bedroom inspiration

I think we're going to do a little furniture re-arranging at the new house.  Hubby is dying to upgrade to a king sized bed, so our current bedroom furniture will be moving to the spare bedroom.  I'm planning to keep the same quilt, but we're going to change out the pillows, curtains and wall art.  The photo below is our old master bedroom, depersonalized and staged to sell. 

I mentioned yesterday that I'd picked up a few pillows from Kohl's, as well as curtains from IKEA, so I think we have a pretty good start on this room.  I'm still debating on the wall color  Maybe a light tan?  Or possibly even something with a little blue in it?

The curtains were the ultimate inspiration for this room and I think the lighter pillows will really brighten things up and help create a welcoming guest space.  And I'm glad they still work with the quilt - which I still love, six years after purchasing.  (Funny story - I bought the quilt from Target for like $70.  A day after it arrived in the mail, I found it on Overstock for like $30.  Do you know much $40 feels like to a newlywed?  I was excited for days.)

I'll pull in some brown from the stained dresser and a chunky mirror over the dresser, but am otherwise planning to use blue and red accents.  A few pops of a bright, canary yellow might be nice, too.  I think this space will be fun to decorate since I won't be living in it every day.  I can go outside of my comfort zone of neutrals a bit.

Random thought - it might look good to find some older nightstands, paint them white/cream and then stain just the tops?  Or even find a couple smaller plant stand sized tables and paint them a deep red?  Hmmm....

For the master bedroom, we're currently weighing the pros and cons of a few different beds.  We posted the options on Facebook and I think the bottom left was the easy winner.

Sources (clockwise, starting at the top left): Restoration Hardware outlet, IKEA, Target, Joss & Main

Our thoughts -

Restoration Hardware: Best quality by far but there is a stain on the foot board that I'm not sure will come out; I'm also not sold on the foot board - doesn't it seem like the tufting should be on the outside, too?  It's the most expensive, but is about $1500 less than retail by being at the outlet.

IKEA: It's the least expensive and really does look good in person.  You can't see it here, but the base is actually two pieces, so there is a connector (with feet) that is visible from the end of the bed.  Compared to the others, it's very simple.

Target: Not the biggest fan of the color, but I'm having a hard time finding the gray option in stock anywhere.

Joss & Main:  Love the look of this bed, but hate the thought of ordering a bed online, unseen.  Also, it was available through Joss & Main on a limited basis and is no longer on their website.  I haven't yet been successful locating it elsewhere - or finding somewhere that carries it locally for me to see in person.

At this point, we haven't made a decision.  The only other items we have figured out for the master bedroom are the curtains (acquired from two different TJ Maxx stores back in November) and the dresser. 

[master bedroom curtains]

And, when I say we've figured out the dresser, I only mean we've sanded and primed it and left it sitting in the garage.  I'm still not sure what color we'll end up painting it.  I recently picked up a sample pot of a faded yellow color that would be pretty - but then I saw a really neat two-toned gray dresser on Facebook this week.  Not sure why I'm having such a tough time deciding.  Maybe I'm waiting to decide on a full color scheme for the room?

[Refinished by Reclaimed]

In unrelated, non-decorating news - E had his first dentist appointment today.  After needing to reschedule three different times (I was afraid the dentist's office was going to boot us for good!), we finally made it there.  And despite waking little man up from his nap for the visit, he was a champion.  The hygienist was able to brush and count his teeth and the dentist was able to do a full exam and fluoride treatment.  I was so proud of him.  Especially since I hate the dentist.

Doesn't he look so big?  I am so not ready for these milestones.  And something else I'm not ready for?  E telling his teachers that he's going to have a baby brother and his name is going to be Baby Bear.  Hilarious, but I'm sort of wondering how many people he's told that to and how many people think I'm pregnant.   And let me answer that question.  I'm not.  Sorry to burst any bubbles!

living room inspiration

So I mentioned yesterday that we did a bit of shopping on Sunday.  It's been fun to start making decorating decisions, instead of just building and finish decisions.   It's a little intimidating, as well.  After all, I work in accounting, not interior design.

We purchased our current sofa and loveseat from a discount furniture store in town just after we got married seven years ago.  It's a light brown color with some green undertones and, while it fit into our apartment well, it was always a bit large for our house.  I've been on a mission to find something new for a couple of years and really fell in love with the idea of a linen-colored sofa.  Crazy with a little one, right?  In an attempt to balance pretty with functional, I finally decided on a washable, slip-covered sofa. The problem?  Most of the ones I like cost a small fortune.  And, with as much as my taste changes, I'm not willing to spend a small fortune.  I'm also not willing to take the gamble that my linen-colored sofa idea is a great one.  So, we've been on the lookout for something affordable, but nice.  Something that will hold up decently to being lived in, but is still comfortable.  Enter IKEA.

