If you only want to see the fun before and after photos, these next few posts will be boring for you BUT stay tuned during the upcoming weeks for the final reveal. We are getting really close to completion and move in day!
Here are the selections we...well, I have made and Eric has approved with a trusting "sure, if you think it will look good". Eric has been awesome in allowing me to make selections for the house without any major objections. Thanks E!
Most people have something that really excites them. Some ladies enjoy designer purses, a collections of shoes, outfits that coordinate head to toe, fancy jewelry, addictive TV shows, trips to the hair or nail salon. That is great. To each her own. But, none of those things get me excited.
I lay in bed at night and think about the items listed in this post- the selections that go into a home. Instead of new shoes, I think about being barefoot on beautiful hardwoods and soft plush carpet. Instead of jewelry on my neck, I'd rather jewelry on my cabinets aka knobs and pulls.
Neither Eric nor I have the love language of " recieving gifts" so this renovation is my birthday, Mother's Day, Christmas, Valentines Day presents all in one for years and years... and years to come. (and hopefully a wise real estate investment) Once again, thanks E!
OH! I forgot to add this photo to the first post with all the before photos. Have you ever seen a hose in an interior coat closet??? So strange!!!! This will be removed ASAP before the kids decide to make an indoor sprinkler park!
Our contractor has been great and allowed me to do much of the sub-contracting myself. I really enjoy the hunt of finding exactly what I want and the best value.
Here are our selections:
Countertops: Silestone Quartz "Grey Expo" color (from Scenic City Granite in Chattanooga)
Are you familiar with quartz counters? I have not ever lived in a home that has quartz but from what I have researched, they are the best when it comes to being maintenance free, impact resistant and stain resistant.
If I remember correctly from science class, Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. (thanks wikipedia)
Some other quartz fun facts: Made from one of the hardest minerals on earth, quartz countertops are arguably the most durable option for kitchens. But unlike natural-stone slabs, which are mined, these slabs are engineered in a factory. Their primary ingredient is ground quartz (about 94 percent), combined with polyester resins to bind it and pigments to give it color. For some designs, small amounts of recycled glass or metallic flecks are added to the mix. The resins also help make these counters stain and scratch resistant—and nonporous, so they never need to be sealed. Compare that with granite, the reigning king of high-end countertops, which typically requires a new protective top coat at least once a year. (I warned you this might get boring haha)
Appliances: GE 5-burner gas cooktop and GE Double Wall Oven (on super sale at Lowes- thanks Ware's!), Beverage Fridge Magic Chef 16-bottle 77-Can dual zone temp (Home Depot)
Flooring:
Mudroom, Half Bath & Laundry Room Flooring:
Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) Barnwood (from Hanks Carpet, Dalton GA)
This flooring is practically waterproof so it will be great for kids and dogs in this messy drop zone.
Potties: all new potties, American Standard
The boys got really excited when they saw the side of the new potty box. They advertise that they are "engineered to prevent clogs, flushes a bucket of golf balls in a single flush". Im sorry but if you need a potty that can flush all that, you need to see a doctor because something isn't right!
H1 said MOM can we do that????!!!!! No, son! Please keep the golf balls in the garage!
Are you familiar with quartz counters? I have not ever lived in a home that has quartz but from what I have researched, they are the best when it comes to being maintenance free, impact resistant and stain resistant.
If I remember correctly from science class, Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. (thanks wikipedia)
Some other quartz fun facts: Made from one of the hardest minerals on earth, quartz countertops are arguably the most durable option for kitchens. But unlike natural-stone slabs, which are mined, these slabs are engineered in a factory. Their primary ingredient is ground quartz (about 94 percent), combined with polyester resins to bind it and pigments to give it color. For some designs, small amounts of recycled glass or metallic flecks are added to the mix. The resins also help make these counters stain and scratch resistant—and nonporous, so they never need to be sealed. Compare that with granite, the reigning king of high-end countertops, which typically requires a new protective top coat at least once a year. (I warned you this might get boring haha)
Cabinets White Nottingham Shaker Door Style- this photo is from Hitson Cabinets showroom showing the same door style we selected. Simple Shaker with clean lines.
