Week Five: A Tour Inside

Last Saturday Dave and I took Dave's grandmother and her best friend on a tour of our new house. Both widows in their 80s, these ladies drive around the South and Southwest volunteering their time and energy to various Christian charities and churches and I am constantly amazed by their energy and faith and we had a great time visiting with them. In any case, as promised, I took a few pictures of the inside to give y'all an update on the progress. I am still amazed at how much progress has been made in just about a month's time. After all, just a few weeks ago, the house looked like THIS.

When you step into the house, you're greeted by this two-story entryway and gently curving staircase (both two of my favorite features in the design). On the immediate right is the dining room; on the left, the study, which will be separated from the hall by french doors. Straight ahead is the family room, with kitchen off to the right.

The family room's primary feature is a huge wall of windows that overlook the backyard (right now, just a bunch of Texas red clay). The other prominent architectural feature is the fireplace, with large nooks on either side. Once we move in, Dave and I are hoping to create some built-in shelves/storage in each nook for books, pictures, and maybe even a small TV. This picture was taken from the kitchen, which will be separated from the rest of the family room by a bar-height counter.

The original plan also had a large nook over each of the lower nooks as well as over the fireplace. Fearing too many holes would make the wall look busy and just become collectors of useless ephemera and dust, I had them removed.

Since we toured the house late in the day, the long shadows made it difficult to photograph many of the rooms. Here's a shot though of our master bath in its current state, complete with the tub smack in the middle of the room, and a view into the closet and study beyond.

The entryway from the top of the stairs. I love the west-facing clerestory windows at the top, which will let in plenty of afternoon light.

Here's a shot of the exposed ceiling on the second floor. At this stage you can still see everything, including the huge amounts of wiring running through all the walls and up clear to the roof.

Unfortunately, I paid absolutely no attention to the location or number of recessed light fixtures in the house when we customized the plan. Since so many homes seem to come with limited lighting, I may have been a little afraid to actually get the answer and had already factored into my budget the likelihood of having some installed myself. After taking a close look though, the house appear to have ample lighting in the "public spaces", though it looks like I'll have to be added much of my own lighting to the bedrooms (which is fine, since I think recessed lighting can be a bit harsh for a bedroom anyway).

Alas, this picture is almost too dark to be worth posting, but I went ahead and included it anyway so you could see the window seat that's going into one of three bedrooms upstairs. I've always loved the idea of a window seat (though in practice how often does one actually sit in it?) and completely forgot that one was included in the design, so this was a very nice surprise on Saturday when I saw it.

This is Dave's "man room" (also known as the media room). The curved ceiling and small windows should give the room a nice, cozy feeling. By the way, does anyone know why some of the lumbar is hot pink? We had Borax (an anti-termite treatment) put on the lumbar used in the foundation, but that turns wood bright blue, not pink, so I have no idea why we've got pink here.

This week, much of the construction will be on hold while various inspections are done to confirm all the wiring, etc. is correct before they Sheetrock the walls. Once Sheetrocking begins (hopefully next week!), things will really start to come together and I'll be back with more updates.

Nursery: Quick Midweek Update

I came home today to find a completely painted nursery; what a wonderful midweek pick-me-up! I'm loving how bright and clear the pale aqua is. Now all that's left is to starting loading in the room. Stay tuned!

{I should note that I didn't have a surprise visit from the painting fairies. Dave and I decided to bring in the professionals for this paint job given the fact that I'm 32 weeks pregnant and time is of the essence. I have to say though that I could get used to this; so much better than spending my weekend taping, painting and then cleaning it all up!}

In case you've missed out, you can catch up on this nursery design project by clicking HERE and HERE. Also, don't forget to enter for your chance to win a Binth Baby Book! I'll be announcing the winner Friday morning.

Happy Second Anniversary, Odi et Amo!

{If I could give you each a Sprinkles cupcake, I would!}

Today marks the completion of my second year as a blogger. 2010 was definitely an exciting time for this little blog as I saw my readership quadruple over the course of the year and my focus -- and my voice -- shift slowly towards the more personal (but I suppose pregnancy will do that to you).

