Parrot on a PorchA Journey Toward the Little Mansion Dream

Big thanks to Jacq, I’ve got 3 home interior design magazines that I’ve been endlessly perusing these past few days.  I’ve known Jacq for five years now and it’s just recently that we met when they went home for vacation a couple of weeks ago.  It’s so sweet of her to give me these magazines because as she said, these will be useful in prettifying our new home.  The husband has also been excitedly browsing the pages and he can’t help but admire all the lovely designs, setups, the furniture and even a few office furniture accessories  in some pages.  In fact, he has earmarked most pages that he deems perfect and he wants to incorporate to our Little Mansion’s interiors soon.  Again, big thanks to Jacq for these magazines.  They truly have impressive ideas and inspirations.

You want your home to have beautiful floors, but flooring restoration companies usually charge high prices that make it difficult for many homeowners to purchase the options that they would like. Just because you are trying to save money does not mean that you have to live with ugly floors. These DIY flooring restoration tips will put you on the path to doing the job inexpensively.

Starting a Hardwood Flooring Restoration Project

Flooring restoration projects require a few steps. The first is to remove the old finish. If you know someone who has a drum sander, then now is a good time to call in a favor. You can also rent drum sanders from most major home supply stores. When you start the project, use heavy grit sandpaper. After you have removed the finish, change it to a medium grit paper to create a smooth surface.

Preparing to Stain Your Hardwood Flooring

The drum sander will create a lot of dust. Most of it should collect in the machine’s dust bag, but some of it will end up on the floor. Sweeping the saw dust might seem like an insignificant step in relation to the rest of the project, but it is necessary for good flooring restoration results.

Staining Your Hardwood Floors

Some people choose not to use stains in their flooring restoration projects, but stains provide a protective layer that brings out the beauty of most woods. If you decide to stain your floor, then you should choose a stain that is made for the type of wood in your home. Many home supply stores can help you determine what color your wood floor will have after it has been stained. After you choose a stain, use a paint roller to apply it in uniform strokes to prevent uneven staining.

Now that the Little Mansion is nearing its “finishing” stage, we’re ready to take into action the interior design plans that we’ve thought of and as recommended by a creative aunt-in-law (she took up Interior Design in college). We’ll be prioritizing the bedroom furniture as it’s included in the package and needs to be finished ahead. What’s great about this is that we’re given the freedom to “design” or layout how the customization of the cabinet will be like having in mind the dimension of the space allotted for the said furniture. I have a copy here of the design draft but I’ll be sharing it next time once I have scanned it.

But just an overview, here’s the model we’ve drawn inspiration from a bit. It’s a cabinet system from Ikea, actually. If only this is not too huge and shipping from abroad isn’t that costly, I would have ordered a similar one.

And here are just some of the details:

I only have a few pairs of shoes and so is the husband so a few plastic shoe boxes with zipper enclosures on the top level would just be perfect. Then the lower shelves could be used for our folded daily home clothes. I do not own that plenty of bags, too, so instead, that portion could be perfect for bed linens or towels. I also love how the rack hanger is designed. The slideable pants hanger is simply brilliant. Certainly, that part is reserved for the husband’s slacks, pants and our jeans. I like how it’s made to just occupy half of the compartment’s width. The other half’s intended for long clothes like dresses and coats. And of course, the storage with compartments are perfect for our accessories like sunglasses, belts and other trinkets that we have.

I tend to become disorganized and messy with things at times so I really need a cabinet system that’s as organized and tailored as this.

With all the construction and structural terms that I encountered as our Little Mansion is built, I realized that Engineering and Architecture are quite interesting. It never crossed my mind to take up these courses for college simply because Math is my water loo and that I do not possess a pair of artistic hands. Although I fairly did well in my Drafting subjects in High School, I was convinced early on that it’d not gonna be my world.

But now I started to appreciate these two fields every time I see the progress of the house. I’m learning so much, in fact, like the intrinsic looks of a roofing (beyond the ceiling), how the beams and foundation structures are built and so much more. Now that we’re about to prettify the interiors, I know for sure that I’ll get fascinated, too, with the world of Interior Design. I never thought that building your crib can also be educational as this.

