Progress – The Artesian Project

(#csideproject update)

Artesian Designs - Lake Michigan Beach House at Sunset

Wow, it’s been a minute since I’ve checked in here. Turns out, having two small children is pretty exhausting and I find myself passing out on the couch mid Mrs. Maisel episode instead of pontificating my thoughts here on this blog.

I have been working on the #CSideProject for about, well, three years now. I am fortunate to have been involved in the entire process – from land acquisition, to architectural drawings, permitting, selections, and now to the final, finishing touches. It has been a labor of love and I absolutely cannot wait to share the final project. It is in the verrrry homestretch now after hitting pretty much every road block imaginable (not even kidding) and I wanted to share a glimpse inside.

These photos are from a gorgeous December day that had just an insane sunset. Check out the view from the Master Bedroom. The Marvin sliding french doors frame the beach and sunset just perfectly. Can you imagine enjoying a glass of rosé on this balcony? Gimme. Paint color is Sherwin Williams Topsail.

Artesian Designs- Beach House Master Bedroom - SW Topsail - Marvin sliding doors

I have had a lot of fun designing the bathrooms. I would normally recommend going with neutral finishes in a bathroom so they can stand the test of time, but in a beach house? Go for it! It is a vacation home and should feel like it. The multicolor Penny Round tile was sourced at Floor & Decor (for a steal!) and the Blue Mosaic tile was sourced from the Tile Outlet in Chicago. I just love how they turned out.

Artesian Designs- Beach House Bathroom - Multicolor Penny Round Tile

Artesian Designs- Beach House Bathroom - Blue Mosaic Tile _ shutter vanity

The kitchen is coming along swimmingly. We chose white cabinets to keep the space feeling as light and bright as possible. A wood-toned island will anchor the space, and two large rattan pendants and a sea glass chandelier will add texture.

Artesian Designs- Beach House Kitchen - White - SW Greek Villa

A beautiful hardwood floor from Stuga is currently hiding under the cardboard to protect it during these last few weeks. I was looking for a warm, light wood to keep with the airiness of the beach and couldn’t be happier with the Pippi style. It is exactly what we were looking for – and the occasional knotted plank lends itself to the nautical vibe. Can’t wait to see the whole space uncovered!

Artesian Designs- Beach House Kitchen - Stuga Floor - Hardwood - Pippi

I am heading out there on Monday for what should be the final site visit! Can’t wait.

May your 2020 be as calm and colorful as this beautiful Lake Michigan sunset. Cheers!

Artesian Designs- Beach House Lake Michigan sunset

Construction, Exterior, Progress

(home sweet home)

We are now all moved in and could not be happier about it! It has taken a week to unpack and get settled, but it is really starting to feel like home sweet home. We are so glad we decided to take the new construction route as each and every decision in the house is reflective of us – from the floor plan and material choices, all the way down to the door hardware.

We are also thrilled with our location. Each of our commutes have been cut in half and the number of insanely delish local restaurants and coffee shops within a stone’s throw is incredible. Not to mention all the wonderfully welcoming neighbors we have met so far! Our block has a great sense of community and we are excited to become a part of it.

The next few weeks I will be going through room by room and detailing all of the finishes and the process so that you can nab some ideas for yourself.

Until then, have a great weekend!

Construction, Progress

(progress report: 2 weeks out)

Holy moly! We are now just two weeks away from moving in, so I thought I would share a quick progress report from our visit yesterday.

Cannot WAIT to move in! Hope y’all have a hoppy Easter weekend!

Houzz, It's all in the Details, Progress

(finding the perfect white paint)

Whoops! Looks like someone (and I’m not going to name names) forgot she had a blog. I have been super busy at work/ working on the house that I am a bit behind…

Anyways, I have been stresssssing out while on the search for the perfect white paint color for the walls. Who knew there are so many shades of white? Luckily, it seems I am not the only one who has faced this dilemma and found some great advice on the interwebs from the Hunted Interior, Thistlewood Farms, and of course Houzz.

Since there is already going to be a lot going on in the kitchen with the black & white cabinets/counter tops, I wanted to use white as a nice grounding color for those louder elements and let them breathe a bit. I, like everyone else lately, am a big fan of grey as a neutral, but did not want to add one more color of weight into the mix. Confusing?

Here is the space as it currently is – the progress has been amazing btw.

Plus the space is already inviting and bright with just the drywall that I would not want to take away the lightness of the space with a darker color. Alas, the white.

After months of deliberation (seriously wish I was kidding), Sherwin Williams Alabaster SW 7008 is the winner. It has a clean, yet warm feel to it that will not contend with the black island and built-ins while keeping the room feeling airy. UPDATE: See how the Alabaster looks in our kitchen!

Here is a great example of what I am going for: Alabaster walls contrasted with a bright white trim. The black accent looks so clean and fresh against the color.

Photo by Cornerstone Architects. See more contemporary entry designs

Alabaster will be the color for the entire first floor to create a cohesive feel in the open plan, as well as the upstairs hallway.

Next stop, trim town.

Construction, Progress, The New Digs

(progress report)

Matt and I have been taking frequent trips over to the house for progress checks, but we’ve been careful not to go too often – a watched pot never boils (or however that saying goes). So we did our usual swing by and then grab dinner on Wednesday after work and were pleased with the how things were going:

Not bad, right? The foundation was poured and cured, the basement framed, and the floor/ceiling joists were just getting started.

Then after Sunday brunch with my parents at one of our Logan Square go-tos, Lula Cafe (delish – sit at the bar and order a fancy coffee!), we drove over to the house. HOLY COW was I thrilled with the progress!! In just a matter of a few days the basement/first level floor joists were completed as was the framing for the entire first floor – whoopie! It was finally starting to take shape and look like a home. There’s our front windows! There’s the front door! The fireplace will go right there!

