Number 9

As I mentioned a few months back, 2012 at Number 9 was mostly...

Fri, 31 May 2013 14:02:40 -0400

As I mentioned a few months back, 2012 at Number 9 was mostly dominated by disaster, cleanup and repair. After my basement was flooded in May (the anniversary of which I celebrated a couple of days ago by worrying that the day’s predicted thunderstorms would result in another round of flooding), it took well over six (SIX!) months for the repairs to be finished. Four feet of drywall and insulation were removed, as was the floor and subfloor, and half of the staircase. The exit door to the garage, as well as the closet door were also completely replaced, as was the hot water tank and the baseboard heating.

Somewhere during that process, I decided that I’d like to have a somewhat permanent reminder of the experience, as well as a “loss line”, a clear marker of what I stand to lose should we get flooded again. This marker goes all the way around the room at the 30” mark, which is how high the water rose. It’s not something I would have considered doing in a main living area, but since the basement sees minimal action, I thought I’d go for it.

As for the rest of the basement, we’re still trying to sort some things out, but after much agonizing, we came to a couple of conclusions. First off, we did not replace our sofabed. We had an older model, but high quality IKEA sleeper sofa that our friends would use when visiting from out of town. It was a complete loss, and having to rip the waterlogged upholstered frame apart and throwing it out in pieces really hammered home how horribly wasteful these kinds of disasters can be. I never want to repeat that experience, so after going back and forth on lighter framed futon-style setups, we decided that risks outweighed the benefits, and invested in an extremely top of the line air mattress instead. This way, when our guests leave, we can pack it up and store it up high until next time.

Speaking of storing things up high, we’re still working out the logistics of wall mounted shelving, but there’s no question that I will not be storing anything of any value, real or sentimental, below the loss line. This is a bit of a pain, but outweighs the alternative. We did decide to invest in a nice sisal rug, with the understanding that it’ll be a total writeoff should it flood again, but it was important to warm up the space a bit, while protecting the floors.

It might seem a bit silly to some to make design or lifestyle choices based on the possibility of a disaster, but given that this property had a similar flood in 1987 and now again last year, I know that this is a question of when, not if, especially given the weather instability this region has seen over the last decade. I believe that, especially for a room that doesn’t see much use, balancing risk with comfort is possible.

One less property available for summer rental at Number 9. One...

Sat, 25 May 2013 13:26:30 -0400

One less property available for summer rental at Number 9.

One more dead thing for my fireplace mantel.

Finally, a much needed rainfall. The lilacs are weirdly pale...

Sat, 11 May 2013 10:25:56 -0400

Finally, a much needed rainfall. The lilacs are weirdly pale this year, not just mine, but all up and down the block, possibly a result of the season starting far too early…

I’ve added many more layers to my mantelscape since the...

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:00:16 -0400

I’ve added many more layers to my mantelscape since the last photo, including a dead thing or two. If I had my way, my house would essentially function as one giant memento mori. Also, can we talk about what a retch-inducing word “mantelscape” is? Really, it’s gross.

Anyways, one day I might post some detail shots, but until then, you’ll have to make do with this old one.

The serviceberry tree is in bloom… the berries...

Sun, 05 May 2013 09:11:25 -0400

The serviceberry tree is in bloom… the berries aren’t far behind!

I am incredibly cheap. Well, that’s not totally true, but...

Fri, 03 May 2013 12:26:00 -0400

I am incredibly cheap. Well, that’s not totally true, but I’m always on the lookout for a bargain, and I only like spending real money for real value. In fact, I will put significant effort into getting the absolute best price for any one item, and I will only spend a larger sum if I know that the item I am spending it on is worth all that and more. I live my life very much in keeping with this quote, which is why it has taken me many, many months, since losing my vacuum cleaner(s) in the flood, to replace it.*

I have wood parquet throughout, wooden stairs and a few area rugs, most small, and all flat weave, so really, nearly any vacuum would do. Only very large pile or shag rugs or wall-to-wall carpeting require more intense machines, with powered heads, so I probably could have gotten away with a nifty little 50$ number. Instead, I went in a completely different direction, and I don’t regret it at all.

