Piace' is Bloomington's Newest Boutique

We are thrilled about the opening of Piace'. Located next door to the Buskirk Chumley Theatre on Kirkwood, this shop offers women's (and a small section of men's) casual and chic clothing. Co-owner Johnna Davis said that they planned on buying limited quantities of each item so that you don't end up wearing the same think that the person seated next to you is wearing. Perfect.

The small men's section currently features a very cool jacket priced around $80 and several great shirts priced from the $20's to $40's.

The shop is located at the site of the failed condo project called 120 Kirkwood. I have to say that Piace' is a far better use of this great downtown location. The renovation of the original building has created a beautiful space for this boutique. Check it out.

Polychrome Painting

While in Terre Haute for a conference, I spent a little time in St. Stephen's Episcopal Church which is located on 7th Street across if ISU. I was quite taken by the painting style of the trim and rafters of this building, pictured here.

I went back to my hotel room to do research about this 'candy cane' style of painting. The website for St. Stephens says that when they remodeled the church in the 1960's, they wanted to capture the interior design concepts of St. Mary's Church Ulford, Surry in England. This style is know as Polychrome and dates back to the 13th century in the case of St. Mary's Church.

Further research shows that the candy cane was not invented until the 17th century by European Christians. So my initial thought of 'why paint the trim to look like a candy cane' evolved into 'how lovely if the candy cane was created in the style of a beautiful English church'. If you are even in Terre Haute, Indiana, you should visit this lovely church and take in a little 13th century decor.

Creating the right dining atmosphere for a dinner party

Tonight we're having some friends over for a dinner party. I'm working on creating an atmosphere that is both elegant enough for a Friday night dinner invitation and also casual enough that people feel comfortable putting their elbows on the table and laughing loudly. These are my favorite kinds of dinner parties.

The table is set with silver (faux) chargers and candelabras. The china is simple and white with more pattern in the salad plates. The crystal is lovely and real. And the napkins are the one thing that adds a bit of color to the table.

The candelabras, or chadelabras as Sandra Lee of Semi-Homemade calls them, were a great find. They have such classic lines, yet are obviously not trying to be silver or pewter. They say elegant and fun and very approachable. The best part is that they were only $14 at my local discount retailer. As always, new candles are being used and they were lit and allowed to burn for a minute or two to give them that "I'm not a new candle" look. My mother always taught me to do this.

The music tonight will be light jazz playing softly in the background. I find that everyone appreciates this, whether your taste lends itself to classical, rock or blue grass.

And to enhance a fall feeling, when the dinner plates are cleared, the guests will find a lovely and colorful fall leave on their charger. (it also will distract the eye from the fact that they are not perfectly polished!)

Product Review: Calphalon 3 Piece Set from Williams Sonoma

I just received my order of this three piece set of Calphalon cookware from Williams Sonoma. They are an ideal size for a family of four or less. Cooking for more than four may to too tight in these pans. But for us...perfect!

These were only $79.99 for the set. The original price as $245.00. It is a great opportunity to upgrade your cooking ware without breaking the bank. I'm all about the bargain.

Check 'em out at www.williams-sonoma.com.

You'll notice a small bottle of olive oil in the back of the photo. This is a bottle of white truffle oil from The Olive Leaf on College Mall Road in Bloomington. It is the perfect host/hostess gift. Thanks Jennifer!

A Nearly Perfect Day for Leaf Gathering

People spend money on buying fall decorative items at Micheal's or Hobby Lobby. Why not use the real thing and create your own fall accents.

This is a great project for people with young children. Go out into the yard or a park and have them search for the most colorful leaves. Then take them home and press them between pages of a book. Have the children check on the leaves every couple of days to see how the colors change or don't' change. Then help them to research why...then tell me because I haven't the slightest idea.

But I always pick leaves, dry them and then use them all fall to add color to table settings or any number of other ideas. This year Martha Stewart is having you use dried fall leaves to decorate hand made thank you notes. The possibilities are endless and the cost is zero.

