Photo by Kayla Goertzen. Greenery arrangement by Earth Buds Florist.
Aaaahhhh Fall. It’s one of my favourite seasons. And one I often feel cheated of because in Manitoba we tend to jump straight to Winter and skip over Fall altogether! But not this year. 2020 finally got something right: the September weather has been perfect… so crisp and refreshing that I’ve happily adorned my favourite cardigan from Old Navy (in Warm Coffee) and pulled out loose leaf tea from Other Brother Roasters (I’ve been sipping on Cinnamon Chacha Rooibos and Vanilla Cream). It’s pure joy!
Despite the fact that I am love Fall, I usually still feel a little niggle of disappointment that Summer is over. However, not this time! Spring and Summer felt long this year with a never ending home renovation to-do list. As my husband Kyle and I finally start to wind down the long, drawn out process of renovating our basement, we seem only to be looking forward! We’re counting down the days till we can take back the living space we lost last Fall when it flooded.
The natural itch to organize the home as temperatures turn cooler has been intensified with our prospective renovation finish line in sight! Our belongings have been displaced for so long that I can hardly imagine a day when everything (or at least almost everything) will be in its place. But that day is approaching and I am so thrilled! Almost every day, I clap my hands and tell Kyle how excited I am to organize our home. I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas!
To summarize our renovation so far, we had the basics completed in July and August: damaged doors and trims removed, new drywall installed, and new fireplace build-out constructed (more on that later!). Our laundry room and utility room were treated with a tinted epoxy coating by MB Flair that looks clean and simple and will be easy to maintain. Mudding & taping followed, at which point it was Kyle’s and my turn to roll up our sleeves and tackle the painting. We kept the walls the same colour as they were previously, because you really can’t go wrong with Simply White (OC-117) by Benjamin Moore. It’s clean and crisp, yet warm! It’s one of my go-to’s, and it was already on all the walls throughout our home when we moved in, so it sort of was a no brainer! We will be adding a subtle dose of colour through the built-ins I designed for my office. And the colour will be repeated on the opposite wall where I designed a shiplap fireplace feature wall. Those details alone will ensure the space isn’t boring, and furnishings and textiles will add even more interest to the space.
As I type this, we’re midway through the flooring install, which is expected to wrap up later this week. I reaaaallly wanted real hardwood floors, but with a history of water issues, I just didn’t want to chance it. Instead, we chose SimplyStone White Oak vinyl plank flooring from Parkside Home Hardware. The flooring has a very realistic wood grain look, while also being 100% Waterproof. We are having the planks laid over a subfloor from Rona that’s designed to allow air to flow. The product is also made without latex so it won’t mold or attract bacteria - the perfect solution for an old basement with a history like ours does. Added bonus: it will make the floors much softer and warmer underfoot, which is essential for enjoying the basement during Manitoba’s long Winter season.
After the flooring install is completed, we can finally move on to the finishing touches: installing the office built-ins, installing and painting the shiplap feature wall, putting in doors and trims, and lastly (my favourite) furnishing the space. With all there is to look forward to in the coming months, I am quite content to leave Summer and all it’s beautiful greenery behind and forge into Fall with arms wide open.
- A.W.