Scrub, scrub

The most interesting place I have ever lived would no doubt be Wellington Arms. I loved everything about our little 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo in this historic Clarence Kelley Colley building. I honestly wish I could go back and visit- just to walk in the building and smell the air. What I wouldn't give to turn the key on the lock to my old apartment and hear my feet on the nearly 100 year old wooden floors. The windows were huge, the crown molding was ginormous, and the elevator had one of those little cages that shut as you rode up to your floor- it was saturated with historic detail, and I was head-over-heels in love. The building oozed architectural and historical character.

We lived on the 5th floor of this 7 story building, so we had beautiful views through the treetops. I could leave my windows open at night and hear the traffic, the nearby train, and the ambulences of the hospital across the street. I miss so many things about living in that fabulous building. However, because the building was not renovated and the units could not support any structural renovation, living at the Wellington came without a good deal of the creature comforts we come to expect in our homes today.

For instance, because the building was built in 1919, we had no washer and dryer. Well, to be fair that's not entirely true. The building did have a wash room which was constructed out of some of the servant quarters in the basement of the building (I am not making this up- they still have some of those servant rooms that they rent out for storage). Going into the basement to do laundry with a 2 year-old is not only inconvenient, but going into the basement of Wellington Arms, with its huge furnace and dark, dingy, mechanical spaces, was a bit like going into a scene from Law and Order SVU. This is the room in its best light...

Fast forward to Tara, 2 residences later, where we now have our own little laundry room. We did have a washer and a dryer at our last house (hallelujah!) but we didn't have our own wash rom, and let me tell you it's particularly nice to start a load of wash (or just throw dirty laundry on the floor) and close the door.

After a weekend like this past one, it's absolutely necessary.

THE BUG caught hold of our oldest daughter on Sunday night, then my husband, then me, and finally our youngest daughter. Everyone in our house has had the yacks within the past 24 hours, and very few bedsheets, stuffed animals, carpets, and articles of clothing have been spared. I've done 9 loads of laundry since yesterday morning, and I couldn't be more grateful for a front loading washer and dryer.

When we bought Tara and started construction, the washroom looked like this:

Charming, no? There was a heaping amount of water damage, which luckily was easy to fix. In demo, we found- wait for it- FIVE layers of linoleum, subflooring, and rotted wood. Gross.

The good news is that as construction went on, the laundry room got better...

...and, with some basic tile, new appliances, fresh paint, and a pre-made cabinet, Tara's washroom now looks like this:

Please note the stuffed animals hanging to dry:

Though the laundry room isn't large by any means, we've made it work. And just in time for THE BUG to invade our house. Hopefully the washroom will be used for daily laundering only and no more emergency midnight washes, but with two kiddos I can anticipate a few more of these in our future. Again, thank goodness for a front loading washer.

I get frustrated with Tara sometimes and am guilty of saying that it has no character or is completely devoid of any architectural detailing. True as that may be, Tara is more functional and easy to live in than anywhere I have ever rested my head. I miss the character of the Wellington, yes, but when it comes to practicality, I'll take something a bit more up-to-date.