IKEA Modified

One of the consequences-cum-opportunities in my home came from having to create a chase in the corner of my bedroom for my water heater's exhaust. The chase resulted in a 24" deep inset, which created a perfect little space behind my bedroom door for a desk. There were only two problems: First, there was nothing that I could find that I both liked and was in my price range. (What?! I have expensive tastes!) Secondly, the floor in the corner, much like elsewhere in the bedroom, is not flat, but ramps up slightly towards the corner, meaning that any purchased desk would either need to have thoroughly adjustable legs or be shimmed. So, faced with these challenges I opted to build my own desk, utilizing a simple, modern design and some surprisingly inexpensive items from IKEA.

The desk design consists of a white desktop, supported on the side and back walls with a concealed metal angle, with a turn-down support piece on the open side, a continuation of the desktop. The materials are 39.5"L IKEA work surfaces, which I bought for $3.99 each(!), a 4'L metal angle (cut to length with a hacksaw), and assorted fasteners from Home Depot. After attaching the metal angles to the wall using screws and washers where there were studs and drywall anchors elsewhere (thankfully I had pictures of the framing to help locate the studs) I placed the top piece on the brackets and took measurements for the side piece. I used cam screws and nuts from Home Depot (the very same featured in just about every piece of IKEA furniture) to connect the side piece and top, so at this point I measured and pre-drilled for these. For the cam nuts I ended up buying a forstner bit, which renders a (nearly) flat bottom at the base of the drilled hole. The one surprise that I had in this process came when drilling the center hole, which is when I discovered that the IKEA desktops are hollow with a cardboard honeycomb. Fortunately I was drilling slowly (and did not drill through the top) and there was enough wood blocking at either side of the work surface to allow me to use two fastening points. I then cut down the side panel, which was angled to account for the sloping floor. Because the underside of the desktop (now the inside support) was unfinished, I spray painted the underside semi-gloss white to match the rest of the piece. Then it was simply a matter of letting the paint dry and then connecting the two panels together, and then finally, using small screw bolts and a socket wrench, attaching the desktop to the brackets.

I'm very happy with the end results and hope that it proves to be a useful and productive workspace.

Remembering Autumn

On cold and especially snowy days like the ones that we've had recently, I've especially missed the warmer weather! Since I have been negligent in my efforts to update this blog, I thought that now might be a good time to look back to the last warm days of 2009 and cover what I was working on at that time.

As last reported, I ended up erecting a new fence around the backyard. The fence has unfortunately only fared but so well against the insistence of people passing between it and the tree that sits at the junction of mine and my neighbors' properties, and as such I've had to continually re-insert the bamboo panels into the frames. Once the snow melts one of my first tasks (after once again fixing the fence) will need to be creating some sort of barrier between the fence post and the tree, which will hopefully keep people from trespassing on my property and messing up the fence.

I decided to add some lighting to the fence posts, and, because I did not want to add hardwiring, decided to use solar-powered LED lights. For this, I actually ended up using exterior pathway lights, normally inserted into the ground, but in this application I drilled a hole into the posts and then shortened the length of the lamps' posts and inserted them into the posts. So far so good, though unfortunately with only morning light these usually only stay lit until around 10 or 11 PM.

I also added some new plants in the front and backyards. In the front I've tried to add more perennials, opting for more native and drought tolerant plants, as this is a western exposure that gets the late day heat. Also, the large tree in the front yard, with its dense foliage, prevents rain from really watering the ground (unless we really get a downpour).

In the backyard, keeping with a more Asian/semi-tropical inspired landscape, I've added a small leaf clumping bamboo (that I was assured is non-invasive), Japanese blood grass, Japanese forest grass, and a hardy palm. I added recycled rubber mulch (made from old tires) in the planting bed, which I edged with a product called Snap Edge, made from 100% recycled high density polyethylene.

Of course these plants are now under a coating of snow. I just hope that I got them in the ground soon enough that they will come back in the spring. Stay tuned!

Back of the House

Last June I posted about the new patio that I had created in the backyard. Unfortunately, with all the other work to be done I wasn't able to complete much more work out back. But now that I'm in a holding pattern as a result of both waiting on the carpet to be installed in the front bedroom and having to put off the downstairs work temporarily due to having my hours and pay cut back at work, I've had a chance to turn my attention back to this outdoor space.