Last year at this time, I featured a roundup of my favorite posts, all of which focused on interior design. This year, I thought I'd celebrate with a roundup my own design projects that I've documented here on the blog over the past twelve months (as well as previews for what's to come in 2011!):

February 2010

The Master Bathroom

March 2010

Sprucing Up a Credenza

March 2010

The Powder Room

April 2010

Mini-Makeovers for My Home Office

July 2010

The Family Room



December 2010
The Master Bedroom - Stay Tuned for an Update!

December 2010

The Backyard



January 2011
The Nursery - Stay Tuned for an Update!

I can honestly say that without the encouragement of my readers -- and the pressure of getting things done so I could have some blog content -- I would not have been nearly as productive in my mission of turning my new, somewhat cold, house into a home as I was (even if I didn't get it all done). While I doubt any home is ever truly "done" (and goodness, how boring would that be?!), I do feel our home reflects us and our tastes so much more than it did a year ago. Many thanks to you all for your continued support,  kind words and generous spirits. I look forward to a third year of blogging, this time with baby in tow!

Gratias vobis ago!

Nursery: Progress Report

Over the course of the holidays, despite plenty of company and my growing fatigue (and belly!), I did manage to get a good bit done in the nursery. When we last left off, the spare bedroom was essentially our storage room, which meant the first task was clearing it out. After several trips to Goodwill, we managed to empty the room and get cracking. Dave's big task was to remove the light and install the new fan, which has the added benefit of being on a dimmer. I like how the fixture has an old schoolhouse vibe; it's definitely the kind of piece I can use long after the crib is gone.

We've also purchased several of our "big ticket" items like the crib and the dresser (both of which are from Oeuf's Sparrow line). The dresser will double as a changing table. I had initially planned on buying a separate changing table, but decided the temporary convenience of a separate (and higher) space didn't really justify the additional cost. I also got DwellStudio's Draper rug, which ties in with the fitted stripe sheet and I really think it's going to make the room. 

My big DIY for the nursery last week was making the crib skirt. I used the Alphabet Tales print from Osborne & Little's Zagazoo line. While my mom taught me the rudiments of sewing when I was younger, I'm hardly a seamstress, so I opted to go the no-sew route with some Stitch Witchery, an iron and this short DIY video courtesy of Young House Love. Sherry does a wonderful job of walking you through it, so I won't take you step by step here. Instead, I'll just throw in my quickie advice: make sure your measurements are accurate for each side before you cut (and measure the inside, not the outside, of the crib for accurate dimensions, taking into account any support slats, screws or other obstacles that may keep the skirt from laying flat).

After hemming each panel with the hem tape, I used fabric glue to secure orange grosgrain ribbon along the bottom edges and secured each panel to the crib with Velcro (the stick-on kind for the crib and the iron-on kind for the panels). While the skirt might withstand a few washings, it's certainly not for the ages -- indeed, I even had to do some impromptu (and very hackneyed) cutting once I installed the panels to get the skirt to lay flat despite the support slats behind each leg. That said though, I think it looks good and I'm happy with the results.

The nursery is connected to a Jack-and-Jill bathroom that I'm also sprucing up (in the same color scheme) in time for BB Conn's arrival. I found some adorable towels in orange and aqua off ideeli a few months ago, but I'd been having a lot of trouble finding a shower curtain that I really liked in the same colors that didn't read as too juvenile (after all, this bathroom is also connected to our guest room). And so, I decided to make my own...well, I prettied up my own in any event.

I purchased an inexpensive plain white fabric shower curtain and some grosgrain ribbon in orange and aqua. I then used fabric glue to adhere the ribbons to create a wide band across the bottom of the curtain. I actually eye balled the spacing but if you're a bit unsteady (or a perfectionist), then I'd suggest marking your distances with a washable fabric pen. While the fabric glue does a reasonable job of keeping the ribbon in place, I knew that I needed to sew down the ribbon along the edges to really get them to stay flat and hold up in a damp environment (and in the washing machine).

