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4.22.20 // Suelo Collection
Hello! It’s no mystery that I’ve been MIA on the blog for awhile! Life is full right now, between being a mom, running a business and being very involved in a couple more furniture businesses/endeavors. The latest news is that in 8 short weeks we will be adding to our family – another boy will be here before we know it, and so will more bruises, balls, toys, and love.
A couple months ago was an exciting time for Bertu Home as we launched my new Suelo Collection, the first of our upholstered furniture in our product line! Addison, my sister in law, made it memorable with a photo shoot that I’d love to share with you. I will always remember this time in our lives – being a family of 3 for the last time and this growth within the business. We are so blessed!
"The Suelo Collection was inspired by my love for travel. So many places that inspire me have very minimal furniture, often built-in sofas with big comfy cushions, hammocks, raw natural wood, etc. The feel is low-key, simple, and comfortable. The wood isn't refined, it just IS. Functionality always plays into my designs as well, represented here by lower seating for a more intimate talking or lounging environment, and the platform wood extension detail on the sofa, which makes a great little table for your drink or cell phone. I envision this furniture used for indoor/outdoor spaces or any room that needs some comfort or relief. The Suelo line reminds me of your own getaway - it has a natural, cool vibe and doesn't take itself too seriously. I imagine the sofa loaded up with pillows and some music playing in the background, of course."
-- xo, gretta --
10.11.18 // Baby Trumps All
It’s funny how priorities change once a little (all consuming) human comes into your life! Milo Warren Jones was born 6 days late on 8.6.18 and it's been a wild ride since! We've gotten less done than normal with the house, but I wouldn’t change a thing. We’ve done all the exterior reno we are going to do on Project White House for 2018 as the nicer days are getting slim. Good news is, we have a front porch that got scraped and painted in time for this beautiful Fall weather! Screens will go in next year, but we have been enjoying every night we can outside, and my son, Milo, loves it.
I'm loving all the textures and patterns that are happening in our home. All the details matter! (including a new prototype leather sofa from our other furniture business! It’s simply gorgeous.) The kitchen got its upper shelves in a nice solid wood to warm up the space. The bar top will be the same wood and is getting built soon.
Addison, my sister in law, took a few photos of our life and little guy. She’s an amazing photographer and you can definitely tell which ones are hers and which ones I snapped with my iPhone! Currently the basement is getting painted and organized as storage and laundry. Big custom shelves are coming in next week to complete my office/desk area. This house has been a challenge but also so much fun, and every little addition at this point makes such a difference.
-- xo, gretta --
7.25.18 // A Busy, Blessed Summer…
The stove works. The sink works. The quartz countertops are in, the backsplash tile is laid, and we’ve been using our beautiful kitchen for a couple of weeks now! The crib, rocking chair, and changing table for the nursery are in place. I think it’s safe to say we are ready for baby! (Good thing, because I'm 6 days from my due date.) The diapers and wipes are neatly lined up ready to be used, and the huge table saw is officially out of the living room! (I think.) Baby boy doesn’t care if the trim is done, but that is nearly finished as well. When you take on a house project like this, you have to wrap your head around most things being 90% complete as there are always things to add or wrap up. I’ll take that 90%!
We got a sectional for the attic area upstairs that is a little more nursing and kid friendly. We finally moved in some living room furniture and I’m decorating… which was something I refused to do on the first floor until construction tools were out of the house. We got a beautiful modern pantry unit for the dining area because closet storage is at a minimum in this small home. I’ve been nesting like whoa and unpacking a plethora of gift boxes from our wedding almost 2 years ago. It feels like Christmas!
The biggest joy is right around the corner, as in, arriving in a few short days! Thanks for following along and being part of this journey with us. 3 years in a trailer awaiting this place feels good. Patience pays off, and we are so grateful for the blessings of this summer.
-- xo, gretta --
6.26.18 // Countdown to Baking Cookies...
Are those cabinets in our kitchen?! Yep, they sure are. Ikea is a genius company. Izze and I are officially experts in putting these things together. (And they're not blue by the way... it's a shield to keep the high gloss nice during installation.) Next up – quartz countertop install THIS FRIDAY and the building of the bar. I can smell the banana bread baking! Wall space is limited in the kitchen due to large windows, so no upper cabinets, only floating shelves up top. I seriously can’t wait for this to all come together!
Other rooms are getting attention also. We put up shelves in Izze’s office area. We’ve finished trim in the nursery and we’ve moved almost everything in, except for some wall items and a mobile. I washed all the baby clothes and am currently packing a hospital bag! (Gulp.) 5 weeks until due date…. now let's see if he decides to come on time.
Don’t mind Bama in almost every picture below. She is stuck to me like white on rice since being pregnant! I think she will be quite the protector of her new little bro. Nesting phase is upon us as well as a fire under our butts to get more projects done before he comes. (Nothing like waiting until the last minute.) I think I can squeeze in a few more things…….. Stay tuned.
-- xo, gretta --
4.28.18 // Spring (I think) Progress…
I hate to start these posts complaining about weather, but MAN, can we get a break over here? It’s SO much easier and inspiring to work on a house when you can roll down the windows and let fresh air in. Either way, progress has picked up steadily over the last couple weeks. Even though our kitchen is still sitting in boxes waiting to be assembled, we have prepped all electric for the space and trimmed out doorways. There are so many details and man hours solely in prep – things you don’t realize and of course they don’t show you on HGTV!
