We are headed back East for a little over a week to visit with family and friends.  As excited as we are, planning for Christmas with a 1 and 3 year old to shop for has been a challenge.  And I am not sure if my parents are more excited or scared that we’ll be descending on their house for over a week.  It will be so fun next year to host in our new/old home!

From our family to yours, I wish you all a wonderful Holiday and I’ll see you in 2012!

I mentioned yesterday that our kitchen cabinets are due in later in the week.  We are replacing / re-orienting the island, moving the pantry and adding a butler’s pantry.  We decided to keep the perimeter cabinets and are matching the style.  They are good quality and fairly new (installed in a 2001 remodel).  We were also blessed with a good range (Viking) and fridge/freezer (Sub Zero) so those will go back in.  We are painting the cabinetry white with a light grey glaze.  The island will be grey.

Before, looking into kitchen, right side….

Behind those white double doors on the right was storage on one side and a hot water heater on the other.  The hot water heater was relocated and the air vent was relocated to the ceiling.  This is what it looks like today.

And here is what this area will look like after the cabinetry is installed.  We are actually having double doors on these with virtually concealed hinges.  (I cannot tell you how many hours our builder spend finding the right hinges so they would be concealed and open to 180 degrees, while sustaining the weight of doors with applied cabinet faces.)  Cabinet faces will be attached to the doors so that the pantry looks more streamlined with the kitchen.

And remember the door to the driveway in the top image, it is being moved over on the wall and will be a set of french doors.  Here they are getting ready to install them….

Our builder is very detail oriented.  The wiring on the right is for a new doorbell and she is making them move it because the door that will open will actually be on the left if you are facing out.  Maddie has a friend who lives next door….he is going to LOVE the bell I am sure.

Here is an image that shows the other side of the kitchen, before.  In fact, this is from the real estate listing….

The small cabinet to the left of the range is being removed and the two pantries (white doors) are being eliminated.  (Actually the one on the left is now the butler’s pantry area…and the closet was emlimated.)  Below are the elevations for the new cabinetry to the left of the range.  It should look very similar to the fridge and freezer you can see on the right in the above photo.

We’ll have a small microwave in the cabinetry…lots of adjustable shelving for things like the Kitchenaid mixer, Cuisenart and other larger appliances.  The drawers will be used for pots and pans, etc.

The new island will house a second sink and dishwasher and storage for cutting boards.  So excited about this!  We will also have three barstools on the other side and cabinetry under the overhang…trying to maximize storage space as best we can.  This is the side looking out into the kitchen.

Below is a photo of the butler’s pantry area before….

Here is an image of it a few weeks ago.  It is all framed out now and trim work has been started but I forgot to take a photo.

And then, below are the elevations for the new cabinetry that will run down the left side of this space.  Again, this cabinetry is being built to mirror the style of the existing cabinetry in the kitchen.  We’ve got a pull out tray with high sides for liquor and the cabinetry on the right has electrical outlets and pull out bottom trays so we can charge phones, laptops, etc. out of site.  In absence of a mudroom at this stage, one of these cabinets will house the “stuff” like mail, keys, etc.  We will have hooks for school bags, light jackets, etc.  But, we are designing it so it will function like normal cabinetry for down the road when we add on a mudroom or our needs change.

So, there you have it…..so excited that when we get back from vacation I will get to see all of this in person.  So many hours have gone into figuring out how everything will function….hopefully we haven’t forgotten anything!

A while back I mentioned that we were going to change out the fixtures in our old powder room.  It had a black chinoiserie vanity (which I sold) with a black sink and toilet.  The walls were a brown grasscloth and the lighting was craftsman….definitely a mixture of various previous owners’ aesthetics.

Recall, this vanity was my inspiration photo for the space.

Windsor Smith

Now let me say that I researched a lot trying to find legs like these.  That curve on the bottom section of the legs….it does not come cheap.  I am talking like $6,000+ to do the legs alone on that vanity from the places I spoke with.  In the end, I decided it was really the top I fell in love with….and the curve of the legs wasn’t as big of a deal for me.  Our builder found the below legs for us that were MUCH more budget friendly.