Under the watchful eye of my mother, I used a sewing machine to sew down the edges. I used a clear thread to avoid having to change out the thread for each color. A great tip from my mom: sew the right (or left) sides of all four ribbons in one go and then turn the curtain around and sew the other sides down. This will keep the ribbons from puckering and ensure they lay flat.

Of course, there are still a number of items to check off the list in the next 8 weeks or so before I can call this room complete. Here's the status of my to do list as of last weekend:

(1) Clear the room. 
(2) Paint the walls (Benjamin Moore's Forget Me Not) and ceiling (Benjamin Moore's Icing on the Cake). [Note: I have, for once, decided to outsource the paint job to professionals; hopefully, my painter will be out in the next week or two to get this done.]

(3) Order the crib, dresser, glider and rug.
(4) Install the ceiling fan.
(5) Sew the crib skirt.
(6) Build the pelmet box for the window and upholster in the O&L fabric.

(7) Sew covers for throw pillows to go on glider and window seat.
(8) Order artwork and frames.

(9) Establish a furniture arrangement that optimizes space.
(10) Purchase/install floating shelves above the dresser for photos and diapering essentials.

(11) Arrange and hang wall art.
(12) Organize baby's closet -- wash and fold clothes, store toys and gear, etc.

I'm pleased with the progress so far, but my nesting instinct seems to have kicked into high gear here in the last week or so (perhaps something about hitting the 30 week mark?) and I'm ready to power this out quickly now. I'll keep you posted!

The Backyard is (Finally) Finished!

Back in August I posted some pictures showing off some preliminary work we'd done to our backyard. Well, four months later I am thrilled to report that we've finally finished landscaping and that I couldn't be happier with the finished results. While we spent a huge chunk of my 2010 bonus on the yard, both Dave and I believe that we've managed to create a little something out of the ordinary, something that would set our home apart from our neighbors, and somewhere that we'd be happy to spend our spare time given that Baby Boy Conn's arrival will almost certainly mean an end to our big trips (at least for now). In short, I think it was worth the money...and the wait.

Probably the single biggest change to the yard was the extension of the patio and the construction of the pergola. We decided to go with the same brick as the house and the same paint as the trim for a seamless look and I must say that the finished product looks like it came with the house.

Our landscaper Kevin insisted that we must have pots (and big ones!) for annuals and some small citrus. Dave was hesitant initially (both because of cost and an inexplicable aversion to pots) but we found some simple, inexpensive gray pots at a local garden center that blended perfectly with the crushed granite beds and that we're both happy with. I must say that these may be my single favorite element in the design as they add both height and color around the patio.

The side entrance to the backyard has been transformed from ho-hum to something quite lovely. Note the Meyer Lemon tree on the right. I can't wait for those babies to ripen so I can use them to make some lemon pistachio cookies for the holidays! We still need to add a few pavers to the pathway (and let the grass grow back in), but come spring when the hydrangea bloom this corner of the yard will be almost magical.

We decided to erect a few screens to block the view of our red brick fence (which isn't awful, of course, but it does rather clash with the brick on our house). I love the circle motif on the screens, which echo the circular fire pit and break up all the straight lines of the fences. Vegetation is a mix of tropicals (an orchid tree, hibiscus), citrus (several orange varietals), native Texas plants, and more traditional garden plants (camilas, roses, etc.).

Absolutely love the vivid silver of the Texas sage, especially against the darker green of the rose bushes. Can you see the large planters behind the screens? They've been seeded with wildflowers and I'm looking forward to seeing what pops up this spring.

The patio extension and fire pit are flanked by six crepe myrtles, which come spring will be in full bloom through most of the summer. We've planted a few wisteria at the base of the pergola. Kevin promises that they'll quickly grow up and along the pergola, creating a wonderful canopy of violet and deep green. I love the romantic quality of wisteria -- there's something very Southern about it -- and I look forward to spending some quiet afternoons sitting outside, sipping lemonade and playing with the baby.

