Category: Survey

Inspiration: Flex Room

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So after you enter the foyer, there is a room to the right. I’m calling it the flex room for now. One, because I’m not sure exactly what it will be. To visualize what I’m talking about here is a pic:

Click here to see the entire floor plan

Right now it’s drawn where the room is just open. We are probably (for Truss reasons) going to extend that kitchen wall out, and we can make it have a door. Lots of ideas have crossed my mind for what to do with this space. 1) Craft room and study room for kiddos; 2) home gym; 3) entertaining room aka Beer & Wine room. All are great options I think. It’s just picking which one, becase let’s be honest I can’t have them all. So I’m going to break down my ideas for each option and then you get to take a SURVEY!!! and tell me what you would do with the space. I know you missed the survey’s.

Option 1: Craft Room/Study Room
I’m not a super crafty person…but I could be more if I had a special room. Right. I love wrapping paper and ribbon, and I have a nice collection. It’s always been stored in that extra closet, and the ribbons fall down on my face when I try to grab one. So If I had a wall and counter dedicated to this that would be awesome. I have attempted scrapbooking, and I have some nice papers and other scrappy stuff. And If I again had a counter and space to do this in and be organized perhaps I would do it more. I do like to sew and I recovered a chair in our living room. Its actually not half bad, I just haven’t finished the ottoman. So this would be a space I could do little DIY projects with sewing. See, endless option. Plus I do like the idea of having the family computer in a corner, with a desk for the kids to have a study space. I think seeing what the kids are doing on the computer is important, especailly as they get older (porn surfing, BOYS!) It happens people. By then who knows what the computer world will look like and they’ll have screens installed in their backpacks or something.

   
Option 2: Home Gym
I surely would work out ALL THEM TIME if I had a gym right. Well, I would like to think I would. And it would be something Kyle and I could do together. I live out in an area where there is no local gym down the street. To have a membership to a gym is silly for me becasue it would be a 20min drive to and from, and well I don’t have 40min I’m willing to give up for driving. And I have I job I work at from 730a-5p so there isn’t daytime for squeezing that in. Also, I think if we had a gym it would encourage the kids to exercise. They are getting older and starting sports so they will hopefully see the benefits of that.

  

Option 3: Beer & Wine room
This was my first idea for the space when I considered that wall more open. I thought it would flow nicely to be a space you could wonder into while entertaining. And, that it’s kind of off the kitchen. I liked the idea of a corner seating area and then a wall of cabs with fridges for wine and beer. Or a keg fridge for Kyle. My MIL says this is encouraging alcoholism. I say we just like to entertain. And when we had our own home we did.
So those are my options. Whats a girl to choose?! Do you have any of these spaces in your house? Do they get used? Which option just makes sense? Take my survey and tell me! *click NEXT to submit survey.
**As per the promise I made in Monday’s post to update you regarding Kyle’s meeting with the county- Kyle meet with the permit office Wednesday, and he only has to fix 2 little drawing things. Other than that they said it looks good to go. He planned a meeting with them next Wednesday to submit the whole thing! #miracle. This might be really happening.  


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Inspiration: Exterior

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So I am told that the first major design decision I need to make is the exterior. Like what siding do I want, what pattern, etc. Color comes later (I think) but it has to be all planned out. I have thought a lot about this, and there are tons of different options. So I’ll show you my faves, and what the pros and cons are to me. Then you take the survey below and help me. Who doesn’t love a survey?!

Option 1: I LOVE this color. This is the Young House Love show house. The color is called newburg green by Benjamin Moore. I think its a nice pop of color without screaming. I see it being a nice alternative to the greys and browns. And I like how this house has a cozy PNW feel to it with the natural cedar.
Pros: Color, Ceadar accents, white trim, rock trim, single post, shingle siding painted and lap siding.
Cons: Can the same concept be acheived on a single story, kyle is not a fan of painted shingles

Option 2: I like how clean and neutral this look is. Its a classic, something everyone likes. I like how it uses a combo of all the materials: lap, shingle and board & batten. Plus the rock. And this has the dlb post colums.
Pros: Color, materials.
cons: Do I want grey like everyone else? Well all the materials make it look pieced together?

