FINALLY IN THE HOME STRETCH...

The appliances went in today! The backsplash is almost complete!

Just need to get the crown molding up, the island finished and the door hardware on...

and we will be ready for some cooking!

LOVE THIS!!!

I wish I could find a place in the house to incorporate these lockers from Restoration Hardware... I just love, love, LOVE THEM!

Rug-A-Dug Rug...

Having a hard time trying to figure out which rugs will go best in our home... so many colors, so many patterns, so many textures... How is a girl supposed to choose just one for each room???

perfect for the master bedroom (Pottery Barn)

or perhaps this one... (Target)

love, LOVE, L O V E, this one for the living room! (Crate and Barrel)

... this one is pretty too! (Target)

Loved this one so much that I bought it right on the spot, and it was on sale "to boot"

(World Market)

This one is CRAZY BOLD, but I am really digging it! (Target)

hmmmm... decisions, decisions...

THIS ROCKS!!!

The granite counters went in today... and they look so pretty! I went with a very neutral color called "Giallo Santo" and it is a perfect fit with both of the cabinet colors. It is a fairly simple granite (ie. not to much "movement" or "veining") leaving the butcher block on the island to be the standout countertop. The second picture gives a little glimpse at the travertine backsplash that we will be installing in a subway tile "brick" pattern.

FLOORS, FLOORS, FLOORS... YEAH!

Here is a quick little glimpse of the flooring we have chosen to go throughout the house (everywhere throughout the house :P... hard work... VERY HARD WORK!!!) Hopefully we will be done by the end of the week! (oops, should have dusted the floor before I took the pic! please forgive me, as our home is a construction zone right now ; )

SHEDDING SOME LIGHT ON THE BLACK HOLE

THE MASTER BATHROOM

The vanity area will soon look a lot like this...

but right now it looks like this...

the tub will eventually look somewhat like this...

or perhaps a little bit more like this...

but right now it looks like this...

and the shower will look similar to this...

but at the moment it is looking more like this...

The master bathroom has been affectionately referred to as the "black hole" for months now. Nobody ever wanted to go in there (like an over-stuffed closet, we would just toss things in and run away without ever really looking inside) partially because it was dark and musty in there... but mostly because it was really frickin' SCARY! So we just avoided it. But the inevitable day has arrived, it is time to face this room that has been haunting our home.

Here is a little reminder of what the bathroom looked like before any demo began...

(REMINDER: the only window in the bathroom is looking into the garage!)

and truthfully the room got even uglier as the demo progressed.

(keep in mind these pictures are all taken with a flash... this room was very, VERY dark! hence the name ~ The Black Hole)

The demo of this bath was quite intense, that shower wanted to stay and really put up a good fight, but in the end, good taste prevailed (good bye 80's! go try to sell peachy pink tile and red lightening bolts to someone else!) The bathroom was quite small with just a walk in shower and no bath, so we opened up a couple of walls to make space for a large tub and a make-up vanity, and then added a couple of windows (while getting rid of the little drive-up window to the garage ; ) Ahhhhh... there is a light at the end of this tunnel...

SOME FAVORITE KITCHEN IDEAS

the ultimate French country kitchen

got to love that sink, those windows and the "bb" counters

(countryhome.com)

ridiculously beautiful with all of the windows and glass doors

(pointclickhome.com)

L O V E the color of this island

(westchestermagazine.com)

all around gorgeous!

(1805anita.com)

perfect, I especially love the backsplash!

(hawthornevillager.com)

so pretty...

(decorpad.com)

b e a u t i f u l

(maidsontime.net)

I have had such a blast getting to pick and choose all of the finishes and fixtures throughout the house... but the kitchen... wow... the kitchen has been quite the stumper. You see, I have always (ALWAYS) been drawn to "painted" white cabinets. I just love them! A casual glance at all of the magazine articles I have kept thru the years will confirm this within seconds. I knew I would be incorporating white cabinets with dark stained cabinets (I just love the feeling that you get from that strong contrast of color) the only question was... which ones would be on the walls and which on the island? And the answer to this question lied within 2 key components~

#1 The Butcher Block countertop for the island- I really, really, REALLY wanted the butcher block top and I just couldn't picture it on similarly shaded cabinetry.

#2 The Kitchen Sink- I really, really, REALLY wanted a white farmhouse-style apron sink and I just couldn't picture it on similarly shaded cabinetry. (btw... this sink which you now know played 50% of the role in choosing the cabinetry, is the same sink that was almost ditched from the plans just a few weeks ago on the account of it weighing as much as a new born elephant!)

Obviously I have some kind of addiction to high contrast objects. I just can't stand it when anything matches perfectly. Seriously it is a disorder... the kind of disorder that means I could never bring myself to buy a "bed in a bag," I could never (ever!) match paint swatches to anything else that was going to be anywhere in the same room, and I feel like I will become dizzy and perhaps even faint, if a fabric pattern is repeated more than once in any space! SERIOUSLY IT IS A DISORDER! And I think it goes hand in hand with my issues with symmetry. I really hate when things are completely symmetric. I like things balanced, but rarely ever symmetrical! I suppose it is some kind of passive aggressive issue with my "embrace imperfection" philosophy. I am not perfect, and I certainly don't want a house that makes me feel like I need to be :)

Anyhow, this is the reason that I ended up with dark stained cabinets on my walls (something that in the past, I would have never thought I would willingly choose for my own home) But I am so incredibly excited, it is all coming together just beautifully.