Project Add Character, Part II: The Living Room

Last November I talked about adding architectural detail to the living room, calling it "Project Add Character", and in January I talked about how confident I felt that it would be my best DIY project to date. Well, folks, the living room is now done, and I couldn't be happier with the results. This really could be my favourite project so far - it looks amazing!!

Last month I revealed the dining room wall which received the same treatment. That wall was my starter project, where I added one large section of trim moulding just to get a feel for the method and level of difficulty. If you're looking for the step by step DIY tutorial, click on the "Adding Character With Wall Moulding" link in the right sidebar of Cherish Toronto. The living room wall is a serious transformation. What do you think?

Here is the "Before" shot:

 

And here is the "After":

Since I had to work around the air vents & sprinkler I chose to place the mouldings 12" from the ceiling and left the same amount of space at the bottom for balance. I used the same placement on the dining room wall so that both spaces are at a consistent level. I want to add crown moulding eventually, but I've heard that installation can be tricky so I may just leave that to the professionals. Currently up for debate is whether or not to return the paintings to this wall, and exactly where to place them. I can't decide if I like the idea of both of them stacked vertically within the frame to the left of the television. I'm looking for second opinions on this one.

Of course there are a few things I dislike, but which I cannot change - one being the white sprinkler head poking out at the top of the wall (never paint the sprinklers), and the other being the ugly white thermostat on the right. I tried switching it out for a NEST thermostat, but my HVAC wiring wasn't compatible with that system. Boo :( Maybe this Honeywell will work.

 

 

You may have noticed that I switched out the lever door handle leading into the master bedroom for a beautiful diamond crystal knob from Emtek hardware. Shout out to my buddy Frank for getting me wholesale pricing ;) It's all in the details, like the way the brass finish of the rosette picks up on the gold leaf detail on the moulding.

The hardest part of this whole project was painting the wall and trim - first coat on Saturday, second coat on Sunday (thank goodness it only needed 2 coats). I must have been up and down the ladder 237 times getting into every nook and cranny from the door trim to the vent cover to the baseboards. I love the look of painting everything out in one colour - it adds even more height to the 9 foot ceilings and reminds me of Parisian apartments.

Since this is an open concept space, I'm happy with the way the living room & dining room relate to each other with the same treatment on both walls. Now I'm struggling with how to create flow through to the kitchen and study nook beyond. It's always something, isn't it?

*Thank you to Para Paints for supplying the paint for this project. The wall colour is Marine Bay, P5156-75, in an eggshell finish.
**Thank you to Home Depot Canada for supplying the Ryobi cordless brad nailer for this project. I'm pretty sure it would have take a lot longer without this fabulous tool.

Kijiji Makes the World Go 'Round

To be quite honest, I'm a bit surprised that no one commented on the table that appeared in last week's post about adding character to the dining room. I'm going to assume that's because you were all too astounded by my DIY trim skills to notice ;)

I'd been on the hunt for a round glass dining table pretty much since the day I moved into this condo. The 3'x5' rectangular table I had been using (you can catch a glimpse of it in this post) was a great piece, but it crowded the island breakfast bar just behind. It was also a tight squeeze to get in & out the balcony door.

I've circled the dining area/breakfast bar on the floor plan below for better clarity. It's funny how the builder made it look as though there would be plenty of room for a 6-seater table plus stools at the kitchen island. Yeah, right. Maybe with doll furniture:

Over the course of the year, I searched on and off for the right table. It wasn't until I created my 2014 "To-Do" list that I started looking in earnest and found a near perfect table just four days later. I wasn't necessarily looking for a set, but this vintage chrome table, made by Liberty Ornamental Iron of Toronto (60's? 70's?), came with 4 beautifully designed chairs. It's perfect for the space and totally stunning!!

The 56" top being sold with the table was far too big, so I left it behind in exchange for a discount and purchased a 42" glass top from another Kijiji seller. My old rectangular West Elm table is now listed on Kijiji GTA. It's just like a merry go round!

The chairs will need to be recovered in a new fabric, and I'm obsessed with the idea of using a deep yellow velvet. Can you picture it?

Adding Character to a New Condo

There is another project brewing at home. I've decided that the new condo needs some character, and it's going to get that with some DIY architectural trim and mouldings. Despite being where I spend most of my waking hours while at home, I haven't done anything in the living room. I rolled out the rug, positioned the furniture, plugged in the tv, cable and Wii, and sat down. Done. But as a design blogger, I know this room could be and should be so much better! Here's what I'm working with (excuse the crappy photo - I couldn't get the whole wall in one frame, so it's actually 2 images photoshopped together):

"Bo" to the "ring", right? When I look at this, I'm actually kinda embarrassed by the lack of effort I've made here. Those 9 foot ceilings need to be highlighted, and I'm hoping that the addition of dentil crown moulding at the ceiling and picture frame moulding on the walls will make the height a true feature. A coat of navy blue paint on both wall and trims should make the room sing. Right now it's just so bottom heavy and blah :(

I'm currently in the planning stages, and I'm already finding it tricky to plan the layout. How am I going to work around all of the obstacles on this wall? The door to the master bedroom is on the left, the forced air unit is on the right with the thermostat above, two air vents are set along the top of the wall and a random sprinkler sits in the middle of it all. Ugh. Not to mention that the sprinkler and the thermostat are 100% un-paintable, which means two white blobs on an otherwise navy blue wall.

If you can mentally combine the three images below into one, it will give you a good idea of what I'm trying to create. Navy blue walls, double mouldings, maybe with a dash of gold highlight:

 Above images via Living Etc, House & Home, Lonny Mag.

