Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Week Thirteen: Closing
Last Wednesday we finally closed on the new house (hurrah!), so now it's officially ours to move into (and, just as importantly, decorate as we like). Unfortunately I didn't get around to shooting quite as many pictures of the new house as I would have liked this past weekend, so a complete tour will have to wait for next weekend, but I thought I'd go ahead and give you a taste of what the finished house looks like.
Above is a picture of the kitchen -- I'm really happy with how it turned out, especially since I had rather limited choices for finishes. The light fixture/pot rack above the island is my favorite element and I really think it finishes off the space quite nicely. As for hardware on the cabinets, I've decided to go with these (both available at Lowe's and Home Depot):
The pull will go on each of the drawers while the knob will be on each of the cabinets. It's definitely a modern look, but I tend to prefer a more modern look in a kitchen, and I don't think it's so modern as to be incongruous with my generally more transitional tastes. I couldn't believe it when I counted it all up but it looks like I'll have to purchase 14 pulls and 23 knobs for the kitchen alone; Dave is going to have quite a job installing them all next weekend. [Love you, honey!]
Also on tap for next weekend is painting the dining room. I bought a gallon of trim paint that matches the existing trim to paint out the lower third of the wall to mimic wainscoting. Above the chair rail I'll be using Farrow & Ball's Drawing Room Blue. I can't wait to see how it turns out.
On Saturday morning while I was at a bridal shower, Dave was nice enough to install the sconces I bought to replace the cheap-looking brushed nickel ones the house came with. Here they are in the master bath -- basic, but pretty, and certainly a better match to the bronze faucets and shower door than the brushed nickel ones.
The major project we undertook this past weekend though was painting my study. While the footprint of the room is relatively small, the soaring ceilings meant that we had an awful lot of square footage to cover -- and on a 14' ladder to boot! I'm so thankful that this is the tallest room we'll be tackling in the near future as it's definitely nerve racking to be up painting that high. In the end though, I'm really pleased with the result: it's exactly what I had in my mind and the dark walls really emphasize the height of the room. I also absolutely love the way the color looks through the french doors (which are on your immediate left as you walk in the house). Once we paint the dining room blue, I think the rich colors will balance each other and be a great contrast with the neutral hallway.
Some friendly advice though: painting a room deep eggplant [I used Benjamin Moore's Purple Lotus] is just like painting a room red. You'll need at least two coats to get the saturated look you're after. We didn't prim first (the paint was brand new after all), but it probably would've saved us a bit of time touching up at the end. For the first time I also sprang for low VOC paint and I will say it made a huge difference as far as smell went. The paint is virtually odorless and what little scent it does have is actually quite pleasant. While that may or may not have long-lasting impacts on my health, it obviously made it much more pleasant to paint in a confined space for hours on end.
Before I left for vacation I ordered this chandelier from ZGallerie (which is currently on back order). I can't wait to get it in so I can install it and see how it looks in the space. Not only should it up the "glam factor", but it will provide substantially more light than that undersized flushmount.
The next few weekends will largely be taken up with painting, installing hardware, waiting on various deliveries/installs and, of course packing (which I have yet to start -- yikes!). If I seem a little distracted between now and D-day [August 15], you'll know the reason and I hope that you'll forgive me.
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13 comments:
Great minds think alike-my posts today on Style Redux and Chinoiserie Chic are on aubergine. The study looks wonderful. I can't wait to see everything all done.
Congratulations Averill! I'm so excited for you. The house is beautiful and I love what you've done so far! I know you must be relieved that you're that much closer to moving in.
Holy moly, everything looks fab!! I love your pot rack in the kitchen - I've always wanted one of those but never quite had the right kitchen for it. And I'm in love with your espresso wood floors - they look beautiful!! I can't wait to see how the dining room turns out, I know I won't be disappointed, and the eggplant on the study walls is awesome - I love that you're really going bold!
Aaah!! I can just imagine the new-house smell! Love the pot-rack/light fixture combo, and the chandy you picked just about made me pass out!
The eggplant color is divine - what a perfect brainstorming and blogging space!
It all looks lovely and I can't wait to see more picks. The eggplant room is gorgeous and I love the chandelier you chose. I've been looking for something similar for our bedroom.
Question: Are your ceilings and trim white or off-white? It's tough to tell in the pics. I'm dealing with off-white trim in our house and it's totally throwing me off!
Wow - I can't believe the house is already ready! How long did it take to build from start to finish? Of course, I didn't discover your blog until you were in the WP, so it was kind of like finding out someone is pregnant when they are in their 7th month - by the time you find out, they are almost ready to have the baby!
Oh I LOVE your paint color. And that chandelier! Yes, the glam factor will go up quite a few notches when that goes up!!!
I'm so excited to see more pictures! Congrats on closing!!!
Oh Averill it looks great! I love your study. Congrats!!
your house is gorgeous! congratulations! keep your photos coming. i am so excited that you used eco-friendly low VOC paint! yay you!
Laura: Trim and ceilings are "white" from Pittsburg Paints but it's really more of a soft off-white. If I were to paint the walls a truer, bluer white, the yellow tones in the trim paint would definitely show up and read as dirty. My best advice for dealing with off-white trim is to avoid painting walls white, yellow or anything that will bring out that dirty quality.
TTI: From signing the purchase & sale agreement to closing the entire ordeal took us about 5 months (though it was almost 2 months before they even broke ground).
How exciting, Averill! I cannot believe how quickly everything has come together and it's all looking fabulous. Can't wait to see everything once you've moved in. Thanks for your sweet comment on my collage.
Wow, it's beautiful! I can't wait to see what you do with it :)
Just stunning so far but its you so Im not surprised at all!!! I feel your painting pain. 3 coats of merlot in the family room...never again!!! I'm also happy to see the builder grade gone in the bathroom, this so scream you...the other screamed donate to Salvation Army. :)
I just cant wiat to see more!!
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