I've been debating internally on whether or not to post pictures of the new house as it stands now, but I've decided that -- at the very least -- posting pictures will help provide a benchmark for future progress...and hopefully act as an incentive for me to get moving and finish unpacking already. And, on the off chance that any of you are currently in the midst of moving, you can at least take comfort in knowing that you're not the only one out there living like that.
So here's where the house stands (mostly empty) today, warts and all. So far, the entryway is completely bare, save for a blue and silvery gray runner I scored on sale at Horchow. Since the staircase curves out there's plenty of room for a bench or console table, but that's definitely not at the top of my shopping list right now.
Next up: The study, which still has a few important things missing (like storage), but at least the major pieces of furniture -- the desk, chair and daybed -- are in. After putting together the mood board for the study, I decided to go a slightly different direction with the desk and desk chair. Last month I purchased the Porter desk from Pottery Barn, which is a great size and has some excellent divided storage in its single long drawer. Since I decided to go with a large, substantial desk, I decided to keep the chair light and airy and went with the classic Louis Ghost Chair by Phillippe Starck, which I purchased off All Modern (and shipping was speedy and free!). I was a bit hesitant about splurging on the chair, but it's actually quite comfortable and I love how it looks in the room.
Unfortunately, with the large desk and daybed, there's little space left in the 11 x 11 room, especially since the french doors open in and not out. I'm hoping to find some shallow shelving for storage, but it's going to be tricky working with the little space I have left. First on the "to do" list for this room though will be hanging the art work, mirror, cork board (i.e., inspiration board), and the chandelier.
After all that hard work, the dining room has become the de facto storage closet for stray art, knick-knacks that are still searching for their final home. My goal is to have a table in here by Thanksgiving when Dave's family descends upon us, but we'll see what sort of budget I'm left with after the major pieces for the family room are purchased.
Speaking of, the family room is definitely the tabula rasa of the entire house. Quite literally, I have absolutely zero furniture to put in it. Since it's the hub of the house, getting at least a sofa in here is my top priority right now decorating-wise.
But at least I have something to hang over the fireplace, right? I ended up buying this Marisol mirror from Restoration Hardware thinking it would go in my master bedroom, but its substantial (48" diameter) size made it better suited for the fireplace and I'm happy with how it looks next to some of my mother's blue and white chinoiserie urns.
Behold my dirty little secret: My kitchen has become a repository for wayward vases, lamps and chotskies. What you don't see is there are even more stuffed into the pantry (we haven't had much opportunity to grocery shop, so it's become yet another temporary storage closet). I've realized something important about my shopping habits over the past month or so: I'm actually a bit commitment-phobic when it comes to purchasing major pieces -- like a sofa -- so I've been procrastinating by buying accessories, which are less expensive and, frankly, more fun to shop for. Thus, I have vases and lamps but no tables to put them out. I have no regrets though on the Kate lamps from Circa Lighting. They just arrived this week and I'm completely in love; in fact, I would've given up a table for years just to have these. Given their substantial size, I'm thinking they're more appropriate for the family room than for the dining room (where I had originally envisioned them).
The breakfast nook fits the old table and chairs rather nicely, and I'm pleased with how the woven blinds turned out. The spa blue benches for the back and corner walls are currently on order at Ballard Designs and should be arriving shortly. Since space is rather tight here, I think using a bench along the back wall will really free the space up some, though I'm not sure what I'll do with the extra chairs.
The master bedroom, bathroom and closet are in decent shape -- at least I've gotten all the boxes unpacked and all our clothes, etc. put away. Since we're working with our existing bedroom furniture, we have all the basics, but what we really need is that certain something special to really make this room sing. I'm going to be hanging some of our pictures this weekend and I hope that will help make the room look a little less stark. Still though, I got my bedding from Williams-Sonoma earlier this week and I love it -- it's like sleeping in a fancy hotel bed. That said though, I think I need to punch up the bedding with some more colorful pillows. You know me, can't leave white enough alone....
So that's it for the downstairs portion of this tour. I'll be sharing some photos of the upstairs' rooms later on this weekend and I think you'll be surprised at how much farther along it is than downstairs...though perhaps that's my own fault as I think my desire to really decorate this house from the ground up necessitated much of our existing furniture going upstairs. In any case, Dave and I have another fun-filled weekend of hanging art, unpacking the last few boxes, and sofa shopping ahead of us. Hope everyone else has a wonderfully relaxing, fun and only semi-productive weekend!
