Haus of Vorwith

All Things Zellige

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 11:22:46 -0800

Zellige! One of my most frequently asked question to date is about our zellige shower. I've compiled all of things you need to know about zellige in one spot for you, so if you are thinking about using zellige in your next project - read this first!

The first thing you need to know about zellige is WASTE. A good rule of thumb for tile waste is 10% but for zellige depending on your tolerance you are going to want to add an additional 15-20% to your order for additional waste. Why is this important? This is important because not only is zellige tile pricey but you need to account for the additional material cost into your overall budget. Since zellige is a hand-made tile there is going to be a lot of variation in the tiles. Depending on your tolerance for chips, cracks, color variation, etc. will determine how much waste you should account for.

VIBE. For a true authentic look make sure you source from a reputable manufacturer. Don't try and cut the cost by opting for a porcelain look. It is not the same! The imperfect edges of the zellige is what really gives it that its "been here for 100 years" authentic, old-world feel. With the perfection of ceramic or porcelain you really lose that aesthetic.

INSTALL. Hiring a skilled tile setter is key. In order to achieve an authentic look your tile setter should be familiar with butt-jointing. If your tile setter wants to use spacers, then they are not your people.

DETAIL. There are a few different ways to do the edge detail. My favorite is a seamless edge where the drywall is built out and made to be flush with the edge of the tile. This takes careful planning and must be incorporated into your intial design. But don't worry if this isn't an option for you (it wasn't for me either) there are a few other ways. One is a mitered edge - we did this in ours. The last and controversial choice is Schluter. Schluter has it's purpose but I am not a fan of it paired with zellige.

GROUT. You are...Read More

Nate and Jeremiah's Rock the Block Marble Entry Dupe

Sat, 24 Jul 2021 10:37:04 -0700

After the One Room Challenge (ORC) front patio glow up, I decided it was time to refresh our entry at home because it felt extra blah. This house has a completely different vibe than our lake house. I like to think of this house as elevated glam so I didn't really want to use a stencil. Ever since I saw Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent's black and white marble entry on Rock the Block, I've been obsessed. But marble tile isn't in the budget right now so I set out to recreate the look.

Before:

It was time for a glow up! This was my inspo.

I watched a ton of YouTube videos of people painting their countertops and figured what the heck, I'll try it. I tried a few different techniques but I found that this worked out the best.

What you will need:

- Lots of Frog Tape (I went through at least 5 rolls)

- Two colors of flat exterior paint (I used true black and white)

- Clear Mixing Glaze

- Water-based Polyurethane

- 1 Paint Roller

- 3 Roller Covers

- 3 Paint Trays

- Old Rags

- Small detail brush (I grabbed a cheap one from Michaels)

- 3" flat brush

- 1 1/2" flat brush

Step 1: Pressure wash your entire area.

DO NOT skip this step like I did. I know better but I was lazy and wanted to start painting. If you skip this step your paint will not adhere to the concrete. If you don't have access to a pressure washer you can rent one at Home Depot or you can use a hose and a concrete etcher like I did Read More

ORC Fall 21 - Week 8 The Reveal

Sun, 27 Jun 2021 20:52:51 -0700

Eight weeks came and went and it's time to reveal the lakehouse front patio and my second ORC. Starting this challenge one week late was an obstacle in itself, but trying to tackle a project out of state definitely complicated things even more. With no plan in place, minimal budget, and dealing with extreme heat (eh em, 120 degree heat), I definitely had to roll with the punches for this one. But fighting through those obstacles was totally worth it. The end result is a super chic patio that my husband and I can enjoy our morning coffee and afternoon cocktails on.

Our orginal patio/entry lacked character and curb appeal. My goal for this challenge was to add value to our home and amp up the curb appeal big time. This is our vacation home so I wanted the design choices to be bold and fun while staying true to my funky, eclectic, very glam style. Let's take a trip down memory lane and look at the before.

BEFORE:

Nasty carpet and absolutely zero curb appeal. But really, who puts carpet on a patio?!

AFTER:

I naturally gravitate towards bold patterns and color. One of my favorite things to do is mix pattern on pattern. So when I set out to design the patio, I knew that I had to stay true to that. However, finding modern funky patterns in outdoor fabric is extremely challenging. Plus, orginally I really wanted to source from local stores such as Home Goods. After going to way too many Home Goods and coming up with nothing every time I ordered some pillows from one of my favorite shops but unfortunately I didn't order them in time so they didn't quite make it for the reveal. BUT I cannot wait to recieve them because they are going to add additional patterns and color to the space, giving it even more life! For now, I had to use what I could find at Target and Wayfair (thank you quick shipping!).

Honestly, I still...Read More

ORC Spring 21 - Week 7

Sun, 20 Jun 2021 13:52:54 -0700

It's the last week before the reveal. For not having a plan, I am pretty happy with how the porch turned out. Due to this house being our vacation home and it being located in a completely different state, unfortunately my entire to-do list didn't get quite done. This past weekend it was 120 degrees in Lake Havasu so our priority was just to hang the swing. So we were unable to get the glass out and paint the rod iron. Thankfully we were able to get the swing up. We did run into a few snags but as I always say, thats projects for you!

