Long time, no post!

I guess all I needed was a huge snowstorm to slow me down and give me time to take pictures and post on the blog.  We are at about 19" of snow outside and because of the crazy winds last night some of the snow drifts are 3-4' high.  Our street isn't plowed so kids are playing in the street and enjoying the snow.  Erin and William stayed overnight with their grandparents at the condo so they haven't been out yet to enjoy the snow and they are somewhat 'stranded' a mile away until the streets are cleared.

Here is a picture of my wonderful husband outside making a dent in the snow.  The fact that we have two cars and a huge dumpster in our driveway did decrease his workload!

Here are some pictures of the house in its current state.  Lots of things remain to be done to pull it all together and it is frustrating how slowly everything is scheduled.  This project has gone on much longer than it should (even with my assumed delays on the initial timeline).  We are trying to stay focused and positive since we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

These are the new hall lights, we used to have a 'runway' of can lights in the entry hall way.  Now we have eliminated two and added light fixtures.  I love the new look.  The colorful ceiling decoration is the new smoke detector.  It should lose its plastic cover soon!  The framing at the end of the hallway and around the dining room opening is new.  The hallway is painted Sherwin Williams 6155 Rice Grain.

As you enter the front door, immediately to the left is the new mini hallway.  We have a bank of closets (with new Elfa closet organizers!) on the right and the new powder room at the end.  I have selected an amazing Robert Allen DwellStudio fabric to make a roman shade for this giant window.  It will look beautiful from the front door and give a bit of privacy while you're in the loo!

To the left of the bathroom are the new uber-cool sliding doors that lead to the office.  They are sliding pocket doors that are all glass with a walnut frame.  They give us the privacy we want when working or when company is over, yet still provide a huge opening when we are home and want to feel attached to the rest of the house.  The doors are from The Sliding Door Company.

The dining room looks so different with a fresh coat of paint and the pillars removed.  We are hoping it still seems spacious once we get all of our regular furniture in.  There are holes in the wall for sconces which I haven't even begun to look for!  As you can see, Erin finds this space very meditative!  Color on the wall is Benjamin Moore HC-161, Templeton Gray and all of the trim in the house is Sherwin Williams 7012 Creamy.

This is the new microwave 'drawer'.  I the kids think this is about the coolest aspect of the renovation.  Touch a button & it opens & touch a button it closes!  Personally I also think it is pretty awesome.  No more slamming the microwave door!

Here is a current kitchen picture.  I am hoping to install my light fixtures over the island today or tomorrow.  It is really coming together.  I ended up picking the more 'industrial' fixtures from Hudson Valley Lighting.  In the meantime, I think my cardboard mock-ups are pretty slick!  The old white refrigerator is looking so classy, I am really looking forward to replacing it with the new stainless one in the garage.  We have to wait until after the floors are re-finished for that.  Also notice we have the double ovens installed - and the work!

This is a shot of the new mudroom.  Jim has used old kitchen cabinets in both the laundry and mud rooms.  Many of them he has had to modify to fit the new spaces but we are pretty happy about how much we have re-purposed.  These maple cabinets have been sanded and are ready to be stained.  I am planning to stain them a medium cherry color and they will have the same counter top as the kitchen.  Again, this was a cost savings/ re-use of the rest of our slab.  The color in this room is Benjamin Moore HC-165 Boothbay Gray

 

This is the counter top material I selected for the perimeter.  I know I posted about selecting the soapstone slab and it was so exciting.  But honestly, the more I researched what the gorgeous soapstone counters looked like in 5-10 years, I knew I couldn't stand it.  It looks gorgeous upon installation and it is a fabulous counter top material if you like a 'weathered' look over time.  I found that because it needs oiling to maintain its rich grey-black patina, when you set anything that might absorb oil on it (rubber pads of a blender, a wet glass, etc) it sucks the oil out and leaves a mark.  As a result you have to keep re-oiling it to make it look 'even'.  I am not up for that sort of maintenance and for those of you who really know me - I like things to look very neat and clean all the time.  So that was not the material for me.  Instead I selected a Caesarstone counter top called 'Raven' that is an engineered quartz material that requires next to no maintenance.  The Raven color will be on the perimeter cabinets and a creamy color called 'Tigris Sand' will be on the island.  As of now (depending on weather) the counter tops are slated for delivery and installation on Friday, February 4th! Hopefully there will be more pictures to post after that!