Progress – life at 1:1 scale

Kitchen Plans

While I may still be waiting for my lotto win to progress the 2021 houseolution of an concrete, above ground lap pool, I have been progressing my renovation plans. The kitchen and laundry are going to be renovated to give me storage and maximise storage space.

It has been hard to winnow down to a kitchen design that works with the house, and also works for me.

Elements within my house shift from late Art Deco/Streamline Moderne vernacular: with the striking paned Crittall Steel windows, the bevelled plaster rails in the kitchen and bathroom, ornate cornices in the public areas and limestone foundations; towards the more classic Mid-Century Modern elements that were becoming popular in the era my house was built: with an almost ranch style design, open-plan living-kitchen-dining, the internal french doors with rippled glass, the striking feature brick fireplace and simple mantle above it.

It’s an odd house to define a style for, because it does have all those transitional elements in it based on when it was built. And I don’t want to recreate exactly what was likely to have been in the house when originally built:

A decorative / bulkhead storage unit above the counter separating the kitchen and dining area in the original kitchen
A door between the kitchen and laundry (the small wall next to the stove emphasises that passage-way). That former door is where my fridge sits, and I can’t lose that space because there’s nowhere else to place the fridge
Darker wood veneer colours, or acid 50s colour laminate cabinets and “marble” laminate counters

I don’t want my kitchen to be a “period” kitchen and it’s hard to think of an era-appropriate style given its transitional nature but I do want the new kitchen to respect the era of the house: 1952. And to reference the elements I like about modern renditions of mid-century styles.

While I’ve been unwell during 2021 (waiting for not one but two operations :|), I have had quite a bit of time to lie on my couch and pinterest the hell out of what I want my kitchen to look like:

Pinterest really helped me refine in my head, the design features I wanted to be in the kitchen. As well as functional internal features (pull out pantries, drawers for crockery etc).

I’ve gone with Smartstyle Bathrooms for this renovation: because there’s some demolition (the bulkhead above my upper cabinets, that former passageway wall between the fridge and the stove), and because the size of the kitchen means I can’t use pre-built carcasses so cabinetry needed to be bespoke.

There’ve been a couple of iterations of design so far:

Iteration 1: this initial version was after the first meeting, and included all the upper cabinetry I’d specified with standard finishes:

I definitely don’t want shaker-style cabinetry (no farmhouse style kitchens here, thank you very much), or chrome cabinet handles and tapware. And the stove is too close to the pantry (no elbow room on the right hand side). But it started me thinking about cabinetry and finishes.

Iteration 2: after the second meeting where I specified stone counter tops (not laminate), v-groove panelled cabinet doors and drawer fronts, a gold sink and tapware.

This iteration is much more to my style, although work is still needed on the stove-pantry-counter ratio. At this point, I walked back my idea about having cabinetry around the window: it looks too heavy, and I’d potentially lose my beautiful cornice.

At this point I could really start to think about finishes. It also meant I could book in a session with their designer to properly spec out finishes, functionality and layout. Their designer, Designed by Deb, sat with me for about 3.5 hours to properly spec out what I want.

I’m now waiting for the final renders and quote (Iteration 3), this will also give me the full project timeline (at the moment I only have a starting date!). And I’ll be able to make final tweaks to the design. I am very much looking forward to seeing all the storage Deb is working into the design for me.

In the meantime, I’ve created my own look book of choices(still deciding on countertops) so that I have that for now:

Brass Bistro Shelves: Iron Abode’s Monty 1/2 brackets one set for by the window, and one custom set to replace the tall cupboard in the kitchen entry. I’ve ordered these from the USA, so far the standard brackets have arrived.

Appliances: Integrated Fridge (Currently choosing between Liebherr and Miele’s 283L versions), Westinghouse 60cm Dark Stainless Steel oven, Miele’s 62cm Airflex Induction Cooktop (I can combine zones for larger pans, such as a paella pan).

Cabinets: V-groove panel doors, in Dulux Catmint on both upper and lowers.

