Into a Home

This month's theme brought to you by Paul during a brainstorm last week.  Yeah, I'll take it.  It's sufficiently specific and vague.

The obvious implication here is that this month will be all about moving into Green Cedars (see above).  But, actually, we're probably still twoish months out from all that.  It's been nice, actually, to have a home buying situation that will allow us to fulfill our 4-month apartment lease rather than having to pay for an apartment and a mortgage for a month or two, which was what we were expecting.  And it gives us time to really think about our house priorities.

There are some things that we really just need to do soon on this sucker.  For one, an ill-conceived owner-executed kitchen cabinet "update" actually left them unable to, you know, open all the way.  Or at all, in some cases!  If I had better pictures, I could explain why.  Suffice it to say, I'm sure there was a lot of cussing happening in that house as soon as they finally hung up their newly painted and trimmed cabinet doors only to realize they didn't leave any clearance around the sides.  Earlier on in our house search, this would have been a DEAL BREAKER for me (and it's still riiiiiight on the edge of it even now), but compared to what we were seeing for similar or much higher prices, this house has a lot more going for it.  We can do something about those cupboards if it means we get a cul-de-sac, covered porch, garage (or any storage space at all for that matter), half and acre +, hardwood floors, high ceilings, and a kitchen that By JOVE is NOT a galley!

So this week I'm going to figure out some solid goals, and maybe even start a few early, that have to do with figuring out those priorities, locating good painters/carpenters, and narrowing down exactly what we would want to tell those painters/carpenters to do anyway.  My dream of dreams is to submit a photo to a most beloved smallish home design blog and have them just riff on it to help me get some ideas.  Also, it's so hard for me to decide even the most basic things - like general style?  I know what I don't like but it's hard for me to figure out what I do like.  And then!  And theeeen!  Paul has to like it too.  Which is actually hard.  Because we both grew up in homes with such different styles.  So Paul is always drawn toward these country-style type looks and my reaction is something along the lines of, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I want to be the type of person who can pull off a Scandi-modern kitchen, for example.  But Paul's reaction to the photos I show him is, "So, what is that?  A classroom?  A lab in a classroom?  What?"  Hmph.

So, we begin the research stage of the month.  I have 15 home design books checked out from the library.  It's on.

Oh, it's on.

Braaaaaghhhhhhh.  There is so much that needs to change here!  I'm obsessed with the things that need to change in this kitchen.  Numero uno?  THAT RED.  Get it off!  Get. It. OFF!