Project Rainpark - Stairs, Hallway and Home Office

At the Rainpark Residence in Mississauga, we recently completed two Washrooms and we simultaneously refinished the stairs & hallway and built a new home office. Talk about multitasking! Here are a few pics showing you the changes we made to the old  stairs that were carpeted in a cream color pile that had taken a beating over time. Unfortunately we do not have BEFORE pix but we have damn good AFTER pix.

The stairs were sanded down and stained in a custom stain to match the new hardwood flooring we installed upstairs. New spindles and newel posts were added for a more modern look and the entire space was painted in this rich off white color.

The new hardwood was absolutely stunning with the wood grain showing through in a random pattern. And the matte finish gave it a modern look. All doors were changed to white shaker style doors with all matte black hardware. The casing and baseboards were upgraded to a modern Step Bevel pattern. A very modern chandelier and contemporary ceiling lights were added to bring drama to the open space. These small changes made all the difference in transforming the upper level of this beautiful home.

Custom flush vent covers in matching hardwood were added to the flooring for a seamless look.

And finally we added custom cabinetry with a butcher block countetop in a matching stain in the home office creating much need storage and dual workstations for the family.

The home office design called for a 36'' wide cabinet modified to 25'' tall as the center unit. It would have two doors to house a printer and a shredder. Later in the project we realized the need for a hanging files solution, as this was in the original desk that this cabinet replaced. After much research we realized that no such solution existed to this particular dilemma. And it was upto to us to find a functional solution. We mounted the existing door onto an 18'' Sektion (Ikea) tall drawer to which we attached a custom built frame to hold the legal sized hanging folders. The challenge here was that this unit would have no side wall in the middle onto which we could mount the drawer slide, as any addition to the width would mean that the printer would not fit. We screwed the right hand slide to the base of this unit. At first glance it looks like two doors, and we are pleased that we have still managed to retain the symmetry.

Last year we remodeled this lovely family's basement and you can view all pics HERE. And this year we remodeled the Master Washroom and their son's washroom, see all pics HERE.

You can see more of our work on our INSTAGRAM and behind the scenes footage on our FACEBOOK.

Thank you for staying in touch with us. We truly appreciate your feedback, comments and just daily interactions on our social media. Have a great day folks!

WWW.WILDENORTH.COM

Big hugs

Dhiraj & Lynda

How To Use Chalk Paint On Your Furniture

My living room has alot of heirloom pieces, antiques from ancestors that we have lovingly restored and brought back to life. While they look amazing in my eclectic Living room I felt there was just too much brown wood in one room. So one sunny day I decided to paint one of our console tables with chalk paint. I sourced out Annie Sloan's chalk paint which is a beautiful thick creamy matt finish paint that is easy to work with. The paint is stocked at only one retailer in downtown TO, a bit of a pain but well worth the trip. You can find it at Jim Connelly Studios in the heart of the city.

The paint is fairly thick so if you want you can dilute it a bit by simply adding water. Give the table a good wipe down and directly paint over the wood finish. The beauty of chalk paint is that you do not have to sand down the old finish / lacquer, etc. 

I applied two coats  on my table letting each coat dry thoroughly in between. Chalk paint dries fairly fast and I had to wait no more than 2 hours between coats. I wanted to add a little bit of drama and added acrylic gold paint to highlight some of the molding in the table edges and drawer handles. I then added 2 layers of wax and buffed it up to a soft sheen. The wax protects the paint and also adds a bit of tint to the cream color giving it that aged look.

And then the best part - dressing it up with all my vintage finds. Here a collection of leather bound books, pewter mug with silk Peonies and brass owls nest in one corner, along with a framed piece of my water color art.

The other end houses a vintage type writer and some brass candle sticks. The chair is an Ikea chair that we had recovered in Bahrain, it has taken a bit of a beating with the kids but still a loving part of our home and a reminder of our years in Bahrain.

Painting furniture is a great idea when you want a quick change in your room plus the no sanding bit had me sold on chalk paint ! With just this simple change the living room looks so much more bright and airy.

