River House Diary

We have seven windows in our bedroom, two in our bathroom and one in our closet. The window treatments in the bedroom will eventually be layered woven wood shades and drapes. However, we didn't get the drapery at this time -- just the shades. They are from Horizons Window Fashions; the pattern is Tranquility and the color is Peca n. We got these as full black-out shades. Master bedroom shades; personal collection In the bathroom, we had full blackout shades made that can open from the top of the window or the bottom. This allows us to get maximum light into the room and still have privacy. They were made from Norbar Fabrics Bellamy Cotton 1 . Zuniga Interiors specified off-white shades. I was tempted to have them match the bedroom drapery fabric, but since we are not getting those drapes anytime soon, I chose to play it safe and go with a solid fabric for the bathroom Master bathroom window treatments; personal collection The window in the closet is high on the wal...

Clutter makes me antsy; so as we've been living in River House and I see opportunities to better organize, I jump on them. Most of my jewelry has been in storage for three years. After finding it, Pete and I spent a couple of hours untangling necklaces I haven't worn in years -- well, because they were so tangled. Etsy's TheKnottedWood store had the perfect solution! Now, my all the necklaces I am privileged to own have a home in our closet and will be so easy for me to select and wear! My necklaces hanging on the organizer from TheKnottedWood; 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

In the Master Bath we used the CabCraft Allentown door style , a full overlay style. Master Bath vanity is 7-feet long; personal collection However, the island in the master closet is the CabCraft Dalton door style, a partial overlay style. This decision saved a few dollars. Master Closet island; personal collection

Nearly all of the time, the master closet floor would be the same flooring as used in the bedroom, which in our case would be hardwood. However, our closet is accessed from the bathroom or laundry room -- the three rooms flow together. So we used the same floor tile in all three rooms. To keep our feet warm during the winter months, we'll need to get some rugs for the master closet. The floor tile we used was Bedrosian's 12" x 24" Purestone in Beige. Bedrosian's 12" x 24" Purestone floor tile in Beige being installed in the master closet; personal collection

The weakest part of the River House floor plan are the guest bedrooms. They are small, though that is mitigated somewhat by good-sized walk-in closets. But in neither bedroom is there the perfect place for the bed. So we made compromises. In the front guest room (Bedroom 2) the headboard of the bed will be in front of a window. In the back guest room (Bedroom 3) the headboard will be on the same wall as the entry door. I'm a big believer in having a nightstand on either side of a bed sized to sleep two people. They can be small but everyone will want to place something -- a book, a glass, a cell phone, jewelry, etc. -- on the nightstand. And that's something I overlooked when working on the floor plan modifications with our architect. One of the nightstands in Bedroom 3 will block the door to the walk-in closet. Why I didn't notice this in August when the electrical rough-ins weren't yet complete, I'll never know. Instead, I noticed it during our last trip when ...

When I worked with Zuniga Interiors on flooring selections, I asked them to use tile from a company that distributes nationally. And they did, but TAB's tile supplier doesn't carry Bedrosians Tile & Stone. We're still working through that issue. Since the Master Bath, Master Closet and Laundry Room are all accessible to each other, we chose Bedrosians 12" x 24" Purestone floor and wall tile in Beige for all three rooms. The shower floor will be the same tile but in 1" x 2" mosaic. Purestone floor and wall tile in Beige (not a good color representation); courtesy of Bedrosians Tile & Stone

We are fortunate to have a large walk-in closet in the Master Bedroom that includes an island, or built-in dresser. This is the light fixture we chose for over the island. Parker Point 3-Light Convertible Chandelier in Chrome ; courtesy of Kichler Lighting

We're both big proponents of an organized closet, but we achieve it differently. I reorganize my closets a few times a year and do a purge each time. If I haven't worn or used it since the last reorganization, it goes in the trash or to charity. Pete, on the other hand, never organizes, but rather keeps his closets tidy all the time. I like my way better (of course) because Pete never purges unless I nag him. I've (single)/we've (married) installed closet organizers after each move. An organized closet; courtesy of California Closets Our Master Closet can be accessed from the Master Bath and Laundry Room; therefore, the flooring for all three rooms will be the same. There is a small window in the closet and part of the ceiling is sloped to accommodate the staircase to the Bonus Room. I asked Zuniga Interiors for help. They sent a special questionnaire for closets that had me measuring our hanging clothes, folded clothes, shoes, boots, Pete's ties, our bel...

Our house plan specified locker-type cabinets by the back door to the garage. I envisioned something like this: Mud room lockers; courtesy of PB Kitchen Design But, boy, those lovely suckers are expensive. So we are building a closet in that space instead.

In the original version or our house plan, Pete and I each had our own vanity with a tower cabinet. I envisioned shallow towers that were not as deep as the base cabinets. Tower cabinets for bathroom; courtesy of The Woodshop of Avon Of course they were more expensive than a tall cabinet that is the same depth as the base cabinet, which was specified in our house plan. One of the two vanities with tower cabinet in the original house plan; courtesy of JAK Moulding & Supply But it became a moot point when we moved the bathroom door. Now we will have a 7-foot long vanity with double sinks and a linen closet. A less expensive solution because fewer cabinets are required. Pete is happy!