Bedroom Mood Board / Colour Scheme

This is my current mood board / colour scheme inspiration for our Master Bedroom.

What do you think? 

Kitchen Reveal

 

 

 

 

I love my kitchen in our new build. I think it hits all the boxes in terms of how I imagined & planned it would all look. I shared these photos on Instagram but I thought I'd share them here too. I adore the lights above the island & how large the island is. 

We decided to go with a hex tile for our backsplash last minute also rather than the penny tile as mentioned earlier since it was closer to what I had hoped for- it just took us visiting a number of tile stores to find the right ones & purchasing ourselves rather than having the local supplier the builder contracted provide. They are made by Tierra Sol. 

I am so glad we decided to add the large window beside the dining room table even if there would be another house built beside us. I love windows & light spaces. As it turns out right where the window meets the next house is where their deck is so we will get great light still. It's a little awkward to be eating breakfast and look up & see builders or the new home owners on their deck but in time I will add in some shears or some kind of window treatment. I have yet to decide on window treatments &/or make new drapes. Also we are yet waiting on the microwave/trim kit for the oven wall combo. It was back ordered but should arrive this month sometime. 

I had envisioned a more industrial bar stool/chair but these are very comfortable and were a fraction of the price.

Here are some links back to the planning process:

Lights

Kitchen Configuration

Show Home Kitchen Inspiration

Lights Out

Where was I last post? Oh right lights, the disco party door, and kitchen layout. 

This post will feature lighting.

First up: Eglo 

I loved the vintage collection and after much deliberation decided copper! 

Because of course Tom Dixon Copper Light! Hello Gorgeous! As in $1500 gorgeous! I saw one site listing these for $860 but not sure if that was true...I didn't stay long enough to find out. And really you would need more than one for the true effect. Maybe one day I could change out the dining room light for one of these! 

Or just dream about it!

I wondered if all copper was too much... Or too matchy matchy so I deliberated among these lighting combinations also from Eglo...

But then when I had finally made my choices I learned this vintage line would not be available in Canada. I had just spent two weeks pondering combinations. It's like when you try on a thousand dresses and finally narrow it down to eight, then four and finally one only to find out that after returning to the shop to purchase it that it sold the day before. Or something like that. Except in most cases then you would just buy the runner up dress. 

So moving on from Eglo...

Next up: Kichler

We had returned to the store by this time after deciding possibly looking online at the list of websites provided by the supplier was a waste of time. After wandering around the store and talking to Erroll we decided on the Brinley Collection

This was to be the dining room light fixture.

Four of these above the kitchen island.

And above the stairwell.

Then I started second guessing as I do and wondered if again I should not do all the same lights...Plus L was not keen on this collection...so back home I went to the websites and deliberated for much too long.

I liked the Everly Collection and also the Hatteras Bay Collection. Here are some of my choice picks...

In the end of all that deliberations I learned that with a vaulted ceiling my choices were limited and I could not have a light fixture with a pole. Both the Hatteras & Everly were knocked out of the running. 

So after all that deliberating I finally chose:

Island lighting x 4: The Brinley Mini Pendant 

Stairwell Light: Russell Pendant (this ended up being a budget choice)

And Dining Room light: Grand Banks Chandelier

I still some days wonder if I should have gone all Brinley or this combination. What are your thoughts? I found picking lights the hardest design aspect because I just can't picture how it will look in the space by looking at a photo of a light online. I almost need to see how it looks in a room. 

Also any suggestions on having the baby nap more than 30 minutes at a time during the day (mid-morning, early afternoon, late afternoon/early evening) or is that enough? Or is this just a phase? She seems a little grouchy with this little sleep during the day especially by early evening. Thankfully she is a better sleeper at night and we can sometimes go 4 or even once she went 5 hours. Baby J is 6 weeks today. 

I'm excited to have found a new app that will let me hopefully (fingers crossed) post from my iPad rather than firing up Ls computer. If it works I am excited by the ability to post more frequently. 

Mid Century Modern Crush

If you find me watching television my channel of choice is HGTV. I have a girl crush for Joanna Gaines on Fixer Upper. I love her style.

My other channel of choice is W when Love it or List it Vancouver is on with Jillian Harris. I adore her. But that is for another post.

I was swooning watching a recent episode of Fixer Upper and had to track down some of the photos from the mid century modern. Gasp! I'm crushing hard on this home.

Look at these banks of windows! The white open airy spaces, carmel wood, the horizontal lines!

