Powerful Neutral

I'm currently working on the design of a formal living room for some local clients here in Philadelphia.  The color scheme is really edited (think bright white + vanilla + tan + black).  All of the drama lies within the mix of textures and finishes (my favorite).  The room itself is sleek yet traditional.  And, there is a ton of natural light.  It's a fun project.  :)

Here are some of the inspiration images for this job that are floating around my desk.  I love how each room feels classic/polished while still exuding a strong sense of unique personal style.  The color schemes are completely monochromatic, utilizing different shades of white, tan, and grey.  Yes, the rooms are neutral.  But, the effect is soft and yet really powerful, don't you think?  That's what we're going for here...

 

 

 

 

 

We'll be installing everything before Christmas, so I hope to share some images on the blog around January.

*all pictures and credits via Pinterest, follow me here*

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William's Birth Story

My pregnancy with little William was an easy one.  I never experienced serious morning sickness, and the majority of the time, I felt really great (I loved being pregnant!).  I kept my regular work schedule and planned to do so until his due date.  My big "birth plan" included the following: 1) get an epidural, and 2) no c-section.  Pretty simple.

I experienced some signs of preterm labor starting at 31 weeks (this involved a brief hospital stay).  I was told to "take it easy" and that this baby was most likely going to arrive EARLY.  An early baby, wow!  He could be here any day!!!  So, Dave and I prepared for an early delivery and hoped we would make it past 36 weeks.

Fast forward to 40+ weeks and I was still pregnant.

very pregnant

As my due date of September 14th came and went, I acted like any normal pregnant girl at 40+ weeks: I complained a lot.  Everything hurt.  My belly was enormous, I felt like a freak show, and I had been having contractions for about 3 months.  Dave and I had done everything we could to prepare for baby's arrival, and we were ready to meet him.  So, my doctor scheduled an induction for September 23rd.

Then, around 2pm on September 18th, I began to feel strong lower back pain along with more painful contractions.  The pain increased throughout the day and by 3am the next morning, I told Dave "this is it!"  FINALLY.  I was so excited!!  We grabbed our bags (which I had packed weeks ago with every necessary provision the internet told me to bring-- camera? Yes. Multiple bags of candy? Check.  Twenty pairs of socks? Packed! Obviously, I was prepared.) and we made our way to the hospital.  We arrived at 4am on September 19th, and I was admitted to labor & delivery.

 happy and smiling, in the early stages of labor (clearly)

I labored naturally until 8:30 that morning, and my contractions were about 3 minutes apart.  But, my labor wasn't progressing fast enough.  So, I was put on a pitocin drip to get things moving.  Have any of you mommies out there experienced the wonders of pitocin??  OH BOY.  That drug is serious.  They tell you pitocin is tough stuff, but I never had a clue just how tough it was.  By 12noon, I was experiencing some pretty intense back labor and I felt like my body was ripping in half.  Like, I was dying.  Actually, I think the only way you would feel pain that serious is IF YOU WERE REALLY DYING.  I'll spare you the details, but I have a new found respect for mothers everywhere.  Child birth is serious business.

My water broke at 1pm and somehow, the pain got even worse (so much worse).  Time for an epidural.  The anesthesiologist arrived in my room around 1:45pm and within minutes I felt relief.  Sweet relief.  My nurse helped me get comfortable, and we thought the drama of labor was over.  The anesthesiologist left the room.  Then, fifteen minutes later, I began to feel a little odd.  My arms felt extremely cold, and my blood pressure dropped.  I felt so sleepy, I could barely keep my eyes open. The baby's heart rate had also dropped.  It was scary.  I remember the nurse calling for help and I thought they were going to order a c-section (which at this point sounded great to me-- silly "birth plan" gone out the window).  My doctor and a group of nurses hurried into our room and after about ten minutes, they were able to stabilize my bizarre reaction to the epidural.  No c-section needed.  They took me off the pitocin, and managed my epidural drip.  Then, I rested.  Two hours later, I began to feel "normal" again (and Dave and I were able to recover from the stress of the situation).  Around 4pm, my pitocin drip kicked back on and things were back on track.  And, most importantly, my epidural was working.  :)

At 6:45pm, I was fully dilated.  And, at 7:07pm it was time to push.  THIS WAS IT.  I wish I could say that I was mentally present during this major life moment, but I really wasn't.  The whole experience felt like a flash.  I pushed for almost an hour.  And just when I was thinking "this isn't going to work-- you guys are going to have to cut this baby out of me," little William was born.  At 7:58pm.  It was the most paralyzing experience of my life.  We heard him cry and I couldn't focus on anything else.  The love I had for this little creature was all consuming.  How could he be mine?  It was a phenomenal moment.

