Check out the original post More about my apartment. on Bewildered Bug
Sorry for the boring content recently – my life is revolving around this apartment at the moment, and therefore, so does my blog….
In my last blog about my apartment, a good friend of mine requested more photos. Today I also finally built the chest of drawers that has been in pieces forever. …. um except for the one drawer I managed to break when I was building the drawers…
Since I’ve been here I’ve built a lot of furniture actually – and am waiting on one more shelf to build then I’ll put away the tools for a bit. The thing is, across here in England, there is a lot less storage than in Canada….and God knows I already had very little there for all the stuff I have (had?) accumulated. So, because of my lack of storage I’ve been trying to be a bit creative with my storage options, and I’m a bit worried about when our shipment comes in…where am I going to put all of this?!
Then again, after three months without, do I really need the things we’ve packed?!?!
Anyway, I wanted to show you some of the inventive? (I’d like to think) storage solutions and some of the…um…unique features of my apartment.
I built this all by myself…okay fine, the Luv Luv had to help with this one….
First, here’s the Chest of Drawers I built today. It’s the fourth piece of furniture I’ve had to build since we came here. If you notice there’s the broken drawer on top. When I was trying to fix my mistake (because the drawers are easier to make with two people instead of one), I managed to break the back of it. Hubby came and helped me with the rest.
My coat “closet”
There are NO built-ins in this apartment except for the kitchen cabinets, so I had to get a little creative with my coat closet – I found garment racks at Homebase and bought some…so this one holds the coats we have in the house at the moment. Then shoes/slippers that are in use during that season….except for maybe Luv Luv’s slippers. I really should move those! Our next problem that will come up will be where to store the suitcases. That placement is sorta not ideal…but it may have to stay there.
As you know, the reason we are here is that my Luv Luv is going back to school, so the spare room has been converted into his study.
Book storage that I think he can make better use of…
In order to fit his desk and book shelf in the guest room with the extra bed, we took the wardrobe out and put it into the master (yay more closet for me!) and put this in as an alternate.
Wardrobe solution for guest room/Luv Luv’s study
It’s the same as the one we got for the coats, except it is a double rack. I’m not sure it’ll work perfectly for guests – but it should work for at least my extra clothing (formal stuff etc. I don’t wear all the time) and perhaps one or two of the suitcases flat on the shoe rack.
Just random storage
I am desperately trying to figure out a way to increase storage throughout the apartment for any little “extras” that may need storage. I bought this storage bench – I think that for sure, I’ll be storing towels, sheets and maybe extra stuff like tissues, toilet paper etch in here. I have yet to move them out of my closet into here…I had thought I’d be able to sit on it to put on my shoes since it is obliquely opposite the coat closet. This is why you should buy these things in person. This is a FOLD DOWN storage bench. Once the cover comes off you can flatten it. I’m scared to try to sit on it. It would be funny though….
Bathroom Storage
We found this awesome little closet to fit around the pedestal sink. It looks gorgeous, but it’s not as much storage as I would have liked – it does make it look a bit nicer (I am not a fan of pedestal sinks in main washrooms), and gives me storage for cotton balls, lady things, nail polish remover and other hygiene paraphernalia that Luv Luv and I tend to have and not need all the time.
Luv Luv’s idea of storage
Yeah…Luv Luv’s “storage” space will be sorted and cleared out as soon as I get my kitchen shelf. Homebase and I have been playing phone tag with that delivery! *grumble*
We still have to purchase a few other things, an under-counter or counter height cabinet for my baking supplies and then a shelf for MY desk that is in the living/kitchen area.
Water dispenser – both hot and cold!
We apparently drink a lot more water than we thought we did. We had started buying 1L bottles thinking we’d buy a Brita in a bit. We ended up buying so many that we decided to rent a water cooler. We get 36 bottles included per year, but at the rate we’re going, we may have to buy extra. We finished the first bottle in less than a week!
Also, I figured you should be introduced to some of the unique things that this apartment features….
strange mirror/column/sink placement.
In my last blog about my apartment, I did mention the weird column in the washroom that forced them to put the mirror to the right of the sink. Here it is…you would think they would have extended the column and centered the mirror over the sink. Ah well – I will figure it out – thinking of just buying a small mirror to lean up directly in front of the sink (where the Listerine is in this photo).
unfinished ceiling
At the entrance into the living room, they did not cover the structure of the building with the drywall for some reason…? Still wondering why – it actually comes down past the drywall. That light is an IKEA sensor light because it gets quite dark there when the hall light is open…and *ahem* someone tends to walk into the door….
wooden beams and…well…
Here’s one of my favorite parts of the apartment – the wooden beams, skylight and high ceilings in the living area. If you noticed, the smoke alarm is nicely installed on the beams, which is probably 10 feet to the bottom beam….meaning that when the battery goes in this little sucker…well…let’s just say it’s going to be quite annoying!
cracks..
I think the second week we were here there was a loud bang and this appeared in the drywall in the living room. The owner of the building did put a lot of money into restoring this, but I think he needed a little more help when joining the different materials. Yes, this is when I get scientific again. In any building you have to consider the different qualities of the different materials. Especially when they are adjoining like this, and especially when there are huge, sudden changes in weather, the way that it did that particular week.
Artistic license?
This was just the best example of the artistic license that the contractor took with the kitchen island. All they had to do here was make sure you install it in an equally spaced grid. Or you could be a bit tipsy and take some artistic license…I suppose (no I don’t know that for sure…).
Hope you enjoyed the photos
Bewildered Bug - ...just trying to navigate through this obstacle course called life...
