I discovered this bad boy at Target last week. I really liked its clean lines, the fact that it is a dark gray, and it pulls out into a little twin sleeper. Oh wait, here’s the best part. It was $150. I didn’t actually think I’d be able to find an affordable and non-ugly pull-out, but surprise! The cushion just pulls out and folds out flat, so it isn’t the most plush thing in the world. But it will do the trick. The above is what the chair looks like on the Target website.

The below is what it looks like in the office with a baby on top.

It is so nice to see my lovely Schoolhouse Electric fixture in its home.

You can also see our new carpet remnant that the carpet store cut to the wrong size. Argh. But at least it was cut too large and not too small. I really would have loved some non-carpet flooring, but with the horrible and uneven asbestos tiles underneath, this was really the easiest fix.

Seeing everything in its place, I am really excited to get the trim around the windows and above the radiator, and to have that trim painted white. It will be sharp. Sharp!

The first coat of BM Van Deusen blue is up at long last. (The ceiling paint, which is hard to see in this photo, is Stone White.) The far wall was the last one that I got to and, due to cramping hand and hungry baby, I did a pretty terrible job on it. Still, I think it looks good. The paint (Aura) went on like a dream. It will need touch ups, but it won’t need a second coat. I’ll be doing corners, edges, and the touch ups tomorrow. I hope.

(The windows and all other trim will be Decorator’s White, once I get around to it.)

Is it really just an “Ikea run” when it involves taking a plane across several states, storing the goods in a garage for 2 months, and then hauling it across the country via Chevy Blazer?

Over the weekend we purchased the beech Lagan countertops (from the very hectic kitchen section — I didn’t even lay my eyes on a sample but purchased it nonetheless) and the Expedit shelving units that will be gracing our new office later this summer. We ended up getting the large $199 unit (as planned) as well as the narrow $59 fellow which will go to the right of the as-of-yet-unpurchased (and unenvisioned) sink.

I also bought the above BÄRBAR tray with adorable birds on it. It was my one impulse buy which seems a deal at $5.99. We were in such a rush that I don’t think I even slowed down as I grabbed it and whirled on to the next section.

Now we really need to paint, paint, paint the office which is thus far just primed. woo.

So I picked up two samples from Benjamin Moore today:

Van Deusen Blue (left) and Symphony Blue (right) (a terrible photo on an overcast day)

Symphony was a bit of a whim, but the chip looked very nice — a bright navy compared with Van Deusen’s more muted navy. When I opened up the little sample jar I gasped because it looked so very… cerulean. I slapped it up on the wall.

Notice how Van Deusen Blue looks spot on like the chip.

Symphony Blue really doesn’t. No longer quite so cerulean, it is now just Dillon Panther blue. Harumph. Is the problem with the chip? The sample? I guess I probably won’t find out.

I really do like Van Deusen, but I’m concerned it is a little grayer than I had in mind. I’ll live with it for a little while.

idea board

Just trying to get a visual of how this might work. The clock is probably not going to happen, but I do like the idea of a pop of color. Really, I’d prefer a yellow. I need to look around for the perfect (and perfectly inexpensive) armchair that pulls out into a twin. Also, still figuring out what the side of the room with the wet bar will look like.

Bottom left: New York State of Mind

Bottom center: Hudson Bay

Bottom right: Van Deusen Blue

All Benjamin Moore

Yipes, they are looking dark.

Ready to paint.

So close I can feel it. We are nearing the end of Phase 1.

Hey, it is the other side of the room! The drywall needs to be cut around the doorway which will eventually be French doors.

In other news: The Schoolhouse Electric fixture arrived and it is lovely.