LIVING ROOM SUB-FLOOR

  

Greatly relieved to be finally rid of all the nasty old carpets!  The living room sub-floor was laid last weekend, leaving only the office floor the be completed.  It's important to remember the finished floor will only be as good as the sub-floor that it is laid on. It will probably have another layer of fibre-board underlay before the bamboo is laid.    

WALLS: POSTER ART

I love this poster and I think it might be perfect for the top of my staircase.  I love the vibrancy of the colours and I love how it evokes the adventure and excitement of travel.  It works particularly well against a background of neutral colours.

This work is by Michael L. Kungl, an artist who specialises in creating original works in an Art Deco style.

http://www.mkungl.com

Posters are available from:-
http://www.allposters.co.uk/

WORKS IN PROGRESS: BEDROOM ONE

The last few weekends have been busy working on my bedroom, here referred to as 'bedroom one': The built-in wardrobe is now in situ - constructed out of stud work and plasterboard, and ready for the plasterer to render the final coat and turn it from a skeletal framework into a solid wardrobe.  The tracks are in place for the mirrored sliding doors.  These types of floor to ceiling wardrobes are relatively easy to construct - although you have to sure where you position them because of their permanence (obviously), but I love the way that once they are finished, they will blend into the walls.

The sub-floor has also been laid.  All the old carpet and underlay cut up and thrown out.  I was suprised to find that beneath to floor boards is solid concrete which seems unusual for a first floor apartment but I guess that's how they built in 1936.  I had to check just to ensure that when I was screwing in the sub-floor that I wasn't going to hit any wires for downstairs' electrics.  Between the sub floor and floorboards a fibreboard underlay has been placed to act as a sound-proofing barrier as well as helping to flatten any uneveness.  The bamboo flooring won't be laid until the rooms have been plastered and painted, but already without the ugly carpets that the previous owner left behind, the place seems cleaner and fresher.

INSPIRATIONAL: MOBILFRESNO

Mobilfresno are a Spanish company specialising in bespoke furniture.  While I'll never be able to afford their range, I can however draw inspiration from their designs, especially their colour palettes.  Combining colours in rooms in never easy to get right.  Secondly, I love how their designs seem to be inspired by Art Deco and Bauhaus styles, which they've reinvented with a contemporary slant.

Click on the images to enlarge.

BATHROOM PROGRESS #7: THE STARS AT NIGHT

The bathroom ceiling was plastered this morning and is now drying.  I'm very happy with the results as it is now as flat as a sheet of glass, although it is impossible to tell from this patchy photograph. The darker areas are where the plaster is still wet. 

Cristian, the Eastern European plasterer, gave a very good price of £60 (the quotes I'd had ranged up to £135) and worked diligently on it until it was perfect.  I was suprised that the mess was minimum, as I'd heard that plastering can be very messy.  I'll be using him again at a later date, when it comes to re-plastering the walls and ceilings thoughout.  He's also given a very reasonable quote for the entire flat.

Note the square shaped down lighters, in keeping with the square bathroom theme.  These are IP65 rated for use in zone 1 of the bathroom, and are further protected by the lamps being encased in a glass bubble.

WALKING ON AIR... OR BAMBOO

Nobody loves a bargain as much as I do; so I was overjoyed when the builders merchant called today to confirm that they were discontinuing their current solid bamboo flooring line and could let me have the remainder of their stock at a 50% discount.  Luckily they had enough in stock for me to floor the entire apartment.  I already knew that whatever flooring I put down, I wanted it to be consistent, in order to create the sensation of flow throughout the space. 

I love bamboo:  It is uniquely attractive as well as being strong and resilient. Furthermore it is more moisture resistant than most woods making it less liable to curl and warp. As a renewable source, it is environmentally friendly.

While I'm nowhere near the flooring stage of this refurbishment, it's impossible to resist a saving - so in the meanwhile it will have to be stored in the attic.

BATHROOM PROGRESS #6: ON HOLD

Stalled

Sadly the bathroom is temporarily on hold until August 1st, when the plumber returns from his honeymoon.  The delays began when the heated towel radiator that I had ordered back in March, wasn't available until mid June, but it didn't actually arrive until last week, which clashed with the plumbers wedding plans.  Good things are worth waiting for, and the square tube design fits in exactly with the whole bathroom theme.

In the meantime, I've taken the opportunity to get the bathroom ceiling re-plastered which is being done tomorrow morning.  I thought it was best to get this done before anything else gets installed.

The culprit of the delay

 

GARDEN OF ANXIETY: PLANT PROGRESS

March 2011

July 2011

Anemone de Caen

Escallonia Iveyi

Dutch Iris

Chinese Lantern Physalis

Climbing Rose

THE SCENT OF FRESH HERBS

Even if you are not massively into cooking, it's nice to have fresh herbs growing in the garden.  Crushing the leaves between my fingers, I enjoy inhaling the different aromas.  You could say, I'm high on herbs!  Thyme and Oregano always evoke memories of family holidays in Spain as a child, and are my favourites...  The quickest way to grow herbs is to buy the potted living ones from a supermarket and transplant them straight into the soil.  With a little care, you can soon have them taking over the garden: Mint and Parsley can be particularly rampant, but Basil is a little harder to successfully grow.