A year later

Here's the living room, with a few more decor additions.

A more recent pic of the pool area now that things have grown in a bit.

Ready for Christmas. All that's missing is a dry martini and Dean Martin on the stereo:

Just for good measure, a photo of one of the kitchen outlet covers which we *did* do something about with copper colored spray paint from Ace Hardware.

Next: Zebra stripe carpet runner on the staircase... photos coming soon.

Pool pics

Thought I should finally post some photos of the pool, now that it's done and we're actually using it!
I really love the pool. I love sitting next to it with a book, I love looking at it from inside the house and maintenance has not been the headache I was warned about. All I've had to do is add chlorine and check the water chemistry every few days. So far it's been very easy. Of course now that I've said that, tomorrow I'll wake up to a green algae bloom!

House exterior done!

The landscaping is finally in! Here's a before and after photo of the front of the house, showing the complete transformation.

Okay okay! more pictures!

I have been putting this off because the house is still such a mess, but here are a couple of more photos.

Exterior before and after. The door is now bright red, although it's hard to see in this photo:






















Another kitchen photo. Notice the bar stools match my KitchenAid mixer. Also, the refrigerator is a regular full size fridge, but we had our cabinet maker build cabinetry around it to create the illusion of a cabinet-depth fridge. Fancy, huh?

Living Room Before:

Living Room After:






And a photo of the new living room furniture. The ottoman is backordered until July. UGH. Landscaping is finally happening today and the pool will be filled this weekend.




Here's a photo of the master bath vanity. The blue/green glass tile took some getting used to but now I love it because it makes me think of the Carribbean, which I probably won't be seeing again for a few years *sob*.

Moving on up!

Finally the day arrived. We moved in! Although the house isn't 100% finished yet. The laundry room floor tile was backordered, and the landscaping isn't finished. That should happen this week. Here are a couple before and afters. Sorry if one or two are blurry. Also, unlike most people who post photos of their kitchens, mine is not pristine. We are still unpacking and it's very evident.

Dining area before:












Dining area after:














Kitchen before:




Kitchen after:

Oh look! an update!

The backsplash was installed last week. Of all the design elements, I took the biggest risk here. I had originally wanted a 60's retro look with perhaps an avocado colored tile, or small square tiles, but the more I looked the less I liked them with our shiny black counter top and the horizontal grain cabinets. Small tiles seemed too busy and other ceramic tile was too shiny. So I went with an unusual choice... large format (24"x24") porcelain tile called 'Corten' in brown copper. The effect is that of old weathered metal. It doesn't photograph very well but the effect is kind of industrial. (I will be doing something about those outlets, ugh.)




It's so hard to see in these photos but the copper color of the tile matches the coppery colored flecks in the black galaxy granite. Even though brown and black don't usually go together, these seem to, at least I hope they do!

"Donde esta Susana, en la sala? No, en la cocina

That's from my 7th grade Spanish textbook. I still remember the whole dialog.
Cocina = kitchen, and that's where Susana is, and that's what I have here... my new kitchen. The colors aren't right. Where you see purple, that is really frosted glass. The cabinets will mahogany, full overlay, contemporary style. And the counters are black galaxy granite, which is black with little gold flecks. The appliances will all be stainless steel, not black. I still need to pick drawer and cabinet pulls.

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I ended up going with the layout that a stranger on the internet came up with vs. the design our architect created. A victory for women everywhere who instinctively understand how a kitchen should function. At the end on the back wall, that is my desk. I left it at counter height so it can still be used as 'kitchen' space. The horizonal cabinets above with frosted glass will lift up, garage style. The cabinet underneath to the right will house my printer. Nifty, huh?

I'm conflicted about those open cabinets next to the window. They look unfinished to me, and the plan now is to put doors on them, afterall.




The double ovens are actually an oven and microwave.



yes, that is a prep sink across from the main sink. It just had to be that way. My architect was very skeptical and tried to talk me out of it but in the end he conceded that it was a smart design.







The only appliance still left to to purchase is a vent hood. Who knew it would be the most difficult decision so far? Of course the styles I love are over $2000 but I refuse to spend more than $700. The appliance below the cook top is a warming drawer, which I've always wanted. The cook top will be induction, which is the #1 item I am MOST excited about in this kitchen.