NumberNineteen

Adventures in Lighting

Checking in here again...I don't have any concrete news about our new house, but things are looking up!  We feel much better about how things are going, so I'm hoping that I have good news to share in the next week or two.

In the meantime, I'm dreaming of how I will fill our dream home.  Recently, I've been thinking about the dining room. I haven't found the perfect inspiration photo yet. 

So, think the color of this room:

source: houzz.com

The chandelier & wainscoting of this room:

source: houzz.com

With the airy-ness of this room:

source: houzz.com

I've been really drawn to lighting fixtures.  I found my inspiration in this one from Williams Sonoma Home:

Niiiiiiiice, huh?  At $1695, I would think so.  That is why it is the *inspiration* piece, not the "it's coming home with me today" piece.

I'm liking this one from Acardian Lighting quite well as an alternative:

A much nicer price, at $211.

Here is another one that I really like, this one from Lighting Showplace:

I really like this one, but it's price ($580) is on the high side for me. But, hey, it's over $1100 less than the inspiration piece.

What do you think?  Like any of these?

 

 

The House Hunt pt 3

If you'e wondering why I haven't posted about the house hunt, it's not because it hasn't been going on.  In fact, we found a place that we put a contract on.  A place that is just beautiful & we can make entirely ours.  However, despite the contract, not everything is entirely in stone yet. There is still one major hurdle to be overcome.  And, I'm terrified that it's not going to work out.  So, I'm scared to post anything about it yet.  Please think good thoughts & prayers towards us this week!

A bright spot in this weekend is that there was finally an estate sale that was worth my time!  I don't think that I posted about my last estate sale experience or, err...disaster. After waiting in the rain for 1 hr to be allowed into the house, I went straight towards the basement and fell down an entire flight of stairs.  Nice, huh?  Not only was I mortified, but I went away with a wicked set of bruises.  To add insult to injury, I didn't find one single thing at the sale. I should point out that the people who ran the estate sale were very concerned about me, so no hard feelings towards them.

Anyway, today's sale included no waiting, no injuries and some nice deals.  That's the way I like it :)  Here's a pic of what I picked up:

I'm looking forward to the flea market season as well, which is starting up next Saturday.  It will be nice to get back to treasure hunting and refill the Etsy store.

I'm hoping to have some good news to share about the house later this week.  Keep your fingers crossed!!!!

The House Hunt Pt. 2

We did more house hunting yesterday and today, this time checking out some new building.  We didn't find anything yesterday, but did view a beautiful home that I'll share with you:

Isn't it gorgeous?  They had so many little extras all around the house that we observed that it appeared to be custom built.  However (it is hard to tell from the photos), the rooms are on the small side and wouldn't be an improvement on what we already have.  So, I left with several decorating ideas but no new house.

We visited a new home community today where we found a home that is a possibility.  We are attracted to the idea of getting the house the way we want it from the very start...or, at least pretty much the way that we want it...I will always have projects going on!  Here is a photo of a model home in the design that we are looking at, as well as the first floor plan:

Ours would have a porch across the entire front of the house.

We'll see...it is at the tippy top of our price range, so we are crunching numbers at the moment.  As always, I'll keep you updated!

The House Hunt Begins

Our house hunt has officially begun!  We spent 2 hours with our realtor today, checking out pretty much anything on the market that remotely interested us. I came away with with a few observations after seeing the  good, the ok and the really awful:

1) We are really picky & going to be searching for awhile.

2) We don't have nearly as much stuff sitting around our house as I'd thought.

3) I will never feel that our house is dirty again.

The first observation is pretty obvious, take what you will from the second two.

For fun, I'll show you one of the nicer homes that we viewed.

This is a really lovely home inside, with great space.  The family has moved out since the photos were taken and I think that we got a good idea of what we could do with the place.  The thing that made us say no is that the back of the house & deck directly face 4 other home's back yards & decks.  Since the lots aren't huge, you were definitely in each other's space.  It's too bad, but we moved on.

I'm visiting a new homes community tomorrow to see what we could do there.  We aren't 100% sure if we want to build new or if we can afford to do so, but we're exploring all of our options.  I will definitely keep you updated!

A Rollercoaster

Holy.Moley.

Having your house on the market & looking for your dream house is such a rollercoaster.  I told Glenn today that I wouldn't be suprised if I'd suddenly developed high blood pressure.