When making cabinet selections I had to be careful. You can easily double your cabinet cost by adding all the extras to trick out your cabinets with soft close doors and drawers, trim & moldings, caddies, pull outs and Roll Out....Roll Out reminds me of an old favorite Ludacris song. Ah, now I'm going to be singing that the rest of the day, and you are too...Get out my business, my BIZNASS!
Kitchen hardware: Here is the JEWELRY! I selected pulls in the black matte finish on all drawers and doors. Size: second from the bottom.
Faucet & Sinks:Main Kitchen Sink & Faucet: Delta Essa in black, Kohler Vault double basin;
Bar Faucet & Sink: Kraus Modern Crespo, Emodern Decor bar sink 23"x8.5
Backsplash: White Subway tile 4x16 off set pattern, white grout. Shaw Elegance (A&H Flooring, Chattanooga TN)
Appliances: GE 5-burner gas cooktop and GE Double Wall Oven (on super sale at Lowes- thanks Ware's!), Beverage Fridge Magic Chef 16-bottle 77-Can dual zone temp (Home Depot)
Flooring:
Mudroom, Half Bath & Laundry Room Flooring:
Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) Barnwood (from Hanks Carpet, Dalton GA)
This flooring is practically waterproof so it will be great for kids and dogs in this messy drop zone.
Hardwoods in kitchen, dining, living, hallways: Minwax Classic Gray & Jacobean 50/50 mix
Foyer Brick Shaw San Francisco Pacific Heights 4x8 laid on a herringbone pattern (A&H flooring, Chattanooga TN)
Carpet in bedrooms & closets: frieze flecked (Hanks Carpet, Dalton GA)
Carpet warehouse = boys can run free without breaking anything! And, they got a free ride on the golf cart!
Runner on stairs:
Tile for all full bathroom floors: Charcoal gray with dark grout (The Tile Shop)
Paint: we will paint most of the house ourself...in time, but the renovated area will be done before we move in.
Main living areas, Wall Paint Color: Martha Stewart Mushroom.
It is a dark color, but with all the natural light from the windows and white cabinets, it should be a good balance. Also, we took out most of the walls during demo so there really won't be all that much surface area to be painted.
(Im not sure why there is a sound symbol on my paint swatch ?!? )
We used this same paint color on the short walls in our Collierville living room and loved it.
Wallpaper: Its back! You might associate wall paper with the 1980's and early 1990's but it is back on trend with lots of fun patterns and colors to choose from. Because the kitchen will have really clean lines and soft colors, I wanted to add a pop of color and pattern behind the open shelves, over the bar. Because it is in such a small space, we can easily change it out if we ever want to shake things up. (from Decorating Mart, Marietta GA)
(Look at that sweet chubby hand in the upper left corner- my little design helpers)
The wallpaper will go in this open area in the kitchen.
We will add two stained open shelves with iron brackets over the wall paper.
Open shelves over bar sink will be similar to these in our Collierville house.
With these iron brackets (from Etsy Cascade Iron Co)
Lighting:
dining room will have 2 chandeliers over our table. I love the simplicity of these black 6 light fixtures. (Lowes Portfolio)
library lamps: 3 will be over kitchen sink and 3 over bar area (Amazon: Ecopower Vintage Style Simplicity Orb)
The boys got really excited when they saw the side of the new potty box. They advertise that they are "engineered to prevent clogs, flushes a bucket of golf balls in a single flush". Im sorry but if you need a potty that can flush all that, you need to see a doctor because something isn't right!
H1 said MOM can we do that????!!!!! No, son! Please keep the golf balls in the garage!
the end.
Great choices. Love the wallpaper!!!
ReplyDeleteThat hose!!! What on earth did they use it for?
Your boys and the golf balls so cute