D E C I S I O N S M A D E

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some big decisions have been made over the weekend. we've nailed down

some appliance choices, going with an LG fridge and using a Bosch microwave

over the Bosch stove we already have and the same brand for the dishwasher.

which is so quiet that it needs a little light on it to tell you it's actually on!

the sink is pretty much decided, with a deep undermount sink similar in size

to what we have now...and much less gross.

still trying to figure out faucets. our upper cabinets/shelves are hanging a bit

higher than average which gives us room for one of those

cool commercial faucets. thoughts?

Em&Ger recommended 3 of these gorgeous steel pendants over the sink/floating shelf wall (scroll down to see the amazing 3d drawing). these will be the 'jewelry' of the room as chris says...with a hefty price tag to match...stainless steel pendants are a girls best friend?

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3 D C L A R I T Y

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oh my god. i've been meaning to post these for a while now. here's are some amazing 3d renderings that team Em & Ger did for us (with some mediocre photoshopping by me). Aren't they unbelievable?!!

I have to say, seeing these has been the most helpful thing! With so many materials to think about, alot of them things i've never even seen in person, it's great to know that

all will be harmonious when all is said and fabulously done. The lower cabinets

on both sides of the room are a darkish gray with the upper cabinets on the

west wall almost white. On the opposite wall there'll be floating shelves above

a gorgeous undermount sink. The countertop is a mottled, moonscape looking

caesarstone that's a very light gray and white, and then white oversized subway tiles

on the backsplashes (correct size pictured). Oh! And all this on a natural cork floor.

More updates on the specifics to come.

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2 W H E E L S

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we need more cute fashionable girls on wheels here in nyc.

via the sartorialist

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D E C I S I O N S , D E C I S I O N S

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after our lengthy discussion with the Em&Ger architecture team, our homework this

week is to make some freaking decisions already! actually i don't think we've been

that bad...we always had a pretty clear idea of the look we were going for: warm,

somewhat modern, a bit of clean scandinavian, bright but not too bright, lots of

neutral grays.

mmmmm yummy!

after thinking that we absolutely knew the backsplash tile and feeling so good that at

least that was one decision completed, we completely changed our mind on it because of

the countertop. We just couldn't find one that matched it perfectly. We're looking into

doing Caesarstone for it 'indestructability'. Only problem with it is the color choices.

Alot of them we just didn't really like and very few are available in a honed finish. So

right now we're thinking we like a color called 'Misty Carrera', which sounds like an

adult film star, but is actually a Caesarstone that looks alot like carrera marble without

being such a pain in the ass to maintain. So stay tuned. Many more exciting updates to come!!

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L O V I N G O U R A R C H I T E C T S

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ok...our architects are our cousin Em & her hubby Ger so it goes without saying that we love them. But we also love them for helping us with this huge and often overwhelming project of a kitchen and bathroom renovation. We're in the home stretch though and they spent a few hours this weekend getting some final measurements.

Our task this week is to make some final decisions and order some cabinets!

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D E A R S H E R W I N W I L L I A M S

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you suck. your website sucks, your one manhattan location sucks, your non-samples suck... let's just hope your paint does not suck. especially in my kitchen. because that is one thing that will not suck because of you.

i don't know why my cabinet maker will only use sherwin williams paint instead of something more user friendly and widely available. getting some samples of these colors just cost me almost 40 bucks! between having to take a taxi to the ONLY supplier in manhattan on 46th and 11th freaking avenue (hello?) and then having to buy quarts because they don't have samples (hello?)...well it was just mind boggling. every other paint manufacturer is operating in the 21st century except them...and i have to deal with it ;-(

this better be some good paint!

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B I K E L O V E

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anyone who knows me well, knows i absolutely love bicycles and riding my bike

around the city (and anywhere else of course!). there's so many gorgeous bikes

out there that are perfect for commuting without looking like an idiot or someone

who couldn't find the tour de france. bikes prefect for the city are bikes that put you in

more of a relaxed, upright position...and frame of mind! With more and more people

out riding bikes on the growing number of bike lanes it's just gonna get better and better!

i'd been meaning to write a 'bike love' post with all my current bike crushes...

then i saw someone on a gorgeous navy blue Linus and it literally stopped me in

my tracks...so minimal and utilitarian...yet kind of romantic, no?

pictured below:

Linus inspired by french bikes of the 50's

Abici Uomo made in Italy

Kronan based on the 1940's swedish military bike

Gazelle Oma made in Holland (Oma mean grandma)

Bowery Lane made right here in NYC

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U S O P E N 2 0 1 0

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the most wonderful time of the year.

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I N B L O O M : A U G U S T

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the garden's really taken a beating the past few weeks with the crazy heat and not

much rain. the basil, however, is going crazy! time for a big batch of pesto!

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T O O C U T E T U E S D A Y !

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W E E K E N D P R O J E C T

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hubby was itching to do a little project this weekend. i've had this wood sitting around forever with the grand plans of making a nice little place for the cats to sit by the window (these are the things i think about??). so this past weekend was the perfect time for the cats to get their shelf made, and for chris to try out the electric planer he got for christmas. everybody's happy!!

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L U N C H T I M E M I N I T R I P S

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i usually try and get out during lunchtime...go for a little walk and explore.

a few blocks up park avenue from the office is the Scandinavia House cultural center.

