Just got back from an awesome meeting with Kit at The Tile Shop. We are getting so close to having EVERYTHING chosen for the house. From siding and roofing to bathroom hardware, we are checking things off the list! My original plan was to blog about all of our choices so we could always look back on the process, but I've quickly realized that nothing is final until it's actually in the house. For example - previous post about tile for the master bath? Disregard! Oh, and the first round of designs I posted on here? Disregard! Tweaks here and there have been going on for weeks now, but we are so, so, so close to final decisions and construction should be underway in the next week or so. I know I said I wasn't going to blog about the choices we're making as we go along, but I can't help but give you a little peep at the tile selection for the half bath. Love it! If all goes as planned, my next post will include pictures of construction! Stay tuned!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Monday, December 28, 2009
Round Two
We had an impromptu meeting at the S&Y office today to go over several items of business, most blog-worthy being some changes to the proposed floor plan. Lots of great things - namely, shifting the location of the downstairs half bath, removing the tub in the master suite and relocating the closet space, and changing the roof line in the back of the house (again) to create more space in the other bedrooms. We were able to take a 3-D virtual tour of the house which was incredible and really helped me visualize what the drawings were showing us. We are getting down to the details and making decisions like whether or not a window will go here or there, dimensions of cabintry, an extra half foot in the hallway or in the bathroom... It feels like there is so much to type after this meeting, but I'd rather just show you a picture. Will post revised drawings when we have them! We're one step closer :)
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Prepare to be floored...
The last trip of the day was easy, pe
asy - 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!
asy - 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 thatthese, 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 pre
tty 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!
tty 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!
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!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Wow! Mike Shrader of Palladian Designs has done an amazing job with our space! Just imagine how super cool we felt, arriving to a meeting with both our contractor and designer (20 minutes late, by the way, due to faulty Google Map directions - not our fault, swear) with this beautiful drawing of our new home waiting for us! Okay, enough exclamation points - but tonight was quite the meeting. For the first time, we were able to see the preliminary designs for our new home. It was equally overwhelming as it was exciting (as blueprints don't quite do it for me like a magazine picture can) but we are still confident that we are headed in the right direction. Lots of slight changes to our original vision, but we are quick to let the experts mold our "vision" to their liking! For tonight - we are pumped and celebrating this "round one" with a few beers, a visit from the lovely Kelly Workinger, and "Glee"on Fox. The next few weeks will bring some hard numbers from the contractor, some info from the bank, a shopping day with the interior designer... and then maybe, just maybe, we will have some work underway by the new year! Stay tuned for updates!
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