As the days go by and my 2nd design appointment creeps closer and closer, I find myself second guessing my selections. Case in point - I spent 2 hours at the design centre on Sunday and have changed my mind on flooring and kitchen AND bathroom. Big shock! With the advice of the design centre gals, I think I have FINALLY secured my choices. And they are certainly not what I originally had thought I wanted. My kitchen will tones of brown in the ceramic flooring backsplash, and countertop with a light maple cabinet door. With the black appliances, I'm thinking it will look quite nice. And although the granite countertops are REALLY nice, at this time, they are beyond what I am willing to spend.
I have worked very hard to maintain neutrality throughout the home with the punches of colour coming through on my furniture and accessories. I guess we'll just have to see!
My next task is to bamboozle one of my gal pals to accompany me to the design centre next weekend and show her what I have chosen as my appointment is scheduled for July 13. Wish me luck!! :)
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Totally Floored (But Not Really)
I have quickly come to realize that interior design choices can be daunting. In order to keep a minute piece of my sanity, I woke up yesterday morning with the intent of heading out to the design centre to start to tackle my choices. I decided the best way to tackle this task was to break the choices down into more manageable tasks. So yesterday was flooring day.
The powder room is incredbly easy as flooring is really the only choice. AND I have learned from a high number of design mags and model homes, the foyer ceramic tile can be carried into the powder room. So that is what I have done. I have the tile narrowed down to a tile called "Mouse Beige". Sounds incredibly exciting I know but it goes well with the wall colour and the potential carpet for the stairs.
In the main bathroom, I discovered my tub, toilet and sink are white with chrome fixtures. As my main bathroom will not have window, I tried to establish a dark choice and light choice. On the dark side, my tile is called "Banff Black", which resembles a slate tile. On the lighter side, the potential tile is "Banff Light Beige" (see Mouse Beige above).
In the main hallway, all stairs, master bedroom and guest bedroom, the carpet of choice will be a mushroom brown carpet. One of the standards available however I will be adding the upgraded Superpad underpad for increased comfort on the footises.
And finally, the piece-de-resistance, the hardwood floors in the dining room / great room. My original choice way back in the beginning, was a honey colour type of hardwood. However, after spending a couple of hours at the design centre yesterday, I have a few choices which I'm considering. And they are:
The powder room is incredbly easy as flooring is really the only choice. AND I have learned from a high number of design mags and model homes, the foyer ceramic tile can be carried into the powder room. So that is what I have done. I have the tile narrowed down to a tile called "Mouse Beige". Sounds incredibly exciting I know but it goes well with the wall colour and the potential carpet for the stairs.
In the main bathroom, I discovered my tub, toilet and sink are white with chrome fixtures. As my main bathroom will not have window, I tried to establish a dark choice and light choice. On the dark side, my tile is called "Banff Black", which resembles a slate tile. On the lighter side, the potential tile is "Banff Light Beige" (see Mouse Beige above).
In the main hallway, all stairs, master bedroom and guest bedroom, the carpet of choice will be a mushroom brown carpet. One of the standards available however I will be adding the upgraded Superpad underpad for increased comfort on the footises.
And finally, the piece-de-resistance, the hardwood floors in the dining room / great room. My original choice way back in the beginning, was a honey colour type of hardwood. However, after spending a couple of hours at the design centre yesterday, I have a few choices which I'm considering. And they are:
- Riviera Red Oak - Cherry (Plank)
- Riviera Red Oak - Medium Brown (Strip)
- Riviera Red Oak - Truffle (Plank)
I am REALLY leaning towards the Medium Brown as I just love the colour. My second choice would be the truffle which is a darker hardwood so we'll see what happens.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
One down - one to go...
Well, my first design appointment is behind me. I managed to keep my wits about me and get out of there after only spending a mininal amount of moola.
Erin , my design consultant, was helpful and friendly and made the experience a little less frightning. We started out with Erin showing me the placement of all light fixtures and their switches. We then plotted the placement of my 2+1 cable and 3 phone outlets (additional cable outlet was an upgrade). This was actually a little more challenging than I thought. Because I can't see the room or my furniture layout, I had to rely strictly on my floorplan. Not an easy thing to do.
