Knoll Handkerchief Stacking Chair

I hope you're all enjoying some great summer days. We're enjoying the benefits of summer in the Willamette Valley, mostly good wine and veggies galore from our garden, other people's gardens, and farmer's markets. This spring we also benefitted from Craigslist! We picked up these Knoll stacking handkerchief chairs in the tiny Oregon town of Azalea! They were red and faded because they had been used as outdoor chairs. But with a little spray paint these puppies cleaned right up and I couldn't be happier with them. They're super comfortable and easy to clean. The Danish table we got from Hawthorne Vintage up in Portland. The other 2 chairs were from St. Vincent's and with some spray paint and new fabric for the seats they cleaned up nicely as well (before pictures below). You can see the Flor tiles that we got from Modern about 3 years ago (past blog posts about Modern and Flor). Before the remodel the Flor tiles were the runner in the hallway but now they help to define our dining area. In the background you can also see how great the floor and door trim turned out thanks to David Schmitz, AIA (Engage Architecture) and Jonathan Plummer (Bunchberry Woodworking)! Having an actual dining room table has me actually looking forward to winter dinners and card games - but I don't want to wish away this sunshine and warmth.  I'm gonna go eat some sun-warmed blackberries that are creeping through from our neighbor's yard now. . .

Window and Door Trim: Modern Organic

Life is busy these days so I'll keep it brief. Here's our front door without any trim. After some discussion David Schmitz, AIA directed us to go in a less conventional direction. You can check out the trim on the windows below. We kept it continuous with the hallway doors as well. David plus Jonathan at Bunchberry woodworking built us a new hallway closet door to also keep to look consistent. It was a little extra cost at the end but well worth. This is a design piece that we really didn't think of until the very end. It took a few extra weeks to get it all installed but it's looking great and the trim really makes the whole place feel finished. The trim seems minor but without it the whole remodel would have looked either incomplete or simply an after thought. It was indeed an afterthought but thanks to David's smart thinking it looks like it was always a part of the plan.

Kitchen Plans: Engage Architecture

Engage Architecture, David Schmitz, AIA

Things are moving along slowly but surely over here in the construction zone. We've had a delay of several weeks due to the floors. Let's just say that we planned for this to be a 6 week adventure but had planned for an extra couple of weeks - so we were thinking 2 months. We're at the 2 month benchmark and we have a solid two weeks remaining. Mr. Monkey and I have gotten quite cozy in the our 2 room living situation. I actually don't mind it. The big problem is the dirt and the dust. That really gets to me and my lungs and my time. I don't really love cleaning to begin with and having to clean every day before you can relax in your 12 by 12 room is a bummer. But then . . . I look at the above picture and I sigh a deep sigh of "it's totally worth it." And it is. David Schmitz, AIA of Engage Architecture has done a great job being a hands on architect offering lots of support throughout the construction process. The plans have changed slightly - adding pendant lights above the bar - substituting walnut cabinet fronts in place of the turquoise - single door dish washer as opposed to the double drawer thing. We've also decided to hold off on the built in shelving in the corner until we're completely done with the kitchen and our bank accounts have recovered. In the meantime I'll just look at this image and think of all the great hanging out and entertaining that will take place.