Whats new? Some Progress Finally!



Appreciating the Fall colors on a long walk with Momo

I know we've been on a bit of a hiatus but we definitely miss staying connected with everyone out there. So its been about 2.5 months since we moved into the house and I can finally say that we are now starting to settle in. Its been a challenge getting ourselves to this point but we love the house. We feel fortunate and couldn't be much more happier even though it hasn't all been perfect. Im going to be positive in todays post and focus on the updates, however, stay tuned for a no holds barred in-depth review later on. My semester started literally a week after move in and Chris works long hours so we've been moving slow on progress. Never the less we've been squeezing in the projects in the evening and weekends. 









OUTDOORS

One of the first projects I took on was adding a peep hole and hook to the front door. We were getting a number of sales people knocking on the door trying to offer their services. These folks were most likely stalking the area knowing these are new homes but it was incredibly annoying. Initially I had to open the door because I couldn't tell who was on the other side. So after installing the peep hole, I can just pretend Im not home. :)) So we picked up a bronze a wide angle peep hole at Lowe's to match the other hardware on the door. As far as the hook, I like the look of wreaths on the front door during the holidays but Im not particularly fond of the type that wrap around the top of the door. So we picked up Commands outdoor hooks also in bronze. The wreath is apart of the Smith & Hawken line found at Target. 







DINING ROOM

To keep us motivated to put things together we've forced ourselves to host a friendsgiving/House warming party this up coming weekend. So we decided to focus of all of our energy and resources on the main floor of the house which we are calling phase 1. I do have an overall design concept for the house which I'm working towards bringing to life. The concept for the house is The Silk Road, which Im imaging to be an eclectic mix of African, Asian, Middle Eastern and European art, furnishings and textiles. Chris and I are passionate about traveling, so I thought it would be an appropriate place to start as a point of inspiration. Stylistically Im going for a rustic modern look, so I'm trying to incorporate lots of wood pieces but keeping the silhouettes mostly modern.   None of the spaces are complete but I started with the dining room initially because I wanted a place for people to sit and eat  during our event at the very least. The walls are painted in Light French Grey in Sherwin Williams Emerald paint in a flat finish. (It is washable for those with kids/pets) The Emmerson Table is made of recycled wood from shipping pallets which I loved because the distressed features are natural and have a history. Right now the rooms are missing color and pattern. Im hoping to add that with curtains, art on the walls and perhaps a wallpaper/stencil. These components will also allow me to really infuse that global vibe I'm looking for. 

72x79 French Library Double Shelving (Antiqued Iron Finish) from Restoration Hardware

87" Emmerson Table, Emmerson Bench, Willoughby End Chairs by West Elm 

9 Bulb Firefly Lighting Fixture by CB2

Remy Side Chairs (Tolix Marais Replicas) by Restoration Hardware
Still need to hang this heavy 5'x4' wood frame mirror made in India (Home Goods Find)




KITCHEN

The kitchen is also in progress. I did get the stools early on, these Felix counter height stools were on my radar before the house was even built. I really like the super simple modern design, they come across as sophisticated but not pretentious. One of the things that was important to us was to keep the house grounded, comfortable and welcoming. The pendant lights are temporary and are standard with the house. Im waiting on a shipment for the replacement. I haven't settled on a backsplash, Im struggling with making a safe choice or really going for it. I have a bunch of samples from Porcelanosa, Architectural Ceramics and Modwalls that seem like nice safe choices. Im going to checking out Ann Sacks next, I really like their pricey yet gorgeous selection even if its for inspiration. 





Felix Barstools by Crate & Barrel
Hinge Pendant No. 804 by Quorum International
Backsplash Tile Samples

GREAT ROOM

The Great Room, just like the rest of the rooms are incomplete and need more color and pattern via drapery, rugs, etc. The sectional sofa you see is among our favorite on the market and its from IKEA! I love the Kivik for its clean modern design and its a perfect solution for homes with kids and pets. The sofa covers are completely replaceable and washable. My cats have destroyed many sofas and I like that after the sofa starts to look ratty I simply replace the covers and have a sofa that looks brand new again. This sectional was originally purchased for the Rec Room, but were using up here in the mean time until I can find the right sofas. The coffee table was not meant for this sectional, it was suppose to be in the middle of 2 large sofas for a conversational floor plan. We also have plans to do builtins in the nooks besides the fireplace. Im mostly like going to be using IKEA kitchen cabinets to accomplish the look. 