Countertop: currently choosing between Silestone Et Calcatta Gold and Dekton Rem

Cabinet handles, sink and tapware: brushed brass/gold finish. The tap will be a pull out mixer to make it easy to fill pots and pans, I’ve selected an Abey Piazza Sink, and discrete gold/brass cabinet handles where needed (or push to open where I can).

Well (Gallery) Hung

I’ve waxed lyrical about my Gallery Hanging System (as evidenced by this post, and this one, and let’s not forget this one). And it came to the fore when I was looking for places to stash paintings that I was slowly finishing (some of these I started 15 years ago, some 10, some 6). I needed to get them out of the studio, both away from possible paint spray and also away from my constant re-tinkering.

After the original living room configuration, I rejigged it to fit in another two paintings I’d finished (my sister and my buddy Brettski’s 30th birthday presents…which they are getting in time for their 40th birthdays):

It was a little weird having a bunch of eyes watching me as I lay on the couch and watched TV. Or slept through what I was attempting to watch on the TV:

And this configuration was nice, but I’d already decided I wanted to give Adski some paintings as well (Adski is Brettski’s partner), so I had to find room for them as well. You can see them clustered around the TV:

So I tried another configuration:

Configuration #3 was less eyes, more geek:

Configuration #3 with some paintings waiting to be finished and/or hung standing at the gate

When I got to catch up with Adski and Brettski, that removed some canvas real-estate. And I could reconfigure with a painting I had worked on over a weekend (but spent 3 years imagining how I could execute it):

Configuration #4 will change once I take the portrait down to post it to the UK for my sister, but the post has been pretty buggy for her so I will wait a while longer. This also gives me time to think how I will rejig it next:

For now you will sit like this my pretties…

Searching for things to organise

Having marie kondo folded every s.i.n.g.l.e fabric thing in my house, I went looking for other small, easy to do organisation projects. And I settled on both a bone of contention and a continual source of amazing surprise: my freezer.

You may not be aware of this, but I don’t label food containers when I put them in my freezer.

I’m one of those people: living on the edge of whatever’s in their freezer.

For the most part, it’s self evident what things are: a bag of peas/corn/okra is pretty obviously a bag of peas/corn/okra, slices of bacon are pretty obviously bacon, and a container of kaffir lime leaves (or 6) are containers of kaffir lime leaves. But sometimes – just sometimes – it turns meal times into an adrenaline sport.

Did I pull out a container of bolognaise, chili con carne, curry or some other mystery meal? Is it carrot soup, pumpkin soup or orange sherbert ice cream?

And I am fine with not labelling things, but I want to keep better track of the containers of frozen mystery I have in my fridge freezer and those I have in the freezer in my laundry. Especially when I make stock: come in risotto or soup time, it can be handy if you know that you have frozen stock for the asking.

Version 1.0 was paper based:

Version 1.0 was good, but limited. While I could cross out things and remove marks where I’d consumed one of several, I was limited in adding things by the size of the paper. So would mean frequent re-copying. Ugh.

Roll onto ebay, and I sourced A3 sized magnetic whiteboards and whiteboard pens and erasers, to give me version 2.0:

Version 2.0 overcomes all the limitations of version 1.0, but you have to be careful getting stuff off the top of the fridge as you could obscure or rub off an item. Still, it is helping me keep track of what I have, ensuring I don’t duplicate buy and also ensuring I use up what’s there.

Verdict: quite nifty. And I still refuse to label my containers.

Welcome To The Jungle

Based on recent blog updates, you would be forgiven for thinking all I’ve done is cook in the last six months. And you’d be partially right.

For the first time in my life, I’ve dealt with a major, ongoing, chronic debilitating health condition (over minor ongoing health conditions). And it’s taken 6 months, 1 endoscopy and 2 operations to put me on the road to recovery (oh, and one organ removal!). That’s why my summer-autumn, which are usually heavy DIY round the house months have been very quiet.

This year I couldn’t plan a months worth of work, because I was in no state to take on projects or do them.