The sexy beast you see above is my Miele Olympus S2121, described in an Amazon review as “something a Storm Trooper would use on the Death Star.” It is the most “entry-level” model in the Miele line, but it fit all my criteria. I considered it for months, but finally committed a month or so ago. These are the factors that went into my decision:

Canister vs. upright: This was the easiest decision for me. Having had both, I can easily say that while uprights can be convenient, they are not as maneuverable. I need something that can go under my furniture easily, and be less clumsy on stairs, so the long wand of a canister vac hits that spot. I also prefer that canisters hold more dirt without the burden of having to physically lug it around.

Bagged vs. bagless: I hate that, for all its talk about HEPA filtration, Dyson canisters ultimately need to be physically dumped into the trash. Once the dust is trapped, I want it to stay that way, so I knew that a bagged solution was the only option for me. Yes, the bags are expensive, but there is value, as someone who suffers from allergies, in not having the dust poof up from the trash when I go to throw it out. Since maintaining the integrity of the vacuum and ensuring a long life for this appliance is important to me, I will also not be buying cheaper, off-brand bags. Given the initial investment, it would make no sense to skimp out on the bags and potentially risk having to repurchase a vacuum far too soon.

Price: As I mentioned above, I entered the Miele market in the cheapest way possible, with their most entry level vacuum. It fits my needs, which aren’t very intense, and, while considerably less expensive than the cheapest Dysons, still represented a significant monetary investment for me. I did, however, make a simple upgrade right from the start, by trading up from the standard convertible head that shipped with the vacuum to a flexible, soft natural bristled head made specifically for hard floors vulnerable to scratching. That this had to purchased separately stuck in my craw, but I’m extremely glad I didn’t spare the extra expense, since I find that the convertible head that ships with this model, while excellent on my rugs, is not anything I’d ever consider using on my floors.

Other factors: I like that this model, while not shipping with a HEPA filter, does have the option to take one. The additional 50$/year expense is not one I’m considering now, but may be interested in at some point in the future. I also like that the lifetime of Mieles tends to be long, which is a very important consideration for me.

Having been using my vacuum for over a month, I can say that I’ve been incredibly impressed. It is light and extremely flexible, both with regard to its 360° wheelbase, and its various heads. I love how neatly it stores, as well as the convenient little stand for the wand when you need to take a break mid-vacuuming session (pictured here). It is silent, yet potent in suction, and the adjustable power is extremely useful.

Based on my experience so far, I have a feeling that, if I’ll ever need to replace it, I’ll probably replace it with much the same thing, but hopefully that won’t be for another couple of decades.

*I was lucky to borrow a vacuum for this period of time, so no, the floor hasn’t grown over with dust in the interim… much.

Have you seen this incredibly pretentious video about a...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:57:00 -0400

Have you seen this incredibly pretentious video about a multimillion dollar New York penthouse yet? Unbelievably, it manages to make indoor rock climbing and an 80ft interior slide sound as uptight and uninteresting as possible.

You know, this would be a lot more charming if the slide’s final exit didn’t look like a giant, shiny sphincter.

I didn’t think that Reddit, of all places, would help me...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:23:00 -0400

I didn’t think that Reddit, of all places, would help me track down easily the most appealing pool I’ve ever seen in my life, and yet imagine my surprise this morning when this photo popped up.

In the comments, I found a link to the video above, that explains the pool and its construction in greater detail. While the comment thread is full of debates regarding the pool’s acidity and other nerdy scientific discussions, it appears that it has enough water circulation and filtration to offset any problems.

Ultimately, this pool speaks to me so intensely because it embodies the idea of working with what you already have, one of the hallmarks of good design in my book. The attention to detail that went into the man-made additions to the pool (the steps, lighting and water circulation) highlight the existing structure, turning what would otherwise be a rock lined pit into something both beautiful and functional.

While the quarry itself is a reminder of human intervention on the surrounding landscape, and isn’t natural or intrinsic to the landscape, turning it into a pool, while carefully retaining as much of its original structure as possible, is a stunning testament to authenticity in design.

Are the Dioder and Ledberg LEDs similar in brightness?

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:08:33 -0400

Hi there, sorry for the late reply! I’d say so. They are similar, but the Ledberg seems less bright because of the warmer light temperature (the yellowness of the light it gives off), versus the Dioder’s bright white light.