Option 3: Now you could go grey or blue with this scheme….which I like. Again, great PNW feel with the natural shingles. I don’t like the rock they used, but thats easy to change. Has shed and peak dormers like us. And its hard for me to tell, but I think this house has grey windows.

Pros: mix of color and materials.
cons: Looks like we counldn’t decide and threw everything on the house.

Whats a girl to do?! Kyle is on the fence about blue. He loves grey. He hates white…but its so clean and crisp. But we do live in the PNW where it rains, so would the house also have dirt splats on it?
This house is Chip and Joanna Gaines (Magnolia) house in Waco, TX. Of course I have a special place for that since I lived in waco for almost 3 years. I love Joanna’s style and so wish I could go visit her shop for some decor. You can watch them on HGTV on their show Fixer Upper. They have great ideas.
 
Now granted, all these pics show houses with WHITE windows and WHITE trim. BUT, I’m not married to that. Because I have seen a lot of houses with black or grey windows too. And I kind of like it.

 
 So what would you do? To remember what our exterior looks like, go to the Floor Plan page and they are almost at the bottom. There is no pic of the back, but it too has two peaks.  
 I think the survey’s are fun. I love getting your feedback. Do you like the surveys? Also, I think I set the answers to let you pick multiple answers, if you can’t commit to just one- story of my life. So that may or may not be helpful 🙂
*Click NEXT at the end to submit the survey.

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Inspiration: Living Room

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Survey says: There is a survey at the bottom of the post. Help a girl out with all these decisions! Click NEXT button to submit survey answers. Thank You!!

I Figured I would focus on this room next, since its in the main area of the Kitchen and dining too. We have a large open concept as you will be able to see from the layout on the floor plan page.  So everything needs to flow together well. Not sure how I will pull that off, but I’m gonna try. Again our walls/ceiling will be 9ft and vaulted. So it’ll have a nice big feel. I’ve seen pictures with a big lighting piece in the middle…and I like that sometimes. Kyle will most likely want to just go with can lights, and I’m ok with that too. My “not gonna budge” platform is pedants above the island in the kitchen. So I could spend more there if I don’t get a big light above the living room.  Also, there will be a big light hanging down in the entry way, and you will see that from the LR. So I don’t want to over-do it (can’t belived I said that!)

One feature that Kyle and I agree on is the patio slider. We were originally going with a 16’w x 8’h slider. Kyle consulted with some GC’s he works with and they don’t love them. They said for some reason the 16′ tend to have leak issues, and if you go down to the 12′ they just haven’t seen that happen. So we were like “eh, 12′ works.” So it will be a 4-panel 12′ slider. Like this, except no upper windows on ours, these are most likely 10ft walls/ceiling:

Now, as far as furniture goes, I’m all over the place I feel. I think I really want a sectional couch. This way a lot of people can sit in the LR, its comfy, etc. I also like chairs with fun patterns and a rustic/industrial sort of coffee table. I don’t feel I’ll need lamps, or a bunch of tables for knick knacks- not my thing. But side tables are good for beverages.

So I am a visual person. And I have found it hard to find pictures of living rooms without a fireplace as the main focal point. We will just have a wall with a TV mounted on it. Might do a built-in cabinet, might not. The wall is not a full wall, there will be an opening to go to the hall to the kids rooms. This one picture seems to be an exact replica of what we’ll have, just flip flopped (opening to hall on left, not right)

Okay, now side point- What is the story with all this white boards/planks for walls and ceiling?! I get that its part of the farmhouse look. But I just don’t think I can make that design commitment. All I can think about is how 30 years ago cedar/wood paneling was big, and now it looks horrific. And in every remodel show people are ripping that off the walls. So would I be doing that with the white boards? HELP! What do you like in your living room? Is it all about comfort? Style? or just a hodge podge of sutff?

 


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