Deal of the Day!

Super deal from Williams-Sonoma. This three piece set of Calphalon non-stick cookware with a saute pan, deep dish fry pan and lid for $79.00. (regularly $249) I just ordered this myself. And all dishwasher safe.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com

The Simple Elegance of White Hydrangeas

Today was spent putting the finishing touches on an event for the IU Foundation. In conjunction with One World Catering & Events, this evening is to be the final dinner in a three day long program.

The design for the tables was simple elegance. Being the third catered dinner in a row for these IU Foundation members, I wanted them to have an evening that felt less staged and much more like they were dining at a fine restaurant.

The morning was spent putting together 20 bouquets. We used white hydrangeas, bundled together, in a simple yet elegant clear vase. The hydrangea stems looked beautiful in the vase. Water was then topped off to the absolute top of the vase making them look as if they were not filled at all, crystal clear and gorgeous.

The assembly took place in the newly finished kitchen at the One World Catering & Events headquarters. Then we packed up the arraignments and took them over to the IU Auditorium.



Upon arrival at the Auditorium, I found out that an IU employee had decided to change the lovely and elegant white linen table cloths to a poly-blend-shiny material mimicking satin...with matching napkins...in off white. And the napkins were draped off the side of the table and not placed to the left of the plate, as planned (and as would be correct). The table settings shifted from one that would be fitting in a high end restaurant to one that would be fitting for a wedding reception. We all have different taste.

But the point is that the simple elegance of white hydrangeas is always beautiful. We used five stems per bouquet. Choosing each stem individually and then placing the next up against the flatter side of the flower of the former stem and rotating the bouquet each time we added another stem. Just like Ina Garten showed me how to do.

The Change of Seasons in Staged Homes

It's time to finally give up summer and embrace fall. In homes that are staged, it is important to keep the home seasonally up-to-date. Nothing says "no one's been here to take care of things" like last seasons center piece and decorations.

Here, with a simple change and only $10, the color focal point of this dining room in the Winston Project has been made current for the fall season with the purchase of local mini pumpkins and squash.

It's sometimes the simplest things that make the biggest difference. Happy Fall!

Find of the Day!

Now this was a deal! On a shopping trip to Indianapolis for a client, I came across these two leather club chairs. The color was a perfect shade of brown and the leather was super soft.

The best part is that they were only $199! Found at HomeGoods on 86th Street. HomeGoods is the housewares store for TJ Maxx and this location is really great.

As with any of these types of stores, you have to look past a lot of 'not so great' merchandise to find the really great products. This store currently has an amazing selection of rugs of all sizes and many priced under $100.

Your Source for Vintage Textiles

The finishing touches of a room can truly bring it to life. One of the best ways to add these touches is with textiles. Whether you create a custom pillow cover or drape a throw over the arm of a chair, these soft accents create a finished look.

To be truly unique, use vintage textiles imported from Europe. One of the best sources for this is www.Textiletrunk.com. Search hundreds of samples online.

So venture out side of the "Bloomington box". Order vintage fabric and have a local craftsman transform it into the perfect accent for your home.

The Tudor Project is complete

The Tudor Project was a recent job for Bloomington Staging & Design. This home is located in Hyde Park and has great curb appeal. But when left unfurnished, it did not show its best. After being on the market for a while, the owners decided to have the home professionally staged. It was an interesting project because the style of the home, including true Tudor exterior, a large and imposing front door and mass amounts of stained oak. To furnish this home in an old English/Tudor style would have made the home more unapproachable to many buyers.

Since this four bedroom home has all bedrooms on the second floor, chances are that the buyers will be a younger couple. So we furnished this home with fresh and contemporary furniture that had classic lines. We wanted to make this home appealing to the most number of buyers and make this home look as updated as possible.

