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Trip Report :: Grand Cayman

8 / 9 / 178 / 9 / 17

We just got back from a week-long vacay on Grand Cayman–the three of us and my dad. It’s not a secret that Sona and I are huge Caribbean fans. It’s our happy place. I’m actually pushing Sona to move there in the next couple of years, but that’s another story.

Grand Cayman was my and Sona’s 9th Caribbean island and Finn’s 3rd. We’ve been putting it off for a few years because, to be honest, it’s not really our usual Carib spot. It’s significantly more developed and more commercialized than the islands we usually gravitate towards, but that also makes it an easier–and somewhat safer–bet with a toddler. So, we pulled the trigger.

We stayed in a condo right on Seven Mile Beach, which is right in the center of the action. It had a HUGE balcony, which was really the selling feature. We all loved hanging out on the balcony, having breakfast or dinner, watching the sunset, and enjoying the spectacular view. Finn especially loved it out there. He would lay on the lounge chairs in the evening and shout, “the moon is on!”

This vacay was also a little different for us because we spent a lot of time just enjoying the pool and the beach on our property. When Sona and I travel alone, we do a lot of exploring, looking for secret beaches, driving all around islands in search of seafood shacks or great views. With Finn, though, sometimes easier is better. And even though we did do a little exploring with him, we also dialed that back a bit, opting instead for low-key days filled with lots of sand castles, swimming, and naps. Both Sona and I remarked that, though our week-long beach trips usually fly by, last week actually felt full and slow–in the best kind of way. I think we owe that to Finn, as he forced us to slow things down, and that also allowed for more quality family time and more relaxation, both things we really, really needed.

Our typical day in GC went something like this: wake up, have a lazy breakfast on the balcony, go down to the beach, play in the sand and swim for a few hours, grab some lunch, take a long afternoon nap (which we all did every single day), get up, go back to the beach or the pool, swim until sunset, eat a late dinner, and hit the sack–exhausted but happy.

We did squeeze in a little adventure amidst all that beach lazing, though. We did a half-day boat tour, which included a trip to Stingray City and a snorkeling stop. It was the thing I was most nervous about, as we’d be stuck on a boat for several hours, and if Finn got cranky or tired or freaked out, there wouldn’t be much we could do about it. However, he really surprised us–as he did several times on this trip–and he did so well! He danced to the music on board, he swam with sting rays, he played all over the boat, and he held up like a champ, despite having been up since 4AM that morning with teething pain.

I also have to give Finn a huge shout-out for how well he did in the water! This kid went from never having worn floaties before we got to Grand Cayman to refusing to let us even touch him when he was in the pool or the ocean. He started full-on swimming by himself, and he would go and go and go–just like the little Energizer Bunny that he is. I couldn’t have been more proud of how brave he was.

Our nighttime swims were one of my favorite parts of the trip. We always had the pool to ourselves, and Finn would jump and run and splash until far past his usual bedtime. “More swim,” he would say. And then, when he got tired, he’d climb up the stairs, turn and look at us over his shoulder, and pronounce “all done.”

 

 

 

All in all, it was another great vacation, and Sona and I both left feeling so much more confident in our ability to globe-trot with our little tyke. From the long travel days to the extended periods in the hot sun, Finn weathered everything like a pro traveler, and so many of our anxieties were eased. He did 100x better than we expected–and on every front. Since we’ve been home, Sona swears that Finn has matured. “He changed on this trip,” she’s said a couple of times. And I think maybe he did a little bit. But really, I think that the uninterrupted quality time as a family–and the sand! and the sea!–did us all a world of good and it has given us, at least for a short while, a fresh perspective on this whole raising-a-toddler thing.

(Also, I finally got a fat-kini, and I ain’t ever going back to one piece swimwear again.)

Our Grand Cayman Faves and Recommendations:

  • our condo, #30 at South Bay Beach Club
  • eat the lionfish sandwich and the homemade ice cream sandwiches at Macabuca
  • spend a day or two at Smith’s Cove–take a snorkel and mask!
  • get gelato at Gelato & Co.
  • spend an evening exploring Camana Bay, eating at Brooklyn
  • shop at Kirk’s market, stocking up on imported chocolate
  • do the Breakfast with Rays excursion with Red Sail
  • snorkel the man-made reef in front of the Marriott
  • have a romantic dinner at Grand Old House, request to sit right on the water
  • get the pina coladas and fish tacos at Veranda beach bar–both the best I’ve ever had!
  • eat some Asian/Caribbean chow at Hemingway’s
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Before & After: Master Bedroom & Bath

7 / 11 / 177 / 11 / 17

This month marks one year since the renovation was finished on our first home. It is hard to believe that we’ve already lived here for a full year–and that we’ve owned our own place for a bit longer than that!

