David G Kugler » New

Renovations Cont. — Step 2: More Shades

davegkugler — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:11:18 +0000

As I detailed in my prior post, my new condo was lacking window treatments and I found a cool product online I wanted to try (i.e. Hunter Douglas Roller Shades). I had previously installed 2″ wood blinds in my last condo, but this time was interested in a bit more light, and a more modern look. These fit the bill.

After installing the shades in the bedroom, I decided (with help from the girlfriend) that the “modern stone” color might be too cool for the warmer tones in the living room & den. For this round I opted for “modern white”. The pattern & detail match the bedroom shades completely, and the white is much more neutral and non-clashing than the other color would have been in this location. So, when they arrived last week on the night before vacation I took a few minutes for the install. You can see from the photos below what a difference it makes. NO MORE FREE SHOWS FOR THE NEIGHBORS! Too bad for them. You can see from the photo below, from outside these offer plenty of privacy.

Impressions of the vendor. As before, I ordered from ShadesShuttersBlinds. The order both times took about 2 weeks from order date to product arrival, which seems quite reasonable. Customer service is wonderful, although status updates on the web can be a bit slow. No worries; the shades arrived exactly as ordered in well packaged boxes, drop-shipped straight from the manufacturer. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the company, and did so to several neighbors in the building.

Some views of the install. First, shades open.

Closed.

Roller Shades in action.

Additional views:

Project: Shades in living room & den
Time to Install: 15-20 minutes (4 screws per shade, 2 per bracket)
Detail: Hunter Douglas Roller Shades in Living Room | Illusions, Modern White
Vendor: ShadesShuttersBlinds
Cost: $563.88

GRAND TOTAL ON SHADES (Full Condo): $563.88 + $288.39 = $852.27

Function & Design in the New Bathroom

davegkugler — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:16:52 +0000

After the last update, I embarked on a number of small projects that largely focused on adding function & style to the bathroom. Don’t get me wrong, it was already beautiful, but did lack a bit of storage space. That and I really needed new towels.

First was the Crescent Curved Shower Rod from BB&B.

Next was the new (and large — 21-1/4 x 34″) medicine cabinet. Sales are good things, and I got the Framed Wall-Mount Med Cabinet from Restoration for 20% off. Always worth waiting. I had a Restoration med cabinet in my last two bathrooms and love it.

Having little space to hang towels can be solved in one of two ways — hooks, for a spa like experience, or a double-towel bar. This time I chose the latter.

Then, the final touch was a glass shelf. It was also from Restoration, in their Dillon Collection (and also 20% off — score).

Next project….shades in the living room. Time to stop giving the neighbors all the free shows.

New look, new feel.

davegkugler — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:02:51 +0000

I am a bit of a Luddite, as one would say, compared to señor M Peck; he does things first and I like to follow about a year later. Well, as he suggested long ago, I have finally decided to switch over my Blogger blog to WordPress. I made that decision a while ago when I set up the main site, but had postponed converting my personal blog. Well, I suppose progress cannot be held back forever. Maybe this will give me the inspiration I need to start writing again. Maybe.