Powder room

When designing our house, it was difficult to visualize how things would come together. Our general contractor isn't big into fancy computer programming (he actually came out of retirement to build this house for us) , so the most we were ever able to see was the plan itself on paper. That just didn't help me picture anything. My biggest struggle throughout the design process was the just "not knowing" how anything would actually look.

For the powder room, it wasn't as difficult. I can pretty much picture a powder room and just wanted something simple. I knew I wanted to continue the black and white theme and wanted wood on the walls for texture, but because the room is small with no window, I also wanted it to feel as spacious as possible.

The tile for the powder room was the first thing I picked for the house before it was really time to choose anything (pretty sure it was last January). We were walking through Lowe's and it just caught my eye immediately and I knew it would be perfect for the powder room. Powder rooms are not super exciting, but this really made it fun. Also, bonus, it was super affordable

We are adding 3 natural wood shelves above the toilet so I'll take an updated picture when we do that project

January and finding beauty indoors

I have no idea what I'm doing but woke up today and felt I needed to start a blog; mainly out of boredom because it is January in the midwest, but also hoping to share info that might help others.

In an uncertain world where reality is crazier than most of us ever imagined, its nice to focus on real things, things that we can see and touch that make us feel calm and creative. Which is why I love this topic always, but especially now, with most of us stuck in our homes and searching for beauty, why not create a beautiful space to live?

Last year after a lot of soul-searching and prayer, we decided to move from the suburbs where we've lived and raised our children for the past 26 years, to the country and small town where I grew up. We had purchased a cabin (really a shack) on a pretty little lake a few years back and we had now decided to tear it down and build our forever home on the same spot. Having no idea what we were getting into at the time, we decided to go for it, despite a few questions and doubts.

Building a custom home during a pandemic and worldwide unrest is interesting, add in my lofty ideas for the perfect dream home within a very strict budget (notice the emphasis) and it became a major personal challenge! I thought I would share some of the things I've learned as well as some great bargains I found in the process. Not sure how this will go, but I'll probably do a deeper dive into each room going forward.

So this is our home! I'll share additional details going forward, but wanted to start with a few pictures.

I used Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace for all of the white surfaces on the main floor. I absolutely love this color and will probably write an entire post about it

We've had so few sunny days lately that the only picture I have of this view of the kitchen includes my husband. He's pretty awesome and makes amazing organic gluten-free recipes. I'm hoping to share some here soon. Seriously, they are so good

I love minimalist decor (along with many of you) and adore black, white and natural wood tones. When using black and white, it's so important to add natural wood and various tones and textures to keep the space from feeling cold. The mantle was a DIY project and I just love the warmth it adds to the fireplace

I searched everywhere for these stools! I knew what I wanted in my head, and I was able to find them a few places, but not in my budget. Not even close. I had all but given up when I found these on Pinterest. They were on Black Friday sale at Home Depot for $76 a stool!! In the reviews I read that they are often out of stock

https://www.homedepot.com/p/StyleWell-Black-Metal-Counter-Stool-with-Back-and-Natural-Seat-21-42-in-W-x-34-25-in-H-ST1808296-NBLK/309165440?cm_mmc=ecc-_-THD_ORDER_CONFIRMATION_BOSS_STH-_-V1_M1_CC-_-Product_URL&ecc_ord=WM23193815

I was so shocked that I ordered them right then, without running it past the finance committee.... Thankfully the other member of the committee forgave me when he realized the magnitude of the sale and the necessary urgency that was required.

Regular price is $109 and they are currently out of stock but I have seen them re-stocked so keep checking!

Back to the paint, I literally spent two months searching for the just the right white paint. Not exaggerating. With the lake outside, I knew I wanted white. Not a cold white or too warm white, just a crisp white backdrop for the surrounding natural beauty. I narrowed it to Simply White and Chantilly Lace, both by Benjamin Moore. I've painted in 7 different homes now and can say that BM paint is well worth the cost for many reasons and will probably do a separate post on that topic later.

As I said above, I ended up choosing Chantilly Lace and absolutely love it.

I think that's enough for a first post. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions if you like. Thanks for visiting!