31.1.11

extreme makeover: home edition

after four months in our new house our kitchen is finally the way we want it. we still have to hang a few pictures and hooks, but looking back at the before shots, the difference is striking.

here is the kitchen and living room when we looked at the house this past summer.

now here is the same space in the winter after much work.

here is an example of the pink tile so beloved by the house's original owners. floor, counter and backsplash. also around the fireplace and in the window wells.

the new tiles come in lots of colours, but no pink.
kylie came up with the idea and the colours for the backsplash, but we had professionals come in to tear out the old tile, cut out and replace the drywall and then install a backsplash more in line with our sensibilities.
it sounds weird when you describe it as a bunch of colours of tile randomly placed with a bit of stainless steel thrown in for sparkle (or flair... we have at least 11 pieces of flair). but we like it, and we're the ones that count i guess.

tyrn likes it too.

now on to the garage. my goal here was to come out with a burst of constructive energy early in our tenure on little mountain, creating an effective work space in the garage to facilitate projects elsewhere in the house and yard. it took a little longer than i had hoped, but after turning this space:

into this space,

it was much easier to turn this side of the garage into efficient storage.
building the shelves was extremely enjoyable. 2x4s and wood screws are like lego for adults; with the added pleasure of a cordless impact driver. it was nice to have the island cabinets from the original kitchen to remount and store cleaning products, toxic chemicals, painting supplies and lightbulbs in.
we still have lots of room on the shelves.

in closing i will offer two pictures of our latest pastime. watching ty take my toque off.
it is just a little bit longer than his arms, but he is getting the knack.
other than playing with ty, our days lately have been spent working, running in the woods with niko, organizing the house, reading, cooking tasty meals and eating lots of chocolate. can't complain. it was even sunny today. life is good.

7 comments:

Lowell & Julie said...

1. I LOVE what you've done with the place.
2. I can't wait to see it in real life in a few weeks.
3. Ty is HUGE!
4. I can't wait to see Ty again.
5. I love your organized garage.
6. Please come here and organize OUR garage!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this post Marc and Kylie and Ty! What a transformation! You have made your home very cozy and inviting!! It was fun seeing Ty with Kylie in your house in the summer and now. He is quickly changing from a baby to a little boy! A happy, patient little boy it seems. He looks quite pleased to have struggled out from under your toque probably for the umpteenth time! :) Love Mum

Anonymous said...

...oh and I forgot to comment on your super organized garage! It turned out great! I am looking forward to going out to visit and to work in that garage refinishing furniture with Kylie. Are you going to join in on that too Marc? Mum

Anonymous said...

....another comment! Is that a tooth we see in Ty's winning smile?
Love Nana and Grandpa:)

shareen said...

How loverly!! 11 is the minimum. Now, it's up to you whether or not you want to just do the bare
minimum. Well, like Brian, for example, has 37 pieces of flair. And a terrific smile. Flair's about FUN!

PS - I love Ty.

Katherine said...

wow, those light fixtures are AMAZING in the original kitchen. Its like a coleman lantern meeting a 45 year old woman. Strange. Great job on the renos. We are currently redoing our kitchen floor. Here's hoping our after pictures look better than the before pictures. And nice teeth on Ty. THat came in quickly hey? William has four now. Oh how fast they grow up:)

Haley said...

Wow - your before and afters are fabulous! I am jealous of your organized garage.. ours is definitely a before shot!