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Hugs

Lynda

How to Style Your Home Bar

Aside from the kitchen which is the hub of all homes, guests are always hanging around the Bar. Whether it be a full scale bar in your living room/basement, or a bar cart outdoors, booze always seems to bring people together.....  Just kidding........... We all know that food brings people together but booze comes a close second.

With the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus season upon us, here are some ideas on how to style your Home Bar, be it a full scale bar counter, a two tiered bar trolley or a pretty tray on your console table. 

The key ingredients are:

• A collection of mixed alcohols in pretty bottles
• Cocktail shaker and mixing implements
• A bowl holding lemons - they add a nice spot of color
• Some flowers - they bring freshness to the space
• A collection of your prettiest glasses
• Champagne bucket
• Ice bucket
• A piece of art whether print or sculpture
• Pretty napkins and straws

Here is a pretty bar that we created at the Fenwick Basement Remodel  which was custom built to fit under the stairs. The wine cubbies and wine racks were custom built to fit the awkward space directly under the stairs, while the cabinet is on wheels and slides out to provide storage behind. The counter top is made from reclaimed strip hardwood floor and set in a chevron pattern. While D builds, I decorate. The bar was styled for the Home Tour happening that weekend.

I used a mirrored tray to hold a crystal  decanter, bottles and lemons, with a matching champagne bucket on the left. The shelves were styled with a mix of glasses and decor items. A bar doesn't only have to hold bottles and glasses. Sprinkling a few decor items breaks up the monotony and lends a pretty touch to the shelves.

I didn't want the accessories to fight with the colored bottles below hence stuck to an all white scheme. Remember the rule "Less is More"  in every styling scenario.

See pics of this entire FENWICK BASEMENT on our website.

When you are tight on space, a Bar Tray on your console is a great idea to house your bottles and cocktail implements in one place. Here is one I styled with a collection of gold implements and matching glasses. 

I picked wine glasses with a gold rim to match the mixing implements, and added Moroccan tea glasses for some color with the intention of using them as shot glasses or for liqueur. 

The pretty crystal ice bucket fits in perfectly without blocking the artwork which acted as a backdrop for the tray.

And here is an outdoor Bar Cart I styled back in Summer, it used to be a Vintage Charmglow BBQ that we saved from the garbage dump and turned into an outdoor bar cart. See HERE for before and after pics of this beauty.

I kept the glasses, cans and implements on the top tray, and the bottles on the bottom tray. Added a pretty colored pot with a Thyme plant on the bottom tray to bring some greenery to the arrangement. All items were curated by myself from various stores, flea markets and thrift store. 

And with just these simple tricks you home is partay ready ! This will definitely impress your guests and bring them together ! Happy Entertaining folks!!!

If you would like to see the Custom Home Bars we have built visit our website 

www.wildenorth.com

Hugs

Lynda

Easy DIY: Gift Wrapping With Birch Tags

Living on Birchbank Street its obvious we have a Birch tree in our backyard, so rest assured we have lots of birch branches to play around with. Last Christmas I decided to to use them as gift tags. Now asking the Handy husband for a few birch slices means I will get about 100 of them so if y'all need any birch slices, come find me ! 

Anyhoo I decided to use the slices as personalized gift tags by initializing them. I painted the initial in the center with simple acrylic paint and finished it off with a little border of dots around the circumference. The handy husband cut the slices and drilled the holes for me.

During our flea market jaunts I had picked up a few vintage botanical books and decided to use them here. Wrapped the gift box with simple brown kraft paper (my absolute favorite) and topped it with a botanical plate from the book. The ribbon was a bark print cream embossed ribbon and then the birch gift tag.............it all worked perfectly together. In our family the tradition is to only give gifts to the kids so each little niece and nephew received their gifts with their initials.

I like planning my theme each year and this year I haven't decided on one yet..............maybe pastels.......I saw the Ikea Xmas decorations and they have a lovely collection of pastel gift paper and ribbons............I think I might try that !

What have you got planned for your gift wrapping this year ? do share. Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas month.

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Hugs

Lynda