Cleaning Therapy

Sometimes Always, living life is messy. When you live your life in a renovation, this is especially true. ESPECIALLY when you have two cats two dogs. And when you live in  a community that calls its Spring, Mud Season... well, you catch my drift.

Husband and I finished our concrete floors and after, I'll admit, we were naive to believe that we would be ready to move back into our living room. Then slowly, between furniture shopping and spatial planning, we came to realize that we are far from ready to bring upholstery and pets back into this space. We have this open loft that needs hardwood flooring and fascia trim-- bring on the sawdust! We busted out 18 windows in the living room to upgrade them to double-pane, low-E, insulated glass units... which quite literally brought the outdoors, in. Dirt and bugs and all.

All this is to say that, one, we are not ready for any big reveal photo shoots. And two, that our house has become quite messy, to say the least. This is what has become of our upgraded new living room these past couple weeks:

Okay, so this happens. We've all been there. So I am going to tell you the best thing I know to say.

It's time to clean. 

Even though we are not finished and so this space will definitely get at least this dirty again, THE MADNESS MUST STOP.

If you have ever worked in food service then you know what I am talking about. You have all these huge, stainless steel tables that get covered in all kinds of vegetables, sour cream and raw meat and you are constantly cleaning them. They will get covered again, within hours, but you must not be tempted to think, "what's the point?" You must clean again because it's the right thing to do for your health, safety and sanity.

Cleaning a work space is kind of like pressing the reset button. It keeps you from becoming overwhelmed. It brings the finish line out from hiding. It whispers, you can do this.

 
All our tools and paint cans are put away, so when we need them tomorrow we'll know where to find them. The vacuum has done its job. All the trash is, appropriately, in the trash.

So, what's the point? Like I said, we're not ready for any photo shoots but at least we feel like we can breathe again. Tomorrow is another day and we are ready for it.

The Art of Letting Go

You may or may not know this about me but I don't own a set of dishes. Not a matching set, anyway. It's not that I'm perpetually living like a college student, twelve years post-college. It's a choice I've made, if not partly because I couldn't possibly choose just one pattern or style.

I love things that are different. I love most colors and patterns. I love constantly rummaging through thrift stores, antique malls and the clearance section at Anthropologie for a new plate, bowl or mug to add to my collection. I love that this snapshot of my cupboard will be ever-changing.

People ask me if I have my favorites and, of course, I do. And what happens when one breaks and it's the only one? That is actually one of the most beautiful things about my collection. Because that is when I practice letting go.

One of my favorite mugs fell from the top shelf the other day and, let me tell you, it was sad. My bestie gave it to me and it was an excellent mug for sipping hot chocolate. My sweet husband offered to collect the pieces and fix it but I knew it wouldn't be right. Some of my dishes do have cracks or super-glued handles and I keep them in rotation because they still hold liquid and they are still essentially themselves. Then sometimes one really breaks and you know it's time to say goodbye. It's a practice in sadness, mourning, letting go and moving on. It's good for my soul.

Maybe it's simple or silly but these dishes, each as unique as a person, help me to practice being a better me. So much of what home is, to me, is helping me to just deal with life and the world. Home is refuge, yes.  It is sanctuary, yes. And sometimes it is character CrossFit. Home sends us forth equipped with whatever we've gleaned from the place and the people within. So, what if my dishes make me cry sometimes?

People ask me if I do anything special with these broken favorites and, yes, I do. I put them in the trash. Like I said, it's a practice in letting go. Moving on.

A Frugalista's Guide to Sofa Shopping

Nate and I have finally received all the swatch kits from our top-choice sofa manufacturers and I thought this would be a great chance to share some direction, insight... and COUPON codes!

We are shopping within the mid century modern aesthetic, to stay true to the original design of this house (so, if you are not interested in such things, this won't be the post for you). We have looked around A LOT and even in a city like Denver, there are relatively few retailers that cater to this style. We spent quite a while at Mod Livin' in Aurora and Mod Mood in Lakewood, CO. While both places have knowledgeable and helpful salespeople, the only thing we actually walked away with was this sweet, vintage coffee mug.

Still, those that do will have many of the brands you can find easily online (convenient for giving your expensive purchase the much needed butt-test). I do recommend shopping local if you can and most of these retailers can order for you at the same price you'll find online, which will benefit you to have a liaison through the order and shipment process. I also wouldn't hesitate to ask them for the same discount the website is offering (if they don't already).

Before I go on, I will make a disclaimer that I am really frugal. As in, I rarely buy anything at full price. And I think that discounts less than 20% are pretty meh. All this is not to say we are in the market for a cheap sofa. We want this piece of furniture to be really comfortable, durable and last for a good, long time, and we know we'll have to pay for that kind of quality.

Without further adieu, here are some of our favorites...

Gus Modern:You'll need to find a retailer to shop this line. When we were looking a few weeks ago, they were running a 10% off sale.

Gus Modern Bloor sofa in Velvet Neptune

Bryght (currently up to 30% on select models thru Feb 14, 2016). While this retailer doesn't have a huge selection of models or fabrics, they do have amazing prices (especially on leather!) and they manufacture in the US. 

