Ramping Up For The Holidays

I've been supremely lucky to have extra free time for the past few weeks. I have taken advantage, and really enjoyed working on projects, reading blogs, and just being in an overall relaxed atmosphere!

But, that's all about to change. Coincidentally, both my job and the holidays ramp up at the same time. Tomorrow is really my last slacker day for a while. Work and getting the house ready for holiday guests will take precedence over my mini life.

I've gotten enough done on Alki Point to see it begin to take shape. Once I made the decision to order the textured white scrapbook paper for the wall covering, I kind of found my way again. It is 12" x 12",  80#.  I love the texture, it went on easy, and painted up really nicely. Now I'll have a good supply for future projects!

Framing side of wall

Knowing that the paper was on its way, I went to bed Monday night thinking about how to construct the bedroom/bathroom separater wall. I needed it to conceal the future bedside lamp wires, so I decided to construct it like a RL wall. Well, sort of. I don't think my studs would pass inspection. There are really no fire breaks in it, but hey, it does the job, right?

Wall in the jig

I knew I would put wallpaper on the bedroom side, but I wasn't quite sure about the bathroom side. I debated; should I order more tile walls from Shapeways, or do something else? In the end I decided to use more of the flooring strips I used on the upper portion of the bathroom and kitchen walls.

Wall after constructing

Wall with paper and newly mixed paint color

Speaking of paint... The grey sample I ordered (Behr Paramount from Home Depot) was really too dark for such a small space. I mixed it with white until I got more of a silvery grey. I decided to paint only one accent wall in the living/kitchen area, then the partial wall behind the bed.




This photo shows the bathroom side of the partial wall. I am still trying to decide whether to leave it as is, or add a piece of plexi as a see thru wall. I guess I'll know once I cut the plexi for the shower and see how that looks and installs. I'll be using two part epoy to adhere it to the White, Strong and Flexible tile wall and shower pan. That's what was suggested on the Shapeways forum, so I'll let you know how that turns out.






It was a little stressful trying to decide how to finish the flooring strips on the walls. I tried a little grey stain on a sample piece, but didn't end up liking the way it looked. Too uniform. I might as well have painted the wall grey.

I wanted some texture, and to mix the modern elements with a little shabby and reclaimed. I tried a little light grey acrylic wash, but the water was really raising too many hairs on the wood. I could sand them after, but I found that most of the color also sanded away.






Then I thought I might just paint them white. After I applied the second coat, I'd lost most of the wood slat texture. Oh poop!

So, I searched again for my favorite inspiration photos, read a couple RL whitewashing articles, and decided to try my luck doing a little sanding after the second white coat was thoroughly dried. I loved it! So that's what I did!





Here's the dry fit, and sadly, this is where my progress will most likely stop for the next couple weeks. I'll try to sneak in a few hours here and there. Shhhhh!