The Waiting Game

So, we're still waiting for that final permit so that they can actually start building! Everyone I have mentioned this to has responded with some variation of "Well, there's bound to be some hold ups in the process," which is true but frustrating since this particular stressor could have been helped if everyone was transparent from day one. And yes, other hold ups are bound to happen, from delayed shipping of materials to bad weather to-- I don't know-- slower than expected contractors. I'm just ready to get this show on the road!"

The upside of our slow start, of course, is that we are getting extra time to make our finish selections and save up money for other purchases to come. We are waiting on our initial kitchen layout so that we can finalize that plan, but in the meantime, we have pored over our samples and decided on our exterior stone:

The color scheme was simple enough since we have known that we wanted a rich gray exterior almost from day one, but who knew that there were so many varieties out there? Ultimately we wanted something that was a little irregular and less tetris-like in appearance, but that also flowed with our otherwise modern aesthetic, so Rustic Ledgestone in Onyx easily won out here. 

As a side note, I am sure that there are more curated ways to go about choosing stone-- like going to a stone yard, for example-- but budget dictated that we go with builder's choice on this one. And frankly, I love the options we came away with, so I'm feeling like this is a win-win for builder, budget, and the building itself. Yay!

I've also been getting WAY far ahead of myself by dreaming things like couches and lighting and rugs. Here are some of the things I've been loving, liking and lusting after lately. First, this West Elm couch.

LOVE:

At just under $1300 for my ideal set of options (86.5 inches, ink blue performance velvet and poly-fill for maximum looks and minimal risk for disaster in my very child friendly house), it ain't too bad. I've been crushing on versions of this couch for a few years now, so it's probably going to worm its way into my house. We've had leather couches forever, and they are classic and probably always going to be workable, but they're just not as cozy as fabric couches in my option, and plus I love the idea of adding in a tiny bit of color to our otherwise neutral home palette. 

(Also, palette versus pallet versus palate is quite the complicated trio of words. I wrote out each option before I was satisfied that I was using the right one up there.)

I'm less certain about this next option from Overstock, but it definitely fulfills the high style and low risk theme I'm going for with furniture for the time being. The price also varies and I've seen it dip low, which is where I'd buy. 

LIKE:

Essentially, I love them, and I know that they are a knock off of expensive but classic Eames dining chairs, but MCM is having such a moment right now that I'm worried about going too "Basic" or trendy or that maybe it's inappropriate to go with the cheap knockoff when I know better. They are wipeable and also low profile, which will make Nate happy since he has an aversion to hefty dining room chairs. The table that they will go with doesn't exist yet, but we've been batting around ideas. It's going to be custom-built by us, maybe with lumber from trees from our property that have to be felled. All that to say, we could make any chairs work.

And third, the rug from Anthropologie that I love and will never ever have, for all kinds of reasons.

LUST:

And that concludes the window shopping for today. Back to real life and relevant decisions!