Ah the fire pit: Dave's big "want" that I'll admit I was a bit dubious of at first. I insisted we put it away from the house and Kevin came up with a great solution for making it blend in perfectly with the rest of the design. The low wall behind it provides excellent seating for toasting marshmallows or just sipping a beer or two. We actually built a fire on Sunday for the first time and had a lovely time sitting outside in the chilly weather enjoying the smell of burning wood (it's rather intoxicating, no?) and watching the fire. I'm having family over for Christmas Day dinner and I'm hopeful that the weather will cooperate so we can build another fire and move the party outdoors.

If you live in the greater-Houston area and your yard is in need of some serious sprucing up, I'd highly recommend Kevin Boyd (of Nature's Realm) for any sort of landscaping or hardscaping needs. He was by far the most creative landscaper we spoke with and his ideas really helped make our less-than-defined vision a reality.

Master Bedroom Design: Progress Report

It's been a few months now since I first posted about my plans for our master bedroom, but I promise that I didn't forget about it, despite my baby haze. In fact, real progress has been made towards achieving my initial vision and I'm excited to share the changes the room has undergone in recent weeks.

I've swapped out our queen size bed with a larger king. I selected a modern, black version of a Shaker pencil post bed from Ethan Allen to help fill up some of the vertical space in the room. I had initially considered getting the canopied version of this bed and leaving the canopy frame bare, but ultimately decided to go with the four-poster (though it can always be converted to a canopy later fairly inexpensively).

My almost all-white bedding also got traded out with far more colorful peacock dove bedding from DwellStudio. For me, this is the change that really makes the room...well, make sense. The print brings out the blue-gray of the walls, the metallic slate gray of the ceiling and even the black of the bed frame. The print's modern take on Chinoiserie helps tie in the existing Japanese woodblock art above the bed. In short, the bedding looks like I picked it out first (rather than vice versa, which I'll admit was a bit ass backward of me but no matter...) and based the entire room around it.

The other major change in this space is that I replaced the too small, matchy-matchy side tables with a larger side table and long dresser. Initially, I had planned on going with all-mirrored options, but ultimately selected these white and mirrored babies from ZGallerie's Concerto line for two big reasons: (a) I am way too type-A to not let smudged mirrors get to me -- and, let's face it, they'd inevitably get smudged, cracked, etc. with a new puppy and a baby on the way; and (b) these pieces were way, way cheaper than the ones I had initially chosen. As an added bonus, I got them in just a few short weeks instead of the typically 8-12 week lag of more expensive furniture. I was a bit concerned about quality given the relatively low price and the fact that I'd never purchased ZGallerie furniture before, but I'm happy to report that these are both very solid, well built pieces that look far more expensive than they actually were.

So what's left? Well, I still need to trade in my drab, too small 5 x 8' rug for a larger, punchier 6 x 9'. I'll still mulling over whether or not I am going to go for the Madeline Weinrib Greek key, which means I should probably keep looking to find something I love even more. I'm also in desperate need for large-scale art or a screen (or something!) for the wall across from the bed. Replacing the sleigh bed freed up more floor space as this four-poster sits tightly against the wall, so I'll also be looking for a deep bench or maybe even a small sofa for the foot of the bed. Finally, fixed drapery panels on either side of the windows will add the finishing touch to the space. Of course, I'll keep you posted, but I can't guarantee much more progress before Baby Boy Conn's arrival in early March!

Nursery Design: The Beginning

So I'm over 24 weeks into my pregnancy, which gives me less than 16 weeks (or 3.5 months for those unaccustomed to measuring time in weeks) to decorate Baby Boy Conn's nursery. To give you an idea of what we're starting with, above is a shot of the soon-to-be nursery. I had considered cleaning the room out first before taking a photo, but I thought I'd best be totally honest with you guys. As you can see, the room is our currently storage room, chock-a-block full of leftover furniture, hand weights, Christmas gifts and baby clothes (largely courtesy of my sister, soon-to-be Auntie Babs).