Here’s an unnecessarily dramatic shot of the light...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:32:19 -0400

Here’s an unnecessarily dramatic shot of the light streaming through the Redi Shade Easy Elegance shades on one of my living room windows. I love how the silhouette of the lilac tree outside plays off against my indoor tree.

INVISIBLE LIFT: Window Shades It’s amazing what a simple...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:38:15 -0500

INVISIBLE LIFT: Window Shades

It’s amazing what a simple switch can do for a room. This is the before and after of one of my ground floor windows. On the left, the inherited pale beige aluminum horizontal blinds, and on the right, my brand new cellular shades. A perfect example of the invisible upgrade, this change went unnoticed by nearly everyone who’s come to visit, and yet the daily effect of this little switch is something I feel every day. This is what I call an “invisible lift”, a simple design upgrade that makes all the difference, and the name of a new feature at Number 9.

In real estate, “location, location, location” may be key, but in design, it’s all about lighting, lighting, lighting, and for most rooms, natural lighting is the most important component. With a frosty north east exposure, accessing bright natural light in my house is a little hard to come by. This, compounded by my need for privacy and my desire to “set it and forget it”, means that I keep my blinds mostly closed all the time, so the ground floor benefits from very little daily light. I knew that the dingy aluminum blinds I had inherited weren’t going to be a workable longterm solution, as did my plants, most of which have given up the ghost thanks to the lack of natural light.

For years, I’ve been looking for an inexpensive solution, constantly maligning the lack of sizing choices in the IKEA Enje, which would have been my treatment of choice. Sadly, at five feet wide, my windows are a hair too big, and that dream has been repeatedly dashed with every new season of the IKEA catalog. I worried that a custom solution would be my only option, with the big bad price tag to match, and even looked into homemade solutions, like hanging fine paper from the frame with wooden dowels.

One day, when browsing at the local hardware store, I stumbled on the temporary window treatments offered by Redi Shade. Intended for newly moved in spaces, I had seen these peel-and-stick solutions mentioned by others online, mostly in the context of “I bought these for privacy when we first moved in, but I like them so much I never bothered to take them down”. At the time, I remembered thinking that I wished they had a permanent solution in my size. It was only recently that I discovered that they do.

The Easy Elegance series of shades comes in a variety of sizes, but also ships with a DIY sizing kit that will allow you to cut them to fit your needs. I was lucky, since the largest size is exactly what I need, so I simply had to install them, and now I have a couple of extremely sharp knives as a bonus. I found that the installation instructions were a little confusing, and where to install the brackets on the window frame wasn’t immediately obvious to me. If you’re obtuse, like I am, you may find yourself having to reinstall the metal bracket a couple of times. Once you figure out where everything goes, installation becomes incredibly easy, and while my first blind took about 45 minutes to install, the second went up in about ten.

I’ve been extremely pleased with the results, and on sunny days, my plants and I finally benefit without having to lift them, but when I have, they’re a snap to lift and close, and the clean, cordless design is a definite upgrade. I also love the honeycomb design, which is much more energy efficient than the old aluminum blinds. Without a doubt, this gets you the look of custom blinds at a fraction of the cost. I still have three more windows in my house that I’d like to convert to these shades

designcloud: Bottom Feeders by Mary O’Malley I love how this...

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 10:19:40 -0500

designcloud:

Bottom Feeders by Mary O’Malley

I love how this is both beautiful and just a little bit terrifying/gross.

It has been an active year for Number 9, but you wouldn’t...

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 15:11:01 -0500

It has been an active year for Number 9, but you wouldn’t know it from the number of posts that went up over the past 11 months.

My basement was totally flooded in May, and then rebuilt over the course of over 6 months (boy, contractors sure are efficient, huh?). In fact, the final piece of the puzzle, replacing the garage entry door, was only finished a few weeks ago. I’ve spent the majority of the year living with the salvaged contents of my basement/garage spread all over the house… not fun at all, and I’m sure that there are many victims of Hurricane Sandy, and other smaller scale floods, who can completely relate.

I’ve made many big changes and small tweaks to Number 9 over the past year, with many more still to come, and yet I’ve been too involved in actually trying to make these changes happen while living like a squatter in my own house to share them with you. I have been taking pictures along the way, so I hope to be able to share some of them with you in 2013.

