All posts tagged: staircase

Banisters, balustrades and building regs

Published by Karen Knox

So where were we? That’s right, we were here. Awaiting new carpets, a banister and handrail. I did not want a banister or a handrail. But the building inspector does. And I guess it’s not that realistic to keep it like this forever. Even though is looks so purty. After mulling over several ideas (metal, glass, A.N. Other, you can check out all of my ideas here on Pinterest) we stuck with what we knew and also what we liked best. Timber. Not just any old timber though. Two 24mm sheets of birch ply laminated to form a 48mm depth board and then ripped into cross sections. These lengths would become our “spindles”. We fixed a timber baton to the ceiling to make sure the top of the spindle, once screwed in, aligned itself vertically so the bottom of the spindle attached perfectly to the side of the staircase stringer. The baton was filled and sanded back several times, then caulked and painted over in emulsion to make it appear part of the plastered ceiling. …

The Pre-reveal – The Loft Extension Wk 16

Published by Karen Knox

Week 16? Is it? I’ve lost count now to be honest. It feels like we’ve been living in another universe where time as we know it doesn’t exist. We were hoping to be done for Christmas. And we should have been really. Easily. But we weren’t. And it was fine (it wasn’t, but you know what I mean). So the project continues into 2017 and every time I think we might have just one more week left to wait, something crops up. I’m fed up of waiting for the final reveal post now, so i’m going to have to write this Preveal post, just to satisfy myself really. Oh and to keep you guys up to date too I guess. And if i’m being totally honest, to thank all the brands that are working with me for being so patient throughout this whole project. I’ll be giving them a little shout out so you know who they are… First off, some slightly better photos of the staircase. Instead of a landing balustrade, I really wanted boxed in …

#Stairporn in da house – The Loft Extension Wk 13/14

Published by Karen Knox

Anyone who knows me or has bumped into me for the past week will know that they have not been allowed to mention the ‘S’ word. Anyone who has dared, has been given this face: I think it’s fair to say, at this point, the builder and I have no secrets about not enjoying working together. I’m not really that bothered by this. I’m not here to make friends, i’m here to get this build done and finished at some point in my lifetime. As you all know, the one piece of the puzzle we’ve been waiting for it the ‘S’ word. Maria Prästgårdsgata 43 – Styling: Thomas Lingsell, Photography: Andy Liffner I wrote a post months ago full of inspiration for our soon to be staircase. We loved the idea of a simple white stringer with blonde timber tread. Specifically birch plywood. If you like a bit of #Stairporn like me, I’d highly recommend a read of the post here. There are some beautiful flights of fancy to ogle. Geddit? Back to our slightly less glamorous interior: What should have taken 2-3 …

#stairporn

Published by Karen Knox

We’ve made a decision about our house. Finally. And it’s actually happening. It’s taken us nearly four years and three different extension ideas to get to this point….. we’re converting our loft. Builder found, architect on the case. It’s the exciting bit where we are all full of ideas, requesting samples and spending all of our imaginary money. Always the easiest money to spend isn’t it? We’ve got a traditional three bed semi. Two large double bedrooms, one family bathroom with separate loo and a teeny tiny box room which is now my small but perfectly formed home office. You can have a nosey parker snoop around our house here. It’s a great size for our family of three. But when it comes to having overnight guests, we’re screwed. We’ve been dragging a mattress down to the living room to make a guest bed for the night. I can attest that it is a) highly inconvenient, b) uncomfortable. Our loft room will become the much needed third double bedroom, give us a second bathroom AND a separate …

A Victorian Corker

Published by Karen Knox

I had a consultation yesterday. I’m a little giddy. The homeowner and I have very similar tastes, she loves monochrome, art, industrial, hunting furniture from skips and junk yards and mid-century touches. Her home, quite frankly, is amazing already. But she believes there is room for some creativity, some problem solving and bit of oomph. Let me at ’em. I’ll show you around…. (permission already granted if you were wondering). The living room. Currently in F&B Bone and is calm and neutral. But needs a little kick. The floorboards, picture rail, coving, windows, skirting boards… all original and all amazingly beautiful. Needless to say, they will all be staying put. As will the mid century haberdashery drawers with brass drawer pulls. Yum. Full height windows on two aspects, the second of which I forgot to take a bloomin photo of. Which is kind of a bummer as it’s where some joinery magic may just occur. More on that to follow. Just look at that door! With almost 3m high ceilings, this room can take some serious colour. …