the best laid plans of mice and men …
Now the question is what to do with our apartment now that the redesign is on an indefinite hold. This is New York City … space is at a major premium and storage is non-existent. How do we reconfigure everything to accommodate our new priorities?! If we had a basement or an attic it would be simple, but we only have a small climate controlled storage space in Riverhead which is in desperate need of organization. Our current idea leaves the back room as our general living area with both our dining room and den {which still needs to be repainted with the correct Sherwin William Status Bronze paint!} Our hardwood floors are also worse than we thought. When we rented our apartment almost 5 years ago we were told by both the realtor and owner that our apartment was completely gut renovated and that everything was brand new. That was a BIG FAT LIE as we later found out from our neighbors. Only our appliances were new, but the apartment had been renovated 4 years prior and not only had it been rented a couple times but was also vacant for a couple years. No wonder our floors need to be refinished since they were undoubtedly neglected the first 4 years. At this point I am so beyond sick and tired of trying to keep these floors clean {impossible task} that I just want to refinish the floors ourselves. Anyone attempt this before?! No idea how feasible this idea actually is.
Lately I have been having thoughts of gorgeous Swedish floors – either unfinished waxed pine or white painted. What are your thoughts?! I am thinking that the unfinished waxed pine floors would look the best, but a painted floor would probably be the cheapest, quickest and easiest. Anything is better than our current urine colored floors with large patches of finish worn off … attractive, right?!
Katrine Martensen-Larsen photographed by Kira Brandt
Alvhem Mäkleri Interiör
The original direction for the dining room/den space was to be a warm, cozy space which would be mostly used in the evenings. One of the major challenges for this space is that it was originally two separate rooms. I understand that “open floorplans” are the new norm, but this space does not benefit from the wall being removed. All it achieved was one long, narrow space that is infuriating on so many different levels. If time and money were not an issue I would have that wall replaced immediately. Until then I think the biggest impact for our time and money would be to address the floors. I have done some research, searched through some fantastic blogs that featured Swedish design. {see photos above} The wall color for that space is the Sherwin Williams Status Bronze and the ceiling, fireplace, window and trim are painted Sherwin Williams Alabaster. Initially the space was to be more rustic. Our Crate and Barrel Basque table, chairs and bench are perfect for large dinner parties or to spread out on while working on projects. Plus the eco-friendly mango wood and the natural oiled finish is just gorgeous and super easy to maintain.
Crate & Barrel Basque Table
Crate & Barrel Basque Chair
Crate & Barrel Basque Bench
Crate & Barrel finish
We also use several antique items for some necessary storage which included an antique glass front bookcase and an antique pigeon blood empire chest. The petite antique bookcase was the first furniture item we purchased here in Brooklyn for our apartment. Both pieces were found on ebay – the bookcase came from a local Fort Greene antique warehouse and the chest came from a favorite antique store in Quakertown, PA. Our empire chest is a beast! It stores our antique Japanese tea service, tureens, linens, glassware, china and our fancy flatware. http://bit.ly/bqmdTw
Another design challenge for this space is that is also includes the entry to our apartment and needs to accommodate easily accessible storage for at the very least dog leashes and rain jackets. Before our redesign we had an antique commode that was the perfect size for the small wall to the right of our entry door with a single drawer and open storage area. It is a piece from the late 1800s and at one point had been with a white oil based paint. We purchased the stand at an antiques auction house in rural Upstate New York for $3.21. Since the commode no longer works in our new configuration we needed to find something that would provide both storage and seating. My Hubs found an antique piano bench in the garbage while walking the boys one morning and brought it home. The top needs to be reattached but that is a simple fix. I might upholster the top, but right now I have so many other projects that I cannot even think about adding another!
Another major problem is where to temporarily store coats and such near the door. It would be awesome if we had an entry closet of some sort, but there is no possible space for one. I think that a coat tree would be best. This one from Factory 20 is brilliant, but unfortunately it has been sold.
Factory 20
Factory 20
For the den we need to determine what we want and need from that space and then try to incorporate some of the items we originally purchased for the front room. I would love to liberate our vintage hooded wing-back chair and the new braided jute rug from storage!
The bedroom we have a good plan for, but we still need to measure to be sure everything will fit since we are dealing with such a tiny room … actually it is more of a nook off of a hallway than an actual room. I am hopeful that we can flank our bed with the antique Swedish secretary on one side and a small nightstand on the other. We have a gorgeous vintage Scandinavian Pukeburg blown glass lamp that we purchased via etsy for the front room. It would look great in the bedroom but I am afraid it is too large for the nightstand. I still need to purchase a custom shade for the lamp, but it is worth trying in the bedroom to at least see if it would work.
I also want to include sheepskin in some manner and I’m not exactly sure where or how at this point. Here is a sheepskin rug I found recently that I think would be ideal for the bedroom {for my side of the bed, of course!} I thought about going the hide route, but I think this is a less creepy compromise.
www.westelm.com
