wishlist

Watching all these shows on HGTV, I see a lot of 'wish lists' that pop up on the left side of the screen when home-hunters are searching out their already-built dream home. So while I'm thinking about all these things, I want to make my list while it's on my mind:

Here goes...

• master suite 
• walk-in closet
• own full bath
• tile floors
• double vanity
• hardwood floors
• large kitchen
• pantry
• counter space
• gas stove
• island?
• backsplash
• tile floors
• formal dining room
• fenced, large backyard
• mature tree growth
• 4 bedrooms (1 for office)
• 3 baths 
• wood burning fire place(s)
• patio/deck space 
• large, double car garage
• large laundry room 

I'm sure there are things I'm missing, so I want to hear your wish lists, too! :) And as I hear things, just watch my list grow! 

bath paint

Paint in a bathroom is... crucial! We have two unpainted baths, and it drives us craaaaazy. In our master bath, it has my old green/white Anthropolgie bath mat + green towels + green shower curtain + vintage magazine cover with green bathing suit. What the heck kind of paint do I do in that room!? If I do an overhaul of all the green in, and replace it with white, I could do a light green color like this, and thus leave my magazine cover artwork. That would be nice. 

Or I could still do the white overhaul, and paint the bathroom this color, which is very similar to the bath in the basement: 

Much more sophisticated, but the wood in our Master doesn't look NEARLY that nice. ... oh choices, choices.. 

Sarah's House: interiors

Just recently I found a show on HGTV called Sarah's House. I wish I had found it forever ago, but I guess I'll just play catch up for now. Looking through the online pictures of this house she bought for her family, it is so different than it was! I had to take these screen shots just to remember how she places things around her house, the colors, the careful use of wallpapers and the neat odds and ends she finds to embellish a bit. 

This is her entry way. I have longed for a 'proper' entryway since moving into this fun little house of ours (I really, truly love our house, but if I had the money, I would modify some things). Here, she has the perfect colors of paint, furniture, finishes, stone, and wood. It looks like she has elongated slate tiles in the entry way; easy to clean! Then the dark(er) wood floors leading to the rest of the house, and past the stairs. I love the mirror there by the front door for the infamous, "last look at yourself" before an outing. The small space below the window filled with a square frame, full of what looks like [from here to be] little artifacts or perhaps pressed leaves or coins? The old lantern light-chandelier looks nice as well!

Here is a glimpse of her laundry room. I love the sink, backsplash, cabinets, and countertop shtuff: towels, paper towels, extra bath paper, glass 'sugar and flour' containers for detergents (don't forget!), and a nice, big, pendant light fixture against the cool gray backdrop colors. 

The next room I loved was what she called the "Kid's Lounge" - but what's childish about it?! I'd take it for an office! I love the desk and the metal supports (forgot their name). I like the bead-board in this room because it matches the rest of the room's trim around the old windows and around the frames, desk, and magnetic bulletin board.

 

This part of the space is cozy beneath what looks like a stair-overhang. It also looks like there is a small lamp behind that pillow on the left on the lowest shelf by the magazine holder. What a great use of a small space!

This is her basement/family room. Love that ottoman's size! So big. Big enough for feet to be right next to that popcorn. Ew. Nevermind..

Same room, different location, there is texture on the carpet under the family room game table, texture and color on the wall, and the chair rail turns into a hidden-from-view shelf! Love those flowers.. and that bench. Not to mention the idea to have a table meant for games! .... but where to hide said games?

The Master Bedroom. Still loving those colors! Mark has often expressed his interest in bench seating at the foot of the bed for putting shoes on, or socks. :) I'll go for socks. Notice the frame behind the bedside lamp? My mom's rule: small pictures for small spaces. I love it. 

Another view of a bedside table. Mark and I were given a red phone like that silver one. We took it back to get something else from Potter Barn. What were we thinking? I guess we could always go get another one... if there were a PB here in Alaska! I love the wood of the bedside tables. And another framed picture behind the lamp! I'm diggin that idea.

More of the same wood in the dresser. Those chairs would be a perfect place to rest and read my scriptures, don't you think? The chandelier is a little... something for me in this room. I like it, but it almost makes it look to much like a dining table with that mirror. I'd say one or the other... but I'm not Sarah! And she's the designer for a reason, eh? :)

Here is Sarah's Master bath. I've never thought of the hanging light bulbs would be strong enough for proper bathroom lighting; but they must be strong because they obviously work! I like the clean look of the tiled floor, and I've got my suspicions that heat resides in those floors. mmm Heaven! Notice the vanity on the left with a pull-out stool and drawers on its right. Just like in a salon! ALSO, the exposed white towels have a nice look about them. White towels are definitely the way to go; you always feel clean and crisp!

And the ocean-look of the glass shower. Is that a square rain head shower? That looks like some nice, heavy, expensive glass: 

Feast your eyes on THIS beauty!! The soaker tub: 

Kids' bathroom. Though it's definitely not as 'updated' as the master bath, I think it has a real cute charm! The sink might be a little too 'modern' for such a retro space, but hey. I like the colors: 

Another view of the kids' bath. I really like the patterned white/green/white/green towels, and the matching accessories. Do you think she thrifted that chair or did she pay an arm and a leg for it? ... I'll go with thrifted. That leaves hope for the rest of us to discover such a fun find! I've noticed that she has creative locations for toilet paper. Making something from a 'toilet necessity' to a 'bath necessity.'

Powder room! See what I mean about the 'creative locations' for bath paper? The lighting is awesome in this space, next to the tall mirror, isn't it? I really like the darker grays of the flooring tile and paint under the chair rail. 

