Kitchen & Roof

Lots of little things got done today and yesterday but today primarily I worked on the kitchen counters and the roof. 

Last night I played around with the bolster bed and the bedding for it since I'd found my pillows.  I had to tear out the mattress and take off the satin covering which is always nervewracking for me.  I'm always afraid I'll break or rip something that I can't repair.

But with a little bit of work I figured out something that looked nice and fit into the room.

You can see here part of why I was so excited to find that green fabric that I used for the cornices.  It looks nice with the bedspread I got from WendyDollHouse and the little quilt folded at the foot from DollhouseLittles.  I purchased the afghan from GZMinisNeedlecraft.  The little white throw pillows and white bed pillows are from Otterine of course.

I added some lace to some fabric left over from the drapes for a little blanket and the sheets are some patterned white fabric I found in the remnants bin.

I also gave the bedside/side table another try.  This one looks better next to the chair I think, not as tall.  The nine volt battery still fits inside which was my big goal.

It reminds me of furniture you find at a thrift store and use where you need it, not necessarily where it's meant to go.  But a lamp will work on it and there's even space for a book or two.

This morning I started on the kitchen counters while the stain dried on the lower cabinets.  I'm absolutely thrilled with how the contact paper worked out. 

Once everything was glued on tight I added the finish and waited for that to dry.  (Lots of waiting.)  And then I added the cabinet hardware.

The glue isn't quite dried here but I still like how they look.  I made a little backsplash to go behind the stove.  So here's a shot of how everything will look.  Just imagine some uppers in there.

Part of my delay on the uppers is making sure that I can add some under cabinet lighting.  The kitchen isn't very big and it has dark walls so the counters are light and I need some extra light in there. 

I like the color of the cabinets though, they're light and nice too.  Slightly different from the floors but I wanted to use the cherry stain not walnut.  The floors are walnut and the cabinets match the trim and doors which are all cherry.

Not sure if anyone can really tell, but I notice the difference.

It was raining today so all the cats were lazing around, trying to take my chair and in general not being energetic.  Jack didn't get any of the window seats so he climbed into the upper house on the older cat tree and curled up to keep an eye on me and nap.

He's only a couple years old, the Building Inspector's apprentice/assistant.  But he loves me best.

The other thing I spent a lot of time on was the roof.  Since I want it to open on one side I had to hinge the two pieces together.  Then I'll clue the non opening side to the walls and support beam.

Miho, the Siamese, in one of the cat window seats.

The tape was necessary to keep the whole thing together until I got the first two screws in for the second half.  Then I kept it to let the carpenters glue dry with some added stability.

I measured out where my bedroom ceiling would be and added beadboard to it and some beams for the attic and balcony.  While the glue was drying, (again) I fitted my adjusted balcony roof to the scalloped detail and glued that in.

I'm planning on decorative, substantial beams for the bedroom vaulted ceiling with a chandelier hanging from the crossbeam.  So I painted the beadboard Snow White.  The crossbeams will be the same color as the wainscoting.  It'll be a nice contrast I think.

I also painted out the attic portion of that balcony so it's a uniform dark grey and hopefully it'll look dark and gloomy. 

I added 'Insulation', only a single layer this time.  I'll have to do a coffee wash or something to age them up a bit more, they look a little new to me right now. Maybe I can find some cobwebs. 

I've got some suitcases and boxes to go in there but it's a small attic.  The insulation and support beams make it seem even smaller. 

But when you open the roof you can see the attic stairs which I like. 

One last shot of the front of the house with the roof on.  There's just enough clearance for some trim ono the edges before the shingles of the front part of the balcony roof.  Once I get the roof half glued on then I'll measure for my gutters and downspouts.

I'm pretty pleased with my progress for the weekend.  The only thing that keeps me from adding the back wall is that I want to be able to glue the upper cabinets to the wall and that'll be easier if its not attached to the house.

I'm still debating a little spot on the other side of the fridge with some coat hooks, like a tiny mudroom area to throw shoes and hang coats.  It's not something that would really be seen except maybe through the kitchen doors.  Anybody have an opinion on this?