Uptown: How to Makeover a Fireplace

January 19, 2016 | 3 Commentaries

I was so happy to see a gas fireplace in my house when I first toured it with my real estate agent 2.5 years ago. After I bought it, moved in, and planned my various renovation projects, the fireplace was on the reno list, but it wasn’t a priority.

Over the last few months, however, I tackled this fireplace makeover*, and I’m so pleased with the results. Shall we walk down memory lane together?

Here’s the before photo of the fireplace. It was always in perfectly good working condition, but the tile was old, the 80s gold did nothing for me, and the step riser took up space in the smallish-size room. The plan?
1. Get rid of the tile and the step.
2. Paint the gold.
3. Install a beautiful mantle.
4. Install a tile surround.

Thankfully, things went according to plan with this project!

My dad carefully removed the step and tile and ensured that additional supports were installed before adding more plywood/drywall to the surround.

My mom’s incredible detective skills resulted in a gorgeous mantle frame that was just about the perfect size for my space. My resourceful and handy parents took care of the few adjustments (and adding more trim).

The painting and tile work was my responsibility. After taping around the fireplace screen, and covering my room’s floor with tarp, I painted the gold using high-heat Rustoleum spray paint. I completed a few light coats to ensure good coverage.

Once the mantle was installed, I was able to get on with the tiles. I sourced 2-inch matte black hex tiles from my KW go-to tile team at Twin City Tile. I had my heart set on black from the get-go, but I did contemplate white hex and marble for a bit, too (you saw a bit of marble in one of the photos above).

via Instagram

In the end, I’m definitely glad I went for a black hex tile surround as the fireplace blends in, and it’s all very sleek.

via Instagram

Before painting the mantle, I sanded the heck out of it (thankfully I have the Black & Decker matrix with sander attachment, so this process went fairly quickly). I did all the sanding before I installed the tiles, by the way. I then put on three coats of white door and trim paint to freshen and brighten up this old mantle.

via Instagram

And there you have it – a step-by-step recap of my fireplace makeover.

* Thanks again, Mom and Dad, for your help!
If you’d like to see more of my house, check out my house tour or read the articles in the Uptown category.

Design: Lost in Cube Land

January 18, 2016 | Leave a Reply

Make note, dear readers, we are going to be seeing more cubes in interiors this year. The cube fascination has already begun popping up in tile work, art work, wallpapers, and sculptures. The repeated pattern of 3D cubes in 2D work has a mesmerizing effect, and it has been created in just about every colour combination.

via My Domaine

via Flodeau

I painted a piece of cube art about a decade ago (in shades of green if you can believe it), and it still has a safe spot in my office. These days, however, I like the more muted and tone-on-tone versions using shades of grey, white, black, and gold. The pattern can be full of contrast or a gentle progression between shapes.

While flooring may be a complete investment of the cube trend (I don’t think it’s actually a trend. I think it’s a very classic design, but patterned floors, in general, are very on trend for 2016), an easier way to go would be via cushions and tea towels.

gray cube pillow cover, Wisteria

cube pillow cover (on sale), H&M

via Heirloom & Knot

via Hollie Cooper

cubist fabric, via Minted

rug via Anthropologie

Paris-New York restaurant via Dezeen

via Caro Somerset

cube removable wallpaper, via Livettes

What do you think? Can your eyes handle this pattern?

The Friday Five: Bird Feeders at Amara

January 15, 2016 | Leave a Reply

A few years ago, I wrote a post about modern bird feeders. This post has caught the attention of several readers, but most recently, Amara contacted me with info about their current bird feeder stock. I was surprised to see so many modern feeders in one place. Since I’m already itching for spring to arrive, it seems like a post about bird feeders is highly appropriate.

I’ll start with this bird feeder that Amara kindly sent me (see it on Instagram). Since I shared it on Instgram, I picked up bird seed (I can’t even remember what kind), and I hung it up on a tree in my backyard. The lady who helped me buy the bird seed said it would take a few days for birds to realize it’s there. While I haven’t seen so many birds flock to it quite yet, I’m hopeful they will. How could they not? Look how pretty it is!

Garden Trading Bird Feeder, $28

I absolutely love the design of this second feeder. Talk about modern! I’m not quite sure where birds perch to eat the seed, but I love the donut shape, and the hook and cord seem very strudy.

