Saturday, March 16, 2024

Kitchens, kitchens

This kitchen renovation was supposed to have happened in 2014! But that's when a series of misfortunes caused pretty much annual delays (with the penultimate one being the pandemic and Humphrey's demise). I suppose the silver lining was that I had nearly a decade to collect reference photos and figure out what I really wanted.


BEFORE:

It's not that the kitchen was awful, but it was a very 1990s Home Depot vibe, with warm wood cabinets, taupe glass mosaic tiles, and black countertops. Design-wise, this it had been a DIY job by previous owners using "out of the box" layout that did not match the kitchen shape. You can see a peninsula (with no storage underneath!) which was positioned in such a way that the balance of the kitchen was completely dead space--the peninsula was in the way of a table, there should have been storage along the wall even beyond the peninsula. The floor was a dark laminate that was not laid properly (so it had gaps everywhere, and the finish was wearing off when I moved here!). Moreover, it clashed with the oak hardwood in the rest of the place. Originally, the walls were painted a fairly vibrant orange, but I repainted them in a light taupe when I moved in.



THE DESIGN:
The idea was to extend the same aesthetic from the rest of the house, including the oak floors (this was the early tour of the place when the first set of updates/decorating was completed, and the livingroom has not changed). The colour scheme was to be mostly white, with the warm floors. Storage was key, so I envisioned a pantry (initially the plan was built-in).

As the design took shape, I ultimately decided to keep (and repaint) the cabinets since the wood was good and they were a fairly neutral shaker style. Because of the placement of the sliding door, having a built in pantry became a huge logistical challenge (the pantry could only be as deep as where the sliding door started, obviously). In the end, I was able to pick up a stand-alone pantry for $400 on sale that I think fits the space well, and I'm quite happy with it.

I made some spur-of-the-moment design decisions when Lowe's in Vaughan was closing down, and I was able to get materials for 80% off, including a Carrera marble mosaic backsplash in a herringbone pattern! The countertops are quartz with a beige vein to pick up the warmth of the floors (which now match the livingroom/diningroom oak) and gold-tone accessories. Some of the decorative accessories (including the rug and the tiny dog sofa) were things I got years ago when this renovation was supposed to take place. 


AFTER:


There is now a glass dinging table over that rug, and acrylic
chairs so that nothing obscures the view and sunlight.  

Detail of cabinets, countertop and hardware. The drawer pulls are a brushed gold.

A brushed gold faucet (which is more subtle than I expected, yay!)
I wasn't sure about mixing metals, but in the end I think the gold reads as 
a neutral/brown, and it corresponds to the floors.
I love this fancy new sink with all the accessories.

All the dogs love the teensy lounge! Can you spot Harpo there?
Soon there will be a tiny "Central Perk" sign over the little sofa:)

Once everything came together, the greenery from the balcony and beyond became really prominent! I brought in an artificial palm to tie the green into the room, and it makes the natural green stand out even more. For summer, I will be using palm-themed textiles (cushion covers, tea towels) to bring even more life indoors.


Monday, July 31, 2023

The Herschel Plouffe Mysteries

 Harpo's acting debut as Det. Herschel Plouffe, Canine Sleuth, of Belgium. Be sure to expand the video to full-screen mode for better viewing ;)




Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Moses Supposes His Toeses are Roses...

 ...but Moses supposes erroneously..

Harpo stopped and smelled the roses  in bloom (and sang/tapped a little Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor number about the blossoms).






Monday, April 24, 2023

"Harpo, how many times do we have to tell you walks are not a Wes Anderson film!"

 




Welcome Harpo Byron Fidrych!

 Not long after Humphrey's demise, I thought I should apply to foster or adopt a dog, knowing that the screening process and wait for a suitable companion (small, non-shedding, preferably not elderly) could take time. In searching rescues and adoptions online, I came upon a three-year-old black poodle retiring from the show ring who was seeking a home. I completed the adoption form.

Soon after, I received a response that the black poodle had found a home already. "You're probably not interested interested in a white pup," the person said, presuming that I had a colour or age preference. She mentioned the date of birth - this pup was born the day that Humphrey died.



Linda had been breeding and showing black/silver and brown poodles for thirty years. Haley, a silver toy poodle, was a first-time new mom with champion sire Eddy (or as we call him, Fast Eddy). The first two puppies, both female, were born late in the evening, and came out black. After midnight, a third was born--the first white pup Linda's dogs had produced in thirty years

I couldn't say no to the opportunity. 

From the moment he opened his eyes, the white puppy keenly observed the world and met his developmental milestones weeks before his sisters. Linda named him Byron because he had the "eyes of a poet", though we wanted to call him Harpo  for his white curls, and that he squeaks to communicate like Harpo Marx.

As the weeks passed, Harpo grew quickly, and it became apparent he would be larger than his parents - in fact, just about the size of Humphrey.

Here's Harpo discovering his reflection in the mirror after arriving at his forever home...






Sunday, March 27, 2022

Lignans, lignans, lignans

 Another piece of Humphrey's wellness/recovery has been introducing lignans to his diet.

You're probably already consuming some - since they are present in a lot of plant-based foods, especially flax and sesame. They are part of seeds (or other plant matter - more on that in a minute). When you consume them, gut bacteria metabolize them and the output is absorbed into the bloodstream where it travels and binds to estrogen receptors. This helps to regulate hormone activity, and appears to be linked to reduced instances of hormonal-based cancers (breast, ovarian, etc.).

University of Oregon has a very comprehensive page on lignans and research on them that summarizes many studies, most of them in Europe. Researchers there have followed tens of thousands of people for over 10 years to see the outcomes of different levels of lignans in their diets.


In the past 20 years, researchers learned to extract lignans from Norwegian Spruce, which offers more lignans with less fibre (flax lignans are very high  in fibre). These HMR lignans don't seem to be readily available in the Americas except for dogs, but are in Europe. In the Americas, flax lignans are widely available.

Humphrey started on lignans about a month ago, and he tolerates them very well, the extra fibre is beneficial!

Many veterinarians recommend a combination of lignans and melatonin to treat Cushings (which seems to be based on University of Tennessee protocols and also this from Tennessee). Anecdotes of this protocol's effectiveness exist all over the Internet, wherever dog people gather to share their stories.