Pretty Maps

Trying to find just the right artwork for your home can be downright frustrating. Artwork can be terribly expensive or just not quite hit the mark. You need to find pieces that fit your personality and don't overshadow your living environment.

I came across this website the other day while looking up interesting holiday gift ideas. I was instantly attracted to the "Pretty Maps" by the artist Aaron Straup Cope and thought how fun these would be in a grouping...and talk about personalization. Maybe your favorite city or hometown is here. The prices are great and you can even order these framed.

My personal favorite....Chicago of course!

*images from http://www.20x200.com/

We're Getting Closer...

Just wanted to post some more updates I got from Rick Schwenn, the contractor on the two condo projects in Milwaukee. He owns Just-In-Time construction and I must say, these projects have been so enjoyable and that says a lot for the general contractor. His team does fantastic work and he always knows what will look right. He is a contractor who "get's it". He takes great pride in his work, and the results show...he's the one who did that entire media center covered in Modular Arts I posted this past summer.

Here's some updates he sent me this weekend of the guest shower and the kitchen area.
Moving right along!

Updates in Milwaukee

Last week I had the chance to get back to Milwaukee to check in on the 20th floor build out. We're currently in the finish stages, so things are moving along at a much faster pace. Like I've said before, this is a really fun time for the client because every time they drop in on the site, it looks completely different.
We're still aiming to have the client popping bubbly on new years eve-of this year! We should have him in with only a few things left to wrap up.

The day I took photos was rather gloomy (I believe there was a snowstorm back in Indiana and we were getting the wind storm in Milwaukee pushing the system across the lake).

For all of the bathrooms, we used a mix of Hampton and Devonshire Carrara Marble with Black Galaxy clips on the floor and Lucciare with Snow mosaics all from the Tile Shop. Again, we used TME for the labor. They're professionalism and eye for detail is unparalleled.

Below are all master shower shots. This will be a really cool shower-it's HUGE! Once finished, this shower will be equipped with three adjustable body sprays, a rain shower, adjustable lighting, state of the art sound system, a hand held shower, and a Kohler steam unit. The very last photo is the client's own touch. He added a frosted glass window into the master bedroom...

The following photos are of the living space. We originally didn't think we'd be able to reveal any of the brick, but things worked out, and with a patient contractor, we ended up with this really nice detail around most of the room. There will be up lighting on the brick in the moulding cove. The two angled walls by the balcony door will have electronic LED fireplaces to give the space warmth.

This is an image of the kitchen ceiling before the wood was installed. We decided to create more definition of the kitchen space to lower the kitchen ceiling to match the entry ceiling and wood beams. To further distinguish it from the rest of the living space and add even more warmth, we clad the ceiling in the same bamboo on the beams. This bamboo will flow into the entry and the hallways to the bedrooms.

And with the bamboo....

This last photo is more just for fun. The client turned what would have been a third bedroom into a gym. This is a shot of where this punching bag will hang!

More updates to come as we get closer and closer to the finish line!

Kellie