Almost there: House pics

We're really winding to a close guys! It's kind of bittersweet. Obviously I'm super excited to be moving into our new home... but at the same time, we've spent the last 4+ months devoted to the process! We're nearing the end.

So here's what was new this week!

Major things: Finished the painting. Started putting in the lighting. Started putting in the appliances. Put in the toilets/sinks. Put in the plumbing fixtures.

Still to do: Finishing the hardwoods. Laying the carpet in the bedrooms. Putting the handles on the doors. Landscaping the yard.

So here are a slew of pictures...

Guest bedroom 1:

Guest bedroom 2:

Bonus room:
Foyer - Chad loves this light:

Dining room - I love this light:

Oh chandelier. You were worth fighting for:

Master bedroom (camera was splotchy - not the walls):

Master bathroom (don't know why it's wet there... kinda gross):

Power room downstairs:

Kitchen faucet (thanks for voting - I picked yours!):

They also finished painting the front and back porches. Pretend there is a picture of them here:


So there you go! Hopefully next week we'll be even further along.

Help me pick out a new desk!

Alright, since I'm all cool now and have my own side consulting business (it's actually official now, I finally opened a designated business banking account ---only 10 months late), it's definitely time to start putting together my home office.

Once I have a home, of course.

For now, we'll put my office in the bonus room - but pretty soon we'll be converting some storage space off the bonus room into another finished room. We'll turn that into my new office.

Chad doesn't know that yet. He still thinks it's going to be a man room. Psych.

So I want that room to be all cool and creative so it can fuel my brain power so I can be super successful. In order to be super successful business woman, I need a power office. I'm going to convince Chad to put some hardwood floors in there, and I'll paint it some fun, funky color. And have tons of pillows around on the floor so I can lounge.

Anyway, I'm pumped. I've obviously given this a lot of thought.

But I need to start with picking a cool desk to go in my cool office space. I saw in a picture on another blog (that which I cannot remember at the moment) of a person using an antique gold Chiavari chair as her desk chair. I made mental note to purchase said chair for my own office.
Yeah. I dig it.

So now I need a desk. My desk frustration is compounded by the fact that I found a desk that I l-o-v-e-d before Christmas, and we were going to buy it but for some reason I cannot recall at the time, Chad convinced me to wait. Now I don't even think the cute little boutique I found it at still has it. Sads.

So can you peanuts help out? Here are some I've found. Let me know what you like by voting in the top right corner.

White desk:

Red desk:

Black desk:
Thanks you precious thangs.

Survey: Should I finish this table?

Awh, I know you guys miss my polls. No fear, I have one ready for you now!

So Chad and I bought this table at an antique store over the holidays. We both loved it, and thought it would be perfect *somewhere* in our new house. Most likely in the living room.


Originally, I thought it was perfect as is... but now I'm starting to second guess myself and wondering if I should have it stained. So I figured I'd open it up to you peanuts to see what you think.

Poll is at the top.

No way! It's perfect as-is.
Definitely! It would look much better stained.
Either! It would look good either way.

Please and thank you!

Home decorating survey: Dining room chairs

I know how you've missed voting on home decorating decisions. Since there aren't many things left to decide in the actual construction of the house, I thought I'd get your insight on a couple choices for reupholstering our dining room chairs.

Mind you our dining room will be this color -- Benjamin Moore's Santorini Blue:

Fabric #1 - Floral:

Fabric #2 - Paisley:
Fabric #3 - Gold:

Fabric #4 - Toile:
For the record, our dining room furniture is antique - oval chair backs, dark wood, very pretty. Voting is open. Let me know your thoughts - comments always welcome.

Kitchen Faucets

I'm not lying when I say that we literally get to pick and choose every little thing that is going into the house. Literally, I don't know of one thing that comes "standard."

So the joys - and annoyances - with using a custom builder is we get to choose little things, like, say our kitchen faucets.

And if I have to make a decision, surely I'd like input from friends.

So here we are: voting for kitchen faucets. Here are some good options I like:

Fairmont Single Handle:


Opulence Single Handle:

Opulence Double Handle:


Antioch Single Handle:


Voting is open. Yes we can!

Surprise! Interior Door Voting Again

Don't kill me - I know some of you already voted on this. But since we met with our designer yesterday, she sent me the website with all the door choices we could have... and there are more than the ones I originally showed you. Plus the ones I had put up were just pictures I found online... not necessarily the exact doors.

So like Florida... or Al Gore... I demand a recount.

