After seeing what a drastic change my design choices (furniture, lighting, accents, paint, etc) made on the house, I decided some “before and after” pictures would best show just how drastic the changes were. Let’s get started.

Entrance:

Let’s start with one that’s not too drastic. The entrance was painted gray, artwork put up, and the side window has an etched frosting (which you can’t see in the pic).

Living room:

Slightly more of a change on this one. Artwork is up, area rug down, and furniture in place. The Arco lamp and cubes steal the show.

Dining room:

Now we’re seeing even more change. Large mirror hung, table and series 7 chairs in place, room divider visible, and of course, the hand-made custom chandelier.

Kitchen:

Now this is a drastic change. Walls painted with a faux-finish ragged glaze in deep red, lighting installed over kitchen island, black glass appliances in place, counter stools, and under cabinet accent lighting (not visible in this picture).

Upstairs hallway:

I put this picture up to act as a buffer between the last drastic picture, and the next drastic picture. Not much change here, but some minor design changes (I heart Blik!) liven up the niche.

Master bedroom:

Perhaps the “piece de resistance” is our master bedroom. This was certainly the room with the most work involved. Carpeting was removed, dark hardwood installed, wall painted green, lighting installed, wood blinds installed, and earthy accents in the comforter, pillows and chair (not visible).

So that’s enough of the “before and after” pics. More random pics below for your enjoyment.

Ensuite!

Main bathroom (featureing Keith Haring artwork)

Another view of the dining area, showing the room separator.

My office… still awaiting my blinds as you can see.

I’ll post a few more pics later, including a better shot of the etched lace frosted glass in the entrance, and the over-counter lighting in the kitchen.

EDIT: Pictures posted below.

This is the frosted entrance window.

A nicer shot of the custom chandelier we built.

The Arco Lamp.

This is the kitchen lighting in action.

A7

2008 was certainly a year of change for me; Not that any of the previous 5 years have been stale by any means, but 2008 was a year with large-scale scary decisions and accomplishments. How did I fare this year? Let’s find out.

Friends:
This year had far less drama in it than previous years. It was pretty much smooth sailing for the most part. I’m guessing that had a lot to do with moving back to Ottawa and seeing all our old friends on a regular(ish) basis again. I’m still guilty of not communicating enough, but dammit, that’s just how I am, so deal with it people.

Family:
It certainly was interesting living at home (and at the in-laws) for the better part of 6 months. I’d like to say it brought me and my family closer together, but we were already close. I’ll tell ya, the hardest part was living out of a suitcase in a single room for all that time. I do miss “family dinners” (read: ordering out) on Friday or Saturday nights. And oddly enough, I kind of miss the smell of boiled hotdogs every Saturday.

House:
Getting the house was without a doubt one of the biggest events of the year. It really occupied pretty much the entire year, since the initial planning started all the way at the beginning of 2008, starting with the decision to buy, followed by the choice of builder, the model of house, the mortgage, the construction, the possession, and the decorating. Can you believe it? Tartan delivered the home on time! And more importantly, we are home owners again! I LOVE cooking in my custom designed kitchen with my indoor grill. I LOVE my home theatre setup in the basement (and I’ll love it more when the basement is finished). I LOVE my “sanctuary”; my organic earthy bedroom. And I LOVE my iHome setup, working exactly as I envisioned it.

Work:
You would think the house would be the most memorable event of 2008, but surprisingly, it is not. My employment has the honours of taking the top spot of 2008. It was a rocky, scary, hard-fought but exhilarating ride this year. It started off with my with my work at Artez. Just as my contract was about to expire, I was contemplating bringing up a deal with them to do design work as an independent contractor. It turns out the CTO had other plans for me, and a vision for the company’s future. He offered me a full-time position to work as an Interaction Designer. Unfortunately, after the move to Ottawa, the work started drying up. There was less and less work being sent my way, and I knew the inevitable was bound to happen; and it did. I was laid off, but they were still happy with my work, and asked me to continue working for them on a contract basis (which, ironically, I was going to propose doing 4 months earlier). This unfortunate turn of events allowed me to set in motion what would become the foundation of Hotcakes New Media. In November of 2008, Hotcakes New Media was official, and off to a great start. Although having my own company means my income is a little less than stable, it has proven to be successful so far, as I have designed websites for Canadian Tire Jump Start, Relay For Life, Red Nose Day, Better Farming Magazine, and of course, Ottawa’s Premiere Music Studio, Studio MC.