When I first bought the house there was a concrete walk and pad which were cracked, and which sloped from the alley towards the back of the house, raising concerns about water draining towards the foundation. An infill deck, built level with the concrete walk, was rotting. There was little more growing here than weeds and English ivy (an invasive species which has proved a menace throughout the area, and which had overtaken the large tree in the backyard). A low, chain-link fence bordered the north and east sides of the lot, which the neighborhood kids frequently hopped to pass between the easement that ends at the side of my yard and the alley that ends behind it. And along the south side there were, count them, three fences: a tall chain-link fence, a low chain-link fence, and finally a wood privacy fence.

Now, in place of all of this are the aforementioned patio; a new gravel walk, which will allow stormwater to permeate into the soil as opposed to creating run-off, and ties into the patio with its use of the same gravel between the pavers; planting areas; and a new fence on the north and east sides, utilizing bamboo fencing, which I framed in wood to create 'screens'. The rear gate will be a sliding panel of the same construction. For now I have retained the wood privacy fence to the south, but may discuss replacing it with the neighbor. For the patio I've reused a small metal table that I've had for sometime, and purchased two Frank Gehry 'Twist Cubes' for seating, which I especially liked because they resemble stones, which I felt added a modern zen quality.













I still have several projects remaining for the rear, including the water garden and deck, which I hope to be able to tackle within the next year.

A Place for Art

So one of the nice things about this project is that it has allowed for several opportunities to incorporate art. I've already mentioned my participation in glass artist Josh Simpson 'Infinity Project'. But two other artists' work now have a slightly more obvious presence in my house as well.

When I raised the ceiling height of the area above my stair, I realized that I had created an area for a hanging feature. My initial thought was to get a distinctive pendant light for the space, and even got a great quote for a Louis Poulsen Enigma 425 pendant. But I realized that, having already planned for lighting above the tray ceiling, that any more lighting would be slightly redundant, and I also wanted something that would really be a feature element, visible from various angles, and which might even help distract from the narrowness of the stair as one ascends. I have always loved mobiles. One of my absolute most favorite spaces in DC is the Calder room in the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art. There is a meditive quality to the space, and I love to sit and watch the mobiles overhead and their cast shadows on the walls. So I started looking into the possibility of purchasing a mobile for the space (this is the 'surprise' that you may remember me mentioning a few months ago). That's when I came across Matt Richards and his company, ekko mobiles. Not only was I impressed by the quality of the mobiles' materials and construction, but I very quickly learned that I could have a custom mobile made for the space, including custom colors. The design was similar to a mobile Matt had designed and created called (appropriately enough) 'Architection'. It was scaled to fit the dimensions of my space. Because the stair would be seen both from from below as you walk up the stairs as well as from the second floor landing, the design incorporates elements which are horizontal to the ground plan (almost like 'lilypads') as well as vertically oriented elements (which are almost like 'paddles' or 'oarheads'). As I had chosen to paint the upper portion of the ceiling above the stairs an orange color (to further accentuate the height of the space), I was able to specify that the color of two of these elements be the same orange, while the other colors were chosen in a more minimal, monochromatic palette of white, grays, and black. I'm really pleased with the results, and the mobile is the perfect element for this space. I can't help but stop and admire it every time I walk by it. And I even was able to refer ekko mobiles to one of my clients where Matt created two very large mobiles, providing the perfect finishing touch on my lobby redesign project (see 'Sisters' on Matt's ekkoblog).










On a recent trip to Charlottesville, VA I came across the work of local artist Milenko Katic. One of his prints, 'Torzo', from his 'Loft Series' caught my eye for the composition and the line quality. The basic forms and overlapping elements of the scene really appealed to me, so once home I researched the artist and learned that the original was available. It now adds another dimension and view to the bedroom. This was my first art purchase, but, now with this and my mobile, I suppose that I'm becoming a collector. Home-renovator and supporter of the arts...I'll take that!

The Rear Bedroom in Pictures

Coming in for a Landing...

So this week the final coat of polyurethane was applied to the small landing at the top of my stairs. As you might recall, my original intention was to refinish the entire upstairs, but unfortunately the gummy adhesive residue threw a proverbial wrench in the process. So my plan B was to refinish simply the landing, and then have the bedrooms carpeted.