The photos above are of the family room, which opens into the kitchen. The room has very high ceilings and a tall brick fireplace. Since this was the 'family room', we used furnishings that would appeal to the entire family. It is now kid friendly and at the same time, elegant enough for entertaining friends and co-workers.

Bloomington Staging & Design will be holding a publicity event at this home in the near future. If you are not already on our emailing list for invitations, please let us know by contacting Matthew Cole at matthew@bloomingtonstating.com.

Setting the Table Part II

The art of still life. This photo, taken a the Macy's Flower Show in New York this year, is an amazing example of creating the beauty of a still life oil painting on your dining room table for buffet. Using gorgeous arrangements of fresh fruit, crystal, china and silver, the outcome is stunning.

This particular table setting was designed for a buffet event. A silver champagne bucket was used to hold fresh baguettes (partially shown in the back ground of this photo). Over sized wooded candle sticks were used to embellish the olde world setting. Simply and elegantly beautiful.

Setting the Table

One of the most simple ways to add beauty to your home is setting the table. Whether you are having a dinner party for ten, or a simple dinner for yourself, correctly setting a table can add elegance and style to your home. And the best part is that it is not permanent. A day or two later, you can change the entire setting.

The best set tables incorporate a blend of textiles, china and stemware. The color and design options are endless. The table in the photo to the right has a formal attitude. Place mats, instead of a table cloth, add a more modern look to antique china.

And never underestimate the use of stemware. Each place setting should have both wine glasses and water goblets. Serving two wines with dinner? Then make put out both red and white wine glasses for each guest.

The center piece then ties everything together. The center piece of this table, a photo taken on a trip to San Fransisco, uses candles, a wine bottle and serving pieces to create a still life of sorts. The center piece does not always have to be flowers.

Most importantly, let your creativity come through. If it doesn't seem that it looks right, keep playing with it. After a few adjustments, it will all come together...for the next couple of days.

BTW, Martha always says to set the table a day ahead. Not only does it free up time on the evening of your dinner, but you get to enjoy what you have created a little longer.

New York Window Staging

Taken late night on a recent trip to Manhattan, this photo is of designers putting together the window display for the new Diane von Furstenberg store in the meat packing district in the city. And window staging is much like home staging.

For a mystical and memorable scene in this window, these designers have used color, shape and lighting to create a lasting reaction. And that is exactly what one wants to do when staging a home.

Keeping in mind that clouds and bright colors are not the staples of home staging, the idea is to create a space that will be memorable. Simple designs and great lighting will make any home look special. The key is to find the correct mood for the home. By looking at the home's architecture and layout, one can find exactly what direction to head in.

The key is to create a scene that makes a home buyer say "wow, this is where I want to live, this is the decor that speaks to me". And for the window display designer, they work to make the consumer say "wow, this is where I want to shop...this is the image that speaks to me".

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 15

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Range View During

Range View After (stainless back splash is on the way)

Refrigerator Wall During

Refrigerator Wall After

We are 99% done with this project! The counter tops are being swapped out for a more tasteful version of what we have. Silestone is a wonderful product, sans the sparkles. Other than that, we are waiting for the stainless back splash above the range and we are home free.

Above are some before & after photos of the project.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 14

Day 24. Mariah Carey wins. Yes, the counter tops are still lighting up the sky, even after they worked for two days to remove the sparkles. Next stop...new counter tops. Our builder, Brent Thompson, has come to the rescue and is negotiating the replacement of the counter tops. Within two weeks we should have respectable surfaces in place sans the glitter.

The range is to be delivered tomorrow. New photos of the 'nearly completed project' will be up by the end of the day once the range is in place.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 13

Day 20. Appliances from Clark Appliance in Indy arrived today...well, two of the three. Our Dacor Gas Range is on back order and will be about a week late. But the other two appliances arrived perfectly and look great.

The dishwasher is a Fisher & Paykel Dish Drawer. The two drawers operate independently so you can run small loads in just one drawer, or you can load pots and pans in one drawer on the regular setting and load the other drawer with china and crystal and run it on the delicate cycle. And it runs super quietly too.