I made a critical mistake and bought the wrong size bolts for the swing. Ironically, they only had three of the ones that I thought I needed so I ended up having one in the correct size. Luckily they have a Tractor Supply in Havasu but they only had two bolts and we needed three. So the swing is up but I have to swap out one of the bolts next weekend when I come back.

Hanging the swing was pretty challenging and is an advanced DIY. You have to get the bolts right in the middle of the stud otherwise it's a major safety hazard and finding the middle of the stud was much harder than we anticipated.

I love the way the ropes look but I think if I were to build another swing, I would go with a smaller rope. The ropes are so thick that it makes tying the knots challenging. Next weekend once I get the correct bolt, I still have to level the swing. In order to level the swing it requires the knots to be in the exact place and since the ropes are so thick it is pretty challenging. Another thing I would do differently is instead of four bolts on the ceiling I would only do two. I was intially going to do only two ropes but when I was researching swings I read that four ropes costs less than two long ones and in addition to a lower costs, the four ropes help stabilize the swing better. Most say you need 24" between the wall and the swing and we only have 14" so stablization was important. The long rope will end up costing...Read More

ORC Spring 21 - Week 6

Sat, 12 Jun 2021 08:20:09 -0700

Hello, from beautiful St. Barts! This is a dead week for the challenge because my gf is getting married!! Her wedding has been postponed twice due to COVID so we are enjoying an amazing little get away. Due to traveling and being OOO I do not have very many updates on the front porch. However, the accesorries are finally starting to show up. It looks like everything should be here on time with the exception of the light...that might not get here in time so I may have to improvise.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I changed the color scheme from green and coral to more of a monochromatic desert pink, so I am going to share with you some of the details from the change.

I still have not decided if I am going to change the door color for a third time so that may still change as well. We are heading back out to Arizona on Friday to finish painting and hang the swing so we shall see what happens with the #pinkdoor.

Only two more weeks left to wrap up this project, yikes! One thing I love about the ORC is that it keeps me on a strict timeline. Without that timeline, there is no way this project would even be close to done in two weeks.

Cheers!

Total Cost Breakdown:

Total Cost: $1,374.47

Operation Curb Appeal To-Do List:

Paint the rod iron
Replace the door hardware
Refresh the doorbell
Hang the swing
Install an electrical...Read More

ORC Spring 21 - Week 5

Sun, 06 Jun 2021 15:32:18 -0700

This is a very proud week for me! I built my very first build, which also means I used a saw and a nail gun for the first time. While my husband could have very easily built the swing for me, I wanted to build it myself and I did. I am here to tell you if I can do it, you can do it!

I followed the tutorial by Plank and Pillow, linked here. They have a few different options to choose from and their tutorial is great and very easy to follow. The cuts are all straight cuts with the exception of two notches. The notches were the hardest part. I had my husband cut those for me because we didn't have the correct saw so he cut them using a circular saw and there was no way I was bold enough to try that on my own...maybe next time.

One lesson learned on the swing. Use the same type of wood throughout. We used Common board for the 1x8x8's because we couldn't find that size in Pine but it doesnt stain quite the same as the Pine.

I think the most difficult part was finding the right stain. I really wanted to it look like White Oak (shocking!). Using Oak vs. Pine would have more than tripled the cost of this build so I had to go with the most budget friendly option. Real Oak would have been beautiful though. After standing in the stain aisle at Home Depot for a while I finally pulled the trigger on one color. I tested it on a piece and thought it was perfect. So I stained 3/4 of the swing. The next morning I woke up and it felt way too orange and I knew I couldn't live with it. So I tried 4 other stains still not finding what I wanted. So I started mixing and trying all sorts of color combinations hoping I would miraculously come up with the perfect combo, but I didn't. I almost gave up and thought about painting it black but I really wanted a natural wood swing. Then I had an idea to try white-washing the stains to try and cancel out the orange...Read More

ORC Spring 21 - Week 4

Sun, 30 May 2021 11:22:53 -0700

Wow, week 4?! This challenge is flying by. I am happy to announce, I am FINALLY done stenciling! OMG I really thought I may never finish. To say it was a labor of love is a complete understatment. Do not say I didn't warn you!!

All and all, it looks really good and has already upped our curb appeal. It doesn't look like tile but that is because of the stencil I used. IF I ever do it again, I will use a stencil with grout lines.

In true Lindsey Vorwith fasion, I changed the color palette. I was having the hardest time finding green and coral accessories that were in stock and not outrageous so I had to pivot. I found a few dusty blush pieces so we went from a bright color palette to more of a monochromatic pink palette. I truly LOVE pink. In fact if you were to go into my closet most of my clothes are pink. Switching to pink really wasn't tough for me. Luckily for me, my husband doesn't mind pink either. But this change brought a new challenge because I had already settled on and bought the paint for the door. I am very specific when it comes to color. Finding what is in my head is much harder than you would think.

