Prepare to be floored...

The last trip of the day was easy, peasy - and I'm not joking this time. Since we just re-carpeted the condo this summer and were thrilled with the results, we knew just what we wanted it that department. Carpeting will cover the stairs and bedrooms/hallway upstairs. Downstairs, we made a slight change in plans. Instead of selecting a tile for the kitchen as planned, we decided to continue our wood laminate throughout the entire first floor. We picked a dark brown tone flooring, which is actually not included in the three samples picked below. I would just delete that picture if I could figure out how to delete pictures, but alas... I am a young blogger. Anyway, the three samples below were great, but something just felt "off" to me, and in the end we figured out that
these, like most woods, had a bit of red in them, and I wanted the brownest of browns. We eventually found it, and I'm in love. And so, this concludes our latest round of progress. I'm exhausted! Til' next time!

Trials and Tiles

Next stop was the tile shop to make tile selections for the master bath. This was probably the most challenging decision-making we did today, since we really did not have a detailed "vision" for this space. So many options here - from flooring tile to shower tile to back splashes and accents - it was pretty intense. Lucky was a great help during this process... as a carrier of the heavy tile samples around the store.

In the end, we decided "simple" suited us best, (I see too many designs and too much fancy schmancy and I start getting nervous...) and we choose one main tile for both the flooring and the shower walls. An accent tile will be incorporated on the shower floor and up one shower wall, and as a back splash in the sink area. All in neutral earth tones, which just makes my achromatic heart go pitty pat. To be quite honest, I have a hard time picturing how it will all look, but those helping us out seemed pumped, so that's a good sign. Check out the quick sketch below - so cool!

"Hard" Decisions

Today was a big day. Lucky and I headed out on our first trip with our interior designer, Kit Golden. (Whadda name, huh? Lucky thinks she sounds famous.) Mission: Choose cabinets and counter tops for the kitchen, tile for the master bath, and carpet and laminate flooring for downstairs. Since we are clearly experts on all available options, styles, and materials, and since we knew EXACTLY what we were looking for, today was really quite a breeze. Um, just kidding. But you know, through every step of this overwhelming process, we learn, we debate, and we decide - and that is exactly what will make this home truly "our own." Okay, so let's talk stone...

Granite comes in big ol' slabs and you pick one out and then they cut it up and then ta'da - counter tops! Sounds easy, right? Wrooooong. There are multiple finishes, as many color options and tints as one could imagine ("This gray has a bit of a beige undertone, whereas this black looks green to me, but polished you could really see that mica sheen..." WHAT?!)
You can just imagine us in this place - me chatting with Kit and trying to figure out what is going to maintain our Arts and Crafts feel while still being smart and cost effective - and Lucky, picking the granite guy's brain about the mining process and origin of the slab. So, while I'm pondering how this or that tone of gray will work best in our space, Lucky is busy marveling at how the competing labor and shipping costs in the granite industry is a great example of our global economy. Very typical. If you'd like to hear more, just give my husband a call. (Oh and by the way, he is responsible for this incredibly corny post title.)

Annnyway, we shied away from the typical, polished and shiny granite look. While beautiful, we just didn't think it maintained our Craftsman feel quite as well. We went with this lovely, unpolished slab below. Unpolished granite gives the counters a warmer, softer feel with a duller appearance - which is exactly what my teeny tiny brain had pictured in the beginning, before I was bombarded with a million other options. Ideally, soapstone would be used in a craftsman style home for its appearance and feel, but the unpolished granite has these same qualities and is more cost effective. Bottom line - we L-O-V-E our counter tops, and what's more... this slab was on S-A-L-E. Boo-yah!