// NEW POST Feb27, 2021
My Big, Fat Covid Reno
December, 2019: “What closing date would you like?” On the house, he meant. February 14th? I’d been ambivalent about Valentine’s Day most years, probably because it felt strangely like the prom—fabled and hope-laden, with an actuality more along the lines of…meh. On the other hand, the draw of those beautiful, elemental notions of love and connection…
Victoria, BC, Canada. At the heart of this blog is a love of two things: the transformative power of good design; and the puzzles that invariably present themselves in old-home renovations. At one point, the puzzles of a circa-1900 I owned back in 2005 left me sitting on a paint can for hours, frustrated and swearing like a Lil’ Wayne wannabe at the catastrophic 80s kitchen in front of me and wondering what I—what anyone—could possibly do to make it better. And then the implausible happened. As I stared, a small, non-terrible idea surfaced. And then another idea. And another. Was the layout really that unworkable? Were those fun-house floors truly a lost cause?
As it turned out, there were solutions; I just had to dig past the house’s murky reno history to find them.
What happened with that kitchen? Well, I can tell you that it changed—for the better. Many rooms and challenges later, I’m sharing new ideas and past lessons about (re)creating spaces that are purposeful, beautiful and hold their value in the long term. And those puzzles? They’re always daunting…but damn, it sure feels good when you figure them out.
-Nicole
Kitchen & Breakfast Nook
Office
The Little Bathroom
Dining Room
The Big Bedroom
Guest/ Multipurpose Room
Our previous renovation has been featured in several print publications, including two hardcover books by the lovely Maria Spassov. I remember receiving my copies in the mail and feeling slightly awed at the sight of my home alongside the sublime work of Vicente Wolf, Jonathan Adler and other talents. Like Christmas…only better.
Online, our ideas have been published in numerous blogs, including House Beautiful, This Old House, Good Housekeeping, Desire to Inspire and many others.
