New Life for the Patio!

With the warm weather finally (finally!!!) here, I started to look around at the yard and saw that there were a few things that needed fixing up.  For a city yard, ours is not too bad.  Big enough to have some seating, a trampoline and also space for my outdoor workshop....so on most days the yard looks like an episode of Sanford & Sons with various things strewn about.

We do have a nice area under a pergola where we can sit outdoors and eat al fresco.  But the old table and chairs that are there have definitely seen better days.

To be fair, I think we bought the set almost 20 years ago so the wear on it is not too bad.  I wanted to try to rescue it (my husband said get rid of it and buy something new...but we all know how this is going to turn out).  I love a challenge, and hate the idea of just putting things in the garbage.

Enter the Angle Grinder....one of my fave toys... I mean tools!  In just a few minutes it was sanded down and ready for finishing!

I thought that it would be great to have a metal table top...super durable, easy to keep clean and will be virtually indestructible outdoors.   There is a roofing company near our house that has become my go-to place for metal fabrication.  They've done shelves for me, a desk top and even a client's stainless steel kitchen counters!!  They are quick, super helpful and very very inexpensive.

I took my measurements and had them do up something to basically just slip right on top!

I also added some angle supports (from some scrap metal pieces I had around) to give the table more stability.  

I sanded down the 2 matching chairs as well, and added a couple of strips of wood to the sides for reinforcement also.

Here's the set looking better than new!

Now I just need to find some benches to go with it and we are ready to dine in style.

While I was at it, I decided to also fill in the cracks between the patio flagstone.  It's bugged me for years because they just trap dirt, weeds grow in them and it always look messy.   I used a product specifically made for filling in around stone.  

You sweep it into the cracks, then water and let harden.  I'm really happy with the result.  It was pretty easy and makes a huge difference.  I don't have a before picture but this shows how nice and even and finished it looks now. 

 Much less maintenance too...which is great because with summer on its way I just want to get out and enjoy it.

Hope you enjoy your weekend....it's the perfect time to get to all those outdoor projects!

Back again....after a bit of a break!

I haven't made an entry here in quite a while....since we started up The Leslieville Flea (3 years ago!!) things got a little nutty.   But I'm back here again and ready to start sharing what I've been up to during that time.
I've been lucky enough to work on a few custom projects for clients and I recently completed one that I just love!
A friend of a friend asked if I could create a "privacy wall" in their entry way.  They had opened up the whole main floor years ago, but now realize they wanted to create a more intimate space.  We talked at length about what they needed...tossed around many, many ideas (sliding partition wall, solid wall etc etc).  I knew what they wanted and had a vision...but couldn't quite come up with an exact solution.  There style is very much vintage eclectic...which is right up my alley...so we knew we wanted to incorporate some vintage and salvaged items.  The search was on and it proved to be more difficult than I thought.
Like most great problems, this one was solved by patience and research.  I looked high and low for just the right piece or pieces to create some sort of partition.  I looked at shallow cabinets as an option.  I looked high and low...for high or low book cases that might work.  Nothing seemed right.
Until one cold March morning...when into the Flea walked one of my vendors, carrying these spectacular stained glass church windows.  Search. Over.

You know when you get that feeling that "this is it!!".....I just knew that these windows could be incorporated into a partition that would not only be functional, but also be downright gorgeous.

Like a puzzle to be solved...I now needed to find the other pieces that would encompass this wall.  After re-measuring the space I realized I needed something approximately 7 feet by 2.5 feet to fill in the bottom portion.  Bingo!  Exactly the size of a door!  You may or may not know about my penchant for reusing doors, and this is exactly the opportunity where one will fit perfectly.  What I love about an old door is that it really looks exactly like a panelled wall.  The detail and quality of wood is better than anything you could build new and the character cannot be beat.
A trip into my meticulously organized storage container (aka the shed in my backyard where I throw everything into and hope it doesn't fall on me when I open the door) provided a door with these exact dimensions, give or take a few inches. You can barely see it...waaaaayyyy in the back!

I decided to flank the wall with two end pieces (made from vintage timbers) that would serve to provide stability, frame the panel and also fill in the extra length we wanted.

When I started to think about a structural partition wall I kept coming back to the idea of columns..because they would give structural support (the very purpose of any column) and also lend some real character and set off those windows amazingly well.

Again, the search was on....I have joined quite a few Facebook groups devoted to vintage and found an antique dealer that posted these columns.

After all the pieces had been found it was just a matter of putting them all together.  I added some trim and base pieces for support and structure and then installed the whole thing....white-washing it to unify all the elements.

The result?  A truly unique and beautiful wall that is functional, but also a focal point for the space.  It changes the feel of the room and creates that intimacy the client wanted in the front room.  I love it when a plan comes together!

Stay tuned for the next project...I've got tons of things up my sleeve just in time for the new outdoor Leslieville Flea season.