This is Number 9’s wreath this year, the only holiday decoration I’ve managed to put up. It’s my same Ikea wreath, with this year’s seasonal embellishments, and it’s a small reminder to me to love what you have, and appreciate the moments of beauty in the chaos. Thank you for following Number 9, and I wish you and yours a beautiful, peaceful holiday season.

(via Ryan McElhinney) With my house now harboring bins full of...

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:54:00 -0400

(via Ryan McElhinney)

With my house now harboring bins full of Transformers, He-Man figurines, and other boy toys, I’ve been thinking about creative and interesting ideas for the broken/unwanted ones. Initially, I was interested in arranging them in shadowboxes for wall display, but then I came across this. If you click through, you’ll see other examples, as well as frames also created with discarded toys. I still think I’ll opt for the frame option, but this is very, very tempting indeed.

(via Best Advice: White Marble Countertops Pros & Cons |...

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:44:16 -0400

(via Best Advice: White Marble Countertops Pros & Cons | Apartment Therapy)

Re Ikea Dioder lighting. The colour temperature of the non-colour changing Dioder has changed from cool white to warm white. I bought a pack in the UK in June, liked it, so went back a week later to buy some more but they have a distinct yellow cast which does not look good with my white kitchen. After numerous phone calls Ikea say that they cannot confirm that any future supplies will be cool white and have taken down the cool white ones from their display. So I have obtained a full refund

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 10:39:00 -0400

Thank you for the update! Given that the cheaper Ledberg option is a warm white, I figured IKEA would maintain the cool white in the Dioder range. Obviously the preference between warm & cool white is individual, but I suppose an important takeaway here is to buy as many kits as necessary from the same batch, and to return them if the color temperature doesn’t suit.

For those just tuning in, you can refer to my entire series on IKEA’s Ledberg vs. Dioder light kits here.

(via Sideboard mit invertierter (fake) Maserung - StyleSpion) A...

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 18:38:04 -0400

(via Sideboard mit invertierter (fake) Maserung - StyleSpion)

A clever idea for an “inverted” paint job on a cabinet. Very inspiring!

I just picked up this industrial looking beauty at IKEA today....

Sat, 19 May 2012 17:47:58 -0400

I just picked up this industrial looking beauty at IKEA today. It’s in the LIMHAMN series, and it’s a small but solid chunk of stainless steel shelving that I plan on using as a computer stand (long story, but if I ever get it installed, I’ll post a photo).

Problem is, I have no idea how to install it at a specific height. It comes in two pieces: a long skinny strip of stainless steel with holes for screwing into the wall, and the main L shaped part that you slot onto the skinny strip. The instructions indicate that you should level the strip before screwing it into the wall, and then you sit the other half onto it, but I have no way of really knowing how far down the L shaped part will sit on the lip of the skinny strip… therefore, I have no idea how to make sure that the shelf will land at a specific height off the ground.

This is less important in this particular application (which will end up being mostly invisible), but will become an issue if I decide to buy the longer version of this shelf (60 x 20 cm, vs. the 40 x 20 cm version I have now) to use in my kitchen, which is why I’m throwing this out to you…

Have you purchased and installed this shelf? Were you able to figure out how to get it installed at a specific height? If so, how?

Things are blooming around Number 9! Once again, I managed to...

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:11:06 -0400

Things are blooming around Number 9! Once again, I managed to miss the one day bloom on my Saskatoonberry tree, but here are some photos taken of the lilac tree and a clump of forget me nots. The latter somehow sprung up in the yard last year as a weed, and I transplanted the initial cluster I found into the same flower bed as the lilies. They seem to spreading on their own, which is great.

This year looks like it may be the year I finally commit to something in the garden. I’m considering some kind of moss/fescue hybrid garden, that won’t need a lot of maintenance. In the sunnier spots, where grass can grow, I’m hoping to finally plant some Eco Lawn, and in the shadier spots, where moss has already made itself at home, I’m hoping to encourage it further!

(via Before & After: A Fresh Bathroom Remodel | Apartment...

Mon, 07 May 2012 10:19:55 -0400

(via Before & After: A Fresh Bathroom Remodel | Apartment Therapy)

I can’t get enough of Carrara marble & black in bathrooms these days. The pink faucet is just an added bonus