Design Decisions: Cabinets

I got a call the Saturday before I delivered Beckett that our cabinets were being dropped off!! I was super excited and rushed up to the house only to find out they couldn’t install the kitchen cabinets because the wood floors had to be install first. I wanted to kill Cody our project manager. It’s okay we are cool (for now), but I still constantly threaten him with life. Surprisingly he doesn’t take me seriously. (There are more fun stories with Cody to come I promise.)

So I had to blog about the floors before the cabinets hence why this post is following the wood floor post even though the design part came very early in the building process just to get you some sort of idea of the timeline here. Let’s talk about the design of the cabinets shall we…

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I trolled pinterest for kitchens that I loved. I found that I was drawn to 2 styles of cabinet doors- flat panel and slab doors. The flat panel cabinets read classic but still simple and modern.  Slab doors are very modern and sleek. Both are gorgeous options.

We felt like the flat panel would fit best with the entire style of house we are building and the one we will eventually decorate. It’s modern but not as modern as the slab.

Warning you are about to witness some crazy logic. We started thinking about the layout of the kitchen with the windows all along the left side of the room. We couldn’t have any upper cabinets on that wall. The wall with the fridge and coffee station is pretty small. Plus Nick wants a giant espresso machine. I thought it would be too crowded with upper cabinets in that small area. This leaves the range wall, but don’t you think it would be weird to only have upper cabinets on that one wall? Yea me too.

That’s right people. We are building a house with no upper cabinets, so what are we doing?

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OPEN SHELVING. Like more than anyone should ever have. We are going to need to fly in Caitlin to style the crap outta all that shelving.

Here are the flat panel cabinets and shelving in their raw state. This is the view from the living room. We sat and imagined our appliances in there…for hours.

As risky (or just plain crazy) as having no upper cabinets is, I love how the kitchen looks.  The arch doorway is a huge statement next to the open shelving. Despite my undying love for the design, I’m completely terrified to style that much space. It’s going to be worth it though. I love this angle from the kitchen into the hallway.

We did flat panel cabinets in the living room too. Remember there will be wallpaper above it eventually (hopefully). The master bath, kid’s bath, and utility room also got flat panel cabinets as well.

We didn’t totally forsake beautiful slab doors. We had them install some in the office. We did have a moment of wishing we had went with slab doors throughout when we saw these. In the end I think flat panel was the way to go. We are 100% happy with the outcome and 110% ready to tackle all that styling.

*Make sure to check out how we painted/stained the cabinets in the kitchen.

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Holiday Gift Guide for Kids

I wanted to round out our 2013 Holiday Gift Guides with the kiddo version. I tried to find gift ideas that were unique and gender neutral. Also keep these ideas in mind for birthday parties. Give something incredible (and avoid the last minute rush to Target).

1. Campfire $69 – DIY a teepee and get this great accessory for it! Win-win!

2. Bow + Arrows $22 – Start training your child to be Katniss now.

3. Pirate Rattle $88 – A little pricy for rattles, but this is a gift that I can see both my children playing with together for a long time. And it’s adorable.

4. Instagram Camera $40 – The play camera for the especially hip tot who is also into social media.

5. Grand Piano $103 – It’s the one toy that makes noise I don’t mind. Ramona has the upright version that sits next to Nick’s Rhodes.

6. Fingerprint Art Set $9.50 – Great stocking stuffer. Plus you could use it to make cards for people throughout the year.

7. Explorer Case $78 – Admittedly this makes me think of Moonrise Kingdom, but I could see Ramona outside with this for hours. Outside of the house for hours. Think of all the blogs I can read.

8. Airplane Puzzle $10 – You know we are crazy about airplanes around here, so yeah this is making the list. It’s also cheap and great for young tots…you know for that weird stage before they can play with all the cool toys meant for ages 3+.

9. Carpenter Set $40 – Start your child on the road to DIY incredibly early while simultaneously keeping them out of your tools.

10. Slingshot $18 – A classic made beautiful.

11. Blocks $48 – These seems way less painful to step on than pretty much any other block out there. I don’t really need to say more than that, but they are also wood blocks that you can make monsters out of!!

12. Balance Bike $250 – I’ve heard amazing things about balance bikes. They don’t get any prettier than this one.

Merry Christmas y’all!

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Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving friends! I hope everyone is having a wonderful, food filled day of yumminess and snuggles.

This is the month of thanks for Katja and I. So here are some notes of thanks from me! I am loving the progress on the house. I cannot be more thankful for that. It’s pretty much the most exciting thing besides my children. (Y’all are caught up with drywall, texture or lack thereof, appliances, and wood floors. There’s so much more I can’t wait to share!)

