Here is a photo of our wood stove (still all wrapped up in plastic) in it's little alcove. Problem with this space is, if you look on the top right corner, there's an unsightly HVAC duct sticking out from the wall. After staring at this for a while scratching our heads, Josh (my graphic designer husband) turned to the computer to figure out what a possible solution might look like. Here's what we came up with:

We decided to lower the ceiling in the alcove so that it was even with the top of the shelves to the right, which looks pretty cool. While we were at it, we checked out what the shelves would look like if we used some old slabs of wood we found upstate last year (so happy we dragged them home!) as well as putting a piece of slate on the bottom shelf, where we'll keep wood. What's great about this little exercise is not only can I see exactly what we may be getting ourselves into, but Mark, our contractor, has a concrete photograph to follow. Leaving as little to chance as possible, which is the name of the game, let me tell you.

The final result?

Pretty cool, and just like the photo only better. Plus we found a beautiful solid piece of bluestone (the same material that the ancients used at Stonehenge!) on which to place the woodstove. Now we just have to figure out how to trim it out, put brick on the walls surrounding the stove (fire code) and then voila, an atmospheric fireplace that will also serve as a great heat source in the winter. It's amazing how many tiny details are involved in doing this house. My head is spinning, and I haven't even begun to tell you guys about our endless search for a kitchen faucet or bathroom tiles...

Here's the latest shot of the newly completed walls in the kitchen. I'm so happy with how it looks. The room is feeling like it's coming together for real. The sink (which we have yet to choose, by the way) will go under the double windows and the stove (already bought, waiting in a warehouse to be delivered) will go to the right of the single window. The under-the-counter fridges will go inside the peninsula, which is being built right now by the special counter man. So there you have it. Supposedly we can be in the house with things working (not finished, of course, but at least functional) in 3 to 4 weeks.

Who wants to place bets?

So many things are happening now that I don't even know where to start. Here, as promised, are a few photos of some recent developments...

First the guest room (aka downstairs bedroom)

Sooooo excited about how the cedar panels are looking. These are rough planks that have been nailed to the framing. In the interest of full disclosure, this idea was a blatant rip off from a little house in England that we read about in World of Interiors magazine. They were looking for an inexpensive way to cover the walls on their second floor and came up with this. It looked amazing, so we tore out the photo, handed it to our contractor and told him to copy it. Which he did brilliantly. We're going to whitewash them when all is said and done. It's a small room, so we thought that this would make the place feel cozy and ship-like. In the second photograph you can see the entry into the bathroom. This is an exciting development for our house guests, as in the old layout, you had to walk out and through the living room to get to the bathroom.

The HUGE development in the downstairs of the house, however, is the beadboard in the main room. My husband Josh was really into the idea of installing it horizontally. This was one of his design ideas which took me a little while to get used to, but which has turned out to be a stroke of genius. Check out how this looks in the living room:

We went for the old school individual planks of this stuff, rather than using the 4 by 8 foot boards that you see now in lots of new construction. Our contractor wasn't thrilled about the extra labor, but even he admitted that it looks so much better this way. Josh is so in love with the way it's turned out, that he's not sure that we should paint it. I'm still of the mind that the place would look too 'woody' if we kept the walls natural, especially when the floors get put in (this week!) Any thoughts about this out there? Here's a close up shot of the siding for your pleasure.

This shot also highlights the fine level of craftsmanship used here. The corners in this house are far from square, so it was a challenge to fit all of the pieces in. I am, again, forever in the debt of Mark Rist, our mighty and beloved contractor, for doing such a careful and beautiful job.

More photos to come in the next post...

God forbid we ever just make a decision and stick to it. Just when we thought we'd found the perfect light for the kitchen, my design obsessed husband Josh went back on line trolling for alternatives. He came up with a beautiful Tom Dixon light from Moss (an old haunt in SoHo) and now we're going in an entirely different direction. Here's the light for you to check out:

To link directly to it on the site, click this. Here are our thoughts on it... I'm curious what you guys think. We've decided that we don't want to go too precious and old fashioned with the accessories, and also that a little bit of drama might be nice for a kitchen. The copper feels old, but the spherical shape is super modern. Also, the material is really reflective, which will be great when the sun is shining in through all of the windows. We're also playing a bit here with scale... It's 18", which is definitely bigger than the standard for this space. I think there is something really wonderful about putting something big in a smaller space. It dislodges your expectations, in a good way. We were looking at a smaller chrome lamp as well, but it just didn't feel as special. So we splurged and got this one. I still really like the other lamps, but  what the hell. It's no fun if you always do the sensible thing, right?