The first year of home ownership is not without its trials. There have been quite a few times when Sona and I have looked at each other, asking “What did we get ourselves into?”

Still, I am totally smitten with our little Chicago duplex. And though it’s a work in progress, it has come a long way.

I started blogging about our first home last year. I posted photos of the house as it was the day we first saw it, complete with our reno plans. Then, I posted the before and after photos of our living room/dining room.

In honor of our home-iversary, I’m going to get back to the before and afters. Today, I’m sharing the changes we made to our master bedroom and bathroom.

So, let’s start with a reminder of what we saw the first time we every walked into the house:

The two upstairs bathrooms were the most dated part of the house. (The downstairs bathroom was much better, and it’s still the only room that remains untouched. Hopefully, we’ll get to that, soon.)

The master bath was small, and the functionality suffered. It also had an ancient whirlpool tub that was: 1. Gross. 2. Not working. 3. Not even a little cute.

We knew we wanted to gut the bathrooms. It was a condition of our buying the place.

Here are photos from the day we got the keys. As you can see, the bedroom was fine. Nothing special, nothing terrible.

The room is moderately sized, but there are three huge closets. That is great, as Sona and I have had to split our clothes between two rooms in the past. However, it also means that 75% of the wall space in the bedroom is occupied by closet doors, leaving little space for furniture.

These photos literally make me cringe, still.

When we had contractors come give bids, they all shook their head in confusion at the tub, which was beyond salvaging. (We got a small credit for it in closing costs.)

And now, here’s what the bathroom looks like today:

Can you get over the difference?! We completely gutted the room. At first, we’d planned to expand the footprint into one of the closets, but then decided against it when we realized how much it would cost. Sona and I are accustomed to sharing a small bathroom, and a large master bath was never on our home-buying wishlist. So, we decided to make the best of the small space, choosing more high-end finishes to make the little bathroom feel special.

These light fixtures were one of the first things we knew we had to have in the new place. And the vanity was one of the things we refused to compromise on. It was actually back-ordered and didn’t come until a month after everything was finished, but we just couldn’t find another that we loved as much. Our contractor, who we LOVE, just furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why we wouldn’t just “go pick another one.” But he also knew us well enough, by then, to know that we wouldn’t change our minds.

It originally had silver hardware, but I swapped it all out for gold. Of course.

I really debated going with the gold fixtures, which are a bit trendy, and I suspect they may be outdated when we sell. But I love them SO much, and Sona convinced me to do what makes ME happy–not what the market would like in seven years. So, we went with gold in both upstairs bathrooms and all lighting fixtures throughout the house. I think it’s just that little something unexpected that makes the bathrooms pop.

The bathroom is bright, but it is also can feel very cold. (I love cool tones. So, that doesn’t really bother me.) Still, I knew I wanted a vintage oil painting to warm it up a bit and to tone down some of the new-ness. We searched and searched for months before finding this guy on eBay for like $50–frame and all! I love him. I also need a couple of small plants to give some life to the space.

Early on, Sona and I fell in love with bathrooms done in carrara marble. We decided to use it for a walk-in shower, which replaced that horrendous tub. Then, we started hearing/reading about how much of a PIA marble can be in a bathroom. It’s a very temperamental stone, and it requires a good bit of TLC to keep it looking good. Even still, it is inevitable that the stone will stain, etch, and scratch over time. We had several conversations about whether or not to pull the marble plug, but we ultimately decided that we were willing to do the maintenance for a bathroom we love. We still don’t regret that decision, even though marble is a total pain in the butt and has caused me more stress than pretty much anything else in my life. (True story.) I’ve cried over this marble on more than one occasion, as ridiculous as that sounds. It’s my second child.

When we re-do the guest bathroom downstairs, we probably will use a more people-friendly and water-friendly tile, but I’m glad that we decided to go for it in our own bathroom.