Less than 24 hours after putting the house on the market, we got a great offer that we are going to take.  Closing in about 7 weeks. Great news!

We found a great house at a great price that we were really in love with.  Under contract to someone else.  Arrrrggg!!!!   So, the search goes on, but there isn't much to choose from. Really, there are just a few active homes in the entire area, which is part of the reason that we got an offer so quickly. 

Throw some good real estate thoughts our way, pluueeeaaasssee!

House Photos

Things are suddenly moving so fast, but I thought that I'd take a moment to post a few of the professional photos of our home that were taken for the MLS.  We couldn't be happier with the pictures...they definitely show off our home to it's best advantage.

I'll keep you updated!

Decorating a New House, Pt. 1 - The Family Room

A new home means an exciting new adventure in so many ways, especially the most important one -- a chance to decorate a new place!!!  I've been giving a lot of thought to the family room, because I really want to make a significant change to our old look.  Instead of the cosy red, I'm thinking light, fresh, comfy, neutral.

Currently, our family room has a fireplace, which acts as our focal point.  But, I don't know what the new house will be like, so I am thinking that we might need to think about a new focal point.

I was searching the web for inspiration & check out the flat panel tv stands that I found (above).  Those are better than stands, those are just the most gorgeous entertainment centers that I've ever seen. Talk about a focal point. Seriously, those babies are going to kick the particle board right outta our place!

We've got this red twill sofa on order:

source: pottery barn

I love the look of a cream or stone colored slipcover couch, but I've got to be honest -- there is no way that we could ever keep it clean (too much red wine is drunk in this house!).  So, we are going with this sofa and will probably add 2 slipcover armchairs in a lighter color. And, how cute would it be to pair all of them with accent pillows in a hemp color?

source: paula&erika on etsy

I'm thinking a nice creamy wall color might be nice, something that isn't too cold or too yellow.  Maybe something like this:

source: canadian homes & interiors

Keeping touches of red, with a much lighter palette overall.  I might put up a few of my black floral tole trays on one of the walls, though the wall of tole is coming down.  I think that 3 trays hung in a group on a light wall would really have impact. 

Other acessories that I'm envisioning are wicker baskets and trunks for storage & magazines.  Something like these would be nice:

source: ikea

source: ballard designs

So, what do you all think of my ideas? 

 

Where've You Been, Girl? (And Some Tips on Staging)

Hi friends!  I'm not sure if anyone has been wondering where I've been, but the answer is: buried.  Under the "get-this-house-ready-for-sale" mountain of tasks that have consumed the past month.  The great news is that I'm done (YAY!) and the house looks great.  It should be on the market late tomorrow or Friday.

I've tackled the house projects using every bit of knowledge gleaned from 8 years of obsessively watching HGTV.  Clean it up, clean it out, make it neutral!  Spare, but not cold.  And, at the end of the day, the professional stager that came in to help me finish everything said, "You should do staging.  You've got the eye".  I don't think that anyone could have said anything that would have made me feel more like the the last few months was worth it.  Aside from "We'd like to offer you more than your asking price."

My top tips for getting your place ready:

-Clean out ALL of the clutter from every visible surface in EVERY room.  Even the kids room.  Even the microwave on the counter. 

-If you have hardwood floors, consider taking up area rugs.  Not only does it show off a very valuable asset, it will make the room look larger.

-Take down every piece of art.  It will look bare at first.  Then, if it still looks too stark, put up just a few neutral pieces.  In several rooms, I didn't put anything back up & I was shocked at how good it looks.

-Remove unnecessary furniture from each room.

-Without breaking the bank, try to style your master bedroom & baths in a "hotel" style.  Fresh fluffy towels are a must!

-Repaint or touch up the paint inside.  It really makes things look fresh.

-If you have too much stuff, get a short term storage unit. 

-When showing the house, open every window shade & curtain & put on every light.

-Remember to not take it personally & let the house go.  This is not a judgement of your taste, it's about making the house look as large and inviting as possible to the largest number of people possible. 

This is a business transaction, the biggest one that most people will ever undertake.  They need to feel that they are getting the most value for their money and that they will be able to live the lifestyle that they desire in the home that they purchase.  You need to market your home in the same way that any other salesperson would market a three figure product.