To be fair, I actually did plan a month’s worth of work. My original plan was to finish study for the semester ✓, do some final finishing touches to DIY Dad’s roman blinds ✓ and then dig out the front planters to waterproof them ❌, repair the front planter (shorten it and tie it more securely to the wall) ❌ , make a floating shelf for the toilet (to keep the bulk toilet paper I keep buying IN the actual toilet, and not in my studio) ❌ and you know…STUFF. Just STUFF. Stuff that involved not being in chronic pain, stuff that involved not being exhausted from being in pain, and stuff that would have aggravated the organ causing all the “issues”.

You know what they say about best laid plans? Well, those best laid plans got shot right out of the water. And off the planet, and out of the galaxy, and into the next universe.

So instead I did lightweight stuff. Stuff that wasn’t a hassle if I needed to put it down and pick it up after a nap, or some painkillers. Stuff that I could take a couple of days, or a week on. I painted some canvases. I marie kondo folded all my teatowels. And then I marie kondo folded my tshirts. And then my jumpers. And then my pyjamas. Even my knickers got marie kondo folded.

I did light weight sewing, that took a week or so to do when it would normally take a couple of days. I made face masks (two different kinds), I made a skirt from a pattern (for the first time ever). And I bought foam and made cushions for the chair that’s been in my bedroom while I decided what pattern fabric to upholster it in since…forever. And by forever I mean 2011, when I popped some floor cushions on it as a temporary measure.

10 years on, and I didn’t go for any of the options I’d selected at the time (quelle surprise). Instead I went for a botanical canvas print with parrots all over it. A canvas print that I’d seen on a lonely fabric bolt left leaning where I was queueing at Spotlight:

I can’t even remember what I was in there to buy, needless to say I walked out with 6 metres of this fabric and the goal to reupholster the chair.

To be fair, I had been mapping out a pattern for how I could repair it, and I’d already purchased the foam to do so. I just didn’t expect to fall for a discarded bolt of fabric I found while queueing at spotlight. But there you go.

So while everyone else was enjoying their Xmas-NYE break over-indulging in the sun, I was buying fabric and slowly (very slowly) sewing it together to reupholster the chair and the matching footstool:

There’s one more thing I need to do to the footstool to finish the job (I have to get DIY Dad to cut some ply as a base for it), but other than that: job done ✓

On the freecycling count this brings me to:

~~1 daybed: project complete~~
~~1 chair and footstool: project complete~~
1 school desk: to be finished
2 matching chairs: to be done
2 sets of atomic table legs: to be done
1 entertainment unit: do be done
1 set of drawers: to be done
1 original G-Plan sofa: to be done
1 free standing mirror: to be done
1 door: to be done

Crazy Cushion Lady with Crazy Kitten Cushions

You know me, dear reader. So you know I like a cushion. I like a pretty cushion, I like a playfully witty cushion, I even like to make a cushion or two.

I like to swap them around, I like to change the covers with other covers from my (currently small) stash of spare cushion covers. Because of course I have spare cushion covers: I do like a cushion.

I like how they change the mood of rooms, I like how they bring pops of colour and difference to a room, I like how switching them brings out different aspects of an existing room: the room is exactly the same, but the cushion design and colours mean you focus on different things and you “read” the room differently. Yes, I do like a cushion.

I like lots of cushions and I cannot lie, you m*thafl*ppers can’t deny….

So it may surprise you to know I’ve been harbouring a little stash of cushion covers that I’ve not yet used.

Cushion covers made to my specifications by my sister in the UK, we’ll call her the ckrafty roo (yes, she does spell it differently, but spelling has never been her strongest point 😛 ). And they are g.l.o.r.i.o.u.s:

Aren’t they just the maddest, funnest and perfectest cat (or kitten) cushions ever:

The ckrafty roo made me a library/shopper bag out of this glorious fabric and had more metres of it so I asked if she could make cushions. They had to have the perfectest thinnest yellowest piping around them (at my request).

My list of demands includes: a plethora of crazy kitten cushions

Imagine me making bold but precise demands because if you did anything else around the cushion edges or they didn’t have piping…my soul would .d.i.e.

It’s not that hard to imagine, is it?

Without the perfectest yellow colour, and the thinnest yellow piping, my soul would DIEEEEEEEEE

It’s really not.

And my poor, beleaguered (or so she would have it) sister rolling her eyes and adding this to her ever increasing list of specifications for the cushions. Because I wanted multiples dahling. MULTIPLES.