The refrigerator is a Dacor built-in. Wider and less deep than a standard fridge, it blends into the cabinetry beautifully. Most folks always think of Sub Zero, but Dacor makes this similar model at a slightly lesser cost.

The painting is done and looks great. Now all we need is the new gas range and the counter tops to stop looking like Mariah Carey, in her title role of Glitter, has been rolling around in our kitchen. No disco ball needed.

They are coming back to work on removing the "glitterama" in the counter tops. My suggestion is that Silestone simply replace the counter tops with a better product, but they are determined to try to rebuild what is in place. And I am a patient guy...most of the time.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 12

Day 18. The counter tops are in and, whoa, they are not what we ordered. It is 'glitterama' in our kitchen now!

We went with Silestone which is a composite surface. We went this way so we could have an indestructible counter top. They say that you can put a boiling hot pot right on the counter top safely...though they also say to use a trivet for good measure.

As I said before, this is my fourth total kitchen remodel in the past ten years. Three years ago, when we remodeled our kitchen in New York, I had planned to go with Silestone "Stellar Night" which is meant to look like black granite with tiny bits of mica throughout. We ended up going with carerrra marble and I feared damaging the counter tops every day. So this time i went for indestructible.

What I got was counter top that looks like it has been plugged into a electric outlet. Our sample looked just like I had intended, but somewhere between the sample and the recipe they used to make our run of tops, the sparkle content increased ten fold and the pieces of mica are huge...mirror like...blinding.

So we called the Silestone regional rep. He came to the house and agreed that the counter tops were probably not the look that I was going for and he said that our sample did not match the final product. Then he said that they can drill out many of the large pieces of mica and re-seal the counter tops. We'll see how that goes.

Otherwise, our painter called in Terry Maners to do the drywall work and it looks great. The final painting will happen today. Next up are appliances and de-sparkling our counter tops. Ouch! The sparkles hurt my eyes when the light catches them.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 11

Day 17. It took two days to install the floor. We went with ceramic 20" x 20" tile. It is smooth surfaced but the color makes it look like is has depth and dimension. The color is called black, but it's really a dark gray, almost charcoal.

Our former floor in this kitchen was also tile, but it was raised tile with wide grout lines. This floor is totally flush with super narrow grout lines. It's sleek and modern but still has a classic look.

The install went very smoothly. We used Wylies, located on Walnut Street. They had installed our bamboo floors last year and the quality of craftsmanship and customer service is top notch.

Now it's time for the drywaller to finish so we can paint. Then it's counter tops and the home stretch to the finish line...I hope.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 10

Back from New York and it's early morning on day 15. The week that I was gone saw the hanging of the cabinets and some drywall and paint work.

The counter tops were supposed to be in by now, but they were back ordered. The new installation date for counter tops is this Friday.

The cabinets look good. Since I never saw a sample of the cabinetry, or drawings of what they would be, I have a few things that need to be changed. The detail on some of the larger drawers is missing. They are currently plain fronted and will need to be changed out to match the style of the cabinets. I also have issues with the range hood. The detail on the hood is very narrow trim and that will need to be redone to match the cabinets as well. The cabinets are to be Shaker style and that look should have been used throughout.

I know it seems odd that I was never shown plans for the kitchen. This is my fourth total kitchen remodel in the past eight years, and I am used to seeing at least a foot print of the cabinets. But having your contractor also be your next door neighbor can add a twist to the situation. I am not only trying to have the best kitchen possible, I also need to have a good relationship with my next door neighbor. So sometimes I don't question things when I should.

An interesting fact is that when you install additional lighting, especially under cabinet lighting, every flaw in the drywall under the lights is fully exposed! I had hoped to have all drywall work completed before installing the cabinets to keep dust at bay. But now we are going to have to do a good bit of rework of the 40+ year old drywall. So that will happen over the next couple of days.