There's a museum, a cute restaurant, and a fab little gift shop...worth a little peek in.

and you know how much i love scandinavian anything!

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J U S T S H O O T M E

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my good friend emily is building her photography portfolio of interiors. i was honored,

and totally jazzed, when she asked if she could shoot ourplace. how cool is that? here's

some of her shots, but be sure to check out her site to see all of her fabulous work!

She'd be a great contact for any brokers out there, or if you're looking to sell your

house and want killer shots.

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T H E C U T E S T

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even though we haven't renovated our kitchen yet, i'm already shopping for accessories.

i've kind of had it in my head that i would make my own simple little cafe curtains, like

the photo below, with a modern and graphic print fabric.

wouldn't this fabric be so cute? maybe too cute?

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T O O C U T E T U E S D A Y !

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a too cute double shot...arnold and my nephew Vin.

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C G H I S T O R I C D I S T R I C T

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There's talk around town that the Landmarks Preservation Commission would like the expand

the "pitifully small" area that was designated back in 1973 to include all the blocks bound by

court street, henry street, huntington street, and first place...hey that means us!!!

sounds like a great idea!

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U N I T # 3 B E F O R E & A F T E R

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we are lucky enough to have 2 rental units in our house. one was already in fairly good shape when we bought the place, but the other was pretty bad right from the open house. we bought our building with the tenants already in place. a good tenant in the good apartment and bad tenants in the bad apartment. not bad as in bad people...annoying, yes. but bad in a dirty, loud, young&naive, why do i have bugs oh maybe it's all the food out, way.

forward to the winter of 2009...when these gems left we fully gutted and renovated the leaky bathroom and 1972-era kitchen. there will be no drop ceilings in my house!

oddly, this is the only part of the house that still has some of the lovely details of a house made in 1901. including some great moldings, original wood floors, and a marble mantle, which is the only mantle left in a house that probably had 3 of them. of course i'm jealous and secretly wish the mantle was on our floor (we'll buy one when we get to that room).

this renovation was alot of work... alot of long hours after work and torturous weekends along with our (somewhat) trusty friend phil and our plumber jon.

it came out wonderfully and has pretty much held up through one set of tenants (although they did cause some damage, through no fault of the materials).

heres to many years of happy, careful tenants.

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T H R E E G L O R I O U S Y E A R S !

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happy anniversary!

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T O O C U T E T U E S D A Y !

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L A S T Y E A R S P R O J E C T

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This time last year we were in the midst of the 'epic shed build of 2009' where

C designed and built, from scratch, our modern and cool garden shed. At the

same time we put in a fabulous bluestone patio, and a new fence to block out

the recently demo'ed building behind us (this is what prompted the whole project).

A ton of work...there was a jackhammer involved, a pallet of bluestone,

50 something bags of gravel & sand, lots of digging, a mexican day laborer,

and the help of muscle-y friends (yes coco that's you).

Basically....that summer sucked because this really took the whole summer...i

cursed my dear husband in the thick of it, especially on those 95 degree days.

But it turned out gorgeous! This has to be the nicest shed in the neighborhood!

I know you agree! So now that we have some nice matching bluestone topping the

little wall at the other end of the yard (this summers project) we consider this

yard DONE!

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T O O C U T E T U E S D A Y !

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is it the heat or is willis just trying to be super cute?

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F I N I S H E D P R O J E C T !

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here's some images of the bluestone topped divider wall in all it's finished glory!

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T H E L A T E S T P L A N

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here's the latest in kitchen cabinet news. we've decided to ditch the ikea

cabinet idea because C just doesn't believe in the material they're made of,

and I just dont like any of the colors & finishes they come in. After lots of

research it looks like we're going with 'custom ready to assemble' cabinets

from Scherr's in N.Dakota. Fun!

I heard about them because alot of people who don't like ikea doors use doors

from Scherr's instead. Which got us to thinking, let's throw a drawing at them

and see how much the whole enchilada would cost. This enchilada's very affordable!

Plus, they can paint them any color, they're amazingly well made, the customer

service is awesome, and they're custom! We just put them together...which is easy

if you're somewhat handy. So we're working with them on drawings and

configurations. This is very exciting. Really. Here's my plan that was sent over to

them. Whatcha think?

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F I N I S H I N G T O U C H

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like the good friend that he is, coco helped install the bluestone slabs onto the brick wall.

a finished pick to come tomorrow (didnt get a good shot yet ;-)

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T O O C U T E T U E S D A Y !

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G E E K LO V E

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ok. yes. i fully admit that i was one of those people who waiting

in line to order an iphone i won't get for another ten days!

And it's not just because it's so freakin' cool. i'm still using the first generation

iphone...a dinosaur! my old phone must know that i want a new desperately

because it's really taking one for the team. it's giving me good reason to

want...no...need a new phone by crashing, typing out texts 4 words delayed and

generally moving slowly like the ancient beast it is. makes me feel kinda sad

for it :-( i promise i will give it a peaceful, restful retirement.

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T O O C U T E T U E S D A Y !

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not much 'news' other than how cute the cats are ;-)

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H A P P Y B - D A Y F R A N K !

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a big happy 45th goes out to my big brother...truly one of the most

important people in my life.

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