REACHING AN EPIPHANY...WHY THE RUSH?

After all of these months, the house is still coming along.  However, every weekend I find myself getting anxious over what still needs to be done.  Wether it be changing out more windows, getting the landscaping done, or rearranging the furniture - there is always something to do.  


Well, this weekend was no different as I was pondering the dining room.  We finally got our Mid Century Drexel dining table back from Alex Rivas Upholstery, who did a great job of refinishing and making new seat cushions.  But still, the dining room is a blank canvas, and yes, a little disheveled as it is the currently the 'catch all' area for random things.  


As I was researching some design ideas, I came to an epiphany. First off, why the rush? After moving 3 times in the past 5 years, this is where we are finally (or at least for a long time) planting our 'roots'.


Finally, this is what I realized-


1) After living in this house for almost a year now, we sort of let it grow with us, as a married couple.  What is it that we enjoy about this house, and most of all, what do we love doing together? Perhaps that is one thing that becomes the center feature or core design concept of this house.


2) We love to cook and entertain. The floor plan is very open with great views, so it definitely was meant for that purpose.  


3) Over the years, we have accumulated a great library of cookbooks ranging from Momofuku to Ferran Adria to Thomas Keller. Also, I am a hoarder of beautiful serving pieces and started a collection of black cast iron Staub cookware and various pieces of black serveware from Heath Ceramics.


4) The dining room is adjacent to the kitchen, with a low wall that separates the two areas.  So...why not almost combine the two areas?

Like I warned you, the dining room is still not done!


So here is the plan! 


-Add shelving (DIY) similar to that of the living room so that it becomes a library display of our cookbooks and a way to display some of our beautiful serve/cookware.


-Incorporate the buffet, as in the image and keep scouring for the perfect bar cart!

Current kitchen photo - thought I would like the open cabinets but not really anymore. Having doors made for them...Like I said, nothing is ever really done, there is always something to do!


To some, it may be astounding as to why the house is not yet complete, after being here for almost a year.  But in all of this, I found that the process is the most exciting part, as making a house a home can not be done overnight. The beauty of it all is that when the day finally arrives when we can say we are done (or almost) it is a collaboration of both of our interests and something that we had truly put our hearts and design mind to work!


Stay tuned!  

Design Obsession - MINIMALISM

If any of you have read some of my recent facebook posts, I am in the process of packing. After a few days of this madness, I now declare myself as a 'hoarder.' Yes, I just admitted that I have a problem. 


With just my husband, myself, and our two little boys (doggies!), it is a little excessive, and yes ridiculous that we have over 100+ pieces of china, 8 Costco sized boxes of ziploc baggies, and well, too much of everything else. It is not fun being a hoarder when you have to pack it all yourself...


In the past, I felt that every wall, corner, and room needed to have 'something' - well that 'something' now means another box for me to pack. As a new resolution, I will no longer be a hoarder. The new house is a little smaller, so be on the look out for our massive garage sale! 


MINIMALISM - is what our new design goal is going to be. Living with what we need, but a little room here and there for some fun knick knacks. Here are some inspiration photos I found of some minimalistic spaces -

image from besthomenews.com

image from besthomenews.com

image from designshoot.com - love the tone on tone whites

photo by molimodesign.com - love how it is pretty minimal, but still feels warm at the same time

But for now, got to get back to more packing...

Design Obsession - Dark Floors Part II

Obsession fulfilled! 


Dark wenge floors have been installed, and I am thrilled! Like I said before, it is not exactly the most low maintenance of choices. As you can see in the pictures, dusty shoe prints are very visible, but hey, that is what a Swiffer is for! We may live in Las Vegas, but we are still Hawaiian at heart, so no shoes in the house!


Here are a few pictures after the install-

Sunken Living Room

Dining Area

More progress pictures to come!

Design Obsession - Front Doors

I love front doors, period. 


They make the first and most important design statement to anyone who enters. Not only does it welcome your visitors, it sets the stage to what follows next, like the preview to a movie, the first beat in a song. Although we are not doing any exterior work for now, the front doors will be getting a facelift!

Small Picture - Current Doors

Over the course of a few months now, I have been researching different front door ideas, here are a few that I had really liked...

image from houzz.com

image from urbandoor.com

Crestview Doors make really cool door kits that you can purchase on-line and install in your own interior or exterior doors. I am obsessed with them! All you have to do is purchase flush panel doors from any hardware store, and install these kits (each kit consist of inset frames and either glass or plexiglass) in which our GC had helped us with. 

image - crestviewdoors.com

image - crestviewdoors.com

Another obsession of mine from the DWR catalogue has been the Neutra House Numbers. For years I had these on my wish list, but what I was missing was the perfect house to install them on! 

design within reach - neutra house numbers

omnia industries - love the simplicity of these!

Stay Tuned!

Design Obsession - Dark Wood Floors

I love wood floors...


So when it came to selecting floor materials for this house, there was no question about it. I love the warmth it gives, I love the way it feels under your feet, I love the naturalness of it. 


But what tone of wood? Teak or Wenge? After much design research, and looking at our other finish selections, we chose the dark wenge - hands down. Although darker tones tend to be higher maintenance - showing every speck of dust, and eventually every dusty paw print from our two boys, I decided to just go with it...


Here are a few design examples of darker wood tones -

I love the richness and depth it adds, but it also does look more modern and crisp, especially with white walls. Floors are currently being installed, stay tuned for pictures!

Install - Day 2

As you can see in my previous posts, i have an obsession for an all white color palate.  So much, that I decided to carry it from the kitchen, into the master bath and shower. 


Shower accessories were installed today, and the frameless glass doors will go in this weekend! As a trade off for the lack of a bathtub, we decided to do a tricked out shower complete with a shower head, hand spray, and a rain head installed in the ceiling. 


Here are a few snapshots of today's install...

Hexagon Window - Original to the House

Kohler Purist - Shower and Hand Spray

Ginger Co. - Hotelier Bath Baskets

Install - Day 1

Today was the first phase of installations, I was so excited to finally see all of the pieces come together! After weeks of endless UPS and FedEx deliveries and being 'warehoused' in my current home,  the numerous fans, light fixtures and bathroom accessories finally found a permanent home at the Masters house!


Much thanks to my electrician and plumber who assisted me in this today! 


Here are a few sneak peeks - 

Kartell - E Wall Sconce at Master Bedroom

Modern Fan Company - Cirrus Ceiling Hugger Fan at Kitchen

Ginger Co. Bath Accessories - At Guest Bath

More pics will be posted soon, stay tuned!

Kellie