I love how their eyes just follow you around the room. Watching you, with that mad eye.

And you KNOW the yellow piping had to be the perfectest yellow colour. Or my soul would d.i.e.

I’ve stashed away them away while I had a feline housemate, because imho if you have actual cats and you also have cat themed memorabilia on display in your abode, you are just setting yourself up as the ~~target~~ recipient for every possible cat themed present there is under the sun.

And that’s a risk I could not take.

I did bestow some of my crazy kitten cushions bounty as gifts to some grateful (or shellshocked) recipients. Why did you think I wanted multiples, dahling?

DIY Dad was astonished to receive two to compliment his new living room curtains. Astonished, bemused, flabbergasted…to-mah-to to-may-to I say.

If you would like a crazy kitten cushion or two (or even several) in your house, my ckrafty roo is selling them. You can message her facebook page for details: https://www.facebook.com/KraftyRooUK

Adventures in kitchen storage (aka more bloody moccona jars)

Another thing I did as part of my 2020 CoVID Cleaning, was go through my herb and spice storage:

Turns out there’s two sizes of small moccona jars (I use them for my herb and spice storage). The older versions of the small jars are too tall to sit on top of the storage risers I have in these overhead cabinets.

So I discombobulated my spices and herbs, and popped anything I wanted to be on one of the risers into a smaller jar:

I can see some spare acreage being developed as part of this project

This the created space on the actual shelf for the taller of the smaller jars and the medium sized moccona jars along with several other jars of random stuff. So I managed to rejig everything to work better:

And now I will never lose my jar of bee pollen again #firstworldproblems

Adventures in small storage and home organisation

Much like you, dear reader, I explored the confines of my house during WA’s brief WFH period. 2020 was “interesting.” Like many others, during this time, my attentions turned internal: to me, and to my housie.

I’m just including this for the gloss white coupe plate p*rn

And we’ve had it pretty sweet in WA: 2020 was the one time Perth’s isolation has worked for us, rather than causing us to miss out on bands, festivals, certain plants and bulbs, and anything else too expensive to transport across the Nullabor to our lil town. There’s been no community transmission of CoVID-19: as of 19 days ago we’ve had no community transmission for 266 days.

We’ve also had a hard border until quite recently (great for everyone in WA, not so great for anyone trying to get back into WA): sitting back on the West Coast and letting everyone else sort themselves out. The luxury of distance vs the tyranny of distance.

So our “lockdown” was pretty laid back, and brief compared to other parts of the world. In late March-April we started working from home, we could gather in groups of 10 in early May and could return to work in early June. We’ve also been lucky to escape dealing with quarantine breaches leading to community transmission, unlike our Eastern States. And Australia has a great public health system, as well as focus on public health promotion and social good promotion. So while there has been a little d*ckheadery, thus far it’s not been bad for WA. Who knows: we might make it to the vaccine without a second lockdown, unlike other states and countries. The privilege of distance, and having a great public health infrastructure at state and federal level and having community focused politicians who can make hard calls and overall a society & culture that’s predominantly focused on benefiting as many as they can.

So yay, lucky me. Unlucky many other people though, like my family in the UK who are separated by distance and different lockdowns. And all the different places I have visited overseas: it’s hard to imagine what some areas of the USA must be going through. My heart bleeds for everyone.

So even though WA has been nowhere near affected compared to other parts of the world, 2020 was still a time for internal interrogations: of who we are, what we value, what we want and when we want it.

I’ve been studying since 2015: doing a micromasters before I started my Masters. And the year prior to starting my Masters (2017-2018) was full on because I did 3 modules of the micromasters to get them done just in time to start my masters.

On top of that, my work went through a significant change management that came into effect in 2018. That’s the 5th change management I’ve been through while working for this workplace. Speaking from experience: even if you are not directly impacted by change management, you know people who are impacted. That sucks for them, but it’s also exhausting for you as it won’t just be one person. You’ll also be directly impacted by the months and months of speculation and brinkmanship from other colleagues, and the inevitable jostling for position, power and perceived influence. It’s obvious (although apparently not to some), and exhausting. From a sociological perspective, it’s interesting…but when you’re going through it or you know people going through it: it’s sheer hell.

