Our Summer Oasis

With D spending the last few weekends working on the side yard we have finally completed it and are enjoying every minute of it. Living in this house for 8 years we hardly used the space as it was fugly with a narrow rose bed running against the wall, one "walking dead" tree taking up the whole corner, an ugly concrete step and a gravel bed for no apparent reason.

In the early spring we said our final farewells to the tree and hacked what was left of it to the ground. We then moved the two lonely rose bushes to the back garden where we expected them to thrive and bloom in the sunlight. News flash - They did not. They died.

When it came to improving the space we came up with a custom seating solution with a wall to give us privacy from the neighbors and hide a boring brick wall. After that was built D then built a platform to cover up the concrete step as well as the gravel bed, with the same wood to tie the spaces in. The grey cabinet with sink and custom gate/fence was built in 2008.

We then decorated the wall with these gorgeous buffalo horns that we picked up last month at Brimfield. The majlis cushions were one of our Dubai purchases and they worked perfectly in this space. I threw a lot of rugs and cushions around to soften up the space. The Charmglow Bar cart was a perfect fit in the corner along with my faux fiddle fig tree garage sale find. Lastly I added the Navajo rug which was another Brimfield find.

We now use this space all day and all night. We light up the fire pit and watch the stars after dinner. Our own little piece of heaven.................

BEFORE

AFTER

 

This little corner was specifically created as a 'Reading nook' for our bookworm Aaliyah.

See more pics here the DIY before and after pics of this Vintage Bar Car that once was a 1970s Charmglow Master Chef BBQ

 

And then we added vintage filament lights ! sighhhhhhhhhhh

There you have it.............our summer haven.

Head to our website to see more of our outdoor work.

WWW.WILDENORTH.COM

Hugs
Lynda

From BBQ to Bar Cart

Our dear neighbour Pauline passed away last year and while clearing out her home, this vintage bbq was being thrown out. We saw it and saved it from the scrap metal dealers that roam the streets on garbage day. The beautiful iron work of the lower section was eye catching and we thought it would make a great outdoor bar cart. 

We took off the rusted bbq trays and sanded the whole thing down. The girls spray painted it with 'Whipped Apricot' and D built a rustic tray for the top. It now sits in our outdoor side yard just waiting for the next partay ! 

Sometimes you need to look right through the past to see the future.............

 

 

 

Visit our website for more ideas.

WWW.WILDENORTH.COM

Wilde North Fan Club

One of our clients complained about how hot it got in the basements they were invited to with all the dancing, even in winter. I was tasked with coming up with a solution to add fans into the space, albeit unobtrusive. 

This basement is the entertainment area for this family and hosting large numbers of revelers on weekends is a regular event in this home. To circumvent the build up of heat with large numbers of people we installed concealed fans in the bulk heads. They make a huge difference to the room temperature leaving the space cool and at the right partay temperature!

We tried out multiple fans from various suppliers until we found one that moved a large volume of air as well as one that could be controlled remotely.

Custom grilles were manufactured to fit over the units and were chosen for their airflow capabilities and were yet to be painted to match and blend with the walls at the time that these images were captured.

See more of our work at Wilde North.

Custom Chandelier Concept Drawing

One of my clients wanted a custom chandelier to hang over the counter of the Custom Bar I built. I conceptualized this design to keep with the theme of the bar. We sourced blue wine bottles, cut their bases and wired them up with vintage filament lamps. The hanging frame was designed to mimic the shape of the bulk head and hides all of the wiring.

This one is still pending customer approval via a single mock up that was delivered to her home.

Do you have a figment of an imagination that you would like to see brought to fruition??? We specialize in custom design and finishes so if you are looking for something original and unique in your space give us a call today.

www.wildenorth.com

Custom Fence, Gate and Shelter

We're currently working on a few outdoor projects at one of my client's East Mall residence. The brief was to remove the existing single gate side entrance and rebuild it with a double gated entrance and a custom pergola. A smaller fence was required to separate the driveway from the neighbour's rear walkway. In the rear, a structure was required to cover the space to extend the functionality of the side patio through inclement weather. Some of the challenges we faced were having to dig the 4 foot holes by hand to avoid hitting the gas lines that ran close to the post locations. Everything is coming along nicely except for the rain but progress is still being made. Check out other exterior projects we have completed from custom outdoor kitchens to deck and barn style sheds.

Original side entrance courtesy of Google Street View

These boards were eventually butted close together as the client wanted more privacy. The curved section at the top was eventually nixed.

The posts have yet to be cut to the desired height.

Testing the look of the purlins on the support beams

All posts cut to height, Purlins affixed and the gate detail cut. Only one handle was fixed here to keep the dog from running out.

A second single gate in the rear of the passage offers privacy from the street

Getting started at the rear. 6x6 column buried 4 feet deep in concrete ensure that this structure is not going anywhere soon.

Simpson Strong Tie SlopeSkew joist hangers were used throughout

On the beam end, Simpson Strong Tie hurricane ties will be installed on every rafter

All done. And now on to roofing....

Foyer Summer Makeover

While my foyer looked very cool with the rustic bench and faux fur rug we were desperate for a storage solution for some time now - a place for the kids to keep all their single gloves and lost scarves, so we decided to change it up last month. I found an Ikea dresser on Craigslist for $50, one we've actually been eyeing as it is the perfect size for our foyer. This particular design 'EDLAND' is out of production so imagine my joy when I found it on good ole' Craigslist.

I wanted a lamp in the space to have warm ambient light to welcome my guests. We found a cool ceramic base at a thrift store. It was an ugly peach colour and I decided to spray it a punchy coral. Added a beautiful printed shade from Target and it was complete. Additional accessories like the Churchill bust picked up at a Pinery Flea market, a pot for the keys and a tray for the mail - all found at our local Goodwill, were added to pretty up the space. And I left my cast iron hat rack in place.

The challenges we faced with this space was the lighting. The only available electrical outlet was the closet switch. Unfortunately this was an end of run of switch. This means that there was no neutral present. We had to draw power from the crawl space. We brought the power to a dimmer which then controls the outlet into which any lamp can be plugged. And let there be light ! 

So happy with my foyer  makeover and it makes quite the impact with my guests !

See pics and details of the initial look of the foyer HERE.

BEFORE

AFTER

Hugs

Lynda

Custom Bar at Summer Park Residence

Here are the final pics of the custom bar built at our client's residence. Optimum use of space under the stairs was utilised to create a bar counter and wine/mini fridge storage.

The bar front has mosaic with mother of pearl accent tiles. LED strip lights under the counter top illuminate the bar front and inside the counter top. They work off a controller that can be set to music or auto fade.

Custom black board was added for quirky touch. A banker's lamp for a desk was refitted to light up the frame.