All in all, being out of town last week didn't affect the kitchen remodel. In fact, it was a great week to be gone as not too much happened...and that would have made me a bit anxious.

As a final note, I decided that I can't live on Pizza X and going out to dinner, so I have set up a make shift kitchen in the basement laundry room. Last night I grilled tuna steaks on the outdoor grill and had a fabulous salad with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. I can't say how good it was to eat my own food again, even if it was prepared in the laundry room.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 9

9:21 on day 8 of the remodel. I spent a good part of Easter Sunday removing wallpaper from the kitchen. I found out that this kitchen was a very unattractive shade of blue before being covered in a Navajo print wall paper. Both poor choices from this person's standpoint.

But the wall is now ready for Tom the painter to mud, sand and paint, so it should look beautiful. We're going to use Sycamore Green from Restoration Hardware as the wall color. I use this color a lot because it works in so many different kinds of spaces. And it should work beautifully with the cabinetry and counter tops.

Already this morning my kitchen smells like hazelnut coffee, the morning drink of choice for my contractor Brent. The electricians are back and doing the final wiring. We are installing under cabinet lighting in addition to new inset lights in the soffit. I've learned that the most beautiful kitchen only look good with average lighting. Hopefully we've planned the lighting well enough to really make the space pop.

Crazy as it sounds to me, we are heading to NYC for the week while they continue the work. I have a friend coming in each evening and taking photos of each day's progress to email to me. Hopefully the work will all go smoothly.

Dinner last night...Pizza X again. The Pesto Mambo pizza is really great with pesto, broccoli, black olives and feta. Charlie has a pizza with at least four kinds of dead pig spread all over the top. He said it was delicious.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 8

Happy Easter! Whether Easter is a part of your faith, it's still a lovely celebratory day. It's 8:50 on the morning of day 7. Things are slowing down a little in the kitchen. The only real event of the day was that Tom Griffin, my painter, came in and primed the new wall.

Unfortunately, while he was here he noticed that the wall above the old counter tops was actually painted wallpaper. Because we are not going to put over-the-counter cabinets on one of the old walls, Tom is going to have to pull down the wall paper. Then it's skim, wait to dry, sand and possibly another round of skim, wait to dry and sand.

The worst part of this is the delay that it may cause. I am not sure why our contractor did not mention this issue. Surely while he was pulling down the cabinets he must have noticed the difference in the walls. I'm just glad the Tom found the issue before the cabinets were installed. I definitely don't want dry wall dust in my new cabinets!

So, on Easter Day, Tom is coming over to start the work. I am actually going to spend a little time this morning trying to remove the wall paper in hopes of saving time. Cabinets are supposed to be installed on Monday and I don't think the walls will be in order then. And of course, the cabinets have to be in before they do the final measurements for the counter tops.

But the good news is that I am super excited about the new appliances that are on their way. Above is a photo of the new fridge. It's a Dacor Epicure 36 inch Built-in Bottom Freezer Refrigerator.

Dinner last night? Pizza again from Pizza X.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 7

9:46 on day six. Yesterday saw one of the biggest changes in that the cabinetry was removed. You'll see in the photo that the cabinet for the former sink was left in place. I think that this to give support for the plumbing. (?)

The cabinetry came out in good shape, so we are donating it to the Bloomington Catholic Charity Workers who are rebuilding a house whose kitchen had to be disposed of because of mold. I'm glad to see that they'll go to good use. It makes me feel like this remodel is a bit on the green side, not just creating waste for the sake of cosmetics.

This morning my painter, Tom Griffin, is heading over to the house to do the first coat of primer on the new drywall. Charlie has headed off to Bloomington Hardware to pick up the paint since I am heading into a meeting.