I’m lucky: one of my friends has been through TWO change managements since 2018: each time it’s the same draining and gruelling endurance contest that saps energy, drains emotion and increases one’s cynicism.

So I am tired. TIRED. Both physically and emotionally spent. And I’ve been ill this year: I have never consumed so much sick leave as I did this year. I have a lot of sick leave up my sleeve, so that’s not a problem. But it’s also not the point: you cannot go on at 120% and not expect the wheels to come off. Especially when you through the pressures of other people and personalities into the mix.

When I am like this: I tend to turn to the little interior and internal things that feed my soul. That’s what I need to renew myself.

So in the last 6 months I’ve been working towards goals. I’ve been working towards having time to paint (canvases not walls), time to sew, time to finish projects that just need that last little bit to be done, time to pursue some artistic ideas that have been in a holding pattern. I’ve cooked creatively, I’ve knocked off items on my small household things to do list….and I’ve even starting planning beyond my small household things to do list.

But let’s start with one of the items on my small household things to do list. Actually it’s a twofer:

Get new crockery, as my current dinner sets have served me well but are at the end of their life
Consider how to rejig storage of aforesaid crockery to better use the space in my tall pantry storage.

You can see the previous set up ↓

I treasured this dinner set. Most of it was a 30th birthday gift from dear friends…but after *cough* years of entertaining on, it had seen better days. There were knife scratches on the plates…and some of the glazing had either been worn off, or cleaned off…or could have been the dregs of apparently immovable melted cheese.

FYI: I scoured these plates with Bicarb, Jif and Gumption…so while I was hoping it was apparently immovable melted cheese, it was not.

↑ Even at this point, you can see the storage challenge: those shelves are really quite far apart. It would be the perfect storage for wine bottles, cereal boxes and cat biscuit boxes…but for anything smaller it’s just a f*cktonne of wasted space.

And then on top of the pantry with wine-bottle sized shelves, I store my baking sheets. And they mostly stay in place, but it is important to keep an eye and an ear out as you open the cupboard doors:

Nothing hurts like a friand pan to the head when you are least expecting it.

So I needed to renew my crockery, and reconsider my small storage: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

Of course it took a while: I wanted a plain white gloss coupe plate set (ideally high rim, but I would settle for just a coupe plate).

I wanted this for two reasons:

White is still imho the perfect background for any food you want to present
I did not want to replace my plain white gloss lion head soup bowls (those were DEFINITELY keepers) or my plain white gloss ramekins. And where I do mix and match, I don’t do it in the dinner settings (that’s platters, salad bowls, glassware and placemat territory, you philistine).

I did find several contenders: Mark Newson’s designs for Noritake are #chefskiss and there was another other one that (with shipping) would have set me back $1500.

That might be my dream, but my reality is that I need to be able to get replacements as I have a tendency to break things. Glasses, plates, bottles, jars: I break stuff with the lack of attention and the clumsy.

So after much research and many winnowing downs of contenders (the bowl shape was the sticking point) and a couple of segues into “what if I got a dinner set that wasn’t plain gloss white?” territory, I found the perfectest shape for the perfectest price: the white China sold individually by Big W.

Yes, it is the essence of vanilla:

But it is ALSO the perfect canvas for any food you put on it.

I liked it so much, I actually bought two shapes of bowls ↑ noodle bowls AND pasta bowls. Mainly because I didn’t want to eat my risotto out of the noodle bowl shape, and couldn’t imagine eating my porridge out of the pasta bowl shape.

First world problems, right?

As part of this renewal, another problem arose:

What I really need to do is give up on dinnerware, and only store wine in this cupboard.

It was an acknowledged problem before, but it became more pressing once I invested in pasta bowls that turned into an uneven tower of very likely to fall over pasta bowls in my shelves.

It’s not like I need help breaking glasses and plates, I’m doing fine on my own thanks. I don’t need any additional assistance.

Eugh.