We opted for finishing the interior windows with drywall instead of trim. So we’ve been prepping and mudding for a simple and modern look. I love them! We've been painting and putting up door trim and base boards. I’ve been buying art (that I’m still reluctant to hang until we get permanent furniture in here). We’ve also been doing some serious exterior work – scraping (by hand) the paint off our original cedar siding and priming/painting on the nice days!
We will spend the next month continuing to work on our kitchen. We are starting installation on the bottom cabinets any day now! I can’t WAIT to show you the progress in there next time around.
26 weeks pregnant and a LOT more work to do, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
-- xo, gretta --
2.12.18 // An Exciting Year Ahead…
It’s been a brutally cold couple of months on the lake. Even though we haven’t had many visual updates on our house, there is always a small project happening around here. And after the Holidays and some down time, we are back in the swing of things!
First thing’s first…. Our guest room will NOT be a guest room anymore. (Sorry Mom and Dad, I will make your air mattress as comfy as possible.) We are having a baby!!! Nursery planning has begun! I’m thinking graphic black/white patterns and cacti/Southwest accents. Don’t get it? Stay tuned! Baby Jones is due at the end of July and we couldn’t be more excited! This new addition has also put a little fire under our butts to get moving with the other big interior projects before he or she arrives.
Our latest project has been fine tuning the attic/TV room. We laid cheap 7.5” wide dark laminate flooring. It was easy and looks great! Our nook is finally coming together with oversized vintage Brazilian chairs, a comfy beige wool rug and some pouf seating. I wanted this area to feel like a nest, so everything is very low and loungy.
I plan to keep up with this blog monthly… maybe you’ll even get a bump photo or two!? Here’s to wishing for warmer weather soon. --xo, gretta--
12.4.17 // We've got water, people!
Good things come to those who wait.
Things are trekking along nicely with the house. We're chipping away at some project, big or small, all the time. I am so happy to be living here that sometimes I forget how much work still needs to be done! A few days ago, we put a big checkmark next to a very anticipated project: our bathroom! This is a big deal for us – our trailer where we stayed the last 3 summers had NO bathroom… like NO toilet. Imagine waking up in the middle of the night, having to pee, and getting to walk to the public restroom next door. Glorified camping! Needless to say, we feel like we are living in luxury.
Our bedroom got some love lately as well, even though our bed is still on the floor. We saved some cash in our closet area, opting for plumber’s pipe with end caps we screwed into the walls. I’ll eventually put up a curtain or doors, but it’s perfect for now. The plants have moved in, but still no art yet! Maybe I’m afraid of commitment??!!!! Really, I’m just enjoying all the steps of this journey. And I’m thrilled I’m documenting this stage in my life.
Hopefully we can ditch the space heaters in the next few days and have real heat in here! Next big projects are the trim for the entire house, the start of the kitchen (!!!!!), and the paint and flooring for the attic/tv room. Those projects are, obviously, amidst about 183 little projects too. I'm not sure how many "visual" updates I'll have before Christmas, so I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday Season. Thanks for reading!
---xo, gretta---
11.10.17 // Livin’ bare bones & wanting to start a tile company....
It was a low of 24 degrees last night by Lake Erie, so (by default) it was the first night in our new house! We have been staying in one of the fishing trailers on the property as our place gets done, but those things aren’t insulated so onto the next step of the journey. We put the mattress on the floor, brought over our coffee maker and some clothes, and BAM -- We're living here. Hey, at least this house holds some serious heat, thanks to our primo insulation. ;)
We painted the whole 2nd floor, and we have been cracking away at tiling the bathroom (piece by piece, the old school way) and laying floor on that story as well. We splurged on 5” plank white Ash for the whole house. It looks so fresh and Scandinavian! I’m learning so much in this stage of the game. The tiling is my favorite. And speaking of tile, we said hell with Home Depot – my mother in law recalled a place from earlier in life that sold “seconds”. We drove to Attica, OH to dig through a field of amazing, slightly off but beautiful handmade tile. We spent about a fifth of what we would have otherwise. And it’s badass and original. I got some for the front of our bar, the top half of our pantry, and I’m over here scratching my head wondering what else I can tile in here!
Below are the updates from the last week. --- xo, gretta ---
10.30.17 // Life at the farm… on the marina… in the furniture business.
I try to explain my situation to family, friends and loved ones and it often ends in confusion. The short of the long of it is that I moved from Denver, CO to a small town in Northern Ohio to be with the man I fell in love with; now we're happily married. Our love of furniture and a connection on Instagram was the foundation of a very, very good thing,
My husband Izze's family has 3 furniture businesses that I help run. (Fitting nicely with my interior design background.) The family built our main warehouse on their step-dad George’s property which also houses about 75 fishing trailers, 2 barns, a full marina with docks and marina building, a cabin, duck marshes, and our 1905 farmhouse where Israel and I will live.
Our white house renovation is something worth blogging about......
The farmhouse has been through its fair share of tenants, including the most recent – a man with multiple farm animals. He even allowed the goat to live indoors in the winter. This mere fact alone prompted the long process of removing layers of flooring that smelled like, well, a farm animal once lived there. We have totally gutted this thing! This summer we fully cleaned and insulated and now the drywall stage is finally complete. We are a few weeks away from a home, and a modern one at that. Think white wash ash floors, a slate tile and rough marble bathroom, a shady screened-in front porch with hanging chairs, lots of natural light, plants, and modern industrial details. The family will even let me place vintage pieces from our warehouse if I put up a good fight. ;)
Izze’s dad came into town from Fort Collins, CO for 3 weeks to join the rest of the family in getting us into this dang house before winter! This first blog post is picture-heavy, but I figured I'd get you up to date!
Stay tuned for a lot of progress. ---xo, gretta---