I really wanted to say how thankful I am for these goofy guys. My parents. (Hope they don’t kill me for this picture, but in all fairness it was on my mom’s Facebook.) They have let us live with them for much longer than anyone anticipated. I’m not going to lie and say it’s been easy for anybody, but we have some hilarious stories.

We watched the SNL Thanksgiving special last night. When this hometown tourism commercial came on, I couldn’t stop laughing. We are in my childhood house in my small hometown. Although my dad does not walk around in his underwear, but I do  their laundry sometimes. Enough said about that.

Happy Thanksgiving y’all! Next year you are all invited over for a giant feast.

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Holiday Gift Guide for Men

Normally when Christmas time comes around, its not too hard for me to come up with a giant list of things I want. Unfortunately, while building the house this year, I’ve shut down all internet shopping so as to avoid unnecessary (non-house) expenses. So this gift guide was a bit of a struggle for me.

But I broke this one down into my 3 main hobbies/interests: Style, Food, and Home. And if Amber can’t think of anything to get me after this, well then she’s helpless.

First up are the gifts for the Mr. Mad Style in your life (aka Mr. “Oh God please don’t call me a metrosexual”)

1 – Stafford Harris Tweed Blazer ($149)     2 – Camo Lambswool Sweater ($99)     3 – Colorblock Hooded Parka ($39)     4 – Alfred Sargent Double Monk Strap Shoes ($525)     5 – Reverse Denim Weekender ($95)     6 – Essential Belt ($40)

Next up are the gifts for Mr. Home Chef (aka Mr. “I like pig butts and I cannot lie”).

1 – Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey by John Currence ($28)     2 – Serious Eats KettlePizza Kit ($400)     3 – Maldon flake salt tin ($2)     4 – Mahogany Coffee Drip Station ($30)     5 – Whipped Cream Maker ($76)     6 – Askinosie Gingerbread Chocolate ($13)     7 – Eagle Rare 17yr

Last up is Mr. House Blogger (aka Mr. “I made the camera extra large so Amber would take the hint”).

1 – Nikon Df ($2750)     2 – Tanner Leather OMFGCO Coaster ($25)     3 – Pendleton Camp Blanket ($139)     4 – Glass Terrarium ($55)     5 – Music Hall MMF 2.2LE ($499)     6 – Wall Cabinet ($150)     7 – Best Made Co. Enamel Steel Cups ($32)

So there it is: my Christmas list for 2013. Hopefully it helps some of you ladies out on what to by your fella. Hopefully he’s really into clothes, food and houses like I am.

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Holiday Gift Guide for Women

I’m sorry we are talking gifts and Christmas before Thanksgiving, but I wanted to make sure to give you some gift ideas for you black Friday Thursday shoppers out there. If you are shopping for me, then all of these will do.

GIFTS UNDER $20

1. For Your Stocking: Bow Ring $13.50

2. For the Organizer: Jewelry Tray $19.50
This would be perfect for a nightstand for function and styling purposes.

3. For the Hostess: Dessert Plates $19.99
I love the whole Nate Berkus line. These black and white plates would look great on a tablescape for any occasion.

4. For the Social Media Guru: #Selfie $13.79 (on sale)
Perfect for the teen who needs the opportunity to take a selfie in a selfie sweater. #irony

GIFTS UNDER $50

5. For the Socialite: Rifle Phone Case $36
I love my Rifle case. Pretty much anything Ana Bond does is welcome under my tree.

6. For the Chef: Recipe Journal $30
A crocheted recipe journal. Need I say more.

7. For the Trendsetter: Christmas Sweater $39
I want this in my life and so does that person on your list.

8. For the Bag Lady: Striped + Dipped Tote $45
This tote reads blogger. Striped AND Dipped.

GIFTS UNDER $75

9. For the Crafter: Learn to Knit Kit $62
Any crafter is looking to step up their game. If they already know how to knit, yarn from Purl Soho is another great gift!

10. For the Hipster: Kinfolk Subscription $60
Technically this is $80 with the $20 shipping. Kinfolk is inspiring with incredible photos and articles. Plus it’s a gift that is received 4 times throughout the year!

11. For the College Student: Laptop Cover $64.99
This is great for anyone who has a laptop. It’s handmade goodness at its finest.

12. For the Photographer: Lomo Camera $69
We are huge fans of lomography around here, and this camera is adorable. Makes me want to take all the pictures.

Have fun shopping y’all!

Make sure to check out Dare to DIY today!

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Building: Wood Floors

Feast your eyes on pure sexiness on a floor. Yep that’s right I’m getting all hot and bothered over our wood floors. We used the same contractor that did our floors in the last house because our last floors were incredible and because he’s the guy our builder uses.