So the first task, obviously, will be to clear out the space, donate/sell the unwanted furniture and install the ceiling fan that's still sitting in a box on top of that old IKEA ottoman. Once that's accomplished, the room will truly be a tabula rasa for my nursery vision.

As mentioned in previous posts, I've decided to go with an orange and aqua color palette for the nursery, accented with plenty of white. The dominant patterns will be stripes and the alphabet (or typography, really), both of which are currently en vogue but also happen to be (male) child appropriate.

The first task will be repainting the room from its current greige to a soft aqua; I'm thinking of going with Benjamin Moore's Seabrook, but I need to get a sample up on the walls before I make the final call (yet another task for this weekend!).

All of the major furniture pieces will be white and relatively modern in style. Given how dark the room is, I didn't want to drag it down with dark, heavy furniture. The Sparrow Crib from Oeuf has the fresh simplicity that I'm looking for and in person it seemed sturdy and well constructed (added bonus: this one will also convert to a toddler bed, buying me an extra year or two before I have to spring for his "big boy" bed). The Bam six-drawer dresser is similarly clean lined and the sort of piece I can see using in an older child's room in a few years time.

I debated about whether or not to spring for a changing station -- in many ways it seems like an unnecessary expense -- but ultimately I've decided to go with Stokke's care changing station for several reasons: (a) I absolutely adore how tall it is -- the height is way more comfortable for me than the standard dresser or changing station; (b) I'm giving cloth diapers a go and as such will need a designated station near the bathroom for optimal efficiency; and (c) once the kiddo is out of diapers (and the sooner, the better in my book!), this piece can function as an open bookshelf or even a small desk with just a few minor adjustments.

The other major purchase will be a rocker/recliner. I absolutely love the lines of Jennifer Delonge's luxe rocker and the punchy aqua velvet would inject a stylish note into the space; however, I may end up going with a different (but similar) piece that I can test out in person as this baby is, alas, only available online.

For bedding, I'm keeping it simple with Giggle's orange striped crib sheet and forgoing a bumper altogether [aside: a new study indicates that you're better off without one for safety purposes]. The darling aqua/orange blanket not only coordinates with my color scheme but features a pair of darling dinosaurs. (Dave and I were both big-time dinosaur fans as children so I'm rather hoping BB Conn will feel similarly rather than developing an obsession with, say, monster trucks, to which I cannot at all relate.) I'll also be transforming the Alphabet Tales fabric from Osborne & Little's new Zagazoo collection into throw pillows, crib skirt and a pelmet box for the lone window.

To liven up my beige carpet, I'll be laying down DwellStudio's peppy draper stripe rug, a great buy at $200 for a 5' x 8' (and I prefer a cotton flat weave -- much easier to keep clean with a baby than anything too plush!). Among other accessories (yet to be chosen, I'll be honest), I'm thinking of going with this fun orange lamp from Jonathan Adler. Art wise, I've long loved Binth's alphabet poster, with its vintage style and soft orange, blue and gray colors, so of course I snapped it up the first chance I got to actually use it. I'm also adding a pair of letterpress prints from Sycamore Street Press and a beautiful Noah's Ark print from Bold & Noble (not shown in the collage).

Stay tuned for updates over the coming weeks! In the meantime though, happy weekend!

Master Bedroom Design: The Beginning

Now that I've completed (or nearly completed) decorating our family room, I'm turning my attention to our master bedroom. Since any great "after" needs a "before", this is what I'm starting with right now. No, it's not bad -- and I am still very fond of the wall color (Farrow & Ball's Parma Gray, which is really more blue than anything), but it feels...imcomplete and just not as "wow" as I'd like it to be.

While the furniture and accessories from our old house were working just fine from a functional standpoint, the much larger scale of this room made things a bit awkward from a design standpoint. Not only is there a lot of wasted space, but the queen-size bed, two small rugs and tiny end tables look positively pint-sized. Hardly the cozy, sophisticated look I'm going for in the room.