And .... the MUD ROOM! I would love to have one of these in our 'next house'.. or some day: 

The closet-cabinet raised to prevent 'water damage' if ever there were a mud room flood with the little rascals. Using lights that are reminiscent of a fisherman's wharf with those little yellow slickers is just ... clever. The bench with storage under the seat with #s 1 2 and 3 is awfully fun too. Having a clock in that small space is very smart too... never know when you're running late! Is that a hamper back there? Also a smart idea! 


Home Office. "This home office might be small but it certainly has high-impact. The bold red pops with the metal accents giving this space the energy and sleek efficiency it needs." I do like that bulletin board and that desk. Very sleek! Makes me want to write a cute little kissy novella! 

I'm not sure about the.. dresser?.. this piece of furniture, but I do like it's shape and functionality. I'd probably choose a more rustic wood, but hey! It's Sarah's. But I am in love with that drafter's lamp. Mark and I are eyeing a photographer's lamp from Pottery Barn, but surprise surprise, it's $300!!

Upstairs Family Bath. For the upstairs family bath Sarah splurges on a free-standing tub, a spacious separate shower and high-end hardware, giving this space a timeless, contemporary design.": 

Another view. I love what she does with frames! Different sizes even look great next to each other: 

This is her basement bathroom. "The budget-friendly bathroom proves that it is possible to use ready-to-go, off-the-rack, non-custom items and make them look beautiful and elegant." OK:

Another view. Typically I'm not one that likes pedestal sinks. But in this case, it is a basement bathroom, and you don't need to store too much, so there ya have it! Use it!:

Guest Suite. Here she "transformed an unusual basement space into a multi-purpose bedroom suite that works as a guest room." It used to be "dark and dingy" but it is now "bright and airy." 

"After finding decorative plates for only $9 each, Sarah and Tommy create a unique art piece by enclosing the plates inside shadow boxes." 

"A vintage yellow dresser found at auction for the bargain price of $70 gets a fresh coat of white paint." 

Alright.... I found another laundry room picture of hers.. I don't know which house is which anymore! Because when I clicked on "Storage & Laundry Room" I thought I was going to get more pictures from the laundry room above... but I guess not! So here is another laundry room: 

Gone are the days of concrete laundry rooms. A cheery, lemon-yellow palette gives this space a clean, fresh feeling. 


Under-counter appliances allowed Sarah to install a counter that runs all the way across the top. Its smooth surface is perfect for folding everything from towels to T-shirts with ease. 

Extra cupboards make a great linen closet or space for additional storage. I take back what I said about white towels only. I love these colored towels!! So much fun. 

Backyard. "A large, untouched backyard is transformed into an all-season entertaining space. Stone work, landscaping and green space set the foundation for a jewel-like pool and cabana." This was the episode I watched earlier today. But they only showed the outside! So that is why I don't know what's inside and what isn't.... so these pictures are just... a collage. ?

Another view of the pool/patio. So many things in this episode had to change with what her budget was allowing. The pool is saltwater to save future cleaning costs (doesn't eliminate, just decreases), the patio was extended to save on stone costs, but I love it! I like the clean, linear look of placement of the furniture. 

A view of the fountains and head on to the cabana: 

A closer look: 

She used the existing fences and just redid the top part horizontally. Saved on money there by painting and redoing:

Family Room. Sarah breaks down the walls of this nowhere space to make a family room that serves a multitude of purposes. While the design scheme skews male, it's meant to welcome all with comfort and style: 

I really like the use of all the chairs! Trying to figure out furniture layouts is so hard... and chairs is a way to make the 'hard' turn to 'fun.' 


Still liking what she chooses for frames. Very uniform throughout the whole house: 

Living Room and Front Entry (must be the second house - because it's a far cry from 'same' as the earlier pictures I had..). But I still really love it. I want to do frames like she does so badly! AH! 

"Sarah unites a dated living room and entryway, giving them modern appeal and flexibility." I really like the frosted glass partition that divides the entryway from the living room: 

Looking back towards the back of the living room. I think it's interesting what she chose to do with the off center ceiling vault. We have a similar situation in our house, but I'm not brave enough to hang a tall mirror center to define the heights... but I like it!!!

Kitchen and Dining Room. This is connected to the living room pictured above, so the colors are cohesive. What I noticed, and really have wanted to do to the home we are in now, is carry the back splash to all of the visible wall above the cabinets (or in this case, the range): 

"One of the costliest renovation challenges in any house is the kitchen. Sarah bucks this trend with stylish, customized ready-made cabinetry and useful solutions for absolutely everything." I also like the idea of a small tv in the kitchen for my 'food network' show tips. You can watch AS you do! I also like the faucet quite a bit: 

Lovely chandelier! And table base:

Curb Appeal. Front Door & Porch. "Nothing makes a better calling card than curb appeal. Sarah modernizes the exterior by replacing a tangle of trees, adding a skylight to the carport and colour tinting the brick." I have noticed 'shiny driveways' or roads before on neighborhood advertisements for homes in my parents' Las Vegas community. There is something enticing about slick, or wet driveways. Almost like rain in a dessert, water under clear blue skies has an attractiveness for the eye. Just a theory. But it works for me!! I like it. 

I wonder if they glossed the driveway with some sort of sealant. It looks more even than water appears on drives.

After all these pictures, I'm still trying to figure out where I got that first Laundry Room photo... oh well!! Welcome to Sarah's House! 

PB Catalog June o8

Looking through the catalog that came in the mail two