William weighed 8lbs 8 oz (the exact weight I was when I was born) and he looks just like my husband.

{ on his first morning of life }

Dave and I are your typical new parents-- fawning over every little face expression and trying not to freak out over every little problem (is he too hot? is that a rash? is he eating enough?).  But, we're slowly getting the hang of it.  And smiles from this little face make it all worth it.

{ cuddling with Dad }

I promise not to flood this blog with mommy & baby related topics (although, I will post a few things here and there).  But, I can't make any promises for Instagram, where I shamelessly post pictures of my baby on a regular basis (follow me @kellyrobson).  I can't help it.  I'm a mom now.  :)

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William Bernard is here!

On Thursday, September 19th at 7:58pm, our son William Bernard was born.  

He is the cutest, most precious gift I have ever laid eyes on.  Having a baby is a profound experience, obviously.  But until you go through it, you're never truly prepared for the magnitude of emotion that runs through your soul (at least, I wasn't prepared for it).  I look at him in awe-- I can't believe that I'm his mom. 

I'll be back in a few days to share the birth story.  Right now, I'm transitioning into my new life of baby cuddles, midnight feedings, smelling his sweet baby scent, and watching for every new little expression.  At some point, I'll finally wash the baby puke out of my hair and get it together.  But until then, I'll be kissing those sweet little baby feet and thanking God for this precious miracle in my arms.

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So, it's September...

I can't believe this month is finally here.  9 months of pregnancy-- check.  

2013 has certainly been the fastest year of my entire life.  Without a doubt.  Between the pregnancy, our growing business, design clients, and our 3rd floor renovation (whew!), this year is flying by so fast.  And now, in just a matter of days, we are about to welcome our first baby into the world (official due date is September 14th).  It's kind of mind blowing.  With all the days of your life...  and, only a handful of days remain between "before kids" and "after kids".  Nearly 6 years of marriage and we are about to become parents (what?).  And, even though my hormonal self has had 9 months to adjust to this exciting transition, the concept is still equally astounding.  :)


An update on our project:  the 3rd floor renovation is now completely finished and for the last couple of weeks, I've been working to furnish the space.  I've been buying rugs, installing new bedding, pulling hoarded vintage furniture out of storage, and getting everything set up.  It's a great feeling...  especially, when I'm reminded that not too long ago, the 3rd floor looked like this.  But, we now have two guest rooms with walk-in closets and each bedroom holds a queen-sized bed.  Between the two guest rooms is a tiny little room with two large windows that face the front of the house.   Here's the floorplan:

Some of you have emailed me asking about our living situation.  Here's the deal: we've decided to bunk up on the 3rd floor while we finish the renovation on the 2nd floor.  It feels a little backwards, but I'm so BEYOND HAPPY with the way that the 3rd floor turned out, I want my entire house to feel this way.  So, I don't mind waiting.  :)  Living on the 3rd floor is hardly a sacrifice, for now.  The three of us (baby included) will be living up there over the winter months and most likely into the spring/summer 2014 (I feel like I should write an entire post about living through a massive home renovation-- and I probably should.  But, I'll save that topic for another time).  Dave and I will sleep in one of the guest rooms, and baby will live in the tiny front room.  Even though the permanent nursery will eventually reside on the 2nd floor, I've decided to do my best and design his temporary little room in the meantime.  Here is my inspiration board for the nursery:

 The vintage bamboo armoire (that I've been hoarding for years now) won't fit in this 3rd floor space, so that will have to wait until the 2nd floor is complete.  But, almost everything else managed to squeeze into that tiny room! 

(resources: glider, floor lamp, crib, ottoman, teddy bear rocker, dresser, area rug)

 

I wanted to keep the palette soft and a little bit grown up...  so, I stayed away from overly saturated colors and used soft shades of blue, mint, bright whites and warm tans...  with a pop of emerald green for contrast.  The walls are Farrow & Ball "James White" so the vibe is really bright and warm.