Dinner last night was another trip to Truffles. It seemed a shame to spend a Friday night at home with a box of pizza.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 6

It's 7:45 on day five. Yesterday was another smooth day, though not too much happened. It's all about the drywall now. Yesterday they came in and sanded and re coated. So the rest of the day was spent waiting for it to dry.

Today they are supposed to remove the rest of the cabinetry. I did spend a lot of time yesterday clearing out the rest of the cabinets. It was odd, but once they were totally emptied out and I had removed the hardware (to use later) I felt compelled to clean the counter tops. They were covered in drywall dust, but somehow I felt that they needed a little attention on the last day that they would be in service. Weird, huh?

Above is a photo of the new faucet that we are getting. It is the Allora Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet from Delta. It's a cool combination of modern and simple clean lines. You can check it out at http://www.deltafaucet.com/kitchen/details/989-DST.html. The head is also the sprayer and it's magnetized so it retracts itself with speed and agility.

It was Pizza X for dinner last night. I already feel the need to get green vegetables back into my diet.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 5

Thanks to the success of the Get Involved Bloomington Expo last night, I'm having a late monring today. This photo was taken late last night when I got home.

I have to say that day four of construction seems to have gone smoothly. The drywall was hung, taped and spackled. The electrician did put in the additional outlet for the microwave that I'll have inside the cabinetry.

I also saw a bill for delivery of insulation. A former owner of the house had blown in large amounts of insulation that fell out during the removal of the drywall of the soffit. That area has now been re insulated.

These guys are doing a super job of leaving the site clean at the end of the day. Thanks!

Today they are doing the first round of drywall sanding. I think that this will take two days because I was told that my painter could prime the new drywall on Friday. Once the drywall is completed, the dirty part of the job should be over.

And finally, last night at 6 pm, I was able to complete my new appliance order. Timing wise, the built in fridge needs to be here by next Friday, so it's cutting it a bit close. The salesman at Clark Appliances had emailed my order form to the wrong email address which is why the order was delayed by two days.

I'm really excited about the appliances. The last kitchen remodel that I did, in New York, I chose just one step above builder grade. They were stainless and good quality, but nothing special (with the exception of the dishwasher). This time I am going all out with Dacor appliances. They'll cost me about $6,000 more than with my lasts remodel, but this level of appliance should easily increase the value of the house. So I'm looking at the extra expense as an investment.

It's a beautiful day outside today. Enjoy!

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 4

7:04 am on day four of construction. Yesterday went smoothly. The electrician moved wires in the wall so they could remove the studs, insert the header and then build the new "closet" for the refrigerator and the inset cabinetry.

The electrician also ran new wiring for overhead lights where the new range will be located. We are moving the range space over several inches from its former location to center it on that wall.

It's great to be able to walk into this space and see straight out the back door. Ever since we moved here the position of the back door/refrigerator has bothered me. I guess that's the basis of Feng Shui.

I placed the order for the appliances, but the salesman at Clark Appliances has not sent me the order form to sign. I'll be giving him a call today to get that going. He said that it would take about a week and a half to get the appliances to Bloomington, so that process needs to start today to have them in by the end of next week.

I also forgot to tell Brent, the contractor that I wanted an electrical outlet in the back of one of the new cabinets so I can keep a microwave inside the cabinet to save counter space. A little added expense to get the electrician out here again, but well worth it for the convenience.

Today they start the drywall work, so I'm hanging up additional plastic in the doorways to keep the dust from filling every room. Brent is trying to be nice by keeping the kitchen in tact as much as possible so I can use it, but the dust in the air already makes me not want to do anything in there. So dinner last night was at Truffles. Why is it always so expensive to go there even when you order from the bar menu and it's half price wine night? But we've built in a 'dining out' line item into our remodeling budget, thought I think it's time to go back to the Pizza X game plan.

And luckily my mood is better this morning. It just takes me a little while to adjust to major changes.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 3

It's 7:30 in the morning of day two. Yesterday went well with only a few surprises. As I said before, I cleared out the rooms adjacent to the kitchen to help keep dust and debris under control. Brent, the contractor, said "Oh, you didn't have to do that."

