With the Barretts – Adventure Near & Far

Seven Doors and a Gate Makes Eight from Strasbourg

Seven doors and a gate makes eight from Strasbourg – reminiscing during covid-19 self-quarantining.

Covid-19 Stay-at-Home Reminiscing

Just before the nearly universal lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders began in the United States, Debra and I were traveling, marveling at the wonders that Athens, Greece has to offer (we have enough pictures of that trip for a dozen posts – but this isn’t one of them). We were lucky enough to make it back just in time to avoid the hardships and hazards of massively crowded immigration and customs lines at airports throughout the country, notably DFW – our home portal.

Since we had been in a country designated as Level 3 by the CDC, we followed the recommendation to self-quarantine for the next 14 days. The irony of the United States becoming the new epicenter for covid-19 is not lost on me.

Our self-quarantine period has expired. We are healthy. At least we believe so. The strange nature of this malady means that one might be symptom-free, yet transmit a virus to another for whom it might prove deadly. This is something we are loath to risk.

So, we’re staying home and keeping our distance from others and trying not to fret overmuch, as the saying goes, while missing the kids and grandkids.

Catching Up on Set-Aside Projects

One of the things self-quarantining allowed me to do is to consolidate some pictures from recent trips. One of those trips included several days in Strasbourg, France – a delightful, lovely town well worth your time and attention when the world is free from the novel coronavirus scourge – which I know that we all fervently hope is sooner rather than later.

Those of you who have been kind enough to follow us on social media know that I have a “thing” for doors. (Debra does, too, sort of, even though she feigns exasperation when I stop every few yards to take another door picture.) The gallery below shows seven of the doors (yes, there were many more) whose pictures we took while wandering the streets of Strasbourg. I added the pic of the gate because it made – and rhymes with – eight. And eight is the number signifying balance, harmony, new beginnings, and good fortune – things we all can use in these times, don’t you think?

The people in Strasbourg were warm and welcoming. While I know it won’t pass them by, I hope covid-19 touches them only lightly and that soon these doors will open wide, safely welcoming friends, family, and neighbors.

I wish the same for you – whoever you are, wherever you are.

Until next time, please stay safe and be well.

Dan

Semi-Attached Sybil – Part 1 – Main Living Area Transformation

Part 1 of Debra’s transformation of a fantastic semi-attached with multiple personalities.

A new post from Debra. As usual, I’ll be chiming in occasionally. You can tell it’s me by the italics. By the way, we called this project “Sybil” because this fantastic place sort of has multiple personalities. This post deals with the main living area transformation. You’ll need to stay tuned for the updates to see what we mean. And, by the way, if you haven’t seen the 1976, 2-episode miniseries with Sally Field, you should check it out. –Dan

Hello again! Quick post on a design job I finished (to the degree that any interior is ever actually “finished”) last year. Today we will have a look at the main living/dining area.

Bristol Before — Entry and fireplace before

umm, let’s start with the wall. Hello! Welcome! Try not to walk into the wall. Had to go, obvi. And that … whatever that is on the fireplace? Not pretty. The floors, with the exception of the orange outline, weren’t bad, but walls were coming down and all that marble would be impossible to patch, so they had to go.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos “during”. But ya’ll know what it was like- piles of debris, dust everywhere, utter chaos. I’m not gonna lie, I don’t hate it.

My friends had some colorful art they planned to use in the space, so we had a good starting point. Walls came down, the fireplace was skinned, the weird bar thing in the middle of the space was removed and then rebuilding began.

I promise I’m going to get better about taking “during” photos… imagine if you will some floor and fireplace sample shots here 😉

Note something else, behind the weird fireplace thing. See that wall with a “window” in it just behind the disco-ball chandelier? That wall separates the kitchen from the rest of the space. It went away, too, and an eating bar marks the spot where it was, defining the areas and creating really long luxurious sightlines.

Let’s see some pretty “afters”, shall we?

Happy Holidays!

From the Cottage on the Corner to you, wherever you are – we wish you peace and joy and all good things.

—Dan & Debra

A Peek at (Half) the Kitchen at Cottage on the Corner

Before and after transformation of half of the kitchen at Cottage on the Corner, featuring dragons, jewelry, and more!

I know it has been a while since we did any remodeling posts. That doesn’t mean, however, we haven’t been hard at work at the Cottage on the Corner. We have a lot to show you. But that will come in all good time. Today, we’re going to take a peek at half the kitchen – the half that’s done!

First, let’s get a bit of perspective. Here are a couple of shots of the “before.” The first one is from the MLS listing; the second is the move-in condition:

MLS listing photo of kitchen — MLS Photo

Debra’s Domain Transformation – a Last Look at Hildring House – Guest Post by Debra

Such a late post- we sold Hildring House a couple of months ago, (Dan here; you know I can’t resist commenting. It has been more than a couple. But the Hildring House Debra’s Domain Transformation was one of the highlights of the adventure, so it’s worth looking back.) and we have moved on to a new adventure – “the Cottage on the Corner,” which we will talk about soon. At least I hope there will be something in some state of at-least-partial-completion that we can talk about.

This is the pre-purchase, MLS listing photo.

Not horrible, but not at all my style.

The first thing that happened was the closet. Mr WTB very wisely insisted that the guest room (aka Debra’s domain) have a closet installed STAT. The before closet was a 1950’s 3×3, not adequate even for a clothing minimalist. Luckily, there was a closet in the garage which backed up to the guest room. We had it flipped, installed some pretty mirrored doors, and then Container Store came and did magic. Voila! a functional, pretty closet space.

Dan again – you can see the post where we talked about doing this closet HERE. You might also remember the post about re-fitting the 3×3 closet that she mentions. You can find that one HERE.

Help a Tad-Pole!

How often do you get an opportunity to help a Tad-Pole?

Many of you who have been on With the Barretts adventures are aware of my connection with Amphibian Stage Productions – a fantastic, cutting-edge, often mind blowing professional theater located in the Near Southside neighborhood of Fort Worth.

If you’re a member, you know that Amphibian’s shows are not to be missed. (If you’re not a member, click the link, above, and rectify that deficiency.) You may or may not know about the wonderful community outreach work that the ‘Phibs do – including the Tad-Poles. Well, it’s time you learned, and this is your opportunity to help a Tad-Pole!