And then last week, look at the marble we found and purchased.  I am in love!  We are going to go to the fabricator to make sure we get the placement right on the vanity when it is made.  I really love the thick veining on this slab.  I want my vanity top to look similar to the Windsor Smith image above with the shelf….but a tad more delicate / less chunky.

I also chose this faucet…..

And this wallpaper.

And this toilet…. (may not be a “fun” purchase but kindof a necessity!)

We also ordered a vanity sink….not a ton of options in this area….the bottom had to be glazed since it is exposed with these legs.  I still need to find a pair of sconces….but I am leaning towards one of these two pictured below.  It is hard to tell in the images but they are both pleasing to look at from the side….which is important as they will be mounted on the side walls that will flank the vanity.  (If I go with the one on the right I am not going to do a shade).

Oh yes, I am doing this over the little toilet area….I love her.

I still need to look for a mirror and figure out what I am going to do about the window in the room.  Here is the view from outside….everyone always feels so “exposed” in this spot so I’ve got to do something!

I don’t know how people build from scratch….I feel like this remodel is a full time job with all of the decisions to be made!  We are leaving town later this week for the holiday….and I just learned our kitchen cabinets are being delivered and installed at the end of the week…..the wait to see them is going to kill me for sure!

Wow, it is finally Friday and the end of the week couldn’t come fast enough.  While dealing with the regular hustle and bustle of the holiday season we are actually facing critical decisions points over at the house as well.  Painters start trim paint tomorrow upstairs and we finally settled on a color tonight.  (My “go to” trim color has too much yellow for the greys in this house…)  In the last week, I finally settled on the backsplash for the kitchen, we’ve been working on the design of the mantle for the kitchen, worked on sourcing the iron for our stairway, lighting, etc. etc.  Today I am having all of the windows measured so we can get the window treatments started….cannot wait to share all of my selections….just need to sit down and do it!

In any case, this living room has recently entered my living room inspiration file.  I’ve got a cranberry colored silk couch that will go in the living room and found a fabric with cranberry and a brown tufts that I want to use on the french doors in the room.  So pinks (never called that when the husband is around) and greys are very much on my mind.

Canadian House and Home , phographed by Virginia MacDonald

This space speaks to me this week because it is simple, uncluttered….feels calm.  I love the  balance between the subtle masculine touches added to this rather feminine palate.  I could sit here with a glass of wine and unwind after the kids were in bed.  I love the restrained use of gold in the room….and the coffee table, love it!

What do you think?

To say that I am agonizing over lighting for over our kitchen table would be an understatement.  Do you know how hard it is to find a chandelier that works with 8 ft. ceilings?  I was over at the design center today.  Thinking about doing a custom Niermann Weeks Italian chandelier (image below)……I want the fixture to be substantial and a bit on the softer side since our pendants are all metal.  This 9 light version is too tall for our ceilings, which is why we’d need to do something custom.

I have loved this fixture since I first saw it….and I know I could love it for a long time.  While I try to figure out what to do….I still study every kitchen I see to see if something will inspire me.  What do you think about this beautiful space designed by Kristen Buckingham?  The chandelier would never work with my ceilings…..but I sure wish it would!

Kristen Buckingham

The space is pretty spectacular, don’t you think?

PS–On a semi-related note, I was approached by Houzz  a while back to compile monthly ideabooks for their site.  I have just been so busy I haven’t had the time.  Well, with this dilemma in mind, I have created my first ideabook for the site.  It features 20 chandeliers that are 35 inches or less in height. Hopefully it will help someone facing a similar situation with low ceilings.  Who knows, perhaps our kitchen chandelier will end up being in that mix…..that was the hope as I was working on the ideabook…..but I do hate to commit when it comes to my own home.  Ugh….Can anyone relate?

This image made me smile.  How fun would this be in a playroom or private family space?

via

This company can help you achieve this look, your photos or theirs….

It sortof reminds me of this nursery.

I like it, you?