Clearly I needed to do more research and many winnowing downs of contenders…but this time in terms of small kitchen storage and organisers. And so, dear reader, I did:

There is mothafl*ppin small storage in that pantry

Although I have IKEA’s variera in deeper cupboards, this stupid pantry is stupidly thing (with stupidly high shelves). So I ended up with two baking tray racks (one for plates ↑ and one for the baking sheets on top of the pantry ↓ )

I call that bloody home organisation project: done.

Very belated Houseolutions 2020

Turns out I spoke too soon about 2017-2019 throwing curveballs…

…2020 told them to “Hold my beer” and has shown EVERYONE what a curveball (or series of curveballs) REALLY looks like.

No sooner had 2020 started, than sh*t started hitting the fan around the world. In late 2019 we had some of the worst – if not the worst – bushfires in Australia and these continued into early 2020…and then CoVID-19 really started having a wider impact around the world.

Perth, where I live, has been pretty lucky but the experience of one massive catastrophe after another has given many of us, myself included, pause for thought.

It also meant that for the first 6 months of the year there were a lot of unknowns, a lot of not in our lifetimes, a lot of how can we make this works and more. Plus a significant dose of personal reassessing, and empathy for others who have it so much worse on a wider scale.

In the light of everything, I don’t feel so bad about documenting my 2020 houseolutions really…there have been more pressing things to think about!

But it’s now July and maybe, just maybe, I would like to make a list of things I’d like to achieve before 2021…as well as progressively fill you in about some of the things I did while this home reno blog was “dark”.

FYI: I’m still studying, so I have been fitting these things around my studies.

2020 Achievements so far

DIY Dad and I (well mainly DIY Dad) fixed a leak around the chimney and I repainted the ceiling where it had stained…but I still have to sand and repaint the wall above the chimney
DIY Dad and I (again: mainly DIY Dad and also his trusty industrial strength wet and dry vacuum cleaner) cleared out the two soakwells on my patio which were block (with sand)…saving me about $1500 (BOOYAH)
I finished the silk panel project (now waiting on DIY Dad to hang it Chez DIY Dad)
I did a WHOLE bunch of CoVID cleaning… and now have space in my studio to paint again
DIY Dad and I (again: mainly DIY Dad) installed another 13 metres of Gallery Hanging System
And then I hung a bajillion artworks on my new Gallery Hanging System (…it felt like a bajillion but was really closer to 15)
I (finally) hemmed DIY Dad’s curtains
I made roman blinds for DIY Dad’s windows…from SCRATCH. I am very impressed with them, so is he.
Researched what was broken with two of my venetian blinds, ordered parts, which turned out to be THE RIGHT PARTS, and finally fixed them (one of those blinds I haven’t been able to open for 6 years…no rush).
Measured and drew up plans for my future bathroom, laundry and kitchen…and started pinterest boards.
Got the bespoke plaster frame that my uncle framed a painting by my mum restored
Did a bunch of gardening and random crafts

There will be some photos and posts about some of these achievements to follow, and I will update this posts with links because I am pretty happy with these achievements!

2020 Houseolutions for the next 6 months

Fencing infills: turns out the only thing holding up the crappy lattice fencing infills on my front fence is the native wisteria…so I need to start considering my options there. Ugh.
Floating shelf in the toilet above the door (it’s been briefed into DIY Dad for cutting and logistics). As you know I buy Who Gives A Crap TP…and it comes in boxes of 48. In an effort to keep my studio free of clutter, I am looking for convenient and appropriate places to store bulk TP. The life of an home owner is just SO GLAMOROUS.
Dig out my front planters to seal my bricks because it turns out decisions by previous homeowners about setting earth filled planter boxes against exterior house walls…did not include any waterproofing (something that became really apparent thanks to the soakwell issue)
Repair one of the planters (it needs to be shortened and tied into the wall)
Buy another 5 metres of Gallery Hanging System (And then I’m done. Promise).

Bonus:

Anything else on the 2018 houseolutions list which is long and filled with things to do

Previous Houseolutions

But wait there’s more Gallery Hanging System: InDaOffice!

It’s not only the Gallery Hanging System in the hallway making me happy, it’s also the Gallery Hanging System in my office!!!! Yep: my office now has a bad case of the Gallery Hanging Systems AND THIS IS ONE THING I DON’T NEED TO VACCINATE FOR.