As hesitant as I was at first, I really think their Ektorp sofa and chair are going to meet our needs.  The sofa is $499 and the chair is $399 - completely affordable.  Plus, they were super comfortable - and most importantly - washable!  We held off on actually buying anything and are going to wait until we can move them directly to the new house.  Now, I'm on the lookout for another coordinating chair.  Preferably something that is a tad smaller than the Ektorp chair and contains a bit of a pattern.  Any suggestions?

The inspiration board below is the look I think I'm going for:

The couch, chair and ottoman are all from IKEA.  We purchased the rug from Rugs USA during their recent (and still ongoing) 50% off sale - it's the Keno Nava Trellis rug in Slate and the price was right.  The reviews are good, but I haven't yet seen it in person.

I'm thinking of carrying the same wall color from the kitchen and dining area into the living room.  I like the shade of gray and I really think the continuity will be nice.

The throw pillows, artwork and decorative accents will be the tough part.  I don't like spending a ton of money on "pretty" things, but I really want everything to look nice and pulled together.  After browsing at least fifteen website for throw pillows, I was able to narrow down a selection that will hopefully help set the tone for the room.  I love the casual mix of patterns and I think the colors are neutral enough that I can pull in some brighter art for the walls.  Says the accountant...  I really have no idea what I'm doing.

The sources of the pillows are:
1. Sculpted Origami Pillow Cover in Heather Gray from West Elm - $34.00
2. Honeycomb Crewel Pillow Cover in Blue/Ivory from West Elm - $39.00
3. Keyes Decorative Pillow in Charcoal/White from Home Decorators Collection - $54.00
4. Piper Decorative Pillow in Yellow/White from Home Decorators Collection - $54.00
5. Deco Dot Down Filled Pillow in Spa Blue and Ivory from Shades of Light - $42.00
6. Nate Berkus for Target Gray Geometric Applique Pillow from Target - $24.99
7. Medallion Flocked Lumbar Pillow from World Market - $14.98

I'm hoping Marshalls/HomeGoods/TJ Maxx/Tuesday Morning will have similar pillows for much less.  The prices above are much more than I'd like to pay for decorative pillows.  I did hit up Kohl's tonight (yay for 30% off coupons!) and was able to pick up some pillows for the spare bedroom, but I didn't find anything for the living room.  Bummer.

We made a few more purchases on Sunday for the dining area and spare bedroom, plus Hubby's mom is hard at work on a project for E's room.  I think I have somewhat of an idea of the design direction in those rooms - and will share details soon.  Now, to figure out the rest of E's room, the main bath, the master bedroom and the flex room. 

In the mean time, here's a sneak peek of a few items we did end up purchasing from IKEA:

From L to R: LAPPLJUNG panel curtains, HENRIKSDAL upholstered chair, KAUSTBY wooden chair (note: the KAUSTBY chair we purchased is similar to the above, but larger and sturdier - and $10 more)

day 88

In typical me fashion, I've been wondering if we made the right choices on our granite selections.  I hadn't said anything to Hubby because (1) I think he's sick of hearing me second guess everything and (2) I knew he loved both the master bath and kitchen granite.  After going through paint samples last night (which I hate doing, by the way), I finally opened up and made my confession.  Much to my surprise, I learned that he wasn't completely sold on the granite in the main bathroom either.  At that point, the "oh crud, what should be do" set in.

I was supposed to meet up with our granite team today so that I could compare paint samples with the floor samples, cabinets and granite selections.  So, I fired off a quick e-mail with my concerns and we agreed to look at new remnants, as well.  Much to my surprise, I ended up sticking with my original choice.  I'm learning more than ever that my initial decisions are usually the right ones and that I just need to stick with my gut instinct.  The coffee brown really wasn't as dark as I remembered and I think it will be easier to accessorize with brighter colors than some of the other choices.  Plus, it goes really well with our cabinets and tile.  Well, at least I think it does.  I hope it does.

I should probably back up a bit.  Early in the building process, we'd decided that we would wait to paint until we'd lived in the house for a while.  I hate picking out paint colors (partly due to my indecisiveness but mostly due to the fact I can never seem to find the exact color I have in mind).  I also hated the thought of locking into colors now when I'm not really sure what furniture, curtains, rugs, etc. I'll be using.

