Double Vision

We currently have 2 TVs in our living room. Ay caramba. If anyone's wondering why our bathroom takes so long, it's partially because we've jumped between projects a lot - that and we have a busy schedule, and we are learning as we go. Anyway, we're close to a reveal on the bathroom, but in the mean time I thought I'd share our plan for the guest room/eventual nursery/potential foosball room/exercise studio (I decided to use the word studio because it makes our exercising sound much more glamorous than it actually looked when we do it). 

So hopefully one day the 3rd bedroom will be a baby room, but until then, we don't want a room sitting there and being of no use to us. We painted it "Quiet Nest", so when the day comes we won't need to repaint, but it's a soft enough colour that it works as a guest room too. Our original plan was just to put the day bed and vanity in there and use the closet for seasonal storage and the occasional guest. This was a little silly because we will probably never have an overnight guest. Perhaps a friend who is too tired to drive, or a babysat kiddo needing a nap, but both of these seem pretty unlikely. Almost all of our friends live here, as well as our family, so we've never had a guest. 

The next plan for this room came about by Philip's cousin generously gifting us their foosball table. We thought that room could work for it since our basement isn't finished and it's just off the living room. We have the table set up in their now, but I think it's about to move into the basement. 

Poor foosball, being kicked back downstairs. We'll probably try and buy a cheaper rug for the basement and set it up down there for the time being. It can still be used and stay nice, but just not upstairs because we came up with yet another plan! Plus this one we sank money into so it's likely to stick.

Our exercise regime is a Wii program called EA Active, it's awesome but since moving we've both fallen out of the habit. We're really hoping to get back into it, but the problem is that our living room is not a great set up. Any time we need to exercise we have to move our coffee table, which is too heavy for one person to move. This means that if I decide to exercise on a day off and the table is there it isn't so easy for me, or else it means that we keep our table off to the side for weeks making our living room look less than presentable. After thinking it through, we decided that a great option would be a TV in the guest room with all the gaming consoles set up in there. We can exercise out of the way, keep our living room weight free, and have a separate room for playing games too with friends. The day bed works as a great couch so it should be a fun space.

Right now our guest room is being used as an interior door construction zone, so we haven't set it all up yet, which means the TV we bought off Kijiji is hanging out next to our other TV. It makes us look very tech-savvy. I can't wait to have it all set up and maybe do a video showing how our house is looking these days! 

Short Project Attention Span

Since moving on to our Spring To-Do List I've had major project ADD, and can't stop dreaming about some of the other unfinished spaces we have in our future. The bathroom is the last thing we've budgeted for at least for now, so we'll see after that what we should be saving up for next. Lately, I've been especially drooling over an Ikea living room. 

I'm a bit hesitant about buying an Ikea sectional, because some of them don't look like the best quality and I know that their stuff is cheap for a reason. However, Young House Love has the Karlstad sectional and they've had it for a few years and still like it so that seems promising. I'm going to use this post to create a bit of an inspiration board for our future living room.

I love a sectional that's at least close to equal lengths on both sides, it seems the most useful. 

Here's the Karlstad in John & Sherry's living room.

As far as media storage goes, I love our EQ3 furniture, but I wouldn't mind something on the wall that uses more of the space and makes me feel more free to accessorize, so it's not all about the TV.I'm leaning towards something like this. 

I find rugs so difficult to choose, but this new one from Urban Barn is graphic but still neutral.

This coffee table is crazy cool, from EQ3.

I love curtains! Both of these options from West Elm are fantastic.

So those are some of the things I've been dreaming up while blogging on our living room couch lately. I know we probably won't be able to make some of the more major changes - like a new sofa - anytime soon, but if we can start dreaming up what direction we want our house to take we'll know what we should choose accessory wise or what to save up for. Anyone else planning a project that isn't happening?

Coming This Winter to a Winnipeg-based Home Reno Blog Near You!