Gallery inspiring productive prettiness.

I chose my hallway (hello to hanging my amazing Miik Green’s) and my office as the first two rooms to receive the glory of the Gallery Hanging System. And it’s a decision making me very happy.

FYI: phase two will be: bedroom, lounge room; phase 3 will be studio and part of the other side of hallway…I dread to think how many drillbits DIY Dad will go through (one reason why this project is being approached in stages.)

Most of this artwork is actually my own work, so I don’t get to #humblebrag and #namedrop an amazing artist, I just get to #humblebrag that this is mostly me 😉

This is what I see when I look in the doorway of my office, and it makes me happy.

From the top left: You have a drawing of my mum (study for a larger painting I still need to do for my sister…it’s only about 7 years late), a painting by my mum and framed in an ornate plaster frame by my uncle (sadly the frame was damaged when the painting fell off a wall – we don’t talk about that, it still hurts – so I need to get it reframed e.x.a.c.t.l.y. t.h.e. S.A.M.E. or else: and you’ll be pleased to know, dear reader, I DID) and the rest is me again.

How could you not be happy with this view?

On the other side, from the top left: that’s me, then a still life donated to my by my aunt Denny, then a painting donated to me by one of my workmates (we’ll call her Isabella’s mum)…it was Isabella’s mum’s mum’s if I recall correctly, and then the rest is me again. Fun fact: the bouganvillea cuttings I painted in the bottom right and on the opposite wall, were from my aunt’s garden #itsallconnected

Making me happy (in spite of the awful damage to the amazing plaster frame that still makes me sad)

Gallery Hanging System in Da Housie

You know I’ve wanted a gallery hanging system in my house since 2012. Technically, I’ve wanted it since 2009 but I made it official by telling you that I wanted it in 2012. [I do like to workshop things before I commit in case they are passing fancy (cough…peacock blue coloured hallway), or I find a more practical/economical/suitable solution (cough…felt storage boxes as inserts for my expedits instead of costly expensive milk crate decalled plywood boxes shipped from Europe)].

And now, in 2019, I’ve broken the seal and bought the first set of lengths of the system and begun populating my walls with gallery hanging system and then artworks hanging from the aforesaid system. First room off the rank, is the hallway where I’ve finally hung two massive Miik Green paintings. Miik is a contemporary Western Australian artist (and friend) who does both paintings and sculptures, very amazing!

Looking down the gallery Miik Greens into the living room

Miik’s paintings draw from cell-staining techniques and biological pigmentation, where colour can define abnormalities or infection. He injects, drags and extracts liquid materials, pigments and chemicals, and the paintings evolve and develop as the materials and mediums used interact with each other.

I’m a fancy art owner now. Like a grown up.

Miik finishes his paintings with a hardened, highly reflective skin so any photograph of his paintings is also a photograph of reflections. Super amazing.

I’m quite enjoying seeing parts of my house reflected back at me, although it has made it challenging to take pics of only the works, especially given their placement in my hallway means I’ll always take the pic on an angle.

Much reflection, many book. Such artwork.

Just glorious. SUPER massive props to DIY Dad who did the drilling and fixing of the points into the wall so we could fasten the rail to it.

DIY Dad’s efforts were not without challenges: we went through 3 drill bits thanks to the occasionally super hard bricks in my house; and 3 different sizes of wall plugs thanks to the occasionally super soft bricks in my house; and had to discuss our different appreciations of levels (DIY Dad = use a level, DIY Daughter: follow the cornice so it looks good, I can level the paintings.)

Reflection of a bekvan stool in a Miik Green.

3 drill bits, 3 sizes of wall plugs, 1 trip to bunnings, 1 trip to DIY Dad’s house to collect a couple of important things he’d forgotten, a brief stop for Yum Cha et voila!

The hallway is not completely done: there’s another section where I can put the hanging system but that’s not as urgent as getting Miik’s beautiful works on the wall. So 75% of the work is done, but there’s 25% to do when budget and DIY Dad time permits me to continue the progress in the hallway.