I am also very specific when it comes to paint. My husband thinks I am crazy but you really do get what you pay for when it comes to paint. My go-to is Benjamin Moore and Farrow and Ball but Lake Havasu has very limited options and since this wasn't planned I ran to Sherwin Williams. Due to COVID supplies SW is not doing samples apparently. I will not buy paint without a sample first so that was not going to work. Home Depot and Lowe's it was. I started at Lowe's and picked four samples. I wanted a dusty deserty pink. I wanted it to be serene but cheery and fun but still Arizona'ish. (Got that! lol).

I wasn't sold on any of these. However, my favorite was the second to the last. So I tried Lowe's and four became eight...

I had already painted the trim black because I was going to do a bright door, so at this point I...Read More

ORC Spring 21 - Week 3

Sun, 23 May 2021 14:50:19 -0700

Ok, its week 3 of the ORC and I am still here stenciling. Last night at about 9:20pm I finally finished 1/2 of the patio. I am hoping to knock out a good chunk today but I still have at least 2-3 days of work ahead of me before the stenciling is finally done. I completely underestimated the amount of time this stencil project would take. Partly becuase I bought a small stencil because I wanted it to look as realistic to tile as possible, so I bought an 8x8. Don't be like me...buy a large stencil if you are doing a large area.

I also made a $60 mistake. The type of Spar Varnish you buy matters. If you plan to stencil make sure you check the Week 2 post first.

I did however order the new door harware which I am excited about. Something I always have to remind my clients of is that if you are renovating some things are going to cost you more. For example, I did not have room in my $0 budget to replace the front door (even though I really want to). So I am using the existing door but replacing the hardware. I wanted a long tall handle with a backplate but because the holes are already drilled in the door unfortunately I couldnt find one that would work and fully custom was out. To get the look I wanted, on a budget, I had to customize what the suppliers had to create new hardware. I took the handle I liked and added a 9" backplate. This will get me as close to the look I wanted without completely blowing the budget.

If I want to have any chance of starting the swing this week, I better run! I'll check in next week. Hopefully by then I will be done stenciling!

Cost Breakdown:

$285.80 - Stenciling

$102.75 - More Paint (door and ceiling)

$59.16 -...Read More

ORC Spring 21 - Week 2

Sun, 16 May 2021 08:39:13 -0700

It's week 2 of the One Room Challenge (ORC) and I am feeling a little behind but I guess thats expected when you join a few days into the challenge. When I decided to transfrom our lake house entry, I absolutely did not think through the AZ summer heat. It is about 100 degrees out here right now so its a little warm to be working outside but a few margarita breaks here and there are helping.

This week I managed to scrape off most of the residual glue from the carpet (yuck!). I cleaned and prepped the concrete to get ready for paint. Then I painted the base coat and started stenciling the "tile". It's already looking A LOT better. However, I do know why this project has been sitting for two years...ITS A LOT OF WORK!

If you've been following me for a while then you've seen the #neverendingbathroomreno. I wanted to pull the black and white theme from there throughout the rest of the house so I decided to go with a classic black and white stencil to match the tile in the bathroom.

Ok, onto the the step-by-step guide for those of you who want to try this yourselves. WARNING: It is not for the faint at heart because it is a lot of work but well worth it in the end if you have the time and energy and don't have the budget for tile.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Spruce Up Your Patio Using Only Paint

Step 1: Gather all of your supplies. You will need the following:

Stencil of your choice - you can order them online from Cutting Edge Stencil
Two colors of flat exterior paint - I used Benjamin Moore's Ben in flat finish
Sealer - I used Old Masters Water-Based clear finish Ascend Exterior in matte
2 - 1/2 inch knapp rollers
Weenie...Read More

ORC Spring 21 - Week 1

Sun, 09 May 2021 11:37:24 -0700

There has been a lot of indecision over othe past few months...I am going to do the ORC, I am not going to do the ORC...SUPRISE!! I am doing the ORC again! I love the ORC because it gives me a hard deadline. Without that, my projects generally take years...ask my husband, he will vouch for me because it drives him crazy. Designing for yourself can be paralyzing and my indecisiveness usually takes over and then the project just sits. So here we go, here is to having hard deadlines to meet!
I have decided to give our lake house's entry a major facelift. This project has always been something I've wanted to do forever but it just hasn't been a priorty. Due to this house being located in Arizona it also makes completing projects twice as hard. But I am finally ready to tackle this project. Truth is that I started working on this back in March of 2019. I started removing the nasty carpet from the front porch. All of the carpet is long gone but there is still a lot of the glue remaining. So the first order of business is going to be to finish removing the glue. Trust me, I am not looking forward to scraping the concrete more, I can promise you that. The glue is so stuck on and I have tried everything imaginable to remove it. Hand scraping has been the most successful (cringe!).
Because I didn't plan to do this challenge, my budget is $0. Now obviously I know that I cannot finish this project for $0 BUT my budget is extremely limited (because there is no budget) so I am going to be doing everything DIY and pulling from materials I already have such as paint, etc.. It really is going to be a "fly by the seat of my pants" type of makeover.
I have always envisioned a graphic black and white cement tile entry. My biggest concern is how the AZ heat will effect tile and because tile is a splurge that is definitely not in the $0 budget. To achieve the tile look on a budget, I am going to try a stencil. Also worried how the paint will hold up in AZ but at...Read More