We have started canvassing for a sofa that will complement and bedeck our Little Mansion’s living room since last year. It was quite taxing at first because the husband and I were having contrasting preferences but thankfully we came to agree after reading and digesting the tips we’ve collated from the internet. These helpful Sofa Buying Tips indeed saved us from having endless debates and further nerve-wracking discussion. It is then that I realized that buying a living room furniture set is not as challenging as it sounds. Although there are several factors to consider, it’s just as if one is looking out for a new wardrobe only putting a little emphasis on the quality and durability. But unlike clothes and apparels, it’s not every other day, weekly or on a whim that we buy and change sofas. So it’s advisable to invest on one that will suit the family’s needs and will last for a very long time.

Here are the helpful points that influenced our decision when we selected the perfect sofa for us:

1. Determine a reasonable budget. Do note that the price will be determined by its size.

2. Assess the size depending on the need. In the same way, figure out the correct dimension that will just fit right in the intended spot in the living room. For a single or couple dwellers, a two-seater might be enough. A longer sofa that can seat four to six people is ideal for a family. Have the measurements handy when shopping.

3. Get familiarized about the different type of sofa frames. Bear in mind that a good frame of common lumber (pine or oak) held together by screws and bracket dowels is more durable than a frame made of particle board, plywood or plastic.

4. Be particular with the coils and springs. Feel the springs through the upholstery. These should be close together and firm.

5. Consider the upholstery. Leather upholstery will cost more than other types. Fabrics provide more options in terms of color, designs, etc.

The “little mansion” is designed to have 3 bedrooms on the second floor. But we’ve requested the developer to just have 2 bedrooms for a start so that we’ll be having a bigger master’s bedroom. My son’s too little anyway to have his own room. It’s very timely that I have read this article about Bedroom trends for 2010. Hubby and I will have a guide and reasonable options in bringing these two bedrooms “updated” and à la mode in terms of styles and designs perfect for this year.

* Bold Bed Linen – the easiest way to bring up the bedroom with bold colors are through bed linens with vintage-y bright florals or sugared pastels.

* Elegant Headboards – go for a super-chic style and elegantly designed headboards ala-boutique hotel style. On colors, a palette of sleek greys and blacks and an accent colour, such as yellow or lime do the trick.

* Statement Beds – remember those Georgian type of beds with poles and ceilings..beds that of royalties. Classic but remember to infuse a modern touch for a twist.

* Feature Walls – Feminine floral wallpapers are perfect for creating a soft, romantic feel.

It’s been a while since I last shared updates about the Little Mansion Project. How I wish I have the luxury of time to blog about the recent development in details. But with all these offline events that I am committed to attend and with all these hustling and bustling activities in preparation of the Holidays plus being swamped with online works, with best efforts, I’ll try to make a brief overview one of these days. All I can say is that the excitement is REALLY getting more intense. *wink*

Meanwhile, I’m sharing one of my workstation inspirations from Sergi’s works which I hope I’d be able to incorporate in our little mansion.

Just simple yet very spacious and functional.

As previously blogged, I really have a penchant with blue-colored or blue-themed rooms. I’ve come across a site that says the cool color of blue can actually make a small space appear bigger as it appears to recede from the viewer.

Here are just a few inspirations I pooled from my favorite home interior blogs:

Image Source

Image Source

Image Source

I grew up having Legos as part of our childhood toys. My sisters and I would interactively create each our own dream houses and other structures. It is one of the most popular all time favorite construction games and with children around the world spending 5 billion hours a year playing with LEGO bricks, there’s no doubt that Lego fans, not only the kids, but even those young at heart would love to have this as part of their home furnishings.

Do take note that this is not just a imprinted or painted design but this a kitchen center (IKEA Kitchen Island) covered with more than 20,000 real LEGO pieces. Called the Munchausen LEGO Kitchen Centre, it was designed by Paris-based duo designers Simon Pillard & Philippe Rosetti. (Posted via The Cool Hunter)

Along with our house hunt, I am also taking baby steps towards realizing that dream house by searching for home ideas like interiors, furniture and other home inspirations through interior design and architecture blogs and sites on the web. For example, take a look at these kitchen design concepts. Aren’t they impressive?