If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen a couple of sneak peeks.  But, here are some additional photos of the space as it comes together...

 (drawer organizers from Ikea-- go buy them, they'll change your life)

We are still waiting on our glider, so once that arrives I will post some additional photos of this precious little room.  :)  In the meantime, we're on baby watch.  

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3rd Floor Lighting Selections

Having the electrician run all new wiring to the 3rd floor was one of the most exciting parts of this renovation.  Not glamorous and not cheap, but totally amazing nevertheless.  When we bought the house, the walls on this level were crumbling, the wiring was all the original 19th century knob & tube, and it was freezing from a lack of insulation.  I'm happy to say that today, this space is beautiful and warm and we have LIGHT.  And, power outlets.  And, dimmers.  And enough electricity to power a television, plenty of chargers, lamps, and even a vacuum without blowing a fuse.  I'm so happy.  :)

The ceilings in the bedrooms are a little bit low (just under 8 feet).  So, we decided against ceiling fixtures in these spaces and went with recessed cans instead.  I realize that recessed cans aren't EXACTLY historically accurate when we're talking about an 1890s home, but I'm happy we made the choice to use cans.  Very happy, in fact.  They're so discreet and I adore the low profile look.  And, they cast the most GORGEOUS light.  

I chose the 3" LED Recessed Gimbals (which are dimmable) by Lithonia.  They're so tiny and simple, you hardly notice them.  And the light they give off is beyond beautiful.  We used three in the large bedrooms, two in the smaller bedroom, and one in each closet.  Together with ambient lighting (table lamps, etc), they will provide lovely light to each space.  For recessed cans, they're pretty cool.  They claim to use hardly any electricity and you won't have to change the bulb for about 25 years.  All of that is just a bonus because what really matters to me is how pretty they make the space look.  :)  SO, if you're looking at recessed fixtures for your renovation, I highly recommend these.  The Robsons give them two thumbs up.

 

my 3rd floor hallway inspiration board -- 

very simple, very bright, still feeling historically significant

In the center hallway, we wanted to stick with a more traditional/historical lighting plan: one central fixture outside the bedrooms, and one pendant over the stairs.  We also added a pair of sconces to create additional light in the stairway.  We had everything set on dimmers (I'm obsessed), and we wanted these fixtures to feel like they belonged with our 1890s home.  So, they couldn't feel too modern...

First, we decided on the pair of sconces for the stairway:

 

The "Vendome" Double Wall Sconce in Antique Brass by Visual Comfort

We both love this simple sconce, so it was a done deal.

Next, we looked at a series of pendants/chandeliers that would coordinate with the sconces.  Something casual?  Or, something a bit more fancy?  Here's what we considered...

top row: Milton Milk Glass Pendant, Large Hicks Pendant, Small Cornice Lantern

bottom row: Paris Flea Market Chandelier, Large Alabaster Globe Pendant, Westport Chandelier

 

For the hallway fixture (that would sit between the bedroom doors), we selected these options...

 

top row: Large Basil Flush Mount,  Club Square Flush Mount, Star Flush Mount Ceiling Fixture

bottom row: Audrey Flush Mount Ceiling Fixture, Large Randolph Crystal Flush Mount,  Enrique Gilded Flush Mount

This is the 3rd floor after all, so the fixtures didn't need to be that fancy...  But, we didn't want it to feel boring either.  My husband has a clear opinion when it comes to lighting, and I appreciate his perspective.  So, we had to work together on this one.  We matched up EVERY suitable combination (something fancy with something casual, etc, etc), and in the end, we decided to go with this grouping...

We love this group!  The "Vendome" sconces arrived this week and will be installed this weekend, but here is what the hall is looking like now (sans sconces)...

more updates to come...

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3rd Floor: Refinished Hardwood Floor DIY

Cross it off the list-- our 3rd floor hardwoods have been refinished!!  And, they're drop dead gorgeous.  Words cannot describe how happy we are with the outcome.  My industrious husband, Dave, did everything from start to finish.  And, his obsessive attention to detail really shows.  The refinished floors look terrific.  :) 

Just to refresh, here are some pics of the floors from last month (at this point, we had finished the wainscoting, hung the trim, and painted everything)...