I love mid century modern. While my new home is not a mid century modern home I always like to glean aspects of styles I love and incorporate them. I have been on the look out for a mid century modern credenza or sideboard to use as a change table for baby J's nursery for forever and I never seem to find any within my geographical sphere. I love teak! If you have any recommendations for where I can find one for a reasonable price do comment.

I cannot get over how inexpensive it is to have a home such as this in Waco Texas. This house I think I recall them saying they paid close to 100K and that left nearly $90K for renovations. 

I have anxiety over how much our home will cost when it is finished. My anxiety is multiplied currently wondering if our house will sell before our new build is finished in less than 2 months time. We have had to reduce the price of our house in hopes of selling it soon. Did we dream too big?

I too often live in fear. What if we fail? What if we have over extended ourselves? What if we are unable to sell our house? What if L loses his job? I watched this video by Joanna Gaines this afternoon. It is a beautiful reminder of where to fix our eyes.

Show Home Kitchen Inspiration

This past Saturday I visited several show homes. I love to traipse through homes and look at finishes, colour choices and glean design inspiration. Often in defining your style it is just as important to identify what aspects you do not like. Since we are having our home built I have the fun task of designing my kitchen, within limits of course. Many of these homes are million dollar homes and so I intend to take elements from some of these and fit them within my budget.

This was the first kitchen I viewed in a very modern home with clean, crisp lines and concrete floors. I did not like the polished concrete floors. We do not have the option of this finish for our cabinetry but L and I both agreed we like the modern look and the high contrast. I especially love the dark window frames. I will have to see if that is an option.

In this example, the cabinets are primarily dark and the quartz is very light, along with the floors. I do like the light counter tops but find the dark cabinetry a little much. Here and in several others homes I viewed I saw the oven and microwave on the side wall alongside the refridgerator. I really like this! I am not a fan of the wallpaper in the kitchen or that strange trim separating the upper cabinets. Several of the homes also had quartz that framed three sides of the island. I think I will skip on that style.

By contrast this kitchen is very light. I am leaning towards two tone cabinetry dark on the bottom, white granite and light upper cabinets. I liked the example of the range hood in this example.

Swoon! There were so many elements in this example that I loved. The floor, the dark cabinetry with the high contrast, the white quartz, the gas range top with the oven and microwave on an opposite wall, the backspash, the lighting above the island, the dark windows and crisp white walls. This is a u-shape kitchen, I have had one of these types of kitchens, but am excited that my new kitchen will be open concept. The huge fridge in this example is a bit much for my liking.

Here is another example of a modern kitchen. I thought the island/bar combo was a little odd as is the two tone cabinetry above the range top. I did like how it came out slightly at the range and the deep drawers as well as the fridge, stove/microwave combo on the opposite wall.

Here is an example of a microwave range hood. I have decided this is not the way I want to go. We will have that funny pantry door in the corner also. It is just the way it has to be. 

I was very happy to find this example last of all because I think it best explained to L what I want to do with our kitchen and is the exact same set-up. Also the colours are almost spot on.

I do wish I had a pantry like this... but never mind it is still going to be lovely.

Fox & Rabbit Help Needed

Hi all!

When I was in Grande Prairie I saw these amazing plates at the Dream Home. I love them! Please help me by commenting if you have seen them in a store (or if you are from Grande Prairie and happen to re-visit the Dream Home) as I would like to purchase these but do not know where they are from.

Aren't they the cutest?!  I mentioned them to someone and they said who would want to eat off a plate with a rabbit or fox. I totally disagree. They are the best. So there! 

Also this kitchen was pretty amazing! I wouldn't mind cooking up a storm in here and having a dinner party or two.

Plus did you see how they hung those drapes in the dining room! (See photo 3 of this post) Design inspiration alert! I totally have the same windows in my kitchen. A big window and then this really awkward one beside with a door. I wondered do you make a small curtain or not for it. Now I know! As my house is almost for sale right now...I am just waiting for the listing to be validated I probably won't try to make new curtains for this place but I will take this knowledge on my next adventure.

8/9/2015 Update: Thank you LS for messaging me where to find the plates!! These Dapper Animal Plates designed by Rachel Kozlowski have been purchased from West Elm, delivered and now are waiting to be unwrapped and for a party to be planned. I love them! When I purchased only the fox and rabbit was in stock now I see that the doe and owl are also. I just love the owl and may have to add him to my collection.