We also did custom shower doors, which also makes a huge difference in the overall aesthetic. Using gold hardware, obvs.

All of our fixtures are from Kohler’s Purist line and are in the color “Vibrant Moderne Brushed Gold.” Again, they were pricey, but in such a small space, they make a huge impact. Also, we looked everywhere for less expensive alternatives, and nothing matched up.

The one architectural element that we did change in the bathroom–other than adding new baseboards–is that we had a pocket door installed. Talk about a little change making a HUGE impact! The previous door opened to the left, completely blocking the large window, which is the only source of natural light in the bathroom. Now, not only does the door not get in the way, but we also have a full-view of that glorious window.

Let’s move on to the bedroom…

We made a few changes in the bedroom: First, we painted the walls grey. (They were beige.) Then, we added new baseboards and casings around the doorways. Finally, we stained the floor. This room is actually the only one in the entire house (aside from the downstairs bath) that still has the same flooring as when we purchased the home. The rest of the top floor now has new hardwood, as the existing hardwood was from 1916! The bedroom flooring, however, had been replaced at some point. So, it was much newer, and it was considerably cheaper to sand and stain it, rather than replace it.

We also had sconces installed around the bed. They are from Schoolhouse Electric, where we got all of the lighting in the house.

For the past several years, in anticipation of moving, I fantasized about buying two things: a fiddle leaf fig (which I did–as you can see in the living room post) and vintage campaign nightstands. I lusted after these babies for YEARS, inspired by very similar ones that DIY Playbook (a GREAT Chicago design duo) posted. I stalked MegMade’s website. (They are a great vintage reno shop. We’ve purchased several pieces from them in the past.) As soon as two matching campaign nightstands became available, we snatched them up and had the refinished in white! They are two of my favorite pieces in our home.

The artwork over the nightstands leftover are vintage stamps from our wedding invitations, which I framed (Ralph Waldo Emerson for Sona and Emily Dickinson for me) and custom calligraphy prints with the lyrics from our first dance song (First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes).

We also have a huge print of this horse photo, which I took in North Carolina. It’s for sale in my Etsy shop.

I bought this bench on Wayfair for a steal, and I recovered it with this Dalmatian printed fabric, which I’m kind of obsessed with.

Sona isn’t as interested in home design as I am. She definitely likes for our home to look nice, but she doesn’t often come up with ideas on her own. However, she was adamant that we find something for her nightstand that represented who she is and what she loves. So, she was super excited to find this vintage brass microscope at a local flea market. It’s the one thing that SHE had to have!

Cat photo-bomb, here.

I also love the mixed prints in our bedroom. Of all the rooms in our home, this is the one that feels the most complete to me. It’s also the one where I think I really nailed my style. You know, it can be difficult to figure out exactly what your personal style is, and we’ve waffled a lot over the years, experimenting with shabby chic and beachy and uber modern. Ultimately, this room really captures us perfectly: colorful, whimsical, a little new, and a little old. It’s interesting and eccentric but clean and uncluttered.

But we do need a new duvet. Thanks for ruining everything, cats.

Kitty #2. I told him that, since he matches our bench, we can keep him. 😉

Eventually, we would like to take this wall of closets, open it up, and do custom built-ins with sliding frosted glass doors and a hidden spot for a TV. For now, I relish not having a TV in the bedroom. (Sona, not so much.)

Next up… our kitchen!

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Trip Report: Venice, Italy

3 / 28 / 173 / 28 / 17

Shameless plug: photos from both Florence and Venice are now featured in my Etsy shop, which is linked above.

Last week, I shared our trip report for Florence. After Florence, we headed to Venice for a few days.

We booked our train ticket a month or so in advance through Trentitalia, but that really wasn’t necessary. The high speed train system in Italy is surprisingly easy and efficient, and we probably could’ve shown up and booked tickets the day of. We also got to the train station way too early, and we were those silly tourists, staring at the board, waiting for our track to post.

Even still, the train ride was effortless, and it was actually nice to have a couple hours of down time. Sona slept; I snacked and stared out the window.

When we arrived in Venice, we did the thing you probably shouldn’t do if you’re smart and trying to save a little money: we hired a private water taxi to get to our hotel. There are certainly cheaper ways to go about that, but I really wanted to enter Venice with a bang–and see it from the water, for the first time, in a way that was comfortable and special. But if we did it again, I’d just hop a Vaporetto, especially since our hotel–Cima Rosa–was just a couple of stops away from the train station.

