ALCOVE PROJECT # 4: DOORS & GETTING A HANDLE ON IT!

The custom made doors for the alcove cabinets & the bookcase in my bedroom have arrived and are in the process of being painted up.  They are beautiful and much better than anticipated with a lovely deep sculptural finish.   Each unit has 4 doors so I have a dozen doors to paint over the next few weekends.  

http://www.doors2size.co.uk/

Style: Manor

I always enjoy shopping for hardware as it's the chance to seek out something special.  I love these black & white bone handles which were my choice for my bedroom bookshelf cabinet.

Bone inlay checkered knob

Anthropologie at 158 Regents Street, London has a great selection of quirky and colourful cabinet knobs.

http://www.anthropologie.eu/anthro/index.jsp

Cabinet candy

For the Living Room cabinets, these beautiful cut glass cubes were ordered from India via Ebay.

Like ice

 And as I prepare for a day of painting, my companion kitty, Pepper positions herself nearby for a spot of sun bathing!

FEBRUARY IN THE GARDEN OF ANXIETY

It's unbelievable just how mild the temperatures are for this time of year!  It can only mean the worse is still to come.  Knowing in advance that the forecast for this weekend was dry and sunny, I thought it would be the right opportunity to do what I should have done in late Autumn: prepare the garden by covering up the garden furniture and protecting the palms with fleeces against frost and harsh weather.

Date Palm and Chinese Fan Palm get protected against frost.

Dutch irises have already started sprouting

The Japanese Maple has now lost all its leaves and the Sasa Palmata bamboo is looking a bit weathered but it is holding up well and will recoup its lush bouncy foliage in Spring.

Snow?  Bring it on because I'm ready!

Due to the exceptionally mild weather, I noticed that a lot of plants have started shooting early.  Unfortunately it's not good if it does show.

Clematis Etoile Violette new growth

Cardoon Thistle

Camelia

New growth on climbing roses.

They say in London you are never more than 6ft away from a rat.  In the Garden of Anxiety, this old adage seems to be more true of foxes than rats. Often you can be pottering away outside and suddenly you become aware that one has been there all the time.  Normally I don't mind them except when they start digging up my plants, which can be infuriating.   

Foxy fox

A day well spent in the garden and now I'm ready for any harsh weather that may come my way.  It is also exciting to think that in a few months Spring will be here and the garden will become alive with growth and colour.  I'm anxious to see what hapened to all those bulbs I planted in the autumn. 

Better late than never.

GARDEN OF ANXIETY GETS GATED

Finally, we got around to installing the sturdy new garden gate.  Sadly, it's not a great time of year for outdoor photographs with the sky being a nice shade of December English grey, but here it is.

It's also interesting to contrast the after to the before to see how far it has come.

Dec 2013

April 2010

You'll see that the original gate was positioned in the right hand side and was a lot shorter and smaller.  The right hand fencing was not replaced but was repainted in Cuprinol garden shades: Willow which was a good choice as so many neighbours have remarked that my garden plot is bigger than theirs - but it isn't.  It just looks that way because the greyish green is not as constricting as a woody brown fence colour.

Note, my neighbours replaced gate on the left.  

From the inside of the garden, you can see how we completely landscaped it - although the original concrete path determined the new design.  It is now below the paving.

The new gate is triple braced, so unlike the trellis version that we built before, this one won't sag.  I can see that next summer I will have to give the whole thing a fresh lick of paint to get a colour match.

April 2010

December 2013

KITTY TV AND SOME DVD FAVOURITES

It has always amused me when I've observed the Pepper kitty momentarily watching TV.  

Occasionally her interest has been held longer than usual if a wildlife special is on:  She was particularly fascinated by David Attenborough's Tiger - Spy in the Jungle, which she got right into.  A little cat who likes watching big cats.  This made me wonder about programming - what if there was a channel specifically designed for kitties, broadcasting the types of shows that they might like to watch.  Would they watch it?  Could Kitty TV one day become a reality when there will be so many channels that everybody will be catered for?...     

This little kitty would watch, as shown above.  I found an ideal DVD for her seemed to be the rather dry looking 'Everyday British Birds' which I picked up from a bargain bin for £1.99.  Once I'd tapped the TV screen and announced 'Birdies! Birdies!' which is a word that she understands from watching them through the windows, she was spellbound by it.  Which may prove with the right material your moggie could become a TV addict.  I supposed now I'll have to allocate space for her own DVD collection.  

  

'No, you can't have the TV remote back...'

BEDROOM ONE: BOOKCASE

A part of the Alcove project was getting the MDF cut at the same time to build a bookcase in my bedroom. I knew I wanted something floor to ceiling but ended up following the same design as the alcove units - but with a slight difference on the shelving supports, which in the final version below, I reversed the design.

   




















There's not much depth to this unit around 10 inches.  It's enough space for a layer of books with about 2 inches in front for a picture frame or slim ornament.  I find a lot of the shop bought bookcases the depth is often too deep and there is a lot of wasted space.  

I wanted to get a picture before I started filling it with books, although a mini hifi unit has already been cabled in.  Above the unit was enough space to install a pair of IKEA bookcase lamps.  Since the mirrored wardrobe doors are at a right angle to the bookcase the lights will also be useful for dressing.

LIVING ROOM
Still in progression but a little more work has been done:  The Venetian blind has been hung and the chandelier installed. 

All that's left now to complete the alcove units is to order the custom made doors.
 