Kivik Sectional (seats 8-10) Isunda Gray

Bordeaux Coffee Table by Crate and Barrel


LOW VOLTAGE

Lastly I wanted to bring up all the recent low voltage stuff we did in the house. We had the house prewired for a pair of in ceiling speakers in all the bedrooms, kitchen and a 5.1 setup in the Rec Room. Chris and I both love music and it was important to us to have a whole home audio solution. The plan is also to build out our audio system in phases so we had the Magnolia team at Best Buy get us started. They installed a pair of Bowers & Wilkins CCM663 speakers in the kitchen for overall music on the main floor. All of wiring terminates in the Utility room  and the music is being controlled by the Sonos system. The Magnolia team also updated our networking to make sure we have adequate coverage for all the equipment and Cat 5 running through out the house. We had an issue with the level of heat above the fireplace which killed our original idea of having a sound bar mounted below the TV. The alternative solution was to have a pair of the same BW speakers installed in wall above the nooks on each side of the fireplace. We did not have that prewired, so we have few holes to repair in order to get the wiring through. 

Bowers & Wilkins CCM663 speakers in ceiling 

Bowers Wilkins CCM663 Speakers in wall

Sonos Connect and Denon Receiver

Upgraded Network

Sonos Amp


Anyway thats what we're up to and hope to update everyone soon. We're excited to hear about everyone else's progress and if your building feel free reach out anytime. Were happy share whatever we know. 

Comments

  1. Everything looks amazing! I am especially in love with the light fixture in your dining room area!

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    1. Thanks, still a work in progress but it feels good to have it start looking like home. The lighting fixture is definitely among my favorite things so far.

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  2. Beautiful and I'm happy that you stopped by to give us an update. I love what you all have done to your new home.

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    1. Thank you, I will try to update from time to time to document the experience and share any tidbits we learn along the way.

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  3. HEY guys!! How exciting! Things are really coming together and I too love the dining room light. I see that we are both use Magnolia for a little upgrade! Nice! We JUST changed out our island pendants last night. Crazy...but they look so much better than the NV ones (just my honest opinion)! Can't wait to see what you guys decide on for a backsplash.

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    1. The dining room light was something we wanted to change right away. The lighting fixtures in the house are nice, but are meant for someone who likes a more traditional design. The Magnolia guys were pretty good, we have a master plan in place to grow the system over the next few years. We still want to incorporate a home automation system at some point.

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    2. I couldnt agree more about the lights! Did you guys install and patch the light yourself? Also, in your front yard, is that your network box (the green box thing)?

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    3. I installed the lights myself which is super easy. The only thing that took some time was removing the medallion and repairing the ceiling. I actually forgot what that box is for, its very ugly right in FRONT of the house. In the spring were planning to do some landscaping to hide it a bit more.

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    4. Cool! We will be replacing our light this weekend...waiting on the delivery man! LOL Thanks for sharing!! And yes, it's nothing a nice bush won't cover! :-)

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    5. I'm waiting patiently as well, my pendants are arriving today, I'm hoping to get them installed tonight.

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    6. Yaaay! Can't wait to see them! That install wasn't bad at all...(minus the last light where you have more wires to deal with). I hope the dining room is that simple. LOL When we are doing our lights I will be like "Oh Owen and Chris are doing theirs also"!

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  4. It all looks great. Love the ceiling light. No luck with the 12x24 tile on the shower ceiling. They actually called Stonemark and whoever else contracts with them and they officially said they don't put 12x24 tiles on the ceiling, so you and a couple of other people lucked out. I was looking for a backsplash that would match well with Luna Pearl and thought Florida Tile Streamline in Dorian Gray would. It's not a glass tile (which you seem to prefer). But my "Luna Pearl" is not the same as yours or what everyone else has. Another piece of drama.

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    1. That sucks they wouldn't budge on the tile. Hopefully it will turn out just fine. I do like glass tile because it has a great reflective quality and it makes your kitchen brighter. I don't really need it this time because we opted for the under cabinet lighting. If you don't like glass, have you considered a natural stone like marble? What color/style are your cabinets?