Well, sometime last weekend, I realized it would be really silly of us to wait to paint the kitchen and bathrooms until later.  I hate taping.  I don't have a steady hand.  And I really despise the thought of cutting in around brand new cabinets and fixtures.  Not sure why I didn't think of that earlier.  My sudden realization soon turned into a trip to Lowe's for paint samples and then an e-mail to our granite gal and then another frantic e-mail to the designer (just last night) to request floor samples.  Phew.

Lucky for me, everything came together today and I think we have paint colors finalized for the master bathroom, main bathroom and kitchen/dining area.  I'll probably try to paint the powder room, as well, but it should be pretty easy (ha!) to make that selection.  How hard can matching a paint color, a hardwood floor and a white toilet and pedestal sink be?  Okay, don't answer that.

The samples I have from Lowe's look very different than what my screen is showing above.  I'm hoping the in-store versions are correct, because the colors I pulled from the Valspar website look very purple, blue and peach.  Thank goodness for those cheap sample jars -- saving homes all over America from bad paint jobs!

I took quick photos of the flooring, cabinets, paint samples and granite selections together, but they're not very representative of true colors.  I need to return the flooring samples tomorrow so photos taken using overhead lights at 10:30 pm were the best I could do.  I did take a couple of photos of the kitchen selections at the granite fabricators, as well.  Our actual granite slabs are very different than the sample I was given, so the first photos are most representative of the paint with our granite.  I really like how well it matches up with the grey in the stone.

Update: I started drafting this post last night but when I dropped off the floor samples today, I think we found an even better paint color for the main bath.  It's called Nantucket Dune by Sherwin Williams.

Now, I just need to figure out if we're going to do the painting ourselves or hire it out.  I like the price of doing it myself but I like the thought of the very crisp ceiling line a professional would offer.  Decisions, decisions.

In other news?  There is a rumor floating around that drywall started going up today.  A certain someone in this relationship was unable to contain his curiosity and stopped by the house tonight.  I can't wait to go out in the morning to see how it looks!  We're also planning to pick up a Craigslist dresser tomorrow morning.  For only $75, I'm ready to make this solid maple beauty mine!  I think it will be stunning once sanded and painted.  Which means I'm back to the drawing board on picking out paint colors.  Aye.

i'm dreaming of a white... kitchen

We have kitchen stools!  After calling at least five World Market stores, we finally found a location that had more than a lone stool or two in stock.  Apparently these little guys are popular - we've had a hard time finding them in store anywhere.  The sales gal Hubby talked to was nice enough to verify actual stock on the floor and then put the only four they had on hold for us.  E was napping at the time and we were worried that by the time he woke up and we made the hour drive, one or more would be gone.  Luckily, they were all there when we arrived and were just as gorgeous as we remembered.  I barely withheld from doing a happy dance in the aisle.

By the time we got home last night, we weren't motivated to unload the car but Hubby got on it right away this morning.  We were curious how many pieces the stools would be in when the boxes were opened and were super excited to discover very minimal assembly was required.  Even the two year old was of assistance!

Swooning over the stools all day today got me thinking more and more about the overall look of our kitchen.  My Pinterest and Houzz boards are full of beautiful white kitchens, but none are exactly what I'm imagining.  We still need to pick out our counters, so maybe once we do that, everything will finally come together.  Who am I kidding?  I won't be sure of my choices until everything is in place and I've stood in the middle of the kitchen staring at everything at least twenty times.  Oh well.  Until I can do that, the inspiration board below will have to do.

Sources:
stools: Twist Swivel Stool from World Market

cabinets: Tolani in Chiffon by Merillat

drawer pulls: Liberty Hardware Cup Pull from Home Depot

knobs: Liberty Hardware Contempo Knobs from Home Depot

flooring: Ponderosa – Alamosa Hickory from Real Wood Floors

faucet: Moen Wetherly from Lowes

pendant light: Murray Feiss Urban Renewal Mini Pendant from Build

pendant light: allen + roth Bronze Traditional Pendant Light from Lowes

And, it might help, if I shared our kitchen layout.  We originally had an island included, but we're going to leave it out for now.  I don't want the kitchen to be so crowded that we can't easily move around.  Our old kitchen was galley style and it was difficult for more than one person to be in there.  The only thing I'm unsure about are the lower cabinets on the oven/cooktop side.  Does the asymmetry look weird?  I asked our cabinet guy to quote me to change the lower left cabinets to drawers/doors and the lower center cabinets under the cooktop to drawers.  If it's not drastically more expensive, I might do that instead.