Well, with December having commenced this past weekend, our official To-Do list for Winter 2012-2013 has just begun, and this is what we have to look forward to until February. For your benefit, we've included some rationales for why these items have been included now during the coldest part of the year:

Plans Plans Plans

• Design/quote bathroom
• Design/quote kitchen
• Design/quote deck
• Design/quote basement
• Design/quote upstairs ensuite/walk-in closet
• Design/quote landscaping and outdoors

Why now? Because we want to be able to budget for some of these projects over the next few years. And because it's cold outside, and dreaming up cool ideas for the future warms the cockles of our hearts.

This diagram clearly fails to illustrate where exactly the "cockles" are.
This article disturbingly suggests that cockles refer to snails.
We're going to stop researching this right now.

  

Window Coverings

• Quote blinds and curtains
• Install blinds in master bedroom and living room

Why now? Because we hate wearing clothes indoors want more privacy and because we feel self-conscious using our Wii-based exercise games in front of our only TV in the house in the living room, for all the world to watch us out our big picture window.

This gives you an idea of what you might see if you looked in our living room window while we were exercising using our Wii-based exercise games. Except, instead of "cool workout clothes" picture "ratty sweat-soaked t-shirts" and instead of "attractively bronzed men" picture "pale out-of-shape newlyweds dry-heaving during jump squats."

Light Fixtures

• Replace bedroom/hallway light fixtures
• Replace living room light fixture
• Replace dining area light fixture

Why now? Because IKEA just opened in our city and they have really cool lights. As well, our living room light fixture fell from the ceiling and nearly injured me more than a month ago (it was as dramatic as you imagine it) and, as of right now, we haven't done anything about it.

Garage Door Openers

• Remove existing garage door openers
• Install new garage door openers
• Identify lighting solutions

Why now? Because Philip's dad says Sears has a sale on garage door openers in December. As for why that is, well, you'd have to ask Sears.

Interior Doors

• Remove bedroom/bathroom doors
• Paint
• Rehang bedroom/bathroom doors

Why now? Because none of our bedrooms have doors on them right now. Which means  changing clothes when we have company over involves a complex system of full blindfolds, bedsheet curtains, and sombreros. Don't ask.

"Señor, please put that blindfold back on!" (Changing at our house involves everyone else dressing like a stereotypical Mexican bandito.)

Gut Upstairs Bathroom

• Remove mould
• Discard wall tiles
• Discard bathtub
• Discard flooring
• Discard sink
• Discard vanity/cabinets
• Uninstall toilet
• Replace window

Why now? Because right now we shower in the laundry room in the basement, and while the bathroom was once in style, that was when "Watergate" was something you might open to let a riverboat through.

Upstairs Bathroom

• Install new shower/tub
• Install new lighting
• Install new flooring
• Paint/tile
• Re-install toilet
• Install new cabinets
• Install new sink
• Install new mirror
• Reconnect plumbing

Why now? Because unlike with the gutted basement, we don't intend to let the bathroom stay gutted for very long. And yes, we recognize having to go down to the laundry in the basement to have access to a hot shower is one of those classic #firstworldproblems, but it's at least a problem we have the power to correct.

As for more recent news...

Since we haven't updated you on the status of our bedroom reno since last Wednesday: Yesterday night we got a little bit overwhelmed because we're trying to get our bedrooms done (a project that has really unfolded to be a lot more complicated than we'd originally anticipated) so that we can make our living room a little less chaotic by this weekend when we have a Christmas party happening at our house. Wish us luck! As soon as we're done that it's full speed ahead with bathroom renovating - a little bit nervous about getting that all done on schedule, but we're doing our best! Started planning out yesterday some vanity choices and figuring out some obstacles ahead of time. 

Remember to fill out the poll today before we reveal results tomorrow (we've learned that comments and polls aren't working for iPad users, so get your computer out!). We'll be sharing a bit of our Christmas preparations as well tomorrow. 

What do you have in store for Winter? Anyone else crazy enough to tackle a major renovation while Christmas shopping and hosting holiday parties?