NW SWANKY SPLIT-LEVEL

PEGASUS

This project was a remodel for the main floor of this 80's split-level. We were asked to help a growing family turn their new home from drab to dazzling.  All the walls in the main house were beige so we brightened up the palette with white walls and painted the wood beams a contrasting dark charcoal to emphasize the volume and architectural character of the space. A soft, warm gray was used to accent the fireplace wall. Furniture and accessories were brought in with bright poppy colors and a mix of luxurious and rustic materials. 

A new 8' fir scissor door replaced the sliding glass door, opening up the space to the outdoor covered patio.  A fir entry door with ribbed glass was put in place along with new fir doors throughout the house, replacing the existing Craftsman style doors. The existing fireplace was remodeled with an asymmetrical design, adding grandeur and focus to the sunken living room. The fireplace was faced with a dark slate tile to compliment the beams. It was topped with a Bastogne walnut mantel. A beautiful sputnik chandelier adds drama to the dining room along with a graphic rug and custom powder coated Tolix chairs for a punch of color. Our favorite piece in the project was hanging the enormous Pegasus the couple had tucked away, over the fireplace as a dramatic focal point for the living room. A swanky turquoise sofa and metallic shag rug were added to the sunken living room to compliment their existing furniture. Two existing club chairs were reupholstered in a bright orange felt, while an existing high backed danish chair was recovered in a soft neutral leather. Other plans for the remodel include adding foliage, artwork and accessories to finish the spaces. We are also in the process of designing the family room and guest room. Below are several pictures of our progress. 

SUNKEN LIVING ROOM

DINING ROOM W/ SPUTNIK CHANDELIER

VIEW INTO DINING ROOM

COVERED PATIO + DINING ROOM

CUSTOM POWDER COATED TOLIX CHAIRS

NEW PAINT SCHEME

NEW FIR SCISSOR DOOR

NEW ENTRY TILE + OUTDOOR PATIO

BEFORE PHOTOS: 

BEFORE: ENTRY

BEFORE: LIVING ROOM

BEFORE: SUNKEN LIVING ROOM

BEFORE: SLIDING PATIO DOOR

Nursery 51: A 50s atomic inspired nursery

 When my husband, Eric, and I found out we were having a boy (Victor), we were ecstatic to transform our guest room into a fun and vibrant space where our son could create, explore and imagine. 

custom mural

chalkboard wall

vintage touches

handmade felt pillows

accessories

When we were discussing the nursery, my husband mentioned that he really wanted a mural. For fear of the “cheese” factor, I did not. After some convincing, I eventually came around.

To create a modern mural, we followed a few simple rules.

1.  A cool and personal theme. Since we live in a mid-century home, we decided on a 1950s atomic theme with the Portland skyline being invaded by UFOs!  And since we both share a love for architecture, we wanted to incorporate some of Portland’s iconic buildings and landmarks (the St. John’s Bridge, Mt. Hood and Union Station where daddy works as an engineer.)  We also included some special places in Portland that we have grown to love (i.e. Bantam Barbershop, the Hollywood theater, Toro Bravo, etc.).  
2. A muted color palette.  For several reasons. First, to keep things simple. Incorporating a lot of colors would create a very busy and overwhelming space. Second, to keep things modern. We chose to do the majority of the mural in a gradient of grays with some key elements highlighted in vibrant colors. The beam of light over the crib was done in an electric green. The mini hot-rod was done in a bright orange. This allows your eye to focus and be drawn to certain areas of the mural, rather than leaving your eye bouncing around the room searching for a focal point. A dark chalkboard wall anchors the space and provides the perfect place for photo opportunities and messages to our son. As he grows older, he will be able to utilize it to draw and create his own works of art.
3. Clean lines and composition. We started out with a few sketches of the mural and played with the scale and composition of all the elements until we were satisfied. We used painter’s tape and card stock to create very straight, clean lines for all the buildings, which contrast nicely with the organic aesthetic of the clouds and the mountain. We did the mural in layers starting with white, building up the clouds, sky, mountain, buildings, bridge, etc. ending with the colored elements and other details. We used larger rollers for the bottom layers, and mini rollers for the building layers. Painters tape, exacto knives and a lot of man (and woman!) hours were essential in creating the building and detail layers.

