WARNING! This isn't pretty....

I'm about to share some images that may be disturbing... if you don't like dirt, lathe, dust, exposed beams and rubble. I on the other hand love it all. Especially since these photos are of my house, in it's demolition stage!

lots of plaster and lathe!

former kitchen -- this wall is coming out :)

wall gone! 

beam in!

back of house. old addition gone!

 There's more. But I don't want to overwhelm you. More or less the entire house has now been gutted. It looks like a barn.

There have been a lot of changes over the past weeks. It's not the pretty stuff but the important part of making our home safe and strong. New electrical, plumbing, insulation, beefing up joists, and getting rid of some nasty mould that was secretly rotting our bathroom walls.

One of the most exciting changes is the removal of a wall between our old dining room and kitchen. When that wall came down I was one happy camper. I'm so excited to have an open concept space where I will be able to chat with the kids while I'm cooking, to have a big island we can bake cookies together and to have lots of sunlight flowing through the new windows and doors that will open up our space.

So that's where we are in a nutshell. 

Gutted and happy.

Debra

So I finally decided. It's been more than 72 hours and I haven't changed my mind. So I think it's safe to make my choice public. I know... the drama.

I finally sat down on the weekend and thumbed through all the tear sheets I had collected of kitchens I love. Although I was certain of the look I wanted to achieve it was the cabinet door that was causing me some grief.

Looking over the pages I had torn from magazines, catelogues and my Pinterest boards really helped to let see the obvious best cabinet for me (ahem.. us).

So the choice is ...

Ikea Adel Cabinet Door

Although I really love the look of the flat door cabinets I think that the shaker will be a better fit with my style. I'm really excited about the finishes we have chosen. I think I've pulled together the fresh, clean, white kitchen I've always dreamed of. But we'll have to wait and see :)

We decided to go with Ikea for a variety of reasons. Probably the number one reason was budget. You can't beat Ikea kitchen cabinets for delivering great style and quality on a budget! Because we are renovating an entire house, our budget had to cover a lot of ground.

I researched quite a few kitchen cabinetry options before making my choice. I really wanted to make sure I was getting the best value and quality for my budget. 

I have to mention Aya Kitchens. I went to their Mississauga location and met with David to discuss our kitchen design. He was great. The customer service was amazing. Their products are beautiful as well. If we weren't doing such a big renovation, Aya would have been a great choice for us. They offer custom kitchens at great price points and the customer service we got was impressive. Definitely check them out if you are planning a kitchen reno.

Other places we looked at for cabinets included:

Lowes, Home Depot and New Canadian Lumber. They all offered great product for a custom kitchen but were beyond our budget. New Canadian was the exception, they offer kitchen planning services and had very competitive pricing as well. It's worth checking out their store for faucets, tile and sinks.

I'm just finalizing my counter choices and will share what I learned with you next.

Debra

The kitchen cabinet debate

Welcome to my ongoing saga of choosing the kitchen cabinet doors. I am suffering from a fear of commitment. Can you help?

Ok so here is my dilemma. I have always loved the look of a crisp, clean shaker door. It's classic right? Traditional but with clean lines. 

Ikea Adel Cabinet Door

But I am also adore the flat panel doors. 

So fresh, clean and modern.

Ikea Applad Cabinet Door

and then there are the glossy flat doors that have caught my eye. 

Ikea Abstrakt Cabinet Door

I need to make a decision, and soon. Should I go for the "safe" classic but lovely shaker or go for the modern flat with a touch of gloss here and there? What do you think?

Debra

The lightbulb....

Is it wrong to be in love with a lightbulb?

Edison Lightbulb, Restoration Hardware

Those wispy ribbons of electricity eating filaments have caught my eye and I want them in my new kitchen. 

The problem is they are soon to be phased out in Canada. 

I know ...they are not environmentally friendly sources of light but I can't help myself. They are so pretty! 

My lighting plan in my new kitchen and dining room includes clear glass pendants and fixtures. So what's a girl to do?

Here we go!

Well I'm finally sitting down at my temporary office aka Starbucks to share some exciting news.

We have moved out of our home to begin a big renovation! Yippee!! I'm so excited to share this news and the coming months of renovation updates with you. I hope you'll enjoy following along. 

Ok so here we go, a before and after of the back of the house. 

The back exterior is the area changing the most.

before!

Excuse the mess! There was a lot of purging and some of the evidence was piled up in this photo awaiting removal. The lovely green fencing is required by the City of Toronto. If you embark on a renovation you too will be lucky enough to have your own. It  comes in a "lovely" neon orange too.

after!

We are doing extensive renovations to the interior of the house. The bulk of the work will occur on the main floor. 

We have been working with Simon West of InHouse Designs since last summer planning this renovation. He has been fabulous. A talented Designer/Architect. Interesting fact: He also happens to be the Architect behind the hit TV show Love it or List it. 

So this is the friendly crew from Storage Stadium who moved us out of the house. If you are renovating or in need of storage these guys are amazing. They come and move your stuff out of the house into a big crate and take it away to their warehouse. When you are ready to move it back, they bring it all back and into your house. Amazing service. Competitive pricing that is comparable to what you would pay for a standard storage facility.

I'm almost ready to share the kitchen elevations. However, I'm still making some last minute decisions. I'll share some more plans and before pics of that soon.

Debra

Easy Dipped Table Vases

Need a cheap & cheerful table decor idea? 

I'm sharing an easy DIY over at Wedding Bells today.

It's simple and you can reinvent these using different vases and jars. Mason jars would be great too! 

I thought I'd share some of these lovely images 

from Wedding Bells new Special Edition Weddings. 

It's an absolutely stunning book full of inspiration for your weddings, showers and more. I'm so excited to have contributed a few little goodies for it! You can see them below.

My contribution ... the wood veneer tags.

... the hand-made paper rosettes and fabric button napkin ring.

Weddings is available on newstands now. I think this would make a great gift for a newly engaged bride!

Vintage inspiration!

Look what arrived in my mailbox this morning...

I love happy mail. 

Here is your chance to get some too!

I'm going to share a copy of Flea Market Finds with Matthew Mead with one lucky reader.

To qualify, please 

1. leave a comment below about what your favorite flea market find is and 2. please share Vintage Paper Parade on Twitter or Facebook. Make sure you let me know you shared in the comments :)

P.S. I would love to see what vintage finds you have repurposed in your home. Send me a photo of one of your projects and I will try share it on the blog. 

Email your photos to: vintagepaperparade@yahoo.ca

To find out more about Matthew Mead's new book visit his website. I think it would make a fabulous Mother's Day gift! Plus if you hurry over there now there is a great VISA gift card Giveaway going on!

Good luck!

Debra


p.s. I will pick the winning entry at midnight EST April 6th!