Bryght Ceni Sofa in Volcanic Gray

Joybird, which you may recognize because they do a fantastic job of advertising. They have an excellent website and a plethora of positive reviews. They manufacture in the US with mostly sustainable fabrics, and every piece is made to order. Need a sofa 3 inches longer? Want piping on your armchair? No problem (for an extra fee, of course). I have found several coupon opportunities for this site so don't purchase without looking (or asking their customer service directly... you'd be surprised). Now thru Monday, Feb 16, 2016 save 10-25% (depending on how much you spend, discount taken at register) or use coupon code HGTVMAG20 for 20%, no minimum.

Joybird Hopson sofa in Lucky Divine

Thrive has basically the exact same inventory as Joybird and for basically the same price. Their website is not as user friendly and their reviews are more mixed but they are expected to arrive a lot sooner and their sales can be better. Enjoy a whopping 25% off thru Monday, Feb 16, 2016 with code PRES2016.

Thrive Sullivan sofa

West Elm (Love me some WE!) also has a good selection of mid century styles, as well as frequent sales and coupons. I don't buy anything from West Elm without a coupon.

West Elm Peggy sofa in Heathered Weave Cayenne

World Market is probably my favorite store, period. Their aesthetic makes me swoon and their prices are unreal. Plus, I tell people that signing up for their Explorer program is the best thing I've ever done on the internet. Do it. I also never buy anything from World Market at full price. I will say that I don't care for the comfort factor of their sofas but that's reflected in the price. They do carry a mid century line and this arm chair is one of my favorites:

World Market Xander Armchair in Slate Gray

One final tip: Want to take advantage of all the great deals from your favorite retailers but don't want to be inundated with junk emails? I've set up a separate email account that I pretty much only use for online purchasing and I highly recommend it. This way, I don't have a hundred-thousand emails in my inbox and I'm not tempted to buy unless I'm in the market for something specific.

After much deliberation, we will be making our final sofa purchase this weekend to take advantage of the President's Day sales. I'll let you know how it goes!

Let There Be Lights

Welcome back to home renovation in real time! The last time I posted we were shopping for sofas and lights for our living room. We are still shopping for sofas but we did happily settle on new lights. 

A few years back we saw these globe pendants in the local Re-source store. That is, the sort of home improvement thrift-store in town where my husband likes to hang out to rummage through the scrap metal bin and where I like to look for treasures like this. After letting them sit for what must have been months, we finally decided to pick them up for our front entry. Mike, the owner and our friend, sold the three of them to us for ten dollars each because, as he said, "nobody would want them but [us]". 

That blows my mind about the town we live in because this is not the only mid century treasure we have scooped up for dirt-cheap or free because people here don't seem to appreciate the style. Just yesterday down in Denver, a mere hour and a half away, I saw these exact globe pendants for sale for $500 each in a retro consignment shop. No joke. 

All this also blows my mind when I think about the people who commissioned Nixon and Jones in 1959 to design a modern church building for the mountain town of Granby, CO. Even today, it sticks out like a sore thumb on the hillside, amidst simple and rustic mountain homes. I don't know who they are or what they were thinking, but I appreciate their boldness. 

Part of the reason we decided to pull the trigger on these lights for our front entry is because we stopped by the First Christian Church in Boulder, CO one night before it had been sold and designated a landmark. This was an impromptu stop and there was nobody around so we just walked around and peeked into the windows, wondering at the sense of connectedness we felt with this place that was like a sister to our home. It was difficult to see much, but I immediately recognized the globe pendants hanging throughout and so I told Nate we needed to go get the ones from Mike's. The same architects that designed our house put these lights in this building maybe a year later, so I knew they would belong and bring homage to the original intent of the design. And today, when I think about it, I still feel like we are borrowing our sister's earrings. 

Former First Christian Church in Boulder, CO

All that brings me to today. We have thought about what we would do with our living room lighting for years. People seem to like the original purple stained glass pendants-- and we do, too-- but they really don't fit in exactly with what we want to accomplish with this space. Plus, just because it is original doesn't mean it is the best choice for today. I know people who stick with furniture or fixtures they really don't love or need anymore just because of some arbitrary reasoning like, "It's original," or "It belonged to [so and so]" or, "It was a gift." I'm not about that. I may be extreme but I see my house as an extension of me and so if there is something major that I don't stand behind in my space, then I feel compelled to change it before I think someone will get the wrong idea about me. Though, to be fair, I must not be too extreme because those lights have been giving the wrong idea about me for over five years. I mean, sometimes we can't afford to do major home renovations in one fell swoop. Plus, life is full of compromises and self-discovery, you know. 

So, after looking at all the lights available for sale anywhere, we have finally settled on our lighting. You can find replicas of this globe pendant all over the internet so you don't need to buy the $500 one at your local retro retail store if you don't want to. We found the best deal out there for eight, 14-inch globes (on Wayfair.com, if you're interested). 