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    2. My cabinets are like yours but in Espresso. I was considering marble. I really like a Jeffrey Court iceberg marble tile I saw on Houzz with gray grout. It was beautiful but they had a solid gray countertop so mine might be a little busy. My countertop is kind like Luna Pearl but less compacted but more on the grey-black-white spectrum with maybe a little hint of green. It's doesn't have the slight pinkish/beigish undertones of the usual Luna Pearl.

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    3. Just my 2 cents but I would probably go very light with the backsplash. The grey might look too dark. Something like a white carrera marble would look gorgeous next to the dark espresso cabinets. The grey veining would tie nicely with your granite countertops also.

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  5. Everything is looking great! My heart physically thumped hard when I saw that RH shelving. OMG LOVE. I want it! What IS it about RH? I wasn't even in to distressed/shabby/vintage stuff, but now I'm totally a convert!

    I love what you're doing with the place and I can't wait to see your design vision realized in full. I'm so happy that we aren't the only ones taking our sweet time getting the house organized and finished--I don't remember it being this tedious the first time around, but I'm thinking it must be because these homes are so massive. Sometimes it's discouraging, but I know that the end result will be beyond fabulous, because we're working with great floorplans and upgrades.

    Did you install the ceiling pendant in your dining room? We ordered a pendant light for the kitchen and it seems like it might be a daunting task.

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  6. Awww thank you, it's feeling good to call this place home. The RH shelving is also a favorite, but was a nightmare to get inside the house. I was never a huge RH fan but it has also grown on me this year. They just released a modern collection I'm excited about.

    I did install the light fixture myself and its totally a doable diy project. Because this one was rather long I needed Chris's help to do the install.

    We're excited to see everything you guys have been putting together. How are you liking the closets?

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    1. Loving, loving, LOVING the closets! I cannot thank you enough for recommending the company to me, they did a fantastic job. My husband was being stubborn about it and insisted that he didn't really need a "system", and then literally the day before installation, changed his mind and decided that he wanted shelving. It isn't as nice as mine, but it works for him.
      My closet is a dream come true, I could not be happier. Still trying to figure some things out though, like what to do with huge robes and things like that.

      Good to know about the lighting. My pendant isn't long, but it's really much bigger than I expected so it will probably be a two person job.

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  7. Hi Owen. I found a way to post comments using my daughter's account. This is My Duyen, I emailed you directly for our Walnut Creek development in PA. I love your phase 1. Looking forward to phase 2, 3 etc. My favorites in this phase is what you have done to the front door (peep hole, wreath). I love the RH shelving and the kitchen bar stools. We are doing new haven linen cabinets and luna pearl granite too, your pictures have been a big help and inspiration. Both our bathrooms upstairs will have new haven linen cabinets as well. Now looking into 12x24 tiles. Saw your selections and leaning towards the fabrique gray or white. We will have luna pearl vanity in master bath but standard white vanity in hall bath. So not sure gray or white tiles. Splurging this time around and doing frameless shower door. Also looking into your gray tile that you used in your master bath. Is one less costly than the other or are they same upgrade level? As for hardwood my husband and I love the brown bear color that we have seen in model homes here. A little leery about the extreme dark color for seeing dusts. Other than that our children are older and we don't have any pets. Love to hear your thoughts. Thank you for responding to my personal email. My Duyen

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    1. Thank you, I'm glad your able jump into all the fun. Good move on doing the New Haven cabinets in the bathrooms, if I could go back I might have done the same. We have both the gray and white fabrique tile and I like them both. I like the white just a little tiny more :). I would choose based on the color of your cabinets. If your New Haven is white then I would not do white tiles. The frameless glass door will also be nice, wish we did that. The good news is it cost about the same to do after moving in if you needed save somewhere. The Santino tile we used in the master is the same upgrade level. I ended up mixing up different packages for the master, so we got exactly what we wanted. The brown bear hardwood is really beautiful, you won't be disappointed at all. The dust is part of the course with darker floors, it's the sacrifice we have to make.

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  8. BTW Owen, since you seem to like RH, have you looked into their paint line? We've used RH paint in all rooms on the second floor in our current home. We love their paint colors and quality. My favorite is silver sage. My Duyen

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    1. I've seen their paint line, but I wasn't so sure about buying paint from a company the specializes in furniture. Eventhough I'm pretty loyal to Sherwin Williams, I will at least check it out.

