The last couple of weeks have brought some new changes to the house. One of the rooms that Jim and I love the most is the “Lake Room.” It gets its name from the view of the lake out of the bay window. From the first time I walked through our house, before we had even bought it, I thought that this bay window would be perfect for a window seat.
It would be the sweetest place to read, have morning coffee and take in the entire lake in one view. Enzo, our dog, loves this window and even though he can’t tell me in words, I am certain he would agree that the building of a window seat in this special spot is a fine idea. I had been struggling with how to arrange furniture in the lake room and just could not come up with a design. Something was missing but I couldn’t put my finger on it. While watching a virtual home tour, that the Detroit Edison Historical District was having during the holiday season, highlighting their beautiful homes, their architecture and design, the arrangement of this room became clear. One of the homes that was spotlighted had a room similar to our lake room. What became apparent was that the missing piece to our design puzzle was the charming window seat I had always wanted. One of the homes showcased had a window seat that set the tone for the whole room. After speaking with our contractor, it looks as if this feature will bring charm to our home as well. Since the inclusion of the window seat, the design for furniture in this room has fallen into place and we are now in search of a comfy sectional sofa to complete the room. I cannot wait for this room to be done.
Design elements for the interior are beginning to be finalized. Last weekend Jim and I picked out the quartz that we are planning to utilize for our countertops and island in the kitchen.
I have always loved Carrara marble. To me it is one of the most beautiful types of stone. Over the years I planned to use this for an island, if ever I had the chance. However, too many people have told me what a bad plan that is. I have decided on a quartz island that “looks” like Carrara marble. Being that true marble is very porous, stains come easy and unless that is the look that is being sought after, true marble is apparently, not a good idea.
The plan is for the island to be 12’x6’. Much to our chagrin most quartz only comes in 11 ft. slabs or smaller. In order to have a 12’ island a seam will be necessary. Jim spent the better part of 2 days trying to figure out how we could redesign our island so that a seam would not be necessary. The benefit of being married to an engineer?? We spoke with a number of friends that had seams in their islands, to see how much this bothered them. Jim researched different ways to make the seam less visible. In the end we decided to stay with the designed island and have a seam in our stone. Most of the friends that we spoke with didn’t feel like they even noticed the seam. I don’t know if Jim has completely settled this in his brain just yet, but we have decided to move forward as planned with the 12' island. Baking has always been one of my hidden passions and the thought of having this island to roll out dough and spread ingredients on, is just so fun to think about.
Items coming up on our to-do list include final decisions on faucets, sinks, showers and tubs. Tomorrow we head out to do just that. We will begin to finalize flooring, both our tile and hardwoods, and finish choosing countertops. With longer lead times necessary for appliances these days, we hope to start ordering what we need within the coming weeks and certainly within the month. I am starting to find excitement in the process of making this home exactly what I want it to be and am so happy to move on from the world of crawl spaces and floor joists.
As our kitchen subfloors were laid this week and walls to the new kitchen should begin to
take form, I am excited with the rebirth of our house. Although to some it may still look like a dirt hole, to me it is starting to grow into the home I hope it will be. I have to admit, I am still more than a bit skeptical about an “end of May’ move in date, but one can hope!
More important than the progress on our house this week, Jim and I await the arrival of our sweet little grandson, Nash, due January 27. Fingers crossed, Nora’s new little brother arrives soon and is a healthy, happy little guy. Nora’s world is about to change but from experience I can tell her it will be the best change of her young little life.
Two littles in the house…..what more could I really ask for.
Stay well,
Laura