Though, that 10-minute ride was awe-inspiring. I have to say: Sona and I have traveled quite a bit, and we’ve seen many a wondrous location, but I rarely have the immediate mouth-agape, eyes-wide reaction to Europe that I do to places in the Caribbean. What can I say? I’m a gal who is inspired by water. But the second we stepped into the water taxi and caught sight of the Grand Canal, my jaw dropped. Literally.

The water taxi hadn’t even started moving when I started snapping photos. I must have taken 50 photos in those 10 minutes, including all of these:

I must have mistakenly thought that I was getting a limited opportunity to capture Venice’s beauty, but then I realized that there is no spot in Venice–no alley you wonder down, no canal you cross–that isn’t every bit as charming and captivating and lovely as that first 10 minute ride. Venice is, inch for inch, the prettiest place we’ve ever been, and it is a photographer’s dream. You just can’t take a bad photo.

We stayed at Cima Rosa, which bills itself as a boutique B&B. It is housed in a centuries-old building and has less than 10 rooms. It felt really intimate, as there are less than 10 rooms. We snagged a room right on the Grand Canal, which gave us an incredible view and was uber romantic. Probably the most romance-inspiring place we’ve ever stayed, actually.

Cima Rosa is just slightly outside of the tourist-driven area of Venice, which was perfect for us. It is in a neighborhood that is quiet and feels residential; it’s also centrally located, which gave us the opportunity to explore much of Venice.

During our days there, we walked and walked and walked. We explored virtually every corner of the city, branching out to all parts of the islands and walking through every major neighborhood. It was worth all of the blisters, though, because each neighborhood had its own personality, and–as is true in pretty much any place on the planet–the most interesting spots weren’t necessarily the ones the guidebooks told us about.

In fact, our favorite day in Venice–and maybe of the whole trip–was the one designed by the receptionist at our B&B, who wrote us out a walking tour of her neighborhood–Dorsoduro–including her favorite spots to eat, shop, etc. That’s the artistic district of Venice, and it’s also where the university is. So, it’s young, hip, and local. We really, really loved it–so much so that we went back on our last day.

One of our concerns about Venice stemmed from the fact that lots of folks told us how hard it would be to find good eats, as so much is geared towards locals, but we didn’t find that to be true at all. With a little research–and walking–you’ll find plenty of yumminess, including a lot of cicchetti, which is the tradition of Venetian small bites. Most cicchetti are various toppings–spreads, fish, etc.–on slices of bread. ALL of them are delicious and affordable. Venetians eat cicchetti much in the same way that the Spanish eat tapas: as small bites, accompanied by an aperitif, before dinner. We ate them before–and after–lots of meals.

On our last day, we did what anyone must do on their first trip to Venice, stereotypes be damned: we took a gondola ride. We deliberately timed it to be right before sunset, and we asked not to go on the Grand Canal. This left us meandering through the blissfully quiet small canals. It was worth every penny, at $80 for 40 minutes, because Venice was really meant to be seen from the water, and we wanted to have that experience before we left.

 

Do I even have to tell you how much we enjoyed Florence and Venice? I don’t think so. Sometimes, we go to a place and leave, thinking “That was wonderful, but it is on to somewhere new!” And sometimes, you come home from a place, and you find yourself daydreaming about it, wishing you could do the trip all over, again.

I’ve spent every day since Italy wishing that we were back in Italy.

Our Venice Faves and Recommendations:

  • our hotel, Cima Rosa
  • a gondola tour–but not on the Grand Canal
  • the Peggy Guggenheim museum
  • a day spent exploring Dorsoduro, including exploring the artist shops along S. Barnaba
  • cicchetti at Osteria Al Squero and Vino gia Schiavi
  • frito misto and pasta (we loved the arrabiata) at Fried Land (just trust me on this one)
  • dinner at Osteria Anice Stellato
  • an early morning walk through the Rialto Market
  • chocolate souvenirs at Vizo Virtu
  • sandwiches and pastries at Rosa Salva (the one by the hospital)
  • a walk through the Libreria Acqua Alta bookstore
  • wine at Vino Vero, sitting along the canal
  • gelato at Grom
  • an evening spent drinking on one of the local squares
  • pizza at Muro Frari

 

 

 

 

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Before & After: Living/Dining Room

9 / 16 / 169 / 16 / 16

As I’ve mentioned before, we bought our first home, this summer. It’s  duplex in our dream neighborhood in Chicago, and we’re totally in love.

