for this detail. However, trying to convey this design intent to the average subcontractor has been challenging. They just don't get it. We gave them dimensioned detailed drawings and a copy of the Fry Reglet cut sheet above. I even showed them photos of my dad's work...

Sub - "So, you want the drywall edges EXPOSED?"
Me - "Yes... finished with a corner bead, mudded and sanded and yes, exposed."
Sub - "But the moulding or trim will be covering up the edge of the drywall..."
Me - "No, there is to be a reveal between the trim and the drywall... they are in the same plane. Like this (me pointing to photos)"
Sub - "Yeah, um lady, someone forgot to fill in that gap or they forgot to put moulding on that door."
Me - "Can you just make sure to dimension the door width to X'-XX" and place corner beads on all drywall edges, please? I'll have you over for coffee once we get the trim put on and you can see it in person..."
Sub - "Okay, you're the boss lady... you architects always get these crazy ideas in your head. No moulding... crazy."

I'm excited to see if we will actually be able to pull off using this detail.

In the Manner of Dan Flavin...

Dan Flavin is a favorite - he creates amazing, beautiful works of art from standard fluorescent light fixtures.

Surfing around the internet, I stumbled upon the work of Henry Lau. After installing multiple slim-line fluorescent light fixtures in his apartment, he was left with great lengths of cord dangling everywhere.

He wrapped and secured the cord with U-hooks, on the walls, in a vine-like pattern.
I prefer no-cord, but if concealing the cords is not an option, this solution is brilliant.

Primed

The drywall still needs a few touch-ups here and there, but overall, it has been mudded, sanded and primed. We ended up going with Sherwin-Williams 'Harmony' Interior Primer. It is Low VOC, so it has no odor and also is non-toxic, which is nice, considering we are living in the house while it off-gases.

Back Bedroom

Corridor

Middle Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Design Out of Reach

I have always had a love for Airstreams. They are classic. Their design, timeless, and their concept... "light enough to be towed by a standard automobile... every inch, a functional purpose".

If Chicago had a milder climate AND we had a bigger yard AND I had some extra cash burning a hole in my pocket... I would buy one in an instant. I'd park it out back and use it as a studio space/guest house. Then, if a road trip beckoned... just pack it up and hit the highway.

Well, today I read that Design Within Reach has teamed up with Airstream to create a special edition trailer, outfitted with Tripolina Chairs, Heller Dinnerware, a Nelson Ball Clock and even a Maharam Pillow... price = $49,066. Once again, Design Within Reach has put a favorite OUT of reach.

Well, to be fair, I guess it was never really in reach anyway...

Corona Solar Light

... no, unfortunately, it's not a new version of Corona Light beer that has been scientifically formulated to stay ice cold outdoors, by using the solar panels on the label to keep the bottle refrigerated (although if anyone from Corona happens to be reading this blog, I'm your new Director of Creative Marketing). No, no, seriously now... the Corona Solar Light uses solar panels to charge during the day, and once the sun goes down, the light can either be placed in the ground, using the included stakes, or detached and placed on a table top, like a portable candle. Bad news is currently it is only a conceptual product, awaiting connection with a manufacturer or distributor. Until then, Luce Plan has some light fixture options... no beer though.

Muji!

Muji is coming to the States! New York, not Chicago though... what's up with that?

Marc Newson

A few months ago, I read about an exhibit of Marc Newson's work, at the Gagosian Gallery in New York. I ended up purchasing the exhibit catalog, seduced by the marble bookcase and chair in the photo above. Each work in the exhibit is fashioned as a single, seamless piece. Beautiful.

Hooray for Wool

I am currently drooling over Ruckstuhl wool carpet...

the details are brilliant:

Until I can save up enough pennies for a Ruckstuhl purchase, I am very much enjoying my softbowl, by MIO. It's a great storage container PLUS it's eco-friendly. Made of 100% molded wool, a rapidly renewable material, the production of the bowls uses one tenth the energy needed to produce a ceramic version.

Almost Ready for the Primer...

