Living Room Renovation: Week 3 Begins!

Despite the fact that Hurricane Sandy walloped NYC, my dedicated contractor Angelo and his team missed only one day of work on my living room renovation last week. In fact, they were the only contractors (among at least four) that reported for duty last Monday, as that bitch approached the Northeast.

Tuesday there was no way to navigate the roads, but Wednesday, they were back... and again Thursday, despite more than two-hour commutes from inner Brooklyn, thanks to all tunnels and highways being closed to traffic.

And by Friday, he was concerned he might actually not have enough gas to make the trek, since that has become the latest challenge post- hurricane.

Over the weekend, Angelo waited for two days... manning shifts with his son Mike—in order to fill up the tank at a gas station that was expecting the tanker to arrive Sunday... so that he could make it through the borough. Not only is my contractor dedicated, but—to my great favor—he is one hell of a perfectionist.

So here's where we stand:
* As of Monday, sub-floors were installed in the living room!!
* All drywall has been completed, seams have been sealed and skimmed.
* New ceiling with smooth drywall installed, sealed and skimmed.
* Electrical work, including pot lights under the sofa cove, a couple new outlets and—for the first time—an outlet for cable TV (instead of a random wire that snaked under the carpet) complete!
* Radiator relocated from the wall beside the fireplace, now neatly tucked into the window sill.
* In addition, my landmarked windows, which have always shaken in their frames, have been anchored with secure molding, at last.

Next: framing for my brand new fireplace, scraping of the beautifully revealed brick accent wall above it... and FLOORS! New hardwood will run throughout the living room, connecting the hallway and into the bedroom (to replace laminate that was installed during the Dear Genevieve redo, the one element of that reno I was not happy with).

We're aiming for completion just before Thanksgiving... And I will be ever thankful to have this mess wrapped... although as dusty and packed in as it is, I still love this process. *

At Last... I Am Renovating the Final Room Of My Apartment

Let the games begin! In 2000, I bought my humble (dumpy) 940-square-foot apartment in Brooklyn Heights, knowing that I had no choice but to renovate it room by room. Twelve years later, at last, I am preparing to complete a makeover in the final room of the joint: the living room, starting on Tuesday.

2001: When I moved in, the apartment's kitchen had plywood cabinets, vinyl flooring and appliances from the '70s. That gut reno entailed blue tile flooring, all new electrical, cherry red cabinets, granite countertops and a rebuilt pantry, along with all new appliances. Love it to this day (though I still need a stainless steel microwave).

2004: A biggie. The tiny second bedroom and long hallway of my railroad apartment were gutted, and after seeing the space, I decided to leave the room open as an office, building a half wall to separate it from the hall. To this day, I think it was a primo decision. It changed the entire texture of a dark apartment, opening up the office into the rest of the space.

2008: Man, oh, man, the bathroom was as bad as the kitchen. I completely relaid out the sink, tub and toilet, requiring major reworking of the plumbing, and added elegant quartz floors. What a joy.

2011: Appearing on HGTV's "Dear Genevieve" allowed an out-of-this-world gift to have a bedroom makeover, deluxe, all over the course of five days. Pristine, perfect and not only great memories attached, but a damn TV show, to boot.

And now, at last, as 2012 begins to fade away... the grand finale. On Tuesday, I begin the renovation of the living room, comprising getting rid of the last of the hideous dark green indoor-outdoor carpet that once pervaded the entire apartment. I tell you, just pulling up pieces here and there seems to have made the (dark) room a bit brighter. Plus: all new hardwood floors, fresh moldings, skimmed walls and a raised fireplace hearth. Stay tuned to The Smoking Nun for regular updates on all the good clean fun. *

Webbie Of The Day: The Clever Offerings At Decal Designer 'Blik'

But I can dream, can't I? I just re-discovered a page I ripped out of a home magazine way back in Winter 2008(!) for a company called Blik, and its vinyl decal Grandfather Clock, one of the most clever home accessories I've seen. In fact, now that I have a dime or two in my pocket, I'm seriously considering making the investment... And who'd believe it's still available four years later. Act now, before it's too late, right?

I'm also loving the decal headboards below (despite the fact that that's the last thing I need, thanks to Dear Genevieve).