Keep in mind we'll have picture frame molding in the house...like so:


So here are your options:

Four Panel:

Five Panel:

Six Panel:

The Camden:

The Santa Fe:

There were more choices than that... but I didn't want you to hate me. So please share your valuable insight with me by voting - top right corner. Thanks friends!

Custom Mantle Voting is Closing

Mantle #2 had the highest amount of votes. Since I put the vote up, however, Chad and I have poured through about 30 back-issues of This Old House, Traditional Home, Martha Stewart Living, Country Living and Southern Living and have found some beautiful mantles that we're going to try to have built.

Thanks for your input!

Custom Mantle and Fireplace Voting

As part of our package, our builders will make a custom mantle for the house. We just have to find them a picture of what we want (within reason), and they'll build it. However, I don't make a habit out of checking out mantles... though I've been trying to thumb through some magazines like Traditional Home, Southern Living and Country Living for ideas.

If you find any neat custom mantles, please share them with me! I could use the help.

For now, here are some ones that our builder has done before. Vote and let me know which ones you prefer.

Mantle #1:

Mantle #2:

Mantle #3:

Mantle #4:
Sorry the picture quality isn't the greatest - but try clicking on the photos to make them a bit bigger (if that helps).

Voting is now open! Thanks for helping, friends.

Porch and Patio Ceilings Voting Has Ended

Voting has closed! It looks like white beadboard barely edged out dark-stained...

will keep you posted!

Hardwoods

Don't think there is much of a need to vote on this one - since I think we're pretty set on the hardwoods we're going for. So thought I'd share pictures.

Our hardwoods are going to be very natural - with some darker and lighter wood. Not all one flat, stained color.

Take a peak:

Porch and Patio Ceilings

I'm super excited that the new house will have a nice front porch - perfect for a few rocking chairs - plus a screened-in patio out back. Both patio and porch will have beadboard ceilings... and I love the look of them.

So we have a couple options for the ceiling.

We can do a white-painted beadboard...



Or a dark stained beadboard...

Let me have it! Voting is open.

Dining Room Ceiling Voting Has Ended

Alas, the vote for the dining room ceiling ended in a dead heat between tray and coffered ceilings.

I'll let you know what we decide!

Dining Room Ceiling

In trying to design this house, my biggest concern is trying to make selections that I will like long-term... not just something that is trendy for the time being.

When we originally met with the builder's agent to make some initial selections (enough that they could price some of the upgrades in the house), Chad and I both agreed that we'd prefer a tray ceiling in the dining room, as opposed to coffered ceiling. I think tray ceilings are more traditional, and Chad just personally thought the coffered ceilings makes rooms look smaller - which brought us to that decision. However, after looking at a few Parade of Homes houses this weekend, I'm second-guessing myself. Help me!!!

(Note: All these images I'm using are from homes designed and built by our builder, so that the end-result will be exactly like the ones shown.)

If it helps in your selection, we'll be have pictureframe moulding like this in our foyer and dining room...


...as opposed to beadboard moulding.


So here are your choices:

Coffered ceiling:


Tray ceiling:
Also, for your own interest - my dining room will be painted a nearly identical color to this blue pictured above. (Benjamin Moore's Santorini Blue if you're interested. I have it in our master bedroom and guest bath right now and l-o-v-e it.)

Make your voice heard!

Granite Countertop Voting Has Ended

Even though there was an early rush of voting for the chocolate brown granite, the white-grey granite quickly caught up.

Will keep you posted on our granite decision!

Granite Countertop Selections

When we found the original home we loved, I think the part that I loved the most were the kitchen cabinets. They were an almost antique cream with a small brown inlay. I decided that I HAD to have those cabinets. I would marry those cabinets and have their cabinet babies. So they were at the top of my list for upgrades when we decided to build.

Here is a pic of the cabinets:

The original house we looked at had black granite countertops with them... which I did love, but now that I have a CHOICE, I want to explore my options.

Here are a few I found. Try to ignore the cabinets (though it's nice they are all white and similar to what we'll have) and just try to picture my cabinets with these different color granites.

Choice #1 - Neutral White/Gray

Choice #2 - Neutral White/Tan
Choice #3 - With a warmer, bronze-almost finish

Choice #4 - Slate

Choice #5 - Black

Choice #6 - Chocolate Brown
So there are some options. As always, leave a comment if you have any insight to granite countertops. If you love your black ones because of X or dislike that your gray does X. Keep in mind that we'll be choosing a tile backspalsh as well, so that might be a vote at a later date!

And vote, vote, vote!

PS: If your a Blogger novice, you should be able to click on the pictures and it will hopefully make them larger.