River House Diary

The countertop for the upstairs bathroom was installed the day before yesterday. It's plain white cultured marble with an integrated sink so pretty hard to screw up. You can tell this was the most inexpensive bath to outfit -- no special backsplash, no separate undermount sink and a 4-inch spread faucet. Cultured marble countertop with integrated sink; personal collection

The countertop in the guest bath was installed yesterday. After the laundry room countertop fiasco, this was the one I was so worried about, we visited the manufacturer to double check . Cultured marble countertop from CreeKraft; personal collection

The master shower was designed as a wainscot with large field tile installed from the floor to 6 feet up the wall and glass tile mosaic sheets installed above to the ceiling. The glass tile was a bit of a splurge and had very specific installation instructions. A bright white thinset was required so the translucent nature of some of the tiles was not distorted. Based on some of the dark spots that are showing through the tile before it is grouted, we question whether the installation instructions were followed. Glass tile mosaic sheets before grouting; personal collection Glass tile mosaic before grouting; personal collection How this issue gets fixed, I have no idea.

I've been using the Christmas sales to purchase the soft furnishings that will bring blue into our existing Master Bedroom interior design. Christmas sale purchases for Master Bedroom; personal collection Lili Alessandra Chloe Single Reversible Coverlet in Blue Seafoam Magnolia Eastern Accents Geometric Euro Pillow Textured Solid Square Throw Pillow with Jute Border Solid Cashmere Throw, Seafoam Jamie Young Medium Clear Plum Jar Table Lamp

I’ve always wanted a traditional fireplace and fought hard to have one in River House. It was going to look something like this but the marble would be tile. However, the dimensions of the space prevented that idea. Instead, the fireplace surround would be all tile. We got to see the tile being laid yesterday. Once grouted, we think it will look fantastic. Fireplace tile; personal collection

There is something so decadent about having a closet designed specifically for your clothes, shoes and accessories. The California Closets option Zuniga Interiors designed was practically perfect but very expensive. Instead, the trim carpenters used that layout to custom build our closet. Our closet is between the garage and master bath and is accessible from that bathroom and the laundry room. Looking towards the garage; personal collection Looking towards the master bath; personal collection Looking towards the laundry room; personal collection Closet island provided by cabinetmaker; personal collection

The trim carpenters started installing the tongue-and-groove ceiling in the kitchen. It will be stained. We are also using tongue-and-groove on the foyer ceiling. This was a splurge Pete allowed me to include in the budget but when he saw it on the ceiling, he was most excited and thinks it will look great. Tongue-and-groove ceiling in kitchen; personal collection

I selected landscape designer Maryanne White based on the work she did for Maria Killam . We've never met but are working together electronically. I initially sent her the plat plan, house location survey, topographical information, the house plan and some photographs of the lot. We spoke on the telephone about what we were trying to achieve with the landscaping and the outdoor activities we enjoyed. We also emailed back and forth about favorite planting materials and color palette. Maryanne sent a pencil sketch of a draft plan, which was very close to perfect. We moved a seating area from one side of the lot to the other to take more advantage of the view.  After we approved the draft plan, Maryanne sent a CAD drawing of the preliminary plan with all the hardscaping and planting material specified. Once we approve that, the final plans will be delivered. Preliminary landscaping plan; personal collection We won't be able to afford the entire plan right away, but it gi...

When we visited the house yesterday, there was a lot of activity. Work continued on the built in cabinets in the den. The master closet progressed. And there was a crew working on the staircase, which was new. Pete chose the newel post design as it came with two options. The “big” reveal will be held later. 😜 Stairs taking shape; personal collection

The original design for the master shower included a 3/4” x 12” liner tile between the field tile and the glass mosaic. When it was time to order the tile, the liner tile was no longer available and we never found a replacement selection we liked. Plain cream tile isn’t so easy to find! Zuniga Interiors suggested using Schulter’s 1/2” tile edge trim in polished chrome as a replacement for the liner tile and to finish the exposed edges of all the tile instead of bullnose tile. This resulted in a polished chrome stripe around the shower niches and on the shower wall. Remembering the MTV show entitled “Pimp My Car” where they always seemed to add a bunch of chrome to a celebrity’s vehicle, we joke that we’ve “pimped our shower.” Master shower niches with polished chrome edging; personal collection

The trim carpenters finished the pantry shelves last week so the countertops could be measured and templates made. I bumped the pantry wall out two feet and it created an incredibly generous space for storage. I'm very pleased with how it turned out. One of three walls of shelves in the pantry; personal collection This is the short wall as the air conditioning cold air return was located on the right side of the photo. The shelves on the left will have a sink under the window. And I am standing in front of another wall of shelves. The countertop material will be the same as the kitchen -- Cambria Fairbourne .