So what am I keeping? Quite a few things actually: the paint color, the Japanese wood block prints, the Jonathan Adler lamps, the clean lined grey linen armchair and the very cool wingback chair I had reupholstered a few years ago in a fun Mod Green Pod damask. Everything else is going. The bedroom set I'm actually selling to my sister to help offset the costs of the redo. If you're interested in either of the rugs (a 2.5' x 9' wool runner and a 5' x 8' wool rug, both from Pottery Barn and in excellent shape) or the tall silver candlestick lamp, email me and I'd be happy to quote you a great price and provide more pictures.

In any case, after swapping out my existing bed, side tables, dresser and rug, the new floor plan will look something like this:

As you can see, a larger (king size) bed and (6 x 9') rug go a long way towards filling out the space. I also decided that swapping out a side table for a long, low dresser would further maximize the long wall opposite the door (and, I'll be honest, give me tons of space to stack all my books and magazines). So, armed with this general space plan, I set about looking for the specific pieces that would not only suit the space, but bring in some much-needed luxury and glamour.

I like to start a design out with a single, amazing element that ties everything together -- and that something is usually fabric or a rug for me. Having a one truly wonderful print or piece as a jumping off point makes design a room so much easier. After seeing a whole lot of things I just felt lukewarm about, I stumbled on DwellStudio's new peacock dove duvet a few weeks ago and realized that it was exactly what I was looking for. Not only does it pull in both the gray and blue tones of the existing paint, but it also brings in a wonderful Chinoiserie pattern that will play off beautifully with my existing artwork and the more modern choices I'll be making in furniture. And once I found my inspiration, everything else just seemed to quickly fall into place:

First off: the bed. The focal point of any bedroom and my first big "want" for this room. I decided to go with a spare, modern canopy in a dark wood stain to add some volume and strong architectural lines, both to create a cozy, "room within a room" effect and to provide a strong visual frame for the fussier, more feminine pattern. The too small 5' x 8' rug will be swapped out for a 6' x 9', which will enable me to comfortably fit two chairs on the rug itself rather than having them awkwardly hang half on/half off. When I saw this Madeline Weinrib rug's quatrefoil and greek key design, I felt like it was just meant to be. The darker gray will also play off of the darker gray ceiling, further tying the room together and enhancing the cozy feeling I'm going for.

Next, I'd like to do away with the heavy, dark wood side tables and dresser and replace them with some much more glamorous pieces. To up the glam factor, both pieces will be mirrored, and a great, bold contrast to the dark frame of the bed. Nestled between the grey linen chair and my wing chair will be a gorgeous greek key silver table that I picked up on the cheap from One Kings Lane to replace the heavy wood pedestal table and bring in yet another element of sparkle (and yes, even more greek key!). And finally: my big "wish" (and major splurge) would be the silver bamboo tufted bench for the foot of the bed. Given it's cost, I'll be holding off for either a sale or a finding a great lookalike.

Finally, I'll be adding curtain panels to frame out and soften the wall of windows and add some additional art (or maybe a screen?) on the wall across the bed to help balance out the room more. I'm ordering some wallpaper samples (including this one from Osborne & Little shown above) and may end up using one of the patterns to create a large triptych. Regardless, I'll keep you posted!

P.S. - I'd like to apologize for my sporadic posting of the past few weeks -- and even more sporadic reading/commenting on all my favorite blogs. There have been a lot of new (and good) developments both at work and at home that have kept me a bit distracted, but I promise to get back to blogging in earnest very shortly!

Family Room: Not Quite Finished Yet, But...

