Finally, a fireplace!

Okay. Almost a fireplace.

Most people come home from the hospital with a new baby and immediately fall into a kind of new baby twilight zone, where time no longer exists in the way that it previously did, sleep shifts roles from necessity to luxury, and the definition of a successful day includes hinges on everyone surviving it mostly intact. 

When we came home from the hospital with our daughter 5.5 years ago, my husband immediately ripped out our [floral bordered, old, linoleum] kitchen floor and began tiling. Our first son's arrival home coincided with a major basement flood, and so it was only natural that our newest addition inspired yet another home project. 

We intended to finalize a fireplace plan when the house was being built, but nothing felt right. We considered a traditional fireplace and immediately dismissed it, but a huge heavy stone wall didn't feel like the right thing either. It wasn't until June that inspiration finally hit, and we've gone from a big blank wall to a painter's tape outline of the bottom part to a fully designed plan that we're excited to put into action shortly.

The big blank wall as is, and also-- three cheers for no longer being pregnant! Baby Elias finally arrived early in the morning on June 20th after a thankfully quick and smooth labor.

A drawing in progress:

Getting closer:

And set! This is obviously a little oversimplified, but all of the proportions are right and so we're bringing our mantel home this weekend and will begin construction on the larger wall shortly. First order of business will be to see how sleek an 1800s barn beam can really get... I have my doubts!

We're also using this opportunity to finish our backsplash. While we originally had a very different idea in mind, we've decided to keep our low quartz backsplash for the time being and just tile behind our range up to the hood. We almost pulled the trigger on marble tiles, but as with every traditional finish we considered in this house, we ultimately have chosen a simpler but also very cool white glass tile that will set off but not compete with our pure white quartz counters.

Our sample:

Tile is on order and ready for installation:

Here we go! In the meantime, we're getting started on some outdoors projects. Those, unlike these fun interior plans, will go on forever. Good thing we have no plans to leave this place! 

E-Haus: So Close, But So Far Away!

And here we fit our first real inevitable delay of the build process.

Though the permit process has been going smoothly and our builder has been great about scheduling changes and touch ups as indicated, Mother Nature has finally put her foot down. Though this winter was the 5th warmest ever recorded in our typically snowy area, it hasn't been a dry one. The incredible amounts of rain have made for a super muddy yard, and so the top of our driveway and sidewalk in front of our house haven't been able to be installed. So we wait.

Hopefully the delay will be short and sweet, but even if it ends up being more involved, we're still incredibly lucky to have gotten through the build process with so little setbacks. Soon enough we will be embarking upon the hundreds of projects we have yet to tackle-- the best is yet to come!

In the meantime, it's been pretty exciting to see so many details come to reality as we've watched the floors and appliances get delivered over the last few weeks. We even have a giant bag of cabinet hardware ready to go as soon as we find a few minutes to install them!

I love this view of the house. From the dark hardwood floors to the richly toned light fixtures, the french doors and the giant window, I have a feeling that these two rooms are going to see a lot of action. Though billed as a "library," the first will primarily function as a playroom for awhile, and the other will serve as a cozy space for hanging out and watching tv.

This is a small but big thing, since it's one of the details that almost got overlooked in our kitchen plan. We're so excited to have a pull out trash can and compost area!

I have a feeling that I'm going to get very used to this view. Though the pendants still need corrected (the far one, if you can't tell, is just hanging out in space and will be replaced by two of the same pendant spaced out over the peninsula) and the fireplace needs a surround, these rooms make me smile hard. I especially love the high contrast counters and cabinets on the bottom.!

We have carpet upstairs! We have a love seat that's going to make for a perfect little reading nook up here, and the view isn't half-bad, either! Bets on how long the carpet will stay white?!

Laundry room! I have since seen this room with the washer and dryer installed, and though it's by no means roomy, it easily fits two front-load units side by side and we'll be installing some upper cabinets and a countertop over them shortly.

Everett loves his room! It's just about ready for his bunk beds and a modern mural.

Like I said, I can't get enough of this view. Plus I absolutely love how our giant fan has grounded this space.

A (nearly!) finished master bathroom! I have taken daily baths for YEARS, and this will be my first opportunity to do so in a roomy tub. Unfortunately the kids have informed me that they plan on joining on the regular, despite the fact that they get their own not-quite-so-roomy tub!

The master bedroom is not large, but feels airy with the addition of a  faulted ceiling. I like a cozy sleeping space, so this is perfect for us.

Norah loves her room as well! This is the only light fixture with any bling in the whole house, but Miss Nu insisted, and so we conceded the point. The double window feature and 10 foot long closet aren't too shabby, either.

Paint, trim, carpet, hardwoods, railing, balusters are DONE-- all this view needs is some decor!

The view from our entryway. Though I initially fought hard to keep the two-story foyer that was in our first round of house plans, I'm actually so happy that I conceded this point. This space is just large enough for people to come in and deposit shoes and coats in the closet or on a hook, and feels homey besides. The extra square footage on our second floor doesn't hurt, either.

I have big plans for this little powder room. Nate is so scared, but I can't wait to give this space an extra dose of personality!

We have stone! Besides the sidewalk and a whole lot of landscaping, the only thing left to do out here is to paint our front door. I'm thinking yellow. Nate is, again, scared.

E-Haus: Kitchen Cabinets

Hello.

I love you.

You are everything.

I have an iPhone note from 2013 where Nate and I outlined all of our big dreams for a future home. Besides tall ceilings (check!) and an open floor plan (double check), I wrote out three details that we knew wouldn't be able to happen for years and years: a tuxedo kitchen, wall ovens, and a big gas cooktop. Nate and I love to cook and we love to entertain, but we were never able to do it easily in our 1950s ranch. 

Though there will be more updates to come in future months and years, I am in love with our starting point at E-Haus. So much so that I literally squealed when we walked in and besides drywall everywhere (which in and of itself feels like a massive upgrade!), we have a good start on our kitchen. 

The judgy part of my brain is all kinds of frustrated with our not-ceiling height cabinets, but the upcharge wasn't feasible at this point and one of the reasons that we chose painted white uppers was for the ease of customizing them. So some cabinet customization is for sure in our DIY future.

On the opposite side of the kitchen is our window and no upper cabinets at all because we're also building some white oak or walnut floating shelves to warm up our otherwise stark color palette in here (I love it, but light gray walls + black and white cabinets + white quartz + stainless hood and appliances = stark) and to also tie in the dark hardwood floors that will be all over our main level. 

In the meantime, I will be drooling all over this kitchen exactly as it is. 

See you later. 

I love you.

You are everything.