The appointment continued with me selecting standard bathtub, faucets, sinks, doors, windows, railings. I did upgrade to a black hood fan in the kitchen and included a central A/C rough in as planned. I did not include home security or garage door opener. Too much $$ in my humble opinion. Erin also indicated the plan includes a rough in for central VAC which will be helpful in the future.
I have until June 16th to make changes and I have made an inquiry as to how many outlets are in the kitchen - Erin indicated they were placed every 6 ft however I want to make sure I have enough in the kitchen! I would like to add an outlet or two on the mainfloor so I have until Tuesday to work it all out.
My next appointment (unscheduled at time of this publication) will be the BIG one. I am currently working out my budget and it's looking promising - I'm thinking my wish list will be a reality!
Erin , my design consultant, was helpful and friendly and made the experience a little less frightning. We started out with Erin showing me the placement of all light fixtures and their switches. We then plotted the placement of my 2+1 cable and 3 phone outlets (additional cable outlet was an upgrade). This was actually a little more challenging than I thought. Because I can't see the room or my furniture layout, I had to rely strictly on my floorplan. Not an easy thing to do.
The appointment continued with me selecting standard bathtub, faucets, sinks, doors, windows, railings. I did upgrade to a black hood fan in the kitchen and included a central A/C rough in as planned. I did not include home security or garage door opener. Too much $$ in my humble opinion. Erin also indicated the plan includes a rough in for central VAC which will be helpful in the future.
I have until June 16th to make changes and I have made an inquiry as to how many outlets are in the kitchen - Erin indicated they were placed every 6 ft however I want to make sure I have enough in the kitchen! I would like to add an outlet or two on the mainfloor so I have until Tuesday to work it all out.
My next appointment (unscheduled at time of this publication) will be the BIG one. I am currently working out my budget and it's looking promising - I'm thinking my wish list will be a reality!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Appointment Excitement
With my first design appointment only mere days away, I am anxiously preparing my list of structural upgrades for the new pad. As my unit is a village townhome, there are limited structural upgrades I can make i.e no 9-ft ceilings for me!
So for this first appointment, I am looking at the following standards:
Standard doors and windows
Standard fixtures in powder room
Standard oak railings - to eventually match oak hardwood floors
I will be investing in the following upgrades:
Shut off valves to sinks - very handy in case of repair or replacement in the future
Addition of 1 cable outlet - house comes with 3 phone and 2 cable
Outlet upgrade to accommodate future ceiling fan with light - I'm getting this for both the bedrooms
Home security system
Potlights for the breakfast bar - I originally thought 3 here but after seeing pictures of a finished home identical to mine, I've decided to go with only 2
Upgrade my kitchen hood fan to black to match my appliances
Rough in for central air - doing this now as when I get my A/C post-move in there will be less structural demolition that needs to be done by the installer
I am currently on the fence about ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator) or air exchanger as well as a shelf for the microwave in the kitchen. As I am short, I am opting to NOT upgrade to an OTR microwave. It just doesn't make sense for me.
I know the list isn't long but I'm saving myself for the oh-so-important second design appointment which will involve cabinets, flooring, countertops, backsplash, paint, trim, moulding, hardware - all the fun stuff!
So for this first appointment, I am looking at the following standards:
Standard doors and windows
Standard carpet grade stairs
Standard shower head and faucet in the main bathroom
Standard fixtures in powder room
Standard oak railings - to eventually match oak hardwood floors
I will be investing in the following upgrades:
Shut off valves to sinks - very handy in case of repair or replacement in the future
Addition of 1 cable outlet - house comes with 3 phone and 2 cable
Outlet upgrade to accommodate future ceiling fan with light - I'm getting this for both the bedrooms
Home security system
Potlights for the breakfast bar - I originally thought 3 here but after seeing pictures of a finished home identical to mine, I've decided to go with only 2
Upgrade my kitchen hood fan to black to match my appliances
Rough in for central air - doing this now as when I get my A/C post-move in there will be less structural demolition that needs to be done by the installer
I am currently on the fence about ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator) or air exchanger as well as a shelf for the microwave in the kitchen. As I am short, I am opting to NOT upgrade to an OTR microwave. It just doesn't make sense for me.
I know the list isn't long but I'm saving myself for the oh-so-important second design appointment which will involve cabinets, flooring, countertops, backsplash, paint, trim, moulding, hardware - all the fun stuff!
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