Because there were irregularities and a lot of variation in the grain of the existing floor, I decided to stain the floors with an ebony stain. I've always loved the look of an ebonized floor, and in this application it helped to conceal some of the years of wear the floor had seen. The railings will soon be stained the same dark color. With the installation of the carpet I'll be well on my way to a completed upstairs!

A-Door-Able?

So I didn't think that it would be that hard to find a front door for my place. I was wrong. So I finally decided at least on a design for my front door. Originally, I was thinking of doing a full-lite door, similar to those being used inside the house, but without the frosting. But then I realized that some level of privacy might be ideal, and decided to put a little more thought into a design for the door that would offer a little more privacy while still giving me the modern look that I want. I'm not big on panels, and I think that too many panes of glass, even rectangular, begin to look a little goofy. So I finally opted for a simple strip of glass along the handle side of the door, which would reinforce the vertical nature of the rowhouse, as well as add emphasis to the handle side of the door and center of the house.

Ironically, after settling on the design, I quickly came across two examples of this door. One was on a house on HGTV, though it was a comp house for one of the 'sell my house' type of shows, so I cannot find an image of it (too bad, because the entire house was cool). The other was in the new Chiasso catalog (at left).


I have not, however, been able to actually find this door for sale. I have found a place in the UK that I can get something similar, although 1) it's in the UK, and 2) it actually has vertical reveals (that aren't visible due to the door color).

The closest thing that I've found so far is a kit from Crestview Doors that I can buy a solid wood door and make my own.

There was this very smart looking door, though they aren't being manufactured as of yet from what I can find, and anyway they are in Salt Lake City.

So I'm still on the hunt. Anyone have an idea of where I might be able to order one?

Many Hands Make Light Work (and birthdays more fun!)

So back at the end of January I had a birthday, and my friends were all nice enough to come and lend me a hand around the house!

They helped paint, assembled the IKEA wardrobe and bookshelf, clean, and install the bathroom partition and sliding doors. I promise to post recent pictures of all this work soon, but here are some pictures from the weekend.























Special thanks to Adam, Andrew, Brody, Chris, David, Jeffrey, Jimmy, Marc, and Tim! You all made it a very wonderful birthday!

These Little Lights of Mine

So after four days, the electrician finished up his work on the upstairs yesterday. With the exception of getting one fan that had the wrong receiver included, everything else is in and working. Starting in the rear bedroom, there are the wall sconces that flank either side of the bed. (I should admit that I had originally intended to use these in the bathroom above the vanity before I changed the design of that wall). Because the switches for these are directly below the sconces and fairly prominent, I opted for stainless steel switch plates and black dimmers. (Note our first real snowfall of this winter outside the window.)

The ceiling light fixtures include four of these recessed fixtures which pivot and turn, or can be left flush. I also decided to install ceiling fans in both bedrooms. While I'm not the biggest fan of ceiling fans (excuse the pun) as there are some really ugly ones on the market, they do help with air circulation. I opted for the simple Concept I fan by Minka Aire.

In the hallway, a simple ceiling mount fixture from IKEA lights the landing, while the stairwell is lit from strip lighting in the new cove. You can see that I still need to finish painting, as well as the orange that is still being considered (and may or may not stay). There is also a surprise on the way for this area once I get the painting done!



Finally, in the bathroom, while I have to finish the custom light fixture that I'm installing over the mirror, the 'night light' is now working. This light is operated by switches in either bedroom so that you can turn on the light in the middle of the night before even leaving the bedroom so you don't have to fumble around for the switch. The switches in each bedroom have a small indicator light that both help you find the switch in the dark and let you know if the light is one already (in which case the switch light is off). And while not a light, I also had to show off this clever little switch that I bought for the bathroom fan (the middle switch in the gang of three). This bathroom fan timer allows you to set the time (up to an hour) or set to on. What appealed to me (beyond the modest appearance) is that you don't have to worry about forgetting to turn off the bathroom fan.

So, while we're on the subject of non-lighting installation, the electrician also installed the dedicated outlet for the tankless water heater, so one step closer to having the plumber return to finish that install.





He also installed my doorbell!










And on Sunday David helped me install my shower converter, so things are really coming together upstairs.

Now if you'll excuse me I've got some painting to do...