We can’t return the square door knobs. (Is it possible that they came from a country south of Canada? It might be. Is it possible things often cost less in a country south of Canada? So they say. Is it quite likely we lost the receipt? Yes). What’s wrong with buying new ones? Oh come [...]
Does this photo strike you as odd? Look at the towels on the bathroom stool. Angled just so. An entire apartment staged within an inch of its life and then… that. A forgotten patio undeserving of even soapy water and a scrub brush. Such a contrast to the interiors. Who cares? The place sold. Yet blank balconies [...]
Ok. Vancouver. Maybe you saw it in JTT’s classic hit, Man of the House? Or in the background at the Olympics? And definitely in Final Destinations I and III. Whether you’ve ever been here or not, you know Vancouver far better than you think. Every shitty movie ever made – was made here. And after 10 [...]
Unofficial flipping goal: we want to beautify our baby – not turn it into a silent killer. When our offer was accepted, I started at square one. Didn’t know what ‘eggshell’ meant. Had never heard of VOCs in paint. No matter your earthy inclinations, no one should want normal paint. Normal, regular paint – even the good [...]
(16 days to possession) ‘Vancouver + flooring’ brought Nucasa into our lives. After 3 hours’ flooring research (never having heard of laminate, I made a full list of laminate pros and cons) – we decided it was the perfect floor choice for a big renovation in a small apartment. Then what? Time to compare costs, [...]
Living in Canada is like being picked last for gym class every goddamned time. Key areas of Canadian sucky shopping? Although the U.S. mall-sprawl is a sad-but-true stereotype, it would be a nice problem to have while renovating and redecorating our apartment on the cheap. At every turn I’m discovering that so many American stores just [...]
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Skim a batch of MLS listings (in our bracket, at least). Find outdoor photos: balconies gardens back patios decks (Did you see how I said gardens there? It was a trick. There are no gardens in our bracket). Anyway, 10:1, these outdoor chunks are the most unloved things you’ve ever seen. Small table, two chairs, done. “Can [...]
"An ugly baby is a very nasty object and the prettiest is frightful when undressed". -- Queen Victoria
“There are but two ways of dealing with a room which is fundamentally ugly: one is to accept it, and the other is courageously to correct its ugliness”. -- Edith Wharton, The Decoration of Houses (1897)
“[T]o create a beautiful home,
you need a bit of ugly”. -- Deborah Needleman, The Perfectly Imperfect Home
"The uglier the wallpaper, the harder it is to remove.... Ugly wallpaper just sticks better. It's a fact" -- Julie Sussman, Dare to Repair