What’s Next:
With all the huge changes from 2008, 2009 is shaping up to be one hell of a good year. I will soon be writing the pilot for my “Hero Complex” mockumentary sitcom, and with any luck, filming it by year end. Hotcakes New Media is destined to become Ottawa’s best New Media company, Studio MC is destined to become Ottawa’s best piano and violin school, the house is destined to become a stunning example of modern design, and who knows… the house might be filled with a child’s laughter (or crying) by year end. 2009 is a big year indeed. Hang on, and enjoy the ride.

A7

On Tartan:
Tartan has really surpassed my expectations in every way. From the pre-purchase email responses all the way to the final delivery. The first email from them was very detailed, well written, personalized to me, and even went as far as suggesting local mortgage brokers to speak to about our situation (move from Toronto and job changes). The sales experience was fantastic, and they allowed us to visit the design center before purchasing to see what our options were. After purchase, the design center went above and beyond to accommodate my high standards. The delivery date remained the same with no delays. The house was built very well with only minor issues to deal with after the PDI (mostly clean-up related). I couldn’t imagine building with anyone else.

On the house:
It looks fantastic. The hardwood floors are gorgeous, the quartz countertop is stunning, the huge windows on the first floor bring in a ton of natural light, the tiles are spectacular… truly a beautiful modern home.

High points:
I love the kitchen countertop and undermount black sink. It turned out nicer than I could have imagined. The ensuite also turned out far nicer than I imagined.

Low points:
The pot drawers we upgraded in the island could have been bigger. But really, if that’s our only low point, I think we did well.

Looking forward to:
I can’t wait to see the space with our nice modern furniture in it. The Arco lamp will look great in our space, as will the modern carpet, Series 7 chairs, and custom built chandelier. The floating glass appliances and painted backsplash will change the whole look of the space too. I’m anxious to see the “real” final product.

So… enough about that. Time for some pictures! A few notes: The green spots you might see on the floor or walls are masking tape, left there to point out areas to repaint or fix. Also, keep in mind that lots of things are changing as soon as I get the keys, like the color of the walls in the kitchen, entrance and master bedroom, the lighting, and the window coverings.

A7

It was interesting to see the house so bare without any of our design decisions in place yet. But you might be wondering what design decisions we made? Well here’s the list of upgrades and colour choices we made.

Our design center meetings and choices have been completed for some time now, and due to how fast it all took place, I didn’t have the time to discuss any of it on this site. I’ve been meaning to write something about it to start a discussion on our choices, so here it is!

First, it’s important to explain that the floor plan is very open concept. That’s specifically what drew me to our model of home in the first place. I really like having modular open areas that can be sectioned off without the use of walls. As such, the entrance from the front door immediately opens up into our full main floor, including the kitchen, dining room, and living room, with no walls. An island will separate the kitchen and dining room. We will be placing an airy open shelving unit (square stacked cubes) between the living and dining room. The entrance and powder room will have a rustic (rough and unevely cut) medium grey tile on the floor. The rest of the first floor will be a seemless hardwood floor (all the way into the kitchen too), finished in a slightly faded medium red oak. The modern (square) styled stair railing will be finished in the same way.

The kitchen is where most of the upgrades came in because it is one of the most important areas for me. You all know I love to cook, so I wanted this to be a dream kitchen. The cupboards and pantry are going to be finished in a flat biscuit (off-white) laminate with straight and simple stainless steel handles. This is complimented with the upgraded black Quartz countertop. The Quartz countertop in black will provide a deep rich shine and gloss, as well as a unique modern squared edge. The sink will also be clad in black, and undermounted with a single-hole faucet to compliment the simple and elegant look. The backsplash has been completely removed so we can paint it a deep red. The island, also finished with the Quartz countertop, has large pot drawers, and is flanked by speakers built into the ceiling. Finally, the crowning jewel are the Floating Glass appliances from Jenn-Air; The appliances (fridge, stove, dishwasher) are black, with a full slightly curved tempered glass covering the entire front. This creates a stunning deep gloss and mirror-like finish. The side-by-side fridge features a water and ice dispenser. The dishwasher features a dirt-sensing mechanism that automatically sets the appropriate cleaning options. And the piece-de-resistance, the slide-in dual-fuel range, features a gas cooktop with built in grill for indoor BBQ year round.

Upstairs, the master bedroom also has speakers in the ceiling. It also has an ensuite with clear glass shower, and a roman tub surrounded by an earthy rustic tile. The counter is white with black flakes, and the doors are a flat medium brown wood. The main bathroom has a dark blue countertop and the shower is surrounded by a very light blue tile with a bamboo texture.

That just about describes all the main design decisions to date. It will be really interesting to see all these choices come together in real life. Have any comments? Let me know.

A7

(bonus picture… the inside of the house under construction)

UPDATE (Sept 29):

Here’s the latest picture of the house.