However, the place was a little dated, and it needed a bit of a facelift. I blogged about our reno plans after the purchase.

Even though we’ve been in our home for a few months, I haven’t had a chance to share much of the reno results. Today, I’m sharing my favorite space in the house: our “formal” living/dining room. It’s not really formal, actually, but it is intended as our adult-ish space.

When we were looking to buy, we really wanted to find a place that had two living spaces: a living/dining room that could be for the grown-ups and a comfy family room where Finn could run wild. So, when we saw this room in our current home, we both fell in love, and I immediately started a Pinterest board, dreaming up possibilities.

Here’s what we saw the day we first stepped foot into this place:

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And here’s what it looked like after we bought it:

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It wasn’t awful, but it definitely needed some TLC, including ripping out the original flooring, which dated back to 1916.

And here is what it looks like, today:

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The fireplace makeover wasn’t on our original to-do list; we’d expected this to be a project for a year or two later. However, our amazing contractor told us it’d be a lot cheaper to do it now, rather than having him come back for just one project. He also was confident he’d be able to fully realize our vision, which he TOTALLY did! It’s probably my favorite element of our whole reno.

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We wanted the room to be like us: light, feminine, whimsical, and eclectic. The green sofa came first. We had our hearts set on a totally impractical green velvet sofa, and everything else evolved around that.

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I’m not completely sold on the pillow situation. Truth be told, these blue ones are actually from our bedroom. The pillow line-up is still a work-in-progress.

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Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a sucker for a gallery wall. We have several in the new place, but this one is particularly fun.

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My great grandfather was a seltzer salesman. These vintage green seltzer bottles were his, and I begged my mom to let me have them.

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This table is a vintage piece that we bought–and had refinished–at MegMade, one of our favorite stores in Chicago. It was originally stained a mid-tone brown, but I really wanted a pop of yellow. On the way to the store, Sona asked, “What color yellow are you thinking?” I said, “like the color of marigolds.” Once we got to the store, the designer told us they only had one color yellow in stock. “It’s called marigold,” she said. We were sold!

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Truth be told, when we first bought this house, I really had one goal: to get a fiddle leaf fig!

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While it’s still coming along, I’m pretty proud of this space. It’s so bright and cheery, and it makes me smile each time I walk through it. Like us, it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

This is where we spend most of our time, eating, watching Finn play, lounging as a family. It’s a special space for us, and we use it more than I anticipated that we would.

Next week, I’m going to share our bathroom renos, which are probably the most dramatic before/afters in the whole house!

 

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Finn’s Grey, Gold, and Aqua Nursery!

8 / 7 / 158 / 7 / 15

I’ve joked with friends and family that, while Sona was busying growing Finn, I was busy growing his nursery. The truth is, I started planning the nursery in my head the day we found out we were pregnant.

I’m a little (re: a lot) design obsessed, anyway. But, for the past several months, I really felt like doing the nursery was the best way I could contribute to getting our lives ready for our little one. So, I dove in headfirst and spent nights awake in bed, thinking about color stories, layouts, and decorative accents. What can I say? I can commit to a project like a crazy person.

So, here it is: the nest. I’ll do some detailed breakdowns of different projects in the room later on, but here’s the whole shebang.

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crib

KS9A2365 animal photos from The Animal Print Shop; crib from Babyletto; quilt handmade by a friend; pillows, bedding, and aqua book rack from Land of Nod; striped rug from Crate & Barrel; sheepskin rug from Amazon; chevron hamper from Etsy

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KS9A3191 bookshelf from Land of Nod (it was a floor sample that we painted); rhino from Almacen Marabi; constellation print from Minted

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lamp and changing table

KS9A2417 credenza is a vintage find; shelves and lamp from Land of Nod; blue burger photo from Etsy

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sloth and basket

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KS9A2426 blue framed cat from Almacen Marabi; surfer and goldfish art from Minted; star blanket from Etsy; stuffed sloth from Etsy; rocking chair from Pottery Barn Baby; gold pouf from Amazon

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KS9A3196 rhino from Etsy; gorilla from Almacen Marabi

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