INSPIRATION: AERO - THOMAS O'BRIEN

One of my favourite design books at the moment is AERO which documents the contemporary history, style and success of NY designer and store owner, Thomas O'Brien. His love of vintage 1920s & 30s style aethetics combined with a passion for collecting; sometimes renovating and refurbishing original items; and designing,  resulted in his unique trademark homestyle called 'warm modernism' - which is sold in his home emporium store.   

 




















Below are photographs of his Manhattan apartment full of interesting pieces and artworks. 

More of his designs and products can be found here:-

www.aerostudios.com









Footnote: 59 Days nows without a cigarette!

WINDOW TREATMENTS

I've always liked the architectural, uncluttered look of shutters and that was my original intention for dressing the windows.  These often work well with short wide windows like the ones I have. 

However, anyone with a cat will know how much they love to sit at windows staring outside - especially in Winter when the radiators are on.  It seemed cruel to deprive her of that simple pleasure so I revised my ideas and looked for the next best thing.  After all, the first rule of interior design is to establish how the space is to be used and that also includes consideration of your pets, as Pepper probably uses the windows more than anybody else.

The next best thing is wooden Venetian blinds.  This way they can be raised to a suitable height to give the Pepper kitty enough space to sit under and survey the world outside.  Decora Sunwood produce the Contour range; stylish curved wide slats that mimicking the look of shutters and that's what I've gone for throughout.  

Days since last cigarette: 44 Days

 

HOW TO BURN MONEY ANOTHER WAY

I've stopped smoking.  It has been 10 days now.  Physically, with the use of 25mg Nicorette patches and a plastic inhalator as a cigarette substitute it hasn't been as difficult as in past attempts or how I imagined it would be.

Psychologically, it has been a lot harder because I've always enjoyed smoking but the recent health scare of a friend made me think that now was a good time to quit.

As an incentive to stay off the cigarettes, I've decided to set up a rewards program where I get to spend my cigarette money on those big expensive art books from my Amazon wish list!  A rewards system only works if you spend the money that you'd normally burn, on something that you badly want, but wouldn't buy because it is a complete luxury.    

I worked out that I smoked around 15 cigarettes at a cost of £4.95 per day.  I'm accruing this equivalent amount each day that I don't smoke on a spreadsheet and debiting my rewards.  I've found that short term goals & rewards work the best as you get rewarded quicker.  I think saving long term for something like a holiday would become meaningless as gratification needs to be frequent to remind you why you are doing it.   However, I am also deducting the cost of the patches and inhalator cartridges as an additional incentive to cut back on these as well. 

My idea is to try this system for 12 weeks, which should be long enough to become totally nicotine free and to accustom myself to a change of habits.

Faced with the prospect of getting these fantastic goodies, I've become very excited & motivated about giving up smoking!  Suddenly to be able to spend £50 on a book after 10 days seems crazy, but it totally drives home how meaningless burning money really is. 

LIVING ROOM: ALCOVE PROJECT UPDATE

It's a grey rainy day today, and another weekend where we can't do any work outside which is very frustrating.  Is the summer truly over?  It seemed so sudden.  Nevertheless, indoors there is plenty of work to be getting on with...

Not a great day to take photographs due to the light or lack of, but I thought I'd post some on where we are now with the Alcove project.

Finished Shelves

Just the doors to complete

Torus architrave was used to trim the sides and top to the walls, which concealed the gaps as the wall wasn't perfectly square - as is the case with old houses.

Torus Trim

  






















Just barely detectable in these terrible photographs is the two colour contrast.  The walls at the back of the bookcases were painted in Mellow Mocha to create a greater illusion of depth. 

Mellow Mocha was used as a feature colour

A gap of 5mm was left between the wall and the bookshelf unit so that speaker cables and any other cables could be tidily concealed behind.

Mind the gap

The window ledge has now been veneered with 3mm ply and painted.  This seemed a faster and less messy way than filling and sanding out all the scratches and gouges in the wood.  I'm really pleased with the result.

Veneered window ledge

I'm also currently working on the bookshelf unit for my bedroom, which will be posted soon.

 

  

GETTING LAID IN THE GARDEN OF ANXIETY

As Summer draws to a close and the good weather could be coming to an end, the weekend work effort has switched to completing jobs in the Garden of Anxiety.  The new sturdy garden gate has arrived and needs to be painted and hung.  But before then, the last of the sandstone paving in the small area at the gate entrance needs to be laid.   The remains of the original, old concrete path have now disappeared and was the determining factor in introducing another step - as the old concrete is beneath it.

Laying the slabs

Old concrete becomes another step.

Almost complete

Frontal view.

Just four slabs left to be laid and a little concrete work to tidy up and the garden entrance will be complete.  Everything is ready for the new gate: A push button digital lock with key override; 3 x 18 inch gate hinges and a custom built gate with tenon joints to prevent sagging.  All that's needed now are a few more dry weekends.

Once these jobs are done, this should complete the hard landscaping and with much relief!  Most of the planting is in place now.  The beauty of creating a Mediterranean style patio garden is the future low maintenance.  Rather than spending my Summers mowing the lawn with regularity, I hope to be out there instead with a good book and a nice glass of wine.  An annual prune of the plants and a heavy duty clean of the patio & furniture should be all that is required.  The other advantage of paving is that you can use your garden during those wet winters without having to wade through a muddy lawn.

A big shout to my sister for gifting me this striking Cardoon which has finally bloomed.

 

This last photo was also taken with her in mind as she loves all things cow.  Moo recycling bins spotted close to Lewisham shopping centre.  What a great way into introduce something reminiscent of the country in an urban town centre.