River House Diary

Last week we met with the cabinetmaker to discuss the design of the Den built-ins, and totally redesigned them on the fly adding another section for a total of six instead of five. The design was the cabinetmaker’s idea once he knew the primary purpose for the built-ins was threefold: 1) house a big TV, 2) store DVDs and 3) books. Pete should still have room for a 65-inch TV. He is a happy camper. Beginnings of the Den built-in cabinets; personal collection

The other vanity we purchased ourselves was the washstand and sink for the Half Bath. It was from Restoration Hardware and was a bit of a splurge. It still needs to be centered on the plumbing before being secured in place. Half Bath washstand and sink; personal collection

After the Laundry Room countertop debacle , I was second guessing my selection for the cultured marble countertop for Bath 2, the guest bathroom. I wanted to review it before it was too late -- and it almost was. The material had been ordered and the measurements taken but the template had not yet been made for fabrication. So we were just in time in case I wanted to change my mind. On the day before Thanksgiving we dropped by CreekKraft to look at a larger sample. This time I brought my tile backsplash and wallpaper samples. After reviewing our original selection and a couple of other options, Pete and I were satisfied our first choice was a good one. Crisis averted! Classic FHS cultured marble with our tile backsplash (blue) and wallpaper samples; personal collection

Things continue to happen at River House. The bathroom vanity we purchased for the upstairs bathroom was moved from our storage unit to the house and set nearly in place — it still needs to get pushed against the back wall. Bonus Bath vanity; personal collection

I saved this photograph of a Phoebe Howard designed kitchen in 2011 and it is still one of my favorite kitchens. Wave pattern on vent hood inspiration; courtesy Phoebe Howard Look closely at the vent hood. I’m stealing the waves. My waves still need to go back to the shop in Walstonburg for sanding and painting, but they are looking good! Wave pattern for vent hood; personal collection.

There is a half bathroom in the back hall near the door to the garage. We chose to tile the wall on which the toilet and sink will be installed in Daltile’s Premier Accents Pearl Herringbone Stone Mosaic Wall Tile , which is available exclusively from Home Depot. Yesterday, when we stopped by the house the tile had been installed floor to ceiling as we had specified. The photograph doesn’t do the tile justice. It shimmers! Daltile’s Pearl Herringbone wall tile; personal collection

When we stopped by the house Monday, they had not only installed the countertops and sinks in the kitchen, but also in the master bath. We chose the same quartz counters for our bathroom as we did in the kitchen -- Cambria USA Fairbourne . Cambria USA Fairbourne quartz; personal collection The sinks are Kohler Verticyl under-mount sinks (K-2882). I thought the rectangular shape worked well in our bathroom as the layout of the room is very rectangular. We also used these sinks in Bath 2 -- the guest bathroom. The 4" backsplash made out of the countertop material will be removed and instead we'll use the glass mosaic tile we're using in the shower for the backsplash.