kitchen makeover

Screen Shot 2015-11-06 at 12.27.15 PMOn our most recent visit to IKEA, I made sure to grab the latest catalogue as we were leaving. Oh-Em-Gee. Has anyone else looked through it yet? I think that I may have gotten drool on every page. I instantly wanted to update every room in The Little Barn. First, let’s start with the kitchen.

As a reminder, this is what our kitchen currently looks like.

IMG_0061IMG_0071IMG_0074I feel that it’s overcrowded, and I’ve never really been to keen on the layout. I plan to move our 9′ church pew outdoors, put the kitchen island under the window, order bottom cabinets for the wall with the crates, and move our giant table into the middle of the room.

Here is my inspiration for our new Scandinavian look.

Screen Shot 2015-11-06 at 12.29.57 PMScreen Shot 2015-11-06 at 12.26.53 PMScreen Shot 2015-11-06 at 12.27.15 PMWhat would I ever do without IKEA?

<3

Emory

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our new crib : a jenny lind

Red Jenny LindWhen we took our trip to Edmonton, AB, our goals were to buy our baby-to-be a travelling set (stroller and car seat) and a nursery set (a crib, dresser, and rocking chair). We had wanted to get the majority of our shopping done in that city as opposed to ours since the province has only one sales tax, whereas our province has both. Additionally, they have an IKEA store. Enough said!

I had always hoped that when we did  decide to have children, we would be able to buy everything from IKEA. Years ago we would spend our Sunday afternoons in the store dreaming about the furniture that we wanted for our future lives. This included their cribs and dressers. When I found out that I was pregnant I was already beginning to plan what its nursery would look like. Creating that finished product would inevitably involve a trip back to Edmonton’s IKEA to purchase the items that had been on my wish list for five years. So off we went. Soon after walking around the Swedish store, we realized that our dreams would have to remain just that. They were no longer keeping the cribs and dressers in stock. Fighting back tears (me, not Geoffrey), we left. Because we were leaving the province that day, we knew that we had to find an alternative store, and choose different nursery furniture all within a few hours. We decided to return to West Coast Kids. I cried the entire way.

Once at West Coast Kids, it had only taken a few minutes before we picked out a different crib. Out of the dozens that were there, only one had jumped out at me from the day before. It was turquoise and vintage-inspired, and was reminiscent of our green, antique bed which, coincidently, would also be in the same room as our future crib. They even both have wheels! We were sold.

Scandinavian crib styleWhile it is not an IKEA crib, the Jenny Lind has grown on me. Now, I prefer it to our original choice. It still has a Scandinavian feel, but is much more unique looking and better fitting with our own taste. Here are the specs on the crib:

A beloved nursery favorite, DaVinci’s Jenny Lind Crib features intricate detailing and signature spindle posts. Loved for its timeless elegance, Jenny Lind graces your nursery with a unique charm and innocence. Jenny Lind Crib meets or surpasses the latest safety standards, and every crib undergoes individual inspection.

  • Classic rich finishes to complement your nursery
  • Four adjustable mattress levels to set a safe height you can reach comfortably
  • Extend use of your crib with toddler bed and daybed conversions
  • Breathe easy with non-toxic finishes that exceed safety standards
  • Metal and spring mattress support gives optimum support
  • Extra strong slats for extra security
  • Support sustainability — made from New Zealand pine wood from sustainable, expanding forests

Apartment Therapy also has a slideshow of these cribs in real rooms.

IMG_0580All in all, and tears aside, this was only another lesson on how life never truly goes as planned, but somehow works out in the end. Our job is to just to roll with it. Kind of like the crib, and how I anticipate parenting will be.

<3

Emory

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when swedes build tiny homes for students

10-smart-micro-dorm(Image via Tiny House Blog)

By now, most of you are aware of my adoration for Tiny Houses. When I picture them, I usually visualize small, wooden structures in amongst the trees, lakes, and mountains. That’s all fine and dandy if you’re one of the few lucky owners who not only live off-grid in their Tiny Home, but also in either a national park or some make-believe enchanted forest. While living off-grid is plausible, the latter two for obvious reasons, are much harder to come by.

