a Curious Canadian in Provence
Here are some photos of the full before and after renovation bedroom and bathroom. The difference is just as radical as it is anywhere else in the house. This is officially my favourite room of the house; it’s beautiful and cozy. What do you think?!
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If you’re interested in the full Before and After of our house renovation here in Provence; voila! The kitchen, when we first bought the house, was entirely brown. The last time the house had been renovated was in the 70s. The ceiling was styrofoam made to look like wood, behind that, there was asbestos. The ceiling leaked and there was a hole in the floor to access the water meter. There were layers upon layers of unnecessary wood and tile. It was dark, moldy and awful! The only thing that remains of the kitchen now, is a rather odd triangular shape.
We raised the kitchen roof, insulated all the walls and basically replaced everything!
The following pictures are taken from about the same angle to show the real before and after of our DIY renovation in Provence.
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Well, it’s missing some art on the walls, and a few finishing touches. This is the result of the upstairs room from our renovation in Provence.
I just love the stairs.
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Renovation Reveal. We still haven’t hung any art yet! Soon. Notice we kept some of the blue on the ceiling.
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These images don’t do the final result justice; everything is also not quite done. However, here is the first version of our almost finished home in Provence. After 8 months of renovation, and with the limited budget and awkward dimensions we had to work with, I’m quite impressed! I never expected our first home to be so beautiful. I am so grateful to my man. Bravo Robin!
This is what you see when you walk into the house from the front door.
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Our tiny house is an awkward triangular shape. This is most evident in the upstairs room and the kitchen. Basically, anywhere you would need to put a large rectangular object– like a bed! Everything has been a compromise to make the space appear bigger as well as functional. Here is some of the bedroom and bathroom transformation from the last 8 months of our renovation in Provence.
The original back wall complete with tiny bathroom and closet. We wanted to install the bathroom where the closet was in order to make use of the small window, or ‘fenestron,’ there that looks out onto Les Alpilles.
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Here are some photos of the rather drastic living room transformation after 8 months of renovation in our tiny provencal home. It seems like a lot went on, which it did, but it was defininely worth it. It’s getting there. I just cant wait to see the finished results and finally get to add furniture and decor. I’ve even started looking into companies like BAZAAR VELVET, as I am that excited. Imagine how comfortable this place will be in the winter, especially with all the rugs! Tune in next week for the reveal! There are still a few things we would like to do to the home though. For example, we have been inquiring about the logistics of incorporating some form of Home Automation London. We have always wanted to have a smart home!
The original (after we ripped a bit off the wall). That is a rather lot of wood.
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We figure that our kitchen is so tiny that in order to make it look good, everything in it has to have character and charm (well, maybe not the damn washing machine). I’ve fallen in love with all the shabby chic/farmhouse french kitchens that I’ve seen on pinterest. I’ve particularly fallen for the beautiful stone sinks. Of course, a stone sink costs about 800 euros. Not within the budget.
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Stylish painting outfit? Before I got covered in chaux!
We’ve recently painted our upstairs with chaux/lime wash. We wanted to apply a wall covering that respected the age of the building. It’s important that old walls breathe in order to reduce trapped moisture. We quite liked the texture of the traditional lime wash (peinture à la chaux). Knowing the ingredients, but not the quantities, there was some trial and effort involved. After a brief search online we were left more confused. People add all kinds of things such as cream or milk in addition to the basic ingredients of lime, water, tint and setting agent. We asked the opinion of the local macon, and it seems that lime wash recipes are up there with truffle locations in terms of closely guarded French secrets.
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The treasure and charm of antique doors.
It seems that we like to make our lives difficult; dating for 5 years long distance Montreal-London, moving to a new country without proper jobs, buying a tiny house in a rural village and now- trying to find beautiful Patina antique doors for our new home.
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