Well, sometime yesterday afternoon, while they were removing the soffit above the refrigerator (see hole above the back door), an enormous amount of blown in insulation came pouring down and blowing everywhere. In addition, somewhere around this time they broke the water line to the fridge. I came home around 3:30 to find wet insulation on the floor and dust everywhere.

Kudos to these guys, because by the end of the day they had the place cleaned up and in good order. And the space has been readied for the electrician to come in and move wires out of the way so they can build the bulkhead and remove the wall.

The only other update from yesterday is that I picked out our new sink faucet. It's really cool looking!

Other than that, I'm experiencing the first phase of feeling depressed. This always happens for me during a reconstruction job. The thrill of the design, the thrill of whats-about-to-happen is over and the fact that my house is being torn up and I'm now committed to spending a lot of money is driving my mood right down the drain. Luckily I know from past experience that my mood will improve, just as the condition of my house will improve.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 2

Day One. It was 7 am when I took this photo. One day there will be sunlight at 7 am again. My job was to clean out the cabinets which took me well into last night. Since I've gone through this before, I know that remodeling can create a huge amount of dust, so I cleared out the entire room. This should make clean up easier every day and keep dust from penetrating into artwork, rugs and furniture.

Appliances were ordered this afternoon from Clark Appliances in Indy (www.clarkappliance.com). The show room on 82nd street is really great. They have a super selection of name brand appliances including Viking, Wolfe, Dacor and Thermadore. We're going with a built-in refrigerator, gas range and a very cool two drawer dishwasher. The old appliances will be donated.

So the work has begun now. The wall that we are removing has been taken down to the studs. The cabinetry on that wall has been removed. We were able to reuse a large pantry cabinet in the basement. The other cabinets that are reusable will go to ReStore here in Bloomington.

It's both exciting and scary to see your house torn apart. Luckily the work should progress quickly so I'll start to be able to see the beginnings of the finished product within a day...with a little imagination.

My Bloomington Kitchen Remodel...page 1

Finally we bit the bullet and decided to remodel our kitchen, so I thought it would make great copy for this web log. We decided to do this for a few reasons:

1. The cabinetry was original circa 1960's though someone had refaced the cabinets with more oak


2. The floor plan of the kitchen was a bit odd with the refrigerator and cabinetry sticking out into the kitchen blocking full view of the back door


3. I hate the floor which is tile with huge and rough grout lines that are impossible to keep clean.

The look we are going for is "Ina Garten Comes to Bloomington". The new floor plan was created to achieve more space in the kitchen and make the back door more accessible. We chose to cut into another room for the additional space. I opted to cut into the room that we use as a music room, so the bare wall in the photo above will be removed and the refrigerator and some additional cabinetry will be set into the space.

Having lived through kitchen remodels several times, I am not looking forward to washing dished in the bathtub and eating delivery pizza several times a week. Our contractor, Brent Thompson of ABC Contracting has given us this timeline:

1. Start tomorrow, Monday, by tearing down the wall and starting work on building the new wall and inset for cabinetry
2. Next Monday, tear out the old cabinetry and install the new cabinetry
3. Three days after the new cabinetry is in place, the new counter tops will be installed.

This total project timeline is to take only three weeks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and memorizing the phone number for Pizza X.

Deal of the Day!

Right now at Restoration Hardware in Indianapolis, this great side chair is reduced to only $179.00. It's a great design with wonderful details. They have a very limited inventory of these chairs so they'll go fast.

BTW, they also had one leather arm chair on sale for $799.00, reduced from just under $2000.00. Cool distressed leather in a not over sized style and it was very comfortable.

Check 'em out at www.restorationhardware.com, though the chairs mentioned above are on sale only at the Indy location.