I found this shallow dentil moulding at Home Depot and I think it would look great along the top of the wall throughout the entire space. Although this moulding is technically intended to be used as a chair rail, it works perfectly here because it will fit in the small three inch gap between the top of the vents and the ceiling:

And here's a quick sketch I put together to illustrate the possible layout of mouldings on the wall and door. I've snuck in a few little upgrades like a new crystal knob on the door to the master bedroom and maybe a NEST thermostat:

  
Anyone have advice about the layout? About the materials? About the installation? I'm all ears!!

Light Up My Life

So, let's get right to it. I just have to share - tell me what you think of this beauty:

I have six of these in my new condo. Yep, six!! I bet you're wondering how I got so lucky - ha!! I've been shopping for new fixtures since the day I moved in and I finally have replacements for all of them. Six friggin' light fixtures is a rather significant expenditure, but since I'm such a good shopper, I managed to find all of 'em for less than $900. Here's the rundown:

Entry Hall & Study:

3 Ikea Alang Fixtures

The Ikea Alang fixture isn't fancy, but it's a simple, modern and super affordable option, especially for my front entry hall and study area where there are three fixtures within ten feet of each other. The ceilings in the entry are just eight feet, so I needed to use flush mount fixtures here for sure. I chose the 35 cm size for the first two, but then I bumped it up to the 45 cm size for the last one where the ceiling rises to nine feet. The consistency of using the same fixture for all three just made sense, rather than having a mishmash of styles in this space. Bonus: The large Alang was free when I used the 15% cash back Ikea gift card I received when I purchased my Pax wardrobes.

Front Hall & Study Expenditure: $67.78

Dining Room:

Glass Chandelier

 

     
You may remember this amazing glass chandelier from the original post I wrote about it. This was an estate sale find, and I still get giddy when I think about the great deal I scored on this piece. Unfortunately I haven't gotten around to having it installed yet, but it's gonna be a showstopper when it finally goes up.

Total Dining Room Expenditure: $325.00

The bedrooms also have some lovely bare bulb action happening, so each room needs a ceiling fixture. I considered the possibility of a chandelier in one or the other, but in the end I opted for flush mount fixtures in both.

Master Bedroom:

Robert Abbey Square Fixture

I picked this fixture up a loooong time ago when it was the floor model on clearance at Union Lighting. As long as you know what you like and don't change your mind every week, it pays to be prepared and shop on sale. Hopefully this will be going up in the master real soon!

Also in the master bedroom, I got slightly carried away and decided that I could not live with the fixture the builder supplied inside the master closet. I know it will rarely be seen by others, but I have to look at it every day, and I wanted something a little more glamorous. It may not be to everyone's taste, but I love the new brass and acrylic wall sconce. (I spotted a similar Niermann Weeks fixture with a list price of $1660!!)

 

                                                   BEFORE                                                                                            AFTER

 Total Master Bedroom Expenditure: $337.86

 Guest Bedroom:

Fretwork Flush Mount with Inner Shade

I originally fell for this pretty and feminine fixture at Union, but couldn't justify the $260 price tag :-( When I spotted it on clearance at another retailer, I knew it was meant to be. Yay!! With elements of both silver and gold in the guest room, the metal detail will look perfect in the space.

Guest Bedroom Expenditure: $146.84

If you've been keeping track, I managed to keep the lighting budget for all seven fixtures to $877.48. Not only that, but I'm really happy with all of my choices - they're not just "stop gap" temporary fixtures that I'll want to switch out in a year.

 

Vintage Persian Rug: Process of Finding "The One"

For me, the great debate of 2012 had nothing to do with politics. Instead it was all about choosing the right rug for the living room in the new space, and it was the subject of many, many posts throughout the year. In the old condo the living room had broadloom so a rug wasn't required, but with laminate floors the new place would definitely require the warmth of some texture on the floor. Also, with an open concept living and dining area, the addition of a rug would also help to separate the two spaces.

The hunt for the one began almost a year before the eventual move in. I attended auctions and estate sales, visited consignment shops and endlessly scoured listings on ebay, Etsy, Kijiji and Craiglist. The breakthrough moment was when fellow bloggers Christine of Bijou & Boheme and Vanessa of Decor Happy tweeted about finding an antique rug dealer at Toronto's St. Lawrence Sunday Antique Market. Meeting Amedeo was the Best. Thing. Ever. He let me take several rugs "on approval", and I ended up trying SIX before finding the perfect one. Don't believe me? Here's proof:

My VW Beetle with four 6'x9' Persian rugs piled into the back seat:

Thanks again to everyone who cast a vote when I needed opinions about which of these three initial choices was the best. In the end, Rug #1 (left) came out as the winner, Rug #3 (right) was first runner up and Rug #2 (center) came in dead last behind Rug #4 (nonexistent, still to be determined).

I also really liked the first rug, but there was something about it that wasn't quite right for me - I think that the colours were a bit too bright (I may have used the word "circus" to describe the colour scheme). After so many tries, I was getting discouraged, but when I unfurled rug #6 I immediately thought to myself, "This my rug. This is the one." The size was just right (6'8" x 10'6"), the colours were bright but subtle. Perfection at last. Here it is in the test space at the old condo:

 

When the sun is shining the colours are vibrant and cheerful, while in the evenings the hues become soft and warm. I love that this rug has some personality - note the bunny and the bird woven into the pattern. Practically speaking, as an investment, I'm in this for the long haul.  A hand knotted Persian won't wear out in my lifetime, and the variety of colours provide a limitless palette to work with if when I decide to change things up.

 

I'll miss those auctions, estate sales, and endless hours of trolling through shops. What will I do with all my spare time? Ummm... maybe get the master closet organized, paint the bedrooms, hang some artwork. Okay, no worries, lots to keep me busy!!