The entire webbie for the array of home goods at whatisblik.com, in fact, offers so many unique and clever accessories that I've totally redecorated my apartment—in my head. Blik creates removable wall graphics, in lieu of the irritating task of applying wallpaper or worse, painting with decals and multiple colors of paint. They also allow you to create custom coverings. Soooo cool. *

'Dear Genevieve' Encores TODAY At 3:30p On HGTV

Our Dear Genevieve bedroom makeover encores (again) today, Thursday, December 29, at 3:30 p.m. East Coast time on HGTV. No, I won't be watching for a 700th time, thanks for asking.Addendum: Actually, I did watch the show again with visiting Trix & Jack... Except for the ghastly moment where I scream upon seeing the chandelier, it was actually rather amusing...

'Dear Genevieve' ENCORES TODAY On HGTV

Our blessed bedroom makeover that aired on HGTV's Dear Genevieve in March will encore again today: Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 3:30 p.m. Hope you can tune in (again?). For a four-minute video synopsis of the episode, click here...

Our 'Dear Genevieve' Episode To Encore September 6 @ 3:30p!

In case you missed it the first 321759018475 times, the episode of HGTV's Dear Genevieve that we appeared on in March 2011 will have another encore showing Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 3:30 p.m.! The fifth season of the design makeover show launches Sept. 24!

'Dear Genevieve': Our Bedroom Renovation Episode In 4 Minutes Flat!

It was four months ago today that our bedroom renovation was shown on HGTV's Dear Genevieve, and friends and acquaintances are still asking about it. You'll be pleased to know that yes, we are thrilled with the results and no, we didn't change a thing she did, other than adding an area rug to the room. I just found a four-minute compacted vignette of the show on Gen's webbie. See it here!

'Dear Genevieve' Encores Saturday 3/19!

"Dear Genevieve" encore: If you missed it the first time, tune in today, Saturday, March 19, at 5 p.m. EDT, on HGTV, to see our bedroom makeover!

GenBlog 6: (Finally)... The Rest Of The Story

Okay, I'm as weary of getting through this tale as anybody else, so we're at last wrapping it up here and now. You've already read about how we were selected, the Coop Board approval process, our prep, and day one, Jan. 10. I promise, this is it... the rest of the story. It's time to move on with life.

TUESDAY, JAN. 11... DAY TWO
With a living room full of "Dear Genevieve" staffers, including producers, assistants, three construction crew hotties, a cameraman, lighting, sound and Gen's make-up man, we were enjoying delicious chaos on day two of our bedroom makeover.

Once Genevieve arrived, we were told that we were filming the "before" shots in the bedroom and while it was Tuesday, everyone was to switch back into their Monday outfits for continuity. Funny, now when I observe the show, I look precisely the same, but from frame to frame, you see Ayhan in a black t-shirt under his sweater, then a white t-shirt, and back and forth.

Because our particular episode was being sponsored by IKEA, we had a problem with our wardrobe in the bedroom, which, after nearly a decade, was barely standing. The design crew insisted on taking off the mirror doors so that it would not appear as if IKEA merch was crap... so in the show, our room looks overtly ghetto. In addition, everything was taken off the walls because of licensing issues, again making the room look all the more bare. Truly, our before shots look as if we lived in a hovel.

The shoot was great fun. I said, "We call this the presidential suite, because it's like Grant's tomb, dark and small." Sure enough, it's a line I came up with during our audition that I thought was delicious enough to repeat. It made the show.

Gen then looked behind our biggest design challenge: a giant drape behind the bed that was hiding a horrible open doorway that was drywalled on the other side. Sadly, it had been our dirty secret for five years. "We could make a great scarf for you," I said. Gen giggled: "Oh, for many, many yards."

She then told us, "This is a puzzle. I'm really excited by this because we're working with old architecture. Storage is the huge problem. We're going to rip her up and build her from scratch without taking away all of her history."

At that point, the construction crew emptied out the majority of the room, so that it now looked like a shell of a slum, instead of a decorated slum. Everything was moved into the living room, packed to the point that there were tiny aisles in which to navigate through. Chaos... but all for greater good.

GenBlog5: Monday, Jan 10, Day One!

