hall monitor

as promised, the upstairs hallway.

really there's just a couple things i thought i'd chat about. for one thing, recessed lights aren't a standard thing for a hall like this....generally 'boob' lights, as i not-so-lovingly refer to them, would be used. however i really don't like any affordable flushmounts so i asked if we could switch 'er up and do can lights instead here.

[i still did get booby-trapped into having flushmounts in closets, all bedrooms but ours, and our back entry, though. hey, they're cheap. i can't argue with that.]

i happen to love the runway look that resulted! anyone who wants to come prance + pose + pretend they're heidi klum for a minute, c'mon ovah. [....you're ouhht]


aside from a little lighting talk, there's a certain nooky + a canvas cousin up for discussion.

numero uno, the nook. i'm referring to a potentially awkward spot on our floorpan where the hallway angles in toward the doorway to our master bedroom. to help you visualize this, its the opposite side of the angle that's in our bathroom:

works great in our bathroom, as the room opens up with the angle and it creates visual interest as well as a natural his + hers sectioning of the vanity. but on the other side of that wall there's this funny little odd-shaped space. on the house plan that we remixed, to turn into our current home, there were built-in shelves here. but something about built-ins in a hallway seems basement-y to me. and, i didn't like how potentially distracting that would be since the whole upstairs landing and this section of hallway is very visible from the foyer. shelves just seemed like a magnet for lots of....things....to catch your eye from the front door. a little too cluttery. and anything white-painted, in terms of shelving, just didn't appeal to me.

so, i started sketching up some ideas. after talking with our trimmer, we landed on the idea of doing a free-standing piece that he would build. now my mind was really racing! i googled various pictures of armoires and eventually drew this....its 'furniture by liz'!

to give you an idea, these are some of the clean-lined pieces that i came across as inspiration. everything pretty sleek, pretty simple. but i really liked the idea of scrapping small standard legs in favor of something a little more unique.

here's a closer peek at the top. plain squared off crown for the capper that just hangs over the edge by a bit....so that the base of the piece can stand out more.

as you can see the piece sits on a platform base with thick feet on the outer edges. the hardware you see is a super convenient two-pack of ikea cabinet handles. the length works perfectly, i think. and they don't subtract from the minimalist design.

....a close-up....

and this gives you a look at how we cheated the angle to get a great-looking piece.

the inside of the armoire reveals how the back of the cabinet angles in, which you'd never see by looking at the front of it with the doors closed.

also nice, the piece is free-standing therefore it can move to another spot in this house, or another house, since it isn't attached directly onto the walls. score! not to mention all the additional storage it provides, for off-season clothing, games, books....you name it.

item number two. i was so excited about this paint project i had to tackle it times two!

here's the first layer of our second poured-paint canvas. on this one, i started with charcoal grey....using leftover paint from our dining room.

i added a second layer of a more ghostly grey for some depth and contrast, and voila!

[the nice thing is, should i tire of this relatively calm look, i can always get my crazy on and pour a new color down the canvas later on. and no one will be the wiser!]

also i asked kevin to position it right under that can light in the ceiling for maximum lighting effect.

and now its easy to see from the foyer which i'm very happy about too. a little personal touch to great guests as they arrive! i think these two pups make for great companions up there on the second floor hall, and as time goes on we'll work on some of the other blank wall space. [cough....baby pictures....cough]