So I lied on Tuesday. I didn't get the family room done this week. But I should've known that. After all, I'll probably never consider the room totally, 100% complete. And I'm still waiting on a few key accessories for the built-ins. But I wanted to get you an update on where I am now. If you'll recall, this is what the room looked like when we moved in last August:

After moving from a much smaller townhouse, I decided to put our existing living room furniture in the upstairs den (which is actually larger and therefore better able to accomodate our large sectional). For months, we lived with an empty family room while I searched for just the right pieces. As you may recall, here's how things looked 7 months later:

Not bad, eh? While the major pieces had all fallen into place pretty quickly, I was still struggling with how to deal with both the large niches on either side of the fireplace as well as the two-story wall of windows. For the windows, I knew that I wanted to add some softness to the room, visually lower the tall ceiling to create a cozier feeling, but I wasn't sure exactly how to go about doing it. After consulting with a decorator, I decided to hang long panels from the top of the highest window all the way to the floor -- and I think the result is pretty stunning:

I love the hit of pattern and how the blue ikat really helps tie everything all together. The fabric is called Kalah Blue and is available at Calico Corners. It's got a good weight on it though I did have the panels lined to give it a better drape (particularly important given the length of the panels). All in all we needed about 30 yards to create four single panels. We kept the hardware simple and classic (RH's antique silver rod with a ball finial) since it's so far from the ground to really be visible (and I wanted to keep the focus on the print). Fortunately, my fabricator did the installation as well so Dave and I didn't have to scale a huge ladder to get these up there.

The next major project we tackled were the awkward niches on the fireplace, that were just begging for built-ins of some kind. I decided to do something a little different than just simple bookcases as I wanted these to double as extra seating when we have company as the room is actually on the smaller side and can get crowded when we entertain more than a half dozen guests. Additionally, I wanted to move our TV from the bedroom into here so we could watch TV in here (or in the adjacent kitchen/breakfast room). After a few weeks of working with our contractor, this is what we came up with:

Of course as soon as these were up I was anxious to style them up and I've included some of my favorite things here for full display. I'm still awaiting the arrival of the navy (with white piping) cushions I ordered for the bench seats, which will add a much needed shot of color and contrast to these built-ins. Initially, I had thought about painting out the backs in a strong contrasting color (graphite, navy or coral, specifically), but I think for now I will leave them white and contemplate painting the walls a deeper color to create more contrast that way.

Here are a few detail shots of the space, which I'd now say is about 95% complete:

The Built-Ins. Our contractor was able to replicate the moldings on the fireplace surround into the bench and shelves for a seamless, "it was built this way" look. We also added closed storage in the benches. The cabinets on the left hold TV components while the ones on the right are perfectly sized to stash pet toys and other, less attractive items. Louvered doors lend a coastal, British colonial vibe and remind me of plantation shutters (which I would someday love to replace my existing blinds with).

The mantle. Sunburst mirror is from Restoration Hardware (no longer available, alas). Topiaries are from Ballard Designs. I scored the two blanc de chine ladies from High Street Market on Etsy. The blue and white urns are from my mother.

The shelves. This is my first stab at styling these, though I think I need a few more books to go on the middle shelf (and of course something fabulous for each of the corner niches on the top shelf). The large zig-zag jar on the top shelf is Mexican and from Emilia Ceramics (and second one is on order for the other built-in). On the middle shelf, the blue and white ginger jar is from High Street Market and the three Qing emperors are from Tozai Home (but purchased on One Kings Lane). On the bottom row, my dachshund bookends hold a few of my favorite Pengiun classics and the plate is my grandmother's (via my mother). I just got the petite framed intanglio from Quatrefoil Design (the virtual storefront for the fabulous Holly of Things That Inspire) earlier this week and it looks perfect sitting atop some of my favorite design tomes. The two small blue pagodas from the Chinatown collection at home, james! are actually a pair of salt and pepper shakers from (also purchased on One Kings Lane).

The sofa and some key accessories. A few throw pillows constructed by Melanie at Plum Cushion in two of my favorite fabrics (KWID's Imperial Trellis and Chiang Mai, both available through Schumacher) perk up my Ethan Allen sofa. The side table is also from Ethan Allen and holds my orchid, a bowl full of shells Dave and I have collected over the years while on vacation, and a grapefruit-scented Delirium & Co. candle. Behind the sofa, the Kate lamps from Circa Lighting flank a Jonathan Adler hippo, which makes me grin every time I look at his chubby figure.

I'll update more once I get the built-ins fully styled. In the meantime, have a wonderful Fourth of July weekend!