MONDAY, JAN. 10... DAY ONE
My god, at last, six months after sending a random email to the producers of HGTV's "Dear Genevieve," our bedroom makeover begins today! I have told barely a handful of allies about our good fortune, fearing that I might jinx it, but consistently I'm referring to it as if we've won the lottery.

At this point, I've been Tivo'ing every episode of "Genevieve" over the last three seasons, studying them and seeing her show evolve. Originally, each show began with a written "letter," begging for help, but as the show has developed its persona and gained traction, I've noticed that the home videos and pleas have dissipated, and it's become more like HGTV's typical makeover shows... for the better.

I had a restless night, waking constantly and eying our "dysfunctional bedroom" (as one of the producers termed it!), fantasizing about how it might be transformed in just one week. I've watched so many of these shows on HGTV and am amazed that people wear the most atrocious clothes... casual as if they weren't aware they are appearing on national television. So last night I actually laid out a week's worth of potential outfits. Ayhan rolled his eyes and giggled at me. Prep, baby! This show could live on for years, so do I really want to wear overalls and a tank top, like some of the losers I see? Not a chance.

A scant production crew arrived at 8 a.m. Monday, producer Brie and an assistant, and we're told the schedule is already off-kilter. The previous week's show in Long Island was waylaid because it snowed 7 inches last Friday, and that episode's "reveal" was moved to today... meaning we're already delayed. We sit and wait... wait... wait...

Just before 3 p.m., we're told that Genevieve is on the way, so we take Abby & Spencer up to neighbor Julia's apartment (Gen is apparently not a big fan of pets onscreen) and inform nabes Michael & family, who have lent us their apartment for her make-up prep, that her presence is imminent... At last Genevieve arrives, and immediately puts Ayhan and me at ease. She's charming, has a gracious smile, offers her signature laugh often and easily and seems totally low stress.With cameras rolling, we walk through the apartment, talking about previous renovations we've made in the kitchen, bathroom and office, and how living room and bedroom re-do's were canceled after I got laid off nearly two years ago (this latter fact is thankfully omitted from the show).

And that's a wrap for the day. Fast and furious, if not a slight bit disappointing that no demolition has begun. But at least the first filming is a blast; comfortable and fun. No nerves. And clearly, the best is yet to come.

GenBlog 4: On The Sched... Getting Prepped

Here we were, the lucky recipients of one of 12 makeovers during Season 4 of HGTV's "Dear Genevieve," ("How The Hell Did You Get Chosen For An HGTV Makeover?") and yet by the time we finally plodded through three months to successfully gain Coop Board approval from our building ("Now That We're On The Show, The Real Holy Grail... Coop Approval"), we were informed that because it had taken so damn long, we'd lost our planned Jan. 10 start date, and were being moved forward to the next Season, date pending...

Mother fucker... God forbid, what if the show was canceled? What if the producers decided on another gay couple to tickle their demographic? Angst! Fortunately, before the ache set in, we received a call: One of the planned episodes was canceled, and they had an opening for the same date we were originally scheduled for. We were slotted back in for a five-day makeover, Jan. 10-15. Score!

Before the action was slated to begin Monday, Jan. 10, we had a team of "Genevieve" producers, decorators and stylists in the apartment a couple weeks previous to survey our bedroom, take measurements and ask for our wishlist: For god's sake, please remove the dark green indoor/outdoor wall-to-wall carpeting that has assaulted the room for the past 10 years. Storage is a must. New lighting, please. Moldings to replace the weary original wood that has been in place for the past 90+ years. And how about a door to the bedroom, instead of the drapes that have hung there since I bought the joint in 2000?

"Dear Genevieve" Redux

As if I haven't seen our "Dear Genevieve" episode on HGTV enough times, tonight I hosted an encore presentation for a posse of pals. Many secrets were revealed—which I am still working through to post here—so by the time we were done, the 30-minute episode ran for two damn hours. Enough, already?

'Dear Genevieve' Available On iTunes

So you missed our bedroom makeover Saturday evening, huh, and you can't possibly wait for it to re-air Saturday, March 19 at 5 p.m. Well, you're in luck, cool cats! The episode, "An Urban Retreat" (410) is available on iTunes for a mere $1.99.

Simply, go to the iTunes store online, click TV Shows, search for "Genevieve Urban," and it comes right up. You even get a free 30-second preview.