Purple can make bright colors sizzle, especially in very sunny areas," Saoud says. "For a hot, tropical effect, try purples with orange or red" such as salvia "Purple Majesty" mingled with Pat Austin or Gingersnap rose, or purple verbena bonariensis towering over orange cannas or flax.

We wore

We wore bags on our feet to keep the carpet fresh.

The finished rack, loaded with whatever leftover lumber I had.

What a mess!

new vanity, new medicine cabinet.

Water marks on the top, thats what natural stone does.

What happens when you cross a houseful of artsy types with fifty pounds of mismatched dumpstered tile?

The air powered nailer makes a big puff of insulation when it shoots a nail.

We replaced the chandelier!

The wall is in pretty good shape still, which was a concern. From right to left is the blue painted wall (duh) then white drywall, then the anemic framing, then the door jam with some gray paint on top of darker wood.

(notice the stove!!)

Stained vs. Naked Wood

A close up of the funky lino. By the way...that sub floor's gonna be a pain...literally a pain...to take up.

petworth. the new georgetown.

I hope this works

baby's room prep.

Hopefully this will keep the cats from making holes under the guest bed's boxspring.

The house even comes with an adorable piano that needs some love and repairs (just like the house!)

Our roofing work in Durham, NC (27705)

We tore up some of the flooring to see what was underneath...more of our silly curiosity. The very bottom layer is the original lino...it's swirly and very cool.

I refinished our coffee table this weekend. Well, I finished refinishing our coffee table this weekend. I started it a month ago and through a comedy of errors, only got it to be presentable yesterday.

NOTE: Semi-Gloss Verathane seems to leave an almost white finish on wood, regardless of what color the wood is underneath.

Anyhow, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. Now I just need to get more coasters.

this neat-o curio holder thingie was a present from joe and dana, all the way from wilmington, NC!

Before

Unstained, of course.

I tiled 'em!

Two years later, I have finally gotten around to tapping into the duct that runs through the ceiling.

Obdulia and Julian Ventura's home, after their home improvements.