So thar she blows! Our contractor said the second floor and the roof are en route and ready to go, so we are (fingers crossed) on schedule! Time to stop doing the happy dance and start making those decisions I have been putting off… 🙂

Mizzzz Penny Lane says:

Construction, Progress

(rome wasn’t built in a day)

As some famous person once said, “Rome was not built in a day,” and the same could not be truer for our future work of ~~art~~ house. And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, we could not be more grateful for the awesome team working on our house and the progress they have made – despite the uber crappy weather we have been experiencing in Chicago.

If you look hard enough and use your imagination, you can see our new basement! The basement is going to have a lofty ten foot ceiling and some nice windows, which we are pumped about. Matt is a very tall (dark and handsome) guy and he had to crouch through the majority of the older home’s basements we looked at. The perk of a new construction: he might as well fit if this will be his man cave. More details to come on that…

Happy Thanksgiving all you turkeys, enjoy the time with your family and friends 🙂

Construction, Just because, Progress

(lessons in concrete)

Foundation Pouring | www.theartesianproject.wordpress.com — (day one of foundation pour)

While we had a great meeting with our contractor on Monday, we left feeling a bit apprehensive as to when the actual construction would begin because of two factors: 1. The building permit had not yet been approved at the time (the City of Chicago is not an easy place to build) and 2. the weather (with recent newspaper headlines scaring everyone about the return of the Polar Vortex next week, our chances were looking slim).

Low and behold, the foundation was actually poured on Thursday and to our luck – my brother, the civil engineer/concrete specialist, happened to drive by the lot just as they finished. Here is what he taught me about concrete that you are more than welcome to steal for tonight’s party conversation starter – I mean, right? Knowledge is power!

Pouring concrete is actually a chemical reaction of the water mixing with the concrete and, therefore, the temperature has an effect on the reaction. The lower the temp, the slower the reaction/crystallization, the weaker the concrete is.
Thus, you do not want to pour concrete if the weather is under 40 degrees or you will have a pretty crappy foundation. We sneaked by on Thursday with a 43 degree temp – huzzah!
After two hours of curing (drying), concrete can hold the weight of a human.
After ten days of curing, it can hold 90% of the structure’s intended weight.
Concrete does not fully cure until months later.
Based on the reinforced steel bars sticking through the foundation walls, this will be what is called a “two part pour.” I know you will be on the edge of your seat to see what THAT looks like.

So please keep your fingers crossed that this polar vortex does not show its face for at least another eight days. Hey, the more you know…

Happy Friday, y’all! Now Imma go get me a new winter coat.

Around Chicago, Construction, Progress, Real Estate, The606, Wow District News

(#WowDistrict write-up in the Trib)

606 Trail Wow District | — Chicago Tribune’s “Developers riding 606 trail deeper into Northwest Side”

This Sunday’s Chicago Tribune had a huge feature on the 606 Trail and the effects it is having on the neighborhoods it will be running through. For those of you not familiar with the “606“, this is a city project much like the famed High Line in New York City’s meatpacking district. Chicago will be repurposing a former elevated train track stretching for 3 miles between Ridgeway and Ashland Avenue, along Bloomington Avenue and transforming it into an elevated park with walking/jogging paths, lush greenery, and access points throughout the route. It will be called the 606 because all of Chicago’s zip codes begin with those three numbers.

Why do we care? Well, our new house will be just five houses down from the 606 and extremely close to the access point at Western Avenue. This was a major selling point to us because it was a powerful indicator of the change and growth it would bring to the Wow (West of Western) District neighborhood – and it will be very pretty and fun to use. The neighborhood was once owner of a stigma that advised pedestrians not to travel “west of western” for safety reasons (often unfound), but this jolt in development will be encouraging Chicagoans to now travel much further west of Western and will surely bring new business and a stimulated economy to the area.

The project was originally scheduled to be completed this Fall, but due to last winter’s Polar Vortex and the inability for any of the plantings to take root, it is looking to next Spring for its completion date – ie it will be ready upon our arrival!

To learn more about the 606 and follow its construction status, check out the 606 Facebook page.

606 trail chicago wow district | www.theartesianproject.wordpress.com — The 606 | from the 606 Facebook page

Around Chicago, Construction, Progress, The New Digs

(It’s going down, I’m yelling TIMBERRR)

Hey youuu guuyysss… We scored some major progress!

Yesterday, the construction crew got to work on the demo of the existing structure on the lot – which is HUGE (as in a life step, not size)!

Here is the pic our contractor sent during the day. I’m sure your first thoughts are the same as mine: DANG THAT IS NARROW, but hey, that’s city livin!

As a lover of old things I was concerned about demoing a home, but the existing house was just not salvageable – but, I am going to try and scavenge some of the pieces to recreate into furniture so that a part of the original house lives on.

I was off in lovely Vancouver earlier this week (it really is an awesome city), so I rushed straight from O’Hare over to the site once I landed, hence the mucky night photo.

This called for a celebration, so Matt & I popped some bubbly and cheers’d to the new digs. We then continued on – with champagne in hand – to one of favorite neighborhood spots 90 Miles Cuban Cafe (such a fun place: Byob! Patio! Great food! FUN!).

We had a chance to meet our future next door neighbor as he was parking in his garage, which was great, but I think we scared the bejeezus out of him, you know, hanging out in the alley at night and bursting out of the car excitedly to say hello. I, for sure, staked my claim as the neighborhood Kimmy Gibbler with that move – hey there neighborino!

Have a great weekend!

P.S. credit to my mom on this title, who is apparently a Kesha fan?