What I should be envisioning in my Tiny House dreams are small homes built onto trailers and residing in someone’s backyard, or put in the middle of a street, looking out of place, and flanked by larger homes on either side of it. That is a truer perspective given that these dwellings are intended for those who want to be homeowners, yet who are seeking more affordable and transient lifestyles.

10-smarta-kvm_3(Image via Tiny House Blog)

Sweden is obviously a great country to look at when considering Tiny Homes. Why? Well consider IKEA, for instance. If you think about it, the store is made of hundreds of Tiny Houses, all of which have small, durable, modern, and affordable furniture solutions. I think that’s why I love it so much. Visiting IKEA is like visiting a Tiny House museum. If that isn’t enough, one can actually leave the store with the same incredible pieces that inspired them in the building. That’s like stopping at the Louvre and buying a print of the Mona Lisa, and then using it as a piece of furniture that betters your life in every way. Hmm, that actually sounded better in my head.

10-smarta-kvm_2(Image via Tiny House Blog)

I should get back on topic. Suffice it to say that Swedes are a natural fit for Tiny Homes. Yet, rather than designing them to solely benefit those families who can already afford to live in them, one particular architectural firm in Sweden is crafting a series of Tiny Houses for students at Lund University. The idea is to build smart student housing that is half the price of renting a dorm room. I wish that we would’ve had something similar when I was in university!

What are your thoughts on Tiny Homes for students?

<3

Emory

the not-so-reclaimed siding

Processed with VSCOcam with lv01 preset Processed with VSCOcam with a6 presetHi friends, and happy Saturday! Are you enjoying it? I hope so! I’m spending mine working at the store, which in my eyes, doesn’t really feel like work at all. So I’m pretty happy. :-)

Before we examine the siding and the title of this post, I’m going to backtrack a little. It was only 10 days ago when I revealed our metal roof to you. While I initially liked it, a tiny part of me did question if we made the right decision in going with brown. It didn’t pop the way that I had hoped that it would, yet at the same time, that’s exactly why I did choose it. Putting my emotions aside, I told myself to just wait until the siding comes. I knew that everything would change once that was up. Boy, did it ever.

Processed with VSCOcam with lv01 preset Processed with VSCOcam with a6 presetNow to discuss the siding. The plan for the siding on The Little Barn was always to be reclaimed wood. So my husband and my brother-in-law began to spend their weekends tearing down old barns and outbuildings across the province. They were not hard pressed for these types of structures given that we live in Saskatchewan. Yet, it was backbreaking work and extremely time-consuming to do so. It didn’t take long before we began to rethink our decision. Upon assessing the quality of boards, mulling the idea over amongst ourselves, and finally discussing it with our contractor, we chose not to put that particular wood on our house. We were just too afraid of leaks and dry rot.

Processed with VSCOcam with lv01 preset Processed with VSCOcam with a6 presetIt was our contractor that came up with the perfect solution. He was able to get wood siding that had been sitting on a distributor’s lot for a few years. No one had wanted it because it was beginning to look reclaimed. It had already turned grey, and best of all, they were selling it to us at an extremely low cost. In the case of miracles, this was a big one. I still cannot believe how lucky we were to get this amazing material.

Processed with VSCOcam with lv01 preset Processed with VSCOcam with a6 presetIn the end, our not-so-reclaimed siding is one of my favourite things about The Little Barn. Well, one of many.

<3

Emory

up on the roof

Screen Shot 2014-10-14 at 9.58.13 AMHey guys! The day is finally here for me to reveal our metal roof to you!

2.jpgIf you can remember this post, I had enlisted your help in choosing a colour for a new roof. Most of you thought that red would vibrant and beautiful, which I agreed with. However, given that our previous metal roof stood out, this time, I wanted one that would blend in with its surroundings.

4.jpgMaybe I was playing the devil’s advocate, or maybe I was just stubborn in my vision for a weathered-looking house. Whatever the case, I am so thankful that we chose the colour that we did! 

1.jpgI think that the brown looks great here, but honestly, you should see it with the reclaimed siding that is now up. Honestly, it is absolutely gorgeous. 

3.jpgDon’t worry, the siding post will come soon. :-)))

<3

Emory

  • Hello! My name is Emory. I am a wife, mother of four (three on earth in heaven). This is our life on the Canadian prairies.
    email: helloscarlettblog@outlook.com

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