Entries from January 2009 ↓

They are replastering all the walls in the house as the 100 year old plaster was starting to crumble down around us. That pink stuff makes sure that the plaster sheeting (which looks like a hair net a bit) adheres to the wall. Then they spread on the plaster and sand it down. It looks terribly artistic.

We’re securing the subflooring on the Parlor floor so that the we can minimize the creaky boards and level everything out as much as possible.

The slate tiles in the kitchen start to go in. I wish I could have politely taken a picture of the gentleman who was laying the tiles. He was fixating over the exact placement for the most pleasing appearance possible.

It’s only the beginning…

I’ve had 3 contractors and 2 Dykes employees tell me it couldn’t be done. Ha!

We have a piece of hand-carved gingerbread woodwork in the Parlor entrance which spans less than halfway across the floor. Originally there used to be a wall in the middle there, hence only a short piece of woodwork. Initially, every contractor warned me it would have to go - we wouldn’t be able to complete it without a significant expense. After some hunting around locally I turned to internet to find someone who maybe made something similar.

Sure enough I found Matt at The Gingerbread Man. All it took was a couple phone calls where I explained our plight and my desire to bring the house back to its true glory. These guys live for this kind of historical drama and are recreating the scrollwork at an extremely minimal cost.

Fingers crossed that it works out in the end!

In some ways the house never really felt our own. We haven’t been able to hang anything on the walls. We haven’t bought much “real” furniture. I could barely convince myself to clean when there was 100 years worth of grime fighting back.

After nearly 3 years of living in a house with crumbling plaster walls and patched plywood floors it’s amazing to finally feel some progress. Terrifying too. And progress there is…

The kitchen has migrated to the dining room.

It’s hard to believe that this is our kitchen.

I won’t even go into detail about the gross and perplexing things that they found behind the cabinetry. So, so ghetto.

No more ceiling! We’re totally redoing the electric work in here. When Thom saw this he started to have dreams of exposed beams. Maybe in the country house, babe.

The view through to the kitchen floor from the Parlor level. For a second I considered asking the contractor if we could do a strip of glass to look through permanently.

They had to peel back layers of painted on wallpaper - why do people do these things?

The original 1900 wallpaper.

The wall around the pocket doors was opened up so that the doors could be rehung from the top. These doors have never closed in the past 3 years.

They glide like buttah.

The doors are being repaired and restained. I’m so happy that we are able to retain a significant amount of the original detail.

LOTS more to come…

Is that the city regularly reminds me that I’m an idiot.

I can’t even count the number of times that I’ve professed my undying hatred for the F train. It’s slow. It’s dirty. It’s old and inconvenient. It regularly breaks down.

But now - camping out at Val & Tony’s in Park Slope - I realize I don’t really hate it at all. In fact, I kind of love it. Suddenly it seems like a speedy work commute. It’s pretty convenient even [still - why doesn’t it stop at Atlantic?!] and it’s a pleasant - if jealousy-inducing - stroll back to the apartment.

So, thanks New York for always reminding me that there’s some new neighborhood to be discovered, an old friend around the corner and an old grudge to be let go.

Don’t worry. This doesn’t change my devotion to the frequently glorious 2/3 and 4/5 trains.

This past Sunday we joined hands at Bonita. Matt and Jackie introduced us to this place and I’m sold on their spicy drinks. And they had no problem accommodating our expanding group…

After Bonita we headed over to Soda to extend the quality time.

My co-worker Tina turned older on Monday. We got our celebrating in a few days early. And it was quite the celebration. At least, that’s what Thom tells me. I don’t remember all that much of it…

Polly tries to covertly steal Tina’s pup Eloise.

I’ve threatened to move in with Tina - it’s one of those you-cannot-believe-it-exists NYC apartments. The food was delicious too.

Happy Birthday!

What’s a party without Michael?

I may have been known to take a nap or two on whatever couch is in sight. Which is why the choice of our next couch is so important to me. It has to be comfy, classic and less than 78″ which is the size of the cubby in the den. And to fit into the color scheme for the room - grey.

I’m going to take a peek into a couple other stores but Room and Board is likely the best option because they’re affordable, have lots of options in our size and you can pick any fabric/sofa combination.

These are the ones I’m considering (not necessarily in these specific fabrics). Any favorites?

Andre

Hutton

Jasper

Lenox

Paloma

Specifically, a truffle-hunting pig.

The weekend before last Jon and Laura invited us over for a delicious brunch of white bean soup and truffled egg toast. Heaven.

After lunch we walked off a few of those calories in Fort Greene park.

Three day weekends are so perfect.