The Design Appointment: The First Floor
Starting from where I left off in We're Building A Townhouse: Part II...
I tried to figure out the best way to describe our design process and the materials we selected for our home. There is so much to share about this appointment. For the sake of your reading time and your eyes, this post will be a mix of descriptions and photos.
Click on the photos to enlarge!
Main Living Space Floors
B and I knew we wanted (and needed) floors that would withstand Mason and Harvey. From all the activities that already go on in our household, we knew that we had to go with something super durable and long-lasting. We decided on Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP), a high-performance, scratch and dent resistant, and 100% waterproof flooring. We learned that this is not the same as Laminate flooring for the materials and layers that make up each type of floor. We also knew that we wanted the same floors throughout the main space of the first floor, which is a big open space (one of the many reasons we fell in love with this townhouse!).
For the shade of these floors, we wanted it to mimic natural and light wood tones and to have wide planks. And we found the perfect LVP that would look great throughout our home and put up a solid defense against Mason and Harvey. Think of the floors in stores like Anthropologie and Free People - now make them kid and pet-proof. This flooring will be installed in the open space of the first floor: foyer, dining space, living space, and kitchen. We also had room in the budget to have LVP on the second floor's loft space (more on the second floor later).
The Kitchen
When we initially visited the design center for orientation, I was set on getting bright white cabinets, a medium grey-ish toned granite island with some subtle hints of dark grey, deep blues and purples, and grey concrete countertops. Since we don't have windows in our kitchen, I want this room to feel as open and bright as possible. But when we pulled my original choices, I realized I didn't like them at all. We decided to start from scratch and looked back at my Pinterest board for the kitchen. I told the designer that I wanted our kitchen to be warm, clean with hints of earthy tones, and not flashy. After reviewing my Pinterest board and pulling sample after sample (we spent the most time of our appointment on the kitchen), we created something timeless that we know we'll love. Note: the island has flecks of subtle gold and bronze!
Appliances
We initially assumed we'd have to find appliances independently, but the appliance packages worked within the budget, to our surprise. Our designer provided a ballpark in pricing, and we figured, Why not?! for the convenience and less stress of doing this ourselves. We opted for a gas stove, French door refrigerator, gourmet oven and microwave, and a quiet dishwasher with the buttons on the inside (fewer things for Mason to press #littlevictories). In choosing our appliances, we also decided on the layout and trim for the cabinets and kitchen island (types of drawers, solid vs. glass-finished cabinet doors, paneled island cabinets, built-in garbage drawer, etc.).
Laundry Room
Our choices were easy for this room. We went with large tile flooring in a light grey textured tile, a front load washer and dryer set (yay appliances!), and confirmed the placement of the freestanding sink.
Powder Room
My most narrowly curated Pinterest Board is for this room. I always knew that I wanted the powder room to be different from the rest of our home. As odd as this may sound, I thought of the bathrooms from the restaurants and bars in New York City. They always had such personalities or had statement pieces in design, and I wanted to bring a piece of that feeling into our home. A room that someone would walk into and be immersed in that different feel from the main living space to this room. I know, I know, it's a lot for a powder room, but I've got my preferences here, people. While some powder rooms tend to be bright, which is also so beautiful, I really wanted to make this room feel as if someone is simply tucked away in a dim-lit bathroom. While the builders can't paint the room a custom color per our agreement, I will eventually paint it a deep dark green-blue color similar to this.
I definitely puzzled our designer when it came to designing this room. She thought that the hexagon terracotta tiled floors wouldn't go with the rest of the house, but I told her that was precisely the point. I also wanted to get rid of the usual light over the mirror and sink. Her eyebrows raised, but she was still nice about it. I told her to bear with me, and at this point, she was more intrigued. I said, "Let's do a pendant in the center of the ceiling." I chose a black pendant with a brass finish on the inside as something cool to look at. And that will be the powder room.
Primary Bedroom & Bathroom
The bedroom was as easy as the laundry room. We just had to decide on the floors, which we chose a cozy, clean light grey and white carpet color called "English Streets" with a barrier that keeps stains at the surface for easy cleaning. Between Mason spilling things and Harvey occasionally throwing up anything from socks to something random that Mason probably fed him, yes, this was necessary. While we would've loved to have LVP in this room, it was simply out of budget (more on that later). But luckily, the carpet is easier to remove, so perhaps sometime down the line, we'll get the LVP. Also, each of our closets is off the primary bathroom, and we were able to get custom closet systems. These will have adjustable shelves, providing ample space to store all of our things!
Ah, the primary bathroom. We don't have windows in this room, so I wanted it to feel open and bright. You guessed it! *Cue Pinterest* I loved the idea of stone or pebble-like floors in a shower. Something that makes it feel like an outdoor spa. Here's what we put together to create this feel:
Whew! And that's it for the first floor. I'll be back with the design of the second floor soon. Thank you so much for reading :)