 
As you can see, the floors were in rough shape but worth saving (some areas were worse than others).  Our center hallway was covered in a dark shellac, and the hardwood in the bedrooms was completely unfinished.  We did a little bit of research on removing the shellac and came up with mixed reviews.  Most people concluded that it would be a BEAR to remove-- some suggested stripping the floors, others suggested going through countless sheets of sand paper.  The shellac sort of  looks like paint.  It's opaque, yet it has a lighter/thinner finish.  When you try to remove it, it feels almost like tar and tends to gum up the sander.  But, Dave decided to sand it off (rather than strip the floors) and ended up with decent results!  We were pleased.  So, if you have shellac on your floors, don't worry.  It can be removed with little to no damage.  The floors in the hallway look AMAZING now.  Who would have known that all that gorgeous graining was hiding underneath a layer of ugly shellac all these years?

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Our DIY project can be broken down like this:

step 1:
Prep your floor -- pull any nails or staples, address the gaps between planks (either fill with wood filler or replace planks entirely).  Make sure to secure any loose boards.  When you're finished, vacuum the space thoroughly.

step 2:
Sanding-- we rented a drum sander from the Home Depot to sand the majority of the floors.  Then, Dave used an edging sander to get near the walls and corners-- places that the drum sander can't reach (if you have spaces where even the edging sander can't reach, you'll need to use a paint scraper to remove that layer of old finish).  He started with a 36 grit paper and went over the entire floor, following the grain of the wood.  This rough grit will aggressively remove the top layer of wood (our floors needed it!).  When he was finished, he repeated this step with a 60 grit sand paper.  And then, finished using the 100 grit paper.  By going over the floors three times with the drum sander and the edger (using a gradual progression in sand paper every time) you will create a smoother, more even finish.  And, your hardwoods will be better prepared to accept the stain.

drum sander

step 3: 
Popping the wood (this is an optional step, but we did it, so I'm including it as "step 3") -- lightly mist the floor with water from a pump sprayer (something like this).  Do not over water, since this can create water stains.  Just lightly LIGHTLY spray it.  The water will open up the grain to allow for a better buffing, which happens in the next step...

step 5: 
Blend the edges -- use a vibratory sander (we rented one from the Home Depot) to blend the areas where the edger and drum sander met.  Dave used 100 grit sand paper.  By blending (or buffing) the two spaces you will create a seamless finish.

step 6:  
Clean up -- vacuum the entire floor to make sure that you've cleaned up all the dust and debris (we did this twice with the shop vac).

step 7: 
Stain -- now it's time to apply that beautiful stain!  We selected oil-based Minwax "Jacobean" stain, which can be found at any Home Depot store.  We wanted a dark floor that complemented the tone of our original banisters.  "Jacobean" was the perfect fit for us.  Dave applied the stain with a natural bristle paint brush, and immediately followed with a rag (we used an old t-shirt) to remove excess stain.  Wiping the excess with a rag will allow the wood grain to shine through.  Allow the stain to dry for at least 24 hours.

 

"Jacobean"

 

checking our sample piece with the original banister finish-- it's a winner.

 applying the stain

step 8:
Polyurethane -- the final application!  Apply 1 coat of polyurethane (we used Lenmar Polyurethane Wood Finish in "satin").  We used a roller with a 3/8" nap, and then used a brush to get in the corners.  Allow approx. 12 hours of drying time.  After the poly has dried, sand it with a 220 grit sand paper.  Now, REPEAT this step 3 times.

step 9:
Wait -- wait for the final coats of polyurethane to completely cure before moving furniture (or area rugs) onto the floor.  RESIST!  It's very difficult to be patient, but trust me.  The poly needs to fully cure. We let it sit for almost a week, just to be safe.  But, you could get away with 3-4 days of drying time.

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And, here is what the refinished floor looks like today:

 

a little "before & after" comparison...

I'll be back tomorrow to talk about the lighting we selected for this space.  So excited to share the final selections.  :)

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if you're interested, a few previous blog posts on this 3rd floor renovation...

our DIY Wainscoting

the inspiration for this project

installing drywall and selecting the paint

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