Sunday, August 26, 2007

The Nightingale room

We survived! Look, look, look at my wonderful new carpet in the Japanese room! (Maybe I should call it something else since it no longer has Japanese tatami mats.) Tetsu spent all day from 9:00 to 5:30 working away and it is finished!!! I absolutely love it!!!

The whole project was not without aggravations. First Tetsu took out all the furniture. That left the living room also a mess for the day. Then he took up the tatami. Did you know that tatami mats are really very thick boards of matting. They are heavy and unwieldy. Easy part done.

Next Tetsu went off to buy lumber with very rough measurements. I don't know why, but we do not have a tape measure and he didn't seem to think it necessary to buy one and instead was using my quilter's ruler to do his measurements. Even those, he was content with the "roughly 54 centimeters" type of thinking and he came back with a lot of wood that he then had to cut by hand. I offered the suggestion of borrowing a neighbor's electric saw but Tetsu preferred to huff and puff and do all the cutting with this little hand saw that was so old I thought he'd make more progress with my kitchen knife. "Do not give unnecessary advice." I kept telling myself.

Choco tried to be helpful (stealing the rag) but all in all was quite happy that she had Dad out in her yard cutting lumber all day. The cats were very good and even with the windows and doors open, didn't venture downstairs at all. Too much confusion.

Next came the laying of lumber and nailing down the frame and then the base. There is a little patching under there but I didn't take pictures of the mistakes. Someday someone tearing down this house is going to say "What was this builder thinking?!" It serves our purposes and only Tetsu and I know the flaws.

Finally the laying of carpet tiles. That was the fun and easy part. Tetsu wasn't sure about the color I chose, "Orange? You want an orange floor?" Well, I wanted a cheery floor. I teach in this room and I figure the kids should be in a happy atmosphere while they're here. True, it doesn't really go with much but it is cheerful and sort of vitamin color! I love it!!

The new floor isn't perfect but I think it is wonderful! It creaks when you walk on it! Hmmm... Not much we can do about that now. That's ok! There is a famous castle in Kyoto, called Nijo Castle where all 33 rooms in it have purposely creaking floors so that no one could creep up on the Shogun there. The floors are called "nightingale floors" because they make bird like creaking sounds. I could call my former Japanese room, the "nightingale room". Sort of has a nice ring to it and so does the floor!

What do you think? Isn't my husband wonderful (and tired looking!)

15 comments:

Holly said...

It looks wonderful and cheery. He did a great job. Nightingale Room is a great name for the room. My floors creek, too, by the way.

Kieny said...

Thanks for your kind and encouraging words on my post Tanya. I think your room looks great, your husband did a good job! The colour of the carpet looks happy, indeed a good colour for a teaching room. You know so well how to get the best out of your husband. I can learn a lot from you. After all my years of marriage I still find it difficult to bite my tongue sometimes. Enjoy your new room and have a rest.

Tazzie said...

It looks wonderful Tanya, I love it! The colour is very cheery and the name Nightingale Room is very appropriate!
*hugs*
Tazzie
:-)

Nancy said...

Your husband is a good man and the floor looks lovely. I like Nightingale Room as a name. Our den gets the morning sun and as we are afficianados of Upstairs, Downstairs, my husband dubbed it The Morning Room the day we moved in and the name has stuck.

Mary said...

Nice job! I like the Nightingale explanation for the squeaking floors.

anne bebbington said...

I love your new 'Nightngale' room - Tetsu must have worked like a demon to get it all finished in a day - what a guy!!! And well done to you for being so supportive, your wise ways helped to bring a difficult laborious job to a wonderful conclusion. I'd have been far too ready to butt in with 'helpful' comments and spoilt the day :o) Enjoy your room, you deserve it!

Fiona said...

Wow, that was quick! A new carpet really rejuvenates a room.

Shelina said...

I am amazed. Generally if I want to do something, it takes a year incubation time before it actually happens. And to get it all done in one day! You even got all your furniture back in. Wow.
My floors squeak too, and it does make me feel safer. Nightingale room sounds like a perfect name.
So, what's next weekend's project? :)

QuiltingFitzy said...

I'm assuming the carpet has adhesive sticky-back? The squeaks might be coming from 2 boards rubbing together at the seams. If you can get in under the carpet, a good dose of talcum (powder) might help. That's a remedy for wood floors.

It looks lovely! Tell Tetsu he did a very fine job.

VERO said...

Very , very beautiful !!! Vero

Una said...

Omedettou, Tania and Tetsu :)
It looks lovely, cheery and will be much easier to keep clean :)

Our floors creak too, we have parquette floors and no carpeting. I love the creaking, it makes it somewhat homey :)

meggie said...

Lovely story of your wonderful orange Nightingale room!
Tetsu did very very well! It is wonderful.

Katie said...

It looks wonderful!

atet said...

How wonderful -- and nightingale room is a beautiful name! I've been thinking about carpet tiles for some portions of our home -- now you've got me thinking again!

teodo said...

It's wonderful.