      Here are a few process photos: 

Because we are mid-century enthusiasts, we wanted to incorporate some vintage touches along with some modern pieces. Both the dresser and the rocking chair were excellent Craigslist finds, while the crib (Target), rug, drapes and light fixtures (Ikea) we purchased new. We opted for a dresser rather than a traditional changing table because it will have a longer life in the space. I found a modern changing tray from Muu kids which holds the changing pad and anchors to the dresser.  Vic’s room has an enormous built in closet which stores all his blankets, hanging clothes and toys, leaving the center of the room clear for playing. For a personal touch, Eric and I handmade a few felt pillows in the shape of a space ship and aliens.  We accessorized the space with a few artifacts that we have gathered through our travels and homemade gifts we received from friends and family.

We are both so pleased with the way the nursery turned out. We look forward to watching Vic grow up and we hope that the space stimulates his creativity and imagination.

Nursery 51 has been featured on Apartment Therapy and is soon to be featured on HGTV's new remodeling website! Check out the links below:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/victors-atomic-alien-invasionmy-room-169228

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/cheerful-childrens-rooms-a-look-at-happy-modern-172887

http://shannoneileenblog.typepad.com/happiness-is/2012/04/an-atomic-ufo-nursery.html

Annie Wise owns a small interior design company located in Portland, OR. All photographs courtesy of Annie Wise. Visit her website at www.anniewise.com.

Mid-Century Ranch Bathroom Remodel: Framing and Sheetrock

These projects always take longer than you think. Our first problem arose when we installed our bath and it happened to be about an inch and a half too short. Since it's probably not a real good idea to have large gaps in between your tub and the walls, we had to nail furring strips to all of the framing to reconcile the difference. Problem solved.

Next, the shower and bath faucets that we ordered from lightinthebox.com (never again) took 3 weeks to be shipped. They were then seized at customs and held for several days somewhere in Germany. The helpful staff at lightinthebox told me to call the German customs office to see if I could speed up the process. Ridiculous. We had been holding off on sheetrocking until the mixing valve arrived so we could modify the plumbing. Meanwhile, we framed in the shower niche and reinforced some other areas in which stuff would be hung. We added the new outlet and finished all our electrical work...and we were still waiting. 

When it FINALLY arrived, we tore open the boxes only to find that the shower head was chipped. Guh. There was no way we were about to send it back seeing as it would delay the project weeks. Instead, we began the process of adapting our 50+ year old plumbing to a modern system. Ha. Twenty trips to home depot later we had all the right parts and put together the plumbing. We mounted the new shower pipe a foot higher so my 6'2" husband will actually be able to stand underneath it.  Then, the big test. While Eric turned the water back on I chewed off all my nails in anticipation, waiting to hear a leak....and...the silence was golden. It felt like the first time something had actually gone right. 

the tub is in!

framing in the shower niche

hardiebacker installed on floor

It barely looked like anything had been done at this point, but it was a very happy day when we were ready to install the insulation and visqueen barrier over the framing and get ready for sheetrocking! We had installed greenboard (mold/moisture resistant sheetrock) in our powder room. Messy but pretty easy to work with. However, we decided to use hardiebacker (cement board) around the shower which is a.) ridiculously heavy and b.) ridiculously impossible to cut although it claims to be "score and snap." This stuff was a NIGHTMARE to work with but will be worth it in the long run. Once the cement board was up, we test fitted the shower arm just to find it, very noticeably, drooped. We had to UN-INSTALL the cement board to fix the pipe. While Eric was fixing it, he accidentally hit the faucet, causing water to shoot out in all directions and soak the bathroom....and us. Wonderful. We sopped up all the water, made sure the pipes weren't leaking and reinstalled the cement board.

insulation and visqueen membrane installed

hardiebacker and sheetrock installed on the walls

starting to look like a room again! 

And...we're finally ready for mudding and taping! Yahoo. Unfortunately, this meant that we spent the next week covered in a fine layer of white dust from all the sanding. Not a fun stage. Especially when you don't have a shower to clean up. Hose showers work too...they're just not nearly as pleasant...especially in October. After the final sanding we inspected the walls to make sure there were no visible seams, nail holes or any other imperfections. We slapped on 2 coats of primer and voila...ready for paint!! 

three layers of joint compound and hours of sanding FINALLY done!

two coats of primer dry!  ready for paint!

More to come...