The remaining kitchen decisions are: finalize cabinet layout, select granite for counters, finalize faucet, choose paint color and select backsplash.  Our builder/plumber prefers Kohler fixtures but I haven't found a Kohler kitchen faucet that I like in our price range.  For now, we've chosen a Moen one and are hoping the plumber agrees to install it.  We're also undecided on a backsplash and paint color.  We'll probably do a simple subway tile for the backsplash, but I'm not completely sure if we'll do white, like shown above.  We have a bit of time, though, because we're going to wait to do the backsplash later, on our own.  We're going to pick out the granite for our counters this coming Saturday, so I'll probably start thinking about paint colors after that.  There won't be a whole lot of paint in the kitchen, but we will have one wall of open shelves and then the dining area will also be painted the same color.  Maybe a dusty yellow?  Or a blueish-grey?

Spill your beans.  Things I haven't thought about?  Colors you like?  What you love/hate in your own kitchen?  Personally, I'm pretty excited about the pantry, dishwasher and ability to store all of my dishes/pans/small appliances in the kitchen itself.  The pretty cabinets, shiny appliances, and fun fixtures won't be so bad either.  Okay, I'm giddy about it all.  There's no hiding it.

master bath inspiration

Remember the whole "I really hope all of decisions we're making come together cohesively" statement I made a few days ago?  Well, this is my attempt at starting the get an idea of what the master bath will look like once it's all put together.  Fun and scary at the same time!  I should be going to bed instead of playing with this, but knowing I don't have to work tomorrow has left me wide awake.  I suppose it's better than being wide awake on a night I do have to go to work, though.

Sources:
vanity: via Chalet Development
tile: San Michele Vein-Cut Tile by Daltile
toilet room: via HGTV Rate my Space
tub: Reverie Freestanding Tub
paint: Quiet Moments by Benjamin Moore

When I saw the vanity above while browsing Houzz, I immediately fell in love (by the way, check out the sidebar - I added a link to my Houzz Ideabook!).  Lucky for me, we found an amazing cabinet guy through my uncle and he was able to re-create the vanity for us using various cabinetry pieces.  I am stoked to see it in person.  The base cabinets are from Merillat's Portrait series and will be in the Sable color.

I love the mirrors that are pictured and I'm desperately trying to find non-Restoration Hardware versions.  As much as I adore their Vintage Oval Pivot Mirror, I can't bring myself to pay that much.  I've found similar versions that are frameless, but I prefer the look of the frame.  Our local Restoration Hardware Outlet has several brass versions for less than $40 if anyone is looking for an amazing mirror in brass!  Or if anyone knows how to turn a brass mirror chrome without it looking cheap, I'm all ears.

The freestanding tub was actually our first house purchase.  We found it on sale at Menards and ordered it a couple of months ago.  It's currently sitting in their warehouse and I'm waiting for the day they call to tell us we finally have to pick it up.  I'm hopeful that call doesn't happen until we have a garage to store it in, but I'm guessing it'll end up in the kitchen at our condo at least temporarily.

The tile is still my biggest unknown.  Hubby and I had both agreed on a simple subway tile before meeting with the Designer.  While discussing our selection, however, the Designer highly encouraged us to choose a larger tile due to the upkeep of smaller subway tiles.  Apparently the skinny grout lines are more difficult to keep clean in the long run - especially if we were to have gone with the white tiles and light/white grout we'd originally picked out.  As sad as I was to give up the aesthetics, I know it's best for the long run.

I really like the vein-cut tile we picked out as our second choice but it only comes in 12x24 tiles.  There is a cross-cut pattern in the same family, but I just don't like it quite as much.  Our current selections include the 12x12 cross-cut tiles laid in a diagonal/diamond pattern on the floor.  The shower  has the 12x24 vein-cut tiles laid horizontally with a couple of rows of the 12x12 tiles laid diagonally on top.  And the tub surround is just the 12x24 tiles laid horizontally.  Hopefully the sketch below helps visualize what I so poorly explained - at least for the shower!

I'm not sure that I'm totally sold on the diagonal floor pattern.  It's more than likely one of those things I'd stop noticing eventually, but I really like the look of more rectangular tiles.  Ugh.  I just need to make up my mind!   And any thoughts on not doing a tub surround?  I raised the question with the Designer but haven't heard back yet.  I'm thinking of doing wainscoting instead.

Anyway, to help pull it all together, here is our rough floor plan.  The area on the top right corner is a small pass-through from the bedroom to the master bath (shown) and walk-in-closet (not shown, but slightly smaller and on the right).

Other details that still need finalized - paint color (I'm thinking a blue/gray like shown), whether or not to hang a small TV by the tub, lighting, mirrors, hardware ... and I'm sure several other things I'm currently not thinking about.  At least it's a start!