We have several “specialty” doors throughout River House. There are glass pocket doors between the foyer and the den and pocket doors in the guest bath and between the master closet and laundry room.  The pantry door and the one between our closet and bathroom are bi-directional swing doors. The pantry door will also have glass in the top panel. We decided to do that because so much natural light comes through the pantry window. We got our first look at the glass pocket doors to the den yesterday. (The protective coating on the glass will eventually be removed.) It was an unseasonably cold day and the trim carpenters had all the doors closed and were running a space heater. Glass pocket doors between foyer and den; personal collection

The trim carpenters, who do an excellent job (and know all the best off-shore fishing spots), got a little carried away when they were installing the crown molding in the master bath. We want the shower wall tile to go to the ceiling so this crown molding will need to be removed. Crown molding in the shower needs to be removed; personal collection

The new estimated completion date for River House is now March 1, 2020. This is a slippage of 45 days. Sigh! Screen porch taking shape; personal collection

My objective is to have the rugs for the master bedroom, master bath and closet, kitchen and den on hand when we move into River House. Today I ordered the rug for our bedroom. Zuniga Interiors specified another Loloi rug from the Julian collection — JI-01 Spa . However, I purchased JI-07 Seafoam/Spa. I liked how it pulled in both the new blues but also had the original green in which our bedroom was designed. And Zuniga Interiors agreed. Loloi Rugs Julian Collection Seafoam Green and Spa; courtesy of Rugs Direct

When designing the Bonus Bath both Zuniga Interiors and I missed a critical bit of information provided by the house plans. The slope ceiling non-surprise surprise; personal collection Those dashed lines circled in red indicate the ceiling is sloped where the bathroom vanity is located. What the plans didn't indicate was how high up on the wall did the slope start. Today, we found out. Ceiling slope in Bonus Bath; personal collection The wall is 83-1/4 inches high -- less than an inch short of 7 feet. The height of all the things that have to go under that slope are: 33.25" -- Bathroom vanity without countertop   6.00" -- Countertop and backsplash 35.00" -- Mirror   9.00" -- Light bar ------- 83.25" That means there would be no space between the backsplash, mirror and light bar. Not good. The lights have already been ordered and changing them would require a restocking fee. Also, there's not really enough room for sconces on e...

Yesterday, eagle-eye Pete spotted a mistake with the doors from our bedroom to the master bath. They opened into the bedroom instead of into the bath. Doors between master bedroom and bath opening in the wrong direction; personal collection We decided to check all the doors that have been hung against our house plans and found another issue in the master bath. Based on where the hinges are installed, the door to the toilet closet will open out into the bathroom instead of into the toilet closet. Getting ready to hang this door so it opens in the wrong direction; personal collection I told our project manager about these two issues and was told they would be easy to fix. I wish my door mistake had been so easy!

I asked Zuniga Interiors to update the design they did for the master bedroom in our Oakton house. I wanted to keep as much furniture and furnishings as possible yet incorporate the beautiful blue colors used throughout the other rooms of River House. Their Interiors To-Go box arrived last week. It's always like Christmas when one of their boxes arrive! Master bedroom design concept; courtesy of Zuniga Interiors It's perfect as the design did everything I asked. It incorporates all of our existing furniture -- bed, nightstands, dresser, bench, ottoman and chair. All I need to due is purchase another chair, an area rug, a mirror, decorative pillows, some decorative items and the window treatments, as well as having the existing chair and bench reupholstered. Fabric samples; personal collection The fabric on the left is for the two chairs, one of which will need to be reupholstered; the ikat print at the top is for draperies and decorative pillows; the woven sisal ...

After being blindsided by the need to pay extra for railings for the screen porch , we met with our builder to nail down any remaining costs over and above the contract. We also discussed the two times we had been frustrated with what we felt were surprises. The next day our builder called to let us know they and the countertop supplier were going to eat the cost of the Laundry Room counters as I was so unhappy with them. They also felt like the sample provided to select the material was not representative of the finished product and were considering changes to the selection process to ensure this didn't happen again. Using a piece of floor tile to compare laminate samples, we selected Hebron White from WilsonArt. Hebron White formica sample; personal collection After making the selection we went to the WilsonArt website to ensure the pattern was subtle and not as vivid as Drama Marble. WilsonArt Hebron White laminate ; courtesy of WilsonArt Much better! I am ver...

