River House Diary

Yesterday, our sister-in-law stopped by River House and took several photos. Since we left North Carolina last week, the electricians finished the rough-ins, the duct work for the heating and air conditioning systems is being installed and shingles are going on the roof. All wires lead to the future location of the main electrical panel; courtesy of Dawn Jennings HVAC ducts in the floored attic space, which we decided to add heat and AC and drywall; courtesy Dawn Jennings Roof shingles going up; courtesy of Dawn Jennings

I've ordered many very nice home decorative items from Ballard Designs  before, but the swatch I received of the area rug for the Great Room was extremely disappointing from a quality perspective. This is the Amarone Rug . According to Ballard's website, it "has the look of an elegantly faded heirloom" ... made of a "soft cotton/poly blend in warm tones of mineral, taupe, gray and stone." And it may be all that, but when you can see the woven rug backing through the carpet pile, you are looking at a poor quality rug. The Amarone Rug is simply very, very badly made. Poorly made Amarone Rug from Ballard Designs; personal collection

Our builder’s new carpet and tile supplier recommended Shaw Floor’s Magnetic Loop carpet instead of the Masland Carpets’ Urban Escape in Rushing we had initially chosen for the Bonus Room as a cost savings. And it’s hard to sneeze at $1.50 per square foot. Now for the really tough decision ... what color works best with the fabric choices? Shaw Floors Magnetic Design Loop color options for the Bonus Room; personal collection We decided to stay with the Masland Carpet's Urban Escape in Contented  for the guest bedrooms as there wasn't a good Magnetic Design Loop color that compared well and the quality seems superior. Zuniga Interiors helped me with the color selection. Shaw Floors Magnetic Design Loop in Honey Pot; personal collection

Zuniga Interiors design concept for the Bonus Room arrived when we were in North Carolina. They've continued the color palette from the main level of the house and made it a little more vibrant. The office area of the room; courtesy of Zuniga Interiors The TV wall; courtesy of Zuniga Interiors The seating area; courtesy of Zuniga Interiors The textiles; courtesy of Zuniga Interiors Some of the decorative items we can purchase as needed; courtesy of Zuniga Interiors

Remember my tile flip flop ? When we met with our builder's interior designer and I told her about it and why, she and Pete ganged up on me -- in a good way -- and I've flipped back to the lagoon color. Zuniga Interiors design concept for the Bonus Room arrived while we were in North Carolina. After seeing their design the final flip back to lagoon was the right thing to do. Bedrosians 360 3/4" x 3/4" floor tile in Lagoon ; courtesy of Bedrosians That meant round two of shopping for a shower curtain. I found this pretty little number at Saffron Marigold : Blue Batik Contemporary Fabric Shower Curtain ; courtesy of Saffron Marigold Each shower curtain is handcrafted using intricately hand carved wooden blocks distinguished by the work of the artisan, the particular lot of dye and even varying weather conditions.

Williams Sonoma Home is having a sale! So Pete and I went to our local store and tested the comfort of the chairs we plan to use in the kitchen. We purchased the Harvest Dining Table  and Bistro Side Chairs (in the Honey finish). Our first furniture purchase for River House. Williams Sonoma Home Bistro Side Chair; personal collection Unfortunately the St. Martin counter stools have been discontinued and are no longer in stock.

I have followed Maria Killam 's Colour Me Happy  blog for years, attended one of her 3-day classes on color, consulted with her on paint colors for our Oakton house and purchased all of her ebooks. She worked with Maryanne White , using e-landscape design services, to design her gardens after purchasing a home outside Vancouver. The before and after photos are stunning. Maria Killam's white garden designed by MaryAnne White; courtesy of Maria Killam I contacted Maryanne a few weeks ago and she will be designing the landscape plan for our new home. She asked that I send her a topographical map of our lot, the house location survey, and the house plans, as well as some photos. Maryanne will send me a sketch of her proposed landscape plan in a few weeks and we will talk over her ideas. Her final deliverable will be CAD drawings a local firm can use to install the landscape. Thank you, Maria, for allowing me to use one of your photographs!