Eva Solo Bird Feeder, $59 (on sale)

This bird feeder is by the same brand as the previous one, but its design is quite different. It’s a mini feeder with a larger hole. I do like the simplicity of this design.

Eva Solo mini bird feeder, $63

The next two bird feeders are by the same manufacturer, but they’re different shapes. I like the mix of white and wood on these classic feeders. There’s not much room for more than one bird though, is there?

D&M Haven White Bird House, $92

D&M Have White Bird House, $87

As I learned, Amara’s curation is amazing. The company carries designers such as Alessi (my fave!), Fornasetti, Jonathan Adler, and Orla Kiely. It ships world wide, and you can choose your preferred currency option as you shop online. I’ve listed the above items with the Canadian prices, and delivery is free to Canada for orders above $200.

Thanks again to Amara for sending along the feeder! I hope it makes the birds happy! All opinions are my own.

Beauty: Manicure Time in Waterloo

January 14, 2016 | Leave a Reply

Soon after making a connection on Twitter with Waterloo’s All My Nails‘ owner, Peter, I stopped in the salon for a gel manicure and pedicure. Gel manicure, I learned, is similar to the Shellac manicure. (Gosh – this reminds me that I know very little about the beauty department.) Since I’m generally up for trying new things, I accepted Peter’s invite for a gel mani-pedi.

My nails were in desperate need of attention, that much I knew! Here’s what All My Nails had to work with:

before: chipped polish, uneven shaping, dry cuticles

The staff at All My Nails are very friendly, and during my visit, a lot of repeat customers came in. The staff called them by name, and I appreciated the personal attention that was given to each customer. The staff who worked with me were friendly and did a good job getting my nails back in a decent condition.

Here are the dramatic after photos:

after: shiny and tidy nails

As you can see, I opted for a very light shade of pink for this manicure because I don’t like having colour on my nails when they’re in short, rough shape. Once they get a bit stronger and longer (which I’m hoping will happen after the gel polish experience), I can opt back into a red or another (slightly darker) neutral. My toes, on the other hand, got a hot red coat of pomegranate, and it’s a perfect winter shade.

Before I left the salon, I was also given this little bottle of cuticle oil which should help with my dry cuticles this winter.

CND SolarOil Nail and Cuticle Conditioner

A gel manicure and pedicure will cost you about $75 at All My Nails, which is generally more than I’d spend regularly, but maybe that’s the going rate? I’m not so sure. That said, I loved the quick drying time of the gel polish (impatient me!), and my nails are still shiny days after my polish was applied. I’m a touch worried about the removal process, but I’ll deal with that in 2-3 weeks, once my nails have grown, and the polish looks worn. Any advice, dear readers?

For those of you in the Kitchener-Waterloo region, did you know that All My Nails has been in existence for 18 years (wow!)? It is located at 22 King St. South in Uptown Waterloo (in the same building as Café22).

Note: I received a discount on my services. All opinions are my own.

Update (Feb. 11, 2016): My fingernail polish held up well for 2.5 weeks, which I was very pleased about. Then, I did something that I wasn’t supposed to do – I peeled off the polish. Terrible. I shouldn’t have. But I did. Against all the recommendations. It’s true. My nails were obviously in somewhat poor shape, but I took care of them, they grew quickly, and they were back to normal in about 2 weeks. My toe nail polish is still going strong. No chips. No peeling. Nothing. I’m way too lazy to go to the salon to remove or change the polish. I’m realizing some beauty routines are just hard for me to upkeep!

Marketplace: I’m Curious about S’well Water Bottles

January 13, 2016 | 1 Commentary

So…can anyone tell me why a S’well water bottle costs nearly $50?

images via S’well and Chapters Indigo

So many of the university students I see every day are toting one of these bottles. I don’t get it. The website claims that the bottle keeps drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 hours. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never needed to keep my water cold for 24 hours…I usually need to refill my water after an hour or two. And hot? I’m not really a fan of 12-hour old coffee.

Maybe I just don’t have the need for a high-end water bottle because I was never a plastic-bottle water drinker, and there are perfectly good drinking fountains at work where I can fill up my glass.

What do you think? Do you own one? What do you think of it? Do tell!

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