Each big change is even more exciting than the last. This was such a momentous change. I walked in and literally wanted to cry. Instead I texted my builder and John (the floor contractor). This is the photo evidence of that exchange.

We (well technically they) installed the floors in the entire downstairs with the exception being the bathrooms. Don’t they look great in Beckett’s nursery. A splurge yes, but it’s worth it. We enjoyed the heck out of our floors at the last place. Also it sticks with the whole mantra of building a house like they did in the old days but with modern luxuries.

The floors are gorgeous in their raw state. We went with 4 inch Red Oak. They were nailed down on site. Then we just finish the house around them – cabinets, trim, paint, etc. Before they can stain and scrape them to their glorious final state, the AC has to be on for 2 weeks for the floors to acclimate. This means they will be in for a couple of months before they are finished.

So that gives us time to think about how we want said floors to be finished. I love how these dark floors look especially with all the white walls (the plan). They are rich and not very glossy which makes me love them even more.

Or we could go with medium tone. I love how warm these floors are. I think this read more classic than the other finishes.

There’s also the very light, almost natural tone. Our wood has a red tint to it, so the lightest stain will still show some red tones.

Honestly, there have been no decisions made on this. We are probably several weeks away from actually picking a stain out, so what do you think? Which finish should we go with keeping in mind the paint?

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Beckett’s Newborn Photos

Even though Beckett is 8 weeks, I am just now getting around to posting his adorable newborn photos that were taken when he was almost 2 weeks. Take that as some sort of sign about how the whole having-a-newborn-and-toddler-while-building-a-house thing is working around here.

Beckett is actually a pretty good baby despite the lack of blog posts to suggest otherwise. He was incredibly chill for the first 3 weeks of his life. Then the next couple of weeks were rough. It’s not all him. It’s just hard to juggle Ramona and the build with the demands of a newborn sometimes.

Ramona adores Beckett. There are no jealousy issues. She is a little rough at times, but it’s only because she just really wants to love on him. It’s very sweet. She talks to him like he understands exactly what she’s saying. It melts my heart. He responds to her voice and acts slightly curious about whatever she does. It won’t be long until these 2 will be up to no good.

Apparently the Wills gene is strong because both of my babies look (or looked in Ramona’s case) exactly like their father. Good thing Nick is so hot! I forgot how much fun it is to see my husband with an infant. He has so much love for his children. Makes my heart explode.

My main focus these past 2 months has just been to soak up every moment. Nothing happens faster than a baby’s first year. I’m the world’s worst about documenting milestones and heck even taking pictures, but I am consumed with all the daily happenings. The snuggles, the spit ups, the coos, the blow outs, the smiles. Everything happens so fast. It’s important to take it all in despite whatever other things are demanding my attention.

I do make sure this girl gets lots of love and attention too. Although I’m convinced she’d rather have Beckett’s attention than mine. It has been a balancing act and a very difficult one at that especially when both kids are having meltdowns and I’m the only one home to deal with it. I’m not going to lie when that happens I sorta just want to have a meltdown with them.

These 3. I didn’t know you could love so much.

Kari Crowe took our photos. She was so sweet to let us use her house as the location since the dust and general construction of ours wouldn’t be such a great place for a newborn. Her house is adorable and in one of my favorite Ft Worth neighborhoods. Ramona had no nap and newborn sessions are long anyway. Recipe for disaster, but Kari was amazing. The photos are pretty darn incredible too.

Happy Monday loves!

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Building: Appliance Selections

We had to pick our appliances before the carpenter could build the cabinets, so off to Texas Appliances we went one Saturday post ice skating lesson. We ordered all our appliances with them when we remodeled our last kitchen.

We had a very meager appliance budget, so we knew going in that we would go over budget. Knowing this, our game plan was to 1) pay for the overages out of pocket and 2) not compromise because the kitchen is the most important room in the house. (We aren’t so much into compromise.) We decided we would keep our old fridge since it’s fairly new. Originally it was going to be for the laundry, but keeping things relatively under budget was more important. We felt like we could save up for a fridge later.

Full disclosure we could have stayed in budget if we bought lower end appliances, but we have said from the very beginning that it’s about spending on things that can’t wait. Upgrading appliances later would be a waste. Do it right the first time because either way you’re talking thousands of dollars. Make them count!

I’ve always had a thing for Viking ranges, so that’s where we started. Unfortunately the sales lady asked what floors we had in our kitchen. “Wood!” we exclaimed with gusto. Apparently the feet on Vikings scratch up floors like crazy. They are difficult to get in place without wreaking havoc on your floors. Plus if you get them in place without scratches just hope they don’t need any service ever.

Sad trombone. It’s really a blessing the sales lady was knowledgable and warned us. Ain’t nobody got time {or money} to deal with scratched floors from your splurge of an appliance.

