Ok, this is the week. The week where things are really beginning to transform and make an impact on our home, our eyes and our souls. All the time spent planning is coming to fruition, and the work we’ve put in shows. We could not be more excited for our new living room space…but getting to the finish line is going to be a race. Not only are we deep in a new client first floor renovation, we have multiple custom builds happening, a slew of new things wrapping up with the Clark + Aldine brand, Halloween and a long weekend road trip to St. Louis to visit family and friends. Yes, we are a little crazy but this is us…and this is where we are with our space!
If you found us for the first time through the ORC, holler! We’re Danielle and Michael Gutelli. A husband and wife design to build team based in Plymouth, Michigan. You can learn more about us as a brand here and see some of our client projects here, here and here. Just in case you missed the last three weeks post don’t worry we got you: week 1 here (Project concept + Mood board), week 2 here ( Demo + Project planning), week 3 here (setbacks + custom mantle build) and how we made an impact with enlarged photos of our crew in week 4 here.
Our living room has always been ok. It has been somewhat cozy during the holiday times, and we were suffice throughout the rest of the year. But now we don’t want to leave it and we’re not even done yet. While we have a ton of progress to show we are going to keep it to our updated bay window. This is the statement when you look at our home from the outside, as it is the tongue and groove cedar wrapped section that adds significant depth to the curb appeal. We mirrored the design with an all oak makeover!
Custom Oak Bay Window
Demo was easy for this one. We just removed the base seat, bottom trim and viola…that was it. Then Michael went to work on all of the custom oak…so here he goes with a run down.
Hey all! Michael here. First, thank you with following along with us for the first 5 weeks. This has been an insane transformation for us and we could not be happier as we approach the finish line.
For those of you who don’t know, I love woodworking. And my favorite wood to work with is oak. We work well together and this build is no different. I began with the base that is made up of 3 1 x 6 x 11 pieces of red oak that I ran through the jointer, glued up with biscuits, sanded down for hours and cut to a perfect fit. I then cut and installed both sides using read oak plywood, and the top with red oak plywood as well. The reason for the plywood is simple – it is covered significantly with 1 x 1 rips of red oak slats, spaced at an inch, to create a cool textured pattern around the 3 sides.
Next, I trimmed out the entire window, which featured no casing prior to this install, with 1 x 4 red oak. I know, a ton of oak. And we questioned it quite a bit. But it makes a statement with a calm, relaxing and inviting effect, which is what we are looking for here. We want this to be a space where we gather as a family and with friends and enjoy conversation, a good movie, or just be.
The final touch was filling the holes from brad nails, sanding and sealing with a coat of triple thick matte polyurethane. It is ready to be styled seasonally and provide the boys with an additional place to climb and eat snacks at.
Make sure to follow us on instagram and tune into our stories. We also have a new client project beginning at the start of Week 4, so plenty of action happening for your viewing pleasure! AND be sure to check out all of the amazing spaces being created for the One Room Challenge! Seriously, there are some absolutely stunning spaces being created!
Clark + Aldine | Danielle | Michael
One more week to go! See you at the finish line!
-much love
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