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  9. Owen, Congratulations on your new NV AC home. I recently closed on one and really enjoy it. Your interior choices are looking awesome. I read about your heat above the fireplace. Ironic, but I'm troubled by the same thing. My home theatre folks aren't recommending installing a TV above it. Does your drywall get extremely hot to level of the TV electrical outlet? Also, do you feel any blowing heat between the fireplace and drywall along the top? My drywall cracked in the middle of the above the fireplace and I wonder if it was heat related. Barring that, its awesome. Any input would be helpful. Thanks and enjoy!

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    1. Hi Robert, Thank you and congrats on your new home. So the fireplace situation was a big headache but things have worked out. The drywall definitely gets very hot with the fireplace on so forget about doing anything like a soundbar. Our TV is 70" and we mounted it 12" above the trim. What you want to get is a full motion wall mount that can pull away from the wall. Avoid the mounts that are slim profile or just tilt. My partner Chris tends to like the accordion style mounts like http://www.homedepot.com/p/CE-TECH-Full-Motion-Wall-Mount-for-26-in-90-in-Flat-Panel-TVs-31903/205597130

      We've blasted the fireplace many times and I can happily report that the TV does not get hot. The drywall in the middle of our fireplace and all of our neighbors also cracked in the same place. Apparently its common according to our PM and he recommended waiting until the 1yr drywall repair to get it fixed. Anyway, let me know how it works out.

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  10. Hi, Have you experienced heat problems with the TV over the fireplace? Where I am, people have been reported high temps--like 190 along the wall above. Mine has never worked and the guy who tried to fix it says they've gotten complaints and some TVs have melted. I also remember you mentioning terrible builder toilets. Boy am I having a field day with that one. Twice the top floor hasn't drained and backed up into the bathtub (luckily "clean" water) and the second time they came out pulled a toilet and snaked it.

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    1. Sorry--I missed the fireplace comment just above. Oops!

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    2. The fireplace is very tricky because it does get very hot. The key just like I said above is to get a full motion wall mount the pulls the tv off the wall. I'd also consider installing a mantle which should help deflect the heat. Sorry about the toilet issues, that sounds like a nightmare. My only issue with the toilets so far has to do with them being water efficient. So sometime it takes 2+ flushes to get any type of waste to go down.

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  11. LOVE LOVE LOVE your home! I am getting a home built in the Marlboro Ridge community. We have the multimedia appointment in a few weeks. Do you suggest having the speakers etc. prewired or not? Was best buy much cheaper than what the builder offered?

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    1. Hi Meia,

      Congrats on your new home. I heard really nice things about Marlboro Ridge. Thats a really great question and it really depends. If your a audiophile and really enjoy amazing sound then I would absolutely get your house prewired.

      With that being said technology has really improved and there are a ton of really great wireless solutions like Sonos, Heos and Bose Soundtouch available that can do the same things. The sound quality will be very good but won't exceed the type of sound you'd get from wired speakers like Bowers & Wilkens and Definitive.

      Again if your going to go the wired route get it done with your builder. Its not impossible to get your house wired after moving in but it will be much more complicated given all the holes they will need to cut into your walls to fish the wires through. As far as the equipment goes in our case it made more sense to purchase these after moving in. First, the selection of speakers were really limited. Second, it was way over priced. Third, I didn't want to roll over the cost into our mortgage given that this type of thing generally does not appraise well since technology tends to depreciate fairly quickly.

      I hope this helped, good luck on the appointment.

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  12. Hi there!! Came across your blog and post during a google search for the IKEA kivik sectional. Beautiful, beautiful home!!!! I'm looking into purchasing that same sectional for our den, but I'm a bit concerned with the size. I saw on their site that there is a 5-seat option and a 6-seat option, however they use the same photo for both. Argh!!! How frustrating when one is trying to plan a layout. Is yours the 5-seat or the 6, and what does the main part measure (width)? I'm referring to the part facing the TV that has the chaise. That's the side of my den I'm most concerned with because there is a door to the garage on that wall and I need to make sure the sectional is within that measurement. Thanks in advance for any help and advice you can offer.
    Elena

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