cleaning and organization with west elm

As we pack up our current house in preparation of our move, I am already dreaming of things cleaned, neatly organized and put away in their newly designated spaces. And while I know this will take some time (every space/surface still needs to be cleaned and repainted), I like to think that even a storage closet can be a beautiful space and that a trash can does not need to be made of cheaper plastic but instead can be an artfully designed object. West Elm has some great pieces for cleaning/organization that follow this line of thinking - below are a few of my favorites. 

1. Bamboo Rim Laundry Hamper  2. Boxes + Planes Bookshelf  3. Brendan Ravenhill Dustbin  4. Rope + Metal Hook  5. Modern Two-Tone Hamper  6. Braided Storage Bin  7. Dustpan + Brush Set  8. Totes

stair landing

Since getting the keys to our house last Monday, we have been mainly focused on the flooring (and cleaning - so much cleaning!). Last week, our amazing flooring guys got straight to work pulling out carpet in two bedrooms, on the stair landing and on the stairs. This is what it looked like before.

Its hard to tell from the pictures but the carpet was in really bad shape. Also we learned the former homeowner was a smoker so it had to go - immediately! After pulling up the carpet, we discovered that there is no hardwood in the smaller bedroom, the hardwood in the bigger bedroom is covered in paint splatter and is unable to be sanded/refinished, you all already know about the stairs and the boards on landing were partial covered with paint and unable to be sanded/refinished. I will get to our plans for the bedrooms but today I want to talk about the landing which we worked on all weekend.

Under the carpet the hardwood looked like this...

Notice the paint splatter, the old adhesive and just general state of despair. The hardwood is original (we think) so the boards are super thin - like an 1/8 of an inch - and also quite wavy. Because of these reasons, our budget and our desire to maintain the character of the house, we decided to do our best to clean the existing boards and just have them resealed. So for the majority of the day Sunday and part of the day yesterday, I scraped and scraped and then scraped so more. I haven't had the opportunity to take very good pictures and we are also adding new thresholds at each doorway so its a project still in process...but I have to say I am very happy with the results thus far. 

I relied on mostly this type of painters tool and this floor cleaner to the do work. Jeff also used a razor blade to get at some of the toughest areas. 

simply floored by better life

Tomorrow, we will paint the shoe molding for the floor guys to install and clean the floor with vinegar to try to extract as much smoke smell as possible. The floor guys return at the end of the week so I will make sure to share updated/hopefully finished pictures then! I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

stair runner

My mind is going a hundred different ways with projects but one that is at the forefront is a stair runner. We pulled out the old carpet and discovered that the original pine stairs have been painted more than a few times and are also pretty banged up. Our flooring guy informed us that it would be near impossible to sand off all the paint and then refinish the wood. Also being that the stairs are pine - a rather soft wood - they would be easily damaged with heavy traffic i.e. a 70 pound labrador running up and down the stairs would not be a good thing. All this made it rather easy to figure out what to do with the stairs - paint the treads black, the risers white and get a stair runner.  I had sort of anticipated this would be the case but decisions become easier when there is an obvious direction to go in. For our runner, I have a few concerns/desires.

1. Durability and Functionality - the stairs are going to be very high use so I want something that will hold up to lots of traffic, be easy to clean and not be in the least bit slippery (for both the dog and my somewhat clumsy self).
2. Aesthetics - the stairs are the first thing you see when you walk in the front door and will thus play a big part in the look of not just the entry but the house overall. I want the carpet we select to be something classic (so I don't get sick of it) and versatile since we are unsure about a lot of design decisions (paint colors, furniture, art etc.)
3. Budget - we are just getting into our long list of projects with lots of unknown costs ahead of us so while the stairs are a big statement and important element of our home I want to be careful about how much we spend on one given project.
4. Pattern - I am almost positive that I want to do some sort of pattern as I think the look tends to be more updated than a solid. However, I want it still to be classic so I am leaning towards a simple stripe - although, our stairs are not exactly straight so I am a little concerned about the potential for wavy stripes...

I am still considering a do it yourself approach uses store bought runners but I am concerned that a flat weave carpet will not match up with our desires for durability and function. That being said I am heading out tomorrow to shop around and get actual pricing so I might change my mind... Below is a selection of inspiration images I have been mulling over. 

from top left - Kathmandu runner by Blenheim Carpets - Dash & Albert runner via Charming Doodle - herringbone runner via Cute Decor - bordered runner by Roughan Interior Design - geometric runner via Zhush - striped runner via source unknown - Dash & Albert runner via Home DIY Concepts