Before and After Photos of a Recent Bloomington Staging Job

Here are some before and after photographs of a recent Bloomington Staging job. The house was on the market, vacant and not showing with great success. With the addition of furniture we were able to dress up the space and make it more appealing.

The top two photos were taken yesterday morning. The home owner had left a large piece of furniture in the dining room that did not enhance the space. Otherwise this house was totally unfurnished.

The second two photos were taken today. We removed the large piece of furniture in the dining room and replaced it with a contemporary table and chairs that still maintain classic lines. We also added bar stools at the kitchen counter. The table is set with dishes, glassware and linens that add color and texture without being distracting.

For the living room, we chose upholstered furniture that easily filled the space. We kept the colors warm but alive to add visual interest. The artwork was then added throughout the home to compliment the furnishings.

This home is now inviting and pleasing to the eye. You just want to sit down, pour a glass of wine

and enjoy the afternoon...and hopefully write an offer.

Giving Green Plastic Furniture a Quick Makeover

BEFORE

AFTER

Waiting for the spring outdoor furniture to arrive in stores seems like it would be an easy task, but i have had trouble finding wicker furniture in Bloomington...at a good price. And I had a job that was in need of this furniture ASAP.

I had noticed the furniture in the photo at top of the page in our local east side Marsh grocery store for several weeks and I was always turned off by the green and cream color scheme. But need brought about creativity and a trip to Marsh with my truck to pick up the furniture.

While I was in the check out line a woman in front of me said "I was looking at that wicker for my grandmother. I wouldn't like it, but I think she would". Luckily I already had my plan in the works.

I loaded up the four pieces of wicker, priced at only $285.00 including cushions and headed straight to the hardware store. I purchased five cans of Krylon Fusion satin white spray paint and went to work.

Thirty minutes later I had a new and improved set of wicker furniture ready to be used in a client's sun room. The cost of the paint was about $25.00 making the total purchase of my fine white faux wicker furniture right at $310.00 which included two arm chairs, sofa, coffee table and cushions.

When Is It OK To Paint My Dark Stained Trim?

When is it OK to paint the stained trim in my home? The answer is anytime you want to (almost). In Bloomington there are so many homes built in the 20's and 30's that have dark stained trim. So often you hear that you must leave your stained trim as is, or re-stain it, to protect the historical integrity of your home. As I always say, "Own your house, don't let your house own you."

Dark stained trim can make any room look old and depressing. Often these homes built in the 20's and 30's do not have high ceilings and large rooms and many do not have a tremendous amount of natural light. Painting the trim can brighten and enlarge the look of the room. It can add a freshness that is very appealing.

When should you not paint your stained trim? There are homes that I have seen with gorgeous trim in beautifully grained oak. The trim is a work of art in itself. Often used in higher end homes built during this period, the home builder used the finest wood and stained it to show off the quality of the product. Also, if you happen to live in a true bungalow style home as shown int the photo and the house has been preserved in it's original style, then you might want to consider if your interest is in preservation.

The bottom line is that if you are planning on living in the home and your taste lends itself to brighter spaces with painted trim, then go ahead and make your house a home...your home.

Wainscoting – A Cost Effective Way To Add Architectural Interest To Your Home

Wainscoting dates back to 16th century England and today it can add old world charm and interest to your home. There are endless styles of wainscoting, the design choice is yours.

Traditionally wainscoting was added by creating panels which would be installed below chair rails. But the same look can easily be created using 1 x 4 boards installed directly over drywall. Then they can be trimmed out in many different ways and painted.

The wainscoting in the photo above is in a very formal home with 10 foot ceilings. Typical wainscoting is 36 inches high, but because of the ceiling height they chose to make it four feet in height. Each square has been trimmed out to create a very finished look.

It does take skill to create a quality finished product. But the materials can be inexpensive and the final product can add great interest and good value to your home.

Follow this link to see photos of wainscoting ideas: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=wainscoting+pictures&gbv=2&aq=1&aqi=g9g-m1&aql=&oq=wainscoting