We constructed a questionable scaffolding so my husband could spend hours towering more than 20 feet over our new concrete floors. We bought warm white LED bulbs, which will hopefully last forever so we don't have to climb a ladder to change them ever again. 

The end result is whimsical clouds in the heavens. 

We love it and I hope you do, too. At least, I hope you feel light and warm when you come to visit. 

To the Max

I've heard that, when it comes to making decisions, there are two types of people: Maximizers and Optimizers. I think about this a lot because we are renovating and that constitutes a gajillion decisions, most of which put your relationship to the ultimate test. But that's a post for another day.

Now that we have finished our concrete floors we have this huge blank canvas on which to put the entirety of a West Elm catalog carefully though-out investment pieces. By the way, let me digress for a moment and say that there is nothing like having a new, beautiful floor to make all your furniture look like total crap.

So we have been doing a lot of (mostly online) shopping and so now is the perfect time to explain this maximizer/optimizer thing.

MAXIMIZERS:
These are the decision makers who go out looking for, say, a sofa. They analyze exactly what they want and need-- size, color, fabric, style, price-- and then go look at a few sofas. They find one that seems pretty perfect but then proceed to go look at ALL THE SOFAS, everywhere, throughout the whole world. Then they eventually, and almost reluctantly, go buy the pretty perfect sofa and feel great about the decision after second- and third-guessing the choice.

OPTIMIZERS:
Sometimes referred to as "Satisficers" (a mix of satisfy and suffice), these are the decision makers who go out looking for a sofa and find a sofa they kind of like, in their price range and buy it immediately without ever giving it a second thought. Simple as that.

If you haven't met us, Nathan and I are both maximizers. Like, to the max. You wouldn't even believe the multitude of hours we have spent in the Home Depot agonizing over the stupidest things.

I snapped this picture of Nate the other day, nearly comatose, online shopping. We have finally decided, after five years of living here and thinking about this, which light pendants will replace the purple stained glass ones in our living room sanctuary. Here, he is tediously looking at all the lights. After we have already decided. Just to make sure we really like those the most, and that we get the absolute best deal. I rarely give him any crap about this sort of thing because I am the same way. I totally get it.

Now we are on the hunt for the most perfect sofa. If you have found one you love and can make recommendations, comment and let me know. In the meantime, if you need us you can find us looking at all the sofas.

Tiny Victory

It's been a while since I last posted and I am sorry if I've left you on pins and needles. To catch you up, we stopped just short of finishing our floors before a much needed Christmas holiday away with family. Now, it's the new year and as cliche as it may be, Nathan and I both feel a sense of newness on the horizon.

If you know me then you probably know I am not one to live my life on autopilot or become stuck in a rut (for long). The same thing inside me that gave me a wanderlust through my twenties is the same thing that inspired me to jump on board with my love and move into an old church in Colorado. This is the same thing that causes me to periodically reevaluate my choices to-date and make sure I am (we are) still on the right path for us. We cannot help but wonder sometimes if this church house plays such a key role in our story because it is our idol or because it is our calling. We hope and pray it is the latter.

Regardless of where we've been or where we'll end up next New Year, this place is our home and I am excited to show you what's new.

As of today, Nathan has finished the last coat of wax. If you are interested in the nerdy details, the wax protects the sealer, which protects the concrete, mostly from scratches. They also help to bring out the rich color of the stain.

During this process we talked to several people who had never seen polished concrete floors, at least not in a home. I think we sounded crazy to them. I also think we Americans have a real hardwood floor fetish.

A guy at Bobcat of the Rockies in Golden, CO-- which was our lifeblood during this process, from machine rental to product purchasing to astounding knowledge bestowed-- told us at one point that if he were going to bid out our job it would cost $8 per square-foot and it would take a crew a solid week.

"You can install new hardwood for less than that," I said. 

But here's the thing. Even though hardwood flooring is very timeless and wonderful in its own way, and we will be using it in some parts of our home, it was worth it to us to restore this concrete.

First off, this was the original flooring and, come to find out, very true to modern design in the mid-century. To restore this floor is to bring back to life part of the original architecture of this building. That feels almost missional.

Next, the crew that first poured the concrete slab in 1959-1960, used a hand trowel to create this decorative diamond pattern as control lines (that's the part that looks like tile). This is a detail you just don't see very much anymore. Labor is so expensive and so custom details like that are all-too often neglected today. As they say. "they don't make it like they used to." To cover the concrete with any other flooring would be, quite literally, to bury diamonds.

Finally, reusing something you already have is the most sustainable way to design. No trees were harmed in the restoring of these floors.

Nathan and I love the finished product and a contractor friend even told us that it looks really good. That it's "not your typical homeowner special." That means a lot coming from a professional. Still, we definitely made compromises along the way and we can look at the finished product and see every single flaw. That's life, though. All you can do is the best you can do with the time and money, knowledge and skill you possess at the time. And I'm certainly not going to point out those flaws to you.

At this point you might still be unsatisfied with these "'after" pictures, taken at night, with a cheap camera. There's no stunning room design and it will take months to update everything that goes on top of these new floors. But that is what this process is mostly like. Tiny victories.