Corridor - Looking towards Back Bedroom (facing alley)

Middle Bedroom

Roof Hatch

Back Bedroom (facing alley)

The Drywall is Up!

A Very Level Corridor Sub-Floor

Spring Has Arrived...

Leveling the Floors

The drywallers started today! They are actually doing a little more than just drywall... Our existing subfloor was in bad shape, so they are patching, leveling and replacing areas of the subfloor prior to installing the drywall.

In order to level the floors, the carpenter is 'shimming' at the floor joists. In the middle bedroom, he actually removed the entire existing subfloor, since it was in such bad shape. However, in the corridor, he is just placing shim strips, every 16" on center, on top of the existing subfloor - you can see the strips at the bottom half of the photo above. On top of these strips, he will then secure 1/2" plywood sheets, which will be the new subfloor.

The New Roof Hatch

The roofer came last Thursday and installed (FINALLY) the new roof hatch. At 30" x 36", it's a little larger than the previous hatch PLUS it has a skylight. The upstairs corridor used to be so dark - now, with two skylights, I almost need sunglasses up there! It's amazing. Now we just need to finish framing the ceiling joists...

Hoo

Bryan woke me up one morning, about two weeks ago, to tell me that there was an owl perched in the tree, in our front yard. When I went outside to take its photo, it did its little exorcist rotating head turn to watch. my. every. move. Slowly, I approached the tree, fearing with every step, I would provoke the owl to spread its wings and lunge at me, with claws outstretched. I think the owl must have been exhausted from a night of serious hunting since it didn't move (apart from the rotating head)... it didn't even flinch when Charlevoix emerged from the house. It. just. watched. her. very. intensely. Thank god Charlevoix didn't see it - she would have gone all Kujo. Turns out it was a long-eared owl, which used to be on the Illinois endangered species list, but I guess they are making a come-back.

Bryan got home from work earlier than I did that evening. He said when he got home, the owl was STILL in the tree, however after sunset, it flew off to the neighbor's tree and after a short rest, flew away.

The owl returned to the neighbor's tree today, but not ours. I think it didn't appreciate our paparrazzi photography while it was trying to sleep...

THE Second Floor Plan

After much tweaking and deliberation, we think we've figured out the second floor. To be honest, the drywaller started today, so we had to call it quits on massaging majority of the design...

We still have a few outstanding items not shown in the plan above: Shelving/Desk between the two closets in the Master Bedroom - we're looking at a system from Atlas Industries; the ship's ladder, at the roof hatch, for means of accessing our future Green Roof; the stairs (treads and risers need to be rebuilt), guardrail and handrail; finished flooring (we think we'll go with carpet, it's cheaper, but wood floors would be sooooo nice...); AND the Master Bathroom.

New Appliances... and Parquet?

Sunday, while Bryan was framing out the roof hatch opening upstairs, I installed temporary quick-fix flooring in the kitchen, courtesy of the Home Depot - vinyl, self-stick, faux-wood parquet floor tiles. DON'T LAUGH... the tiles were cheap ($60 total) and a means of fast installation... Just pretend it's real wood parquet... squint at the photos...

The existing kitchen floor tiles were just TRASHED. Broken, stained with adhesive, scuffed and brittle, they would not last another 3 months, and there is no way we'll get to rehabbing the kitchen by then, alas, the temporary quick-fix flooring. Plus, the new appliances just demanded vinyl fake wood parquet floors:

Okay, the appliances actually demand A BRAND NEW KITCHEN, but the vinyl parquet will just have to do.

I ran out of steam around 10pm and did not finish the area around and under the refrigerator. In case you were wondering, the new refrigerator is too big to fit into the old refrigerator's niche, and if we (Bryan) want to keep the water and ice dispenser hooked up (the man needs his ice, what can I say?), we have to keep the refrigerator in front of the counter. It's not that bad... at least we don't have to keep it in the living room, next to the bed, although that could be convenient...

Charlevoix to the Rescue

Find the New Appliances...

My life is like a Cracker Jack Box... every day a surprise, when I open the door!