Due to the height from the ground, the screen porch will require railings for safety. Rear elevation of River House as of 26 November; personal collection The railings will be aluminum with stainless steel cables . The construction method provides the safety required by the building codes without obstructing much of the view. The aluminum can be powder coated almost any color you desire. That raised the question of what is our exterior color palette beyond gray and white? What should the complementary colors be? I asked Zuniga Interiors to create our exterior color palette and this is what they came up with. I think it's grand especially with existing colors and brushed aluminum exterior lights. The porch railings and Bahama shutters on the two double windows at the front of the house will match Sherwin Williams 6496 Oceanside as closely as possible and I'll use the other colors for flower pots and other decorative items. Exterior color palette provided by Zuniga I...

A rug under the dining table is a personal choice. Many choose not to have one to ease clean up. However, I like the look of a rug under a table. We also installed pre-finished hardwood in our kitchen in Virginia and had engineered hardwood in the dining room in our apartment in New York. In both locations our dining room chairs scratched and marred the flooring -- something I'd like to avoid in River House. Zuniga Interiors provided three options for a rug under our dining table. This is my favorite. Wexford Striped Flatweave Area Rug in Marbella Blue from Beachcrest Home; courtesy of Wayfair I think it will look terrific with our furniture selections. I'm just dithering now about the size -- 5'10" x 9'2" as Zuniga recommended or 7'6" x 10'9"? The table is 41" wide and I want to be sure there is enough room on either side to easily move the dining chairs. Next time we visit the house I'll bring my trusty tape measure alon...

The built-in cabinets in the Den are progressing nicely so of course it was time to buy a rug for the room. Plus, I needed to take advantage of the Cyber Monday sales. This is the Ella Rose rug from Magnolia Home in light blue and dark blue. It will go in the Den, or what I call "Pete's BIG TV room." Magnolia Home’s Ella Rose rug in Light Blue/Dark Blue; courtesy of Bed Bath & Beyond Several weeks ago I made a list of things we absolutely needed to buy in order to live in our bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and den at River House. Getting those critical rooms furnished would allow me to take my time decorating the rest of the house. The rug for the Den was on the list, but a mirror for the foyer was definitely not. However, Wayfair was having a sale and I do love free shipping! I promise to exercise better impulse control during my next online shopping spree. One Allium Way Walnut Wood Wall Mirror ; courtesy of Wayfair

The contract for our house was priced based on a level lot and our lot is not level. It slopes 10 feet from the road to the river. We understood the contract could not accommodate the slope as we had not yet decided where the house would be located. For the same reason, exterior steps -- front porch and screen porch -- were not included in the contract. As a result, we mentally added money to our budget for the unknowns related to the lot slope. We did, however, add money to the contract to screen in the rear porch. In our minds, that extra money included everything related to a completely finished screen porch, minus steps. So we were more than a bit surprised when our project manager sent us a quote for screen porch railings. It was no surprise the railings were required because building codes required them due to the height of the porch from the ground. What was a surprise to us was the fact those railings were not included in the extra we added to the contract for the screen po...

Our kitchen table and chairs  were delivered on November 8 and are now in one of our storage units waiting for River House to be completed. We also need three counter stools for the kitchen island and selecting them has been a challenge. I didn't want to be too match-y, match-y so I looked for something that would complement the bistro side chairs . My first choice was the St. Martin stool . St. Martin Dining Stool; courtesy of Williams Sonoma Home Unfortunately, it is no longer available. Zuniga Interiors sent me several options and at first none of them "blew my skirt up," as one of my cousins likes to say. Blues Counter Stool in Antique from Sika Design Morro Bar Stool in Vanilla Linen from Artistica Home Sunwashed Riviera Counter Stool in Natural from Serena & Lily Avalon Swivel Counter Stool from Serena & Lily Ibiza Counter Stool from Williams Sonoma Home Midi Counter Stool in Nutmeg from Selamat Choices, choices, choices...currently I...

Our propane tank was delivered the Friday after Thanksgiving. It stores fuel for our gas logs, grill and generator since we do not have access to natural gas. The tank will be buried in the front yard. 250-gallon propane tank; personal collection

The trim carpenters made a lot of progress on the window and door casings, baseboard and crown molding Thanksgiving week. Interior trim in back hall; personal collection