So onward to other brands. Since we are dealing with builder prices, we figured it was better to just show you how much each option was over the building budget.

Option 1: Thermador (Most Expensive)

We felt like Thermador was comparable to Viking. Technically we didn’t need the microwave + convection oven with this combination since the range has 2 ovens. I don’t know maybe we need 3 ovens. Okay so we don’t. It’s just what the quote had, and I didn’t catch it until right now. You might be able to knock off $500 to $1,000 from this quote with a normal microwave.

Option 2: KitchenAid with Smaller Range (Least Expensive)

Our fridge is KitchenAid and so were all our appliances at the old house. We really liked them, so it made sense to look at KitchenAid again. We priced out the smaller range with a griddle. Since the smaller range only has 1 oven, we would have to purchase the microwave + convection oven to have a double oven set up which is more expensive than a typical built in microwave.

Option 2: KitchenAid with Larger Range

This option gave us the larger range that was similar to Thermador. It has a double oven built in, so we could go with the cheaper microwave. So what did we pick?

We went with option 3. The 48″ KitchenAid range and vent hood combination was perfect for our kitchen. We needed a stand alone vent hood that was substantial. This vent hood is definitely that. Also that range offers all kinds simultaneous cooking opportunities.

This option was $534 more than the other KitchenAid option. It seems totally worth it. This range is more of a statement and will fit along the large kitchen wall perfectly (see plan if you forgot). Plus we have saved on lighting and plumbing, so there is some give and take there.

What do you think? Want to join us for Thanksgiving? Oh wait no not this year, maybe Christmas then?

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Building: Walls without texture

Yesterday Amber talked about the house getting drywall and subsequently texture. Today I’m talking about the few spots that we didn’t want them to put any texture on and why.

One design strategy that we had going into this build was that we wanted to find places where we could use wallpaper that would be high impact without having to do a ton of it. In case you haven’t priced any recently, wallpaper is expensive before you even start to figure in costs of having it installed.

So one place we decided to wallpaper was in the living room above. Looking this direction, you see our entrance to the Master on the left and the fireplace and both sets of double doors to the patio are on the right.

The bottom part of the nook will be a built-in cabinet all the way across, just lowers (no upper cabinets), and above the built-in we’re going to wall paper. Our TV will sit on the wallpaper and we’re hoping the pattern makes the big TV less of an eyesore.

Similar to the living room, in my office I have a nook for a built-in. Also similar to the living room, we decided that we wanted to wallpaper behind that built in.

Since it’s my office, we’ll have to find a wallpaper that skews masculine (no I’m not feeling the fuschia florals), but there’s a ton of really cool manly wallpapers out there that would work for what we’re going for.

The last place we decided to skip the texture on was in the hallway from the garage. This spot we’re not wallpapering. We decided to do the full wall in chalkboard paint, similar to our last house.

In the picture, to the right, next to the door will be a locker set up and mud room set up. We thought it’d be a good place to have a wall for lists, reminders etc.

We marked the walls where we wanted to skip out on the texture. When the morning of texturing came, we threw on clothes and sprinted out the door to double check (a necessary step when building). Luckily we got there in plenty of time to see that they covered the areas like the picture above.

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Here are some wallpaper choices we’re looking at so you get a feel for what we’re going for.

**Amber Edit: There are seriously lots of wallpapers that we are considering, so feel free to chime in with opinions and suggestions. We didn’t want to overwhelm you with all the options we have looked at.

 

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Building: Drywall is Up

You’ve seen us walk through after framing, the tile roof go up, and the foam insulation sprayed in. Now the drywall is up! Yeah not really exciting stuff except it’s insanely exciting to see walls.

I mean behold how dizzyingly tall the living room ceilings look now that they have drywall! Yes I purposely took a crazy photo of the ridiculously tall ceilings. Also ignore the fact that there’s only 2 can lights up there right now.

Here’s a Beckett in the belly pic post drywalling. It took about a week to tape and texture the house. When we were trimming up the budget, we made some wall texture decisions. The original (too high for us) bid had hand trowel in the main living areas.

The bid was for a hand trowel texture like the one above. I asked if we could just have them do a flat texture instead. Sure no problem except we would have to pay double for that…when we were already cutting stuff. Flat texture takes twice as many materials and labor since it has to be completely smooth which typically requires at least 2 applications.

We decided to go with orange peel texture but as light as possible. It didn’t make sense for me to pay more for a texture that wasn’t my preference, and I wasn’t going to pay for a flat texture. Way to go budget. It just didn’t seem like a place to spend money. Hand trowel texture is something we didn’t feel added value to or decreased the value of the house. Therefore it’s money better spent elsewhere.

Also how sexy does that fully round arch look. Answer: incredibly sexy.

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