Socket Outlets

We also replaced the double socket outlets as the original ones were old yellowed plastic and covered with splashes of paint from past years. The living ones (pictured here) are in place now - the bedroom sockets are still dangling like dislocated eyeballs off the wall while we touch up the plaster around them.

The sockets (and the toggle switch) are from the MK Electric 'Aspect' range which is super slim (the cover plate barely projects from the wall) and it has concealed fixings (ie no visible screw heads).

Toggle Light Switches

We decided on toggle light switches where we dont have dimmer switches, opting for white cover plates instead of the typical brushed stainless steel. This way they are less visible against the white walls and match the white woodwork.

The funny thing I noticed is that in England the 'on' direction is opposite to that in Canada. Here you flip the switch down to turn on the lights, and up to switch them off.

Allgood Locks In

Our satin stainless steel Allgood door locks have now been installed at last! We've got two of these on the door, one is a nightlatch with a thumb turn, and the other is a deadbolt and we have one master key that operates them both.

Getting these little details right are the things that get us architects and product designers excited. (Sad I know...) So I will focus the next few entries on some little details.

Happy Fathers Day

Wishing our German & Canadian fathers a happy father's day! This is an image of a Meccano Jaguar toy we found in an antique in Canada last year.

A Window Sill Herb Garden

Here is Flo's herb garden (a gift from his parents) growing well on our kitchen window ledge. We have Basil, Parsley and chives all ready for our summer salads.

To Do

After 5 months, we also still continue to work our way through a never ending series of 'To Do' lists. Our ambitious goal to have finished the living room, hallway and bedroom before the summer arrived didnt quite work out, but we have made good progress since we moved in... especially considering we are doing it all ourselves and both have full time jobs!

Our flat's 5 month anniversary

We have now been property owners for 5 months as of today, so I thought I'd post a new summer photo of the Blue Door to celebrate. We continue to enjoy the flowers which were planted by the previous owners, this month its pink foxgloves.

Shelving - Complete

We picked up our shelves from Camberwell Paintworks after having them sprayed and have now installed them in the living room. The shelves with their secret fixings (ie no visible brackets) create really clean lines which visually elongate the room, especially the longer shelves which span 2.3m (7'-6").

It was such a treat to finally be able to empty out all the cardboard boxes that held all our books.

A Sofa to Sit on at Last!

Just before we left for Norderney, our refurbished G-Plan sofa bed finally arrived. You may remember the fabric selection process from 18.03.2010, well here is the final product. We're both really pleased with the result (and especially to have something comfortable to sit on at last). I guess we are now officially ready for visitors!

A Few Highlights From Norderney

Thanks Ingrid & Ulrich for having us to stay, it was great to see the whole family and share your birthday weekend. Before we get back to the renovations, here are a few highlights from our trip: Sheep as seen from the flight over from Leer to the Island in Ulrich's little plane, Riding bikes around the town as no cars are allowed, Striped Beach Baskets (Strandkorb), and a pretty sunset.

Back Home

We're back home now despite our return flight on Sunday being cancelled because of the British Airways strike. In the end we were 'lucky' enough to be moved onto a 7am flight this morning. We're both feeling pretty tired, so here is a postage stamp as a greeting from the island, I'll post a few more select images tomorrow.

A mini break

We're taking a mini holiday from all the renovations to celebrate Flo's aunt's 50th birthday on the small island of Norderney off the north coast of Germany.

See you all soon.