The kitchen

I think I'm an okay cook not because I enjoy cooking but because I enjoy eating. If someone was willing to cook for me full time, I'd happily be the worst cook in the world and never pick up a chef's knife again. As I've not been so fortunate in life to have met such a person willing to accommodate my laziness, I've had to spend a fair amount of time in kitchens and so have formed a few ideas around what I would want in one should the opportunity arise to lay one out.

Number one thing was that since the kitchen often becomes the de facto center of any social gathering (why would anyone want to sit in comfy sofas in the living room when they can all stand around in a hot, cramped kitchen), I figured it might as well be involved with the rest of the space. As such, the main cooking surface is a long island with integrated sink and stove top which lets the cook face the room while working. Now s/he doesn't have to be relegated to staring at the wall while frying up eggs.

I know kitchens are supposed to be efficient with their use of space (talking about that fridge-stove-sink triangle ideal) but I don't like cramped kitchens so screw efficient design. I made sure there's enough elbow room in case people want to help out or hang out. I've got no problem with too many cooks in the kitchen (unless they're bad cooks) but I do have a problem with body checking into people while I'm pulling a roast out of the oven and they're trying to get a coke out of the fridge.

The colour scheme is based on Benjamin Moore's metropolis. It was laid down semi-gloss on the walls and under glaze on the cabinetry. I was basically trying to copy a colour on something I saw in IKEA.

Note on appliances: I only bought (reputable) low to mid cost appliances. The more expensive ones have too many gizmos and judging from online reviews and talking to other home owners, upscale prices don't guarantee upscale reliability. I want appliances that do what they were fundamentally created to do, not ones that have attained consciousness and are now trying to find a higher purpose in life. Perhaps the most important thing I learned from appliance shopping is that CAS has excellent free coffee at their bricks and mortar store locations. And I don't even like coffee.

William Design Company spec'd out the kitchen details and did the install.

No fixtures means clean lines. Also means fingerprints.

Post first use. Glass stove tops don't hide the mess at all:

Refinishing and furniture making

Winter is long and I can only do so much Netflix before my brain freezes over so I decided to work on some furniture.

This first piece, before ...

... and after:

I mixed the chalk paint for the dresser from cheapo enamel paint and diatomaceous earth and then made the rub-on wax coat from beeswax, mineral oil and some tint.

Saw something similar to this clothes rack online somewhere and figured it would be easy enough to put together with stuff from the hardware store:

I work in front of a computer all day creating things that don't ever really exist. Sometimes it's nice to be able to touch what one makes.

Floors

In trying to choose flooring, I slowly realized that most of my ideas around it were crap. I was spending hours with 3d modeling software playing with all sorts of different patterns and materials and ended up with piles of ugly messes. Floors tie everything together in a space and if they are all a-jumble, the space is going to feel the same way. And if the floors are mediocre, then that's going to be reflected in the space as well. Even with the modeling software, trying to conceptualize how the floors would feel and especially how they would feel against each other was about on par with trying to visualize what a wall is going to look like based on a 1" x 2" paint chit.

In the end, I divided the floor into three areas: bathroom, bedroom and main area (which includes the kitchen, dining area and living space). I hoped that by sticking to a theme of traditional textures, wood and concrete, I could maintain some sort of cohesion between each room while still giving each room its own particular vibe.

Bathroom

I used to think that tiles were still those cold, slippery squares in solid unappealing colours usually surrounded by dirty grout. Was I ever wrong. First time I ever paid attention in a tile store I saw this, Urban Wood by Fioranese, and have to admit that maybe a small part of the reason I wanted to have a house built was so I could use this somewhere.

The tile inside the shower is unpolished for better traction. The tile in the rest of the bathroom is polished.

Bedroom

For the bedroom, I stuck with the default engineered wood option specified in the build contract but chose to have planks in two different shades laid down in a wide stripe pattern instead of the usual solid single colour.  The stripes are sombre in colour yet still add a sense of play to the room.

Unfortunately, much of this floor got covered when I moved in the king sized bed. Oh well.

Main Area

Originally, for the main area, I was going to go with vinyl floors because they don't look half bad these days, they're durable and I thought they were cheap.

I was wrong about the cheap part. At least with my builder, the additional labour and flooring supply costs to ensure a proper base for the vinyl glue adherence was going to incur several thousands of dollars in upgrades.

I was really dithering about what to do with the flooring in this, the largest area of the house, when I came upon this ceramic tile, the Innova by Savoia in ferro. My thinking way back before the layout was even completed was I wanted poured concrete for all the floors but due to various factors, eventually decided against it.  However, this tile came close. In fact, I like the variations between each large square even more than I like a solid, single pour concrete surface.

Yeah, the tile cost even more in upgrades than the vinyl would have cost but, hey, at least it's ceramic.

Paint colours

Shades of warm grey on white.

This soft, almost-black paint on the thirteen foot ceiling takes the edge off the height and provides a sense of intimacy within the bedroom.

A hint of detail on the interior doors.

Of course now I have to figure out what to do with all that white space looking so lacklustre compared to the modern greys.

Moving along

Fireplace unpacked

Simone is not sure about the crawl space.

Furnace hanging from the ceiling. Apparently, I'm getting ceiling hanging versions of all the HVAC equipment. Never knew stuff like that was made. One less flooding related thing to worry about.

Perhaps the scariest thing for a city dweller about to be transplanted to the country is the dark arcane septic tank. You just never want to think about what's in there, bubbling away just a few feet below ground IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD! You don't want to think about it until you have to and then it may be too late!

Also, Delta MS dimple membrane and the first signs of red metal siding.

The hatchway to terror.

First Selfies

Frances and Mathilde, contemplating a well built wall of foam core, 16 inch on centre studs, pink fibreglass, and sealed air barrier.

Enclosed

Skating rink upgrade.

Two weeks later and the insulation is installed. It's -25C outside without the wind chill. The sun shining through the south facing windows brings the indoor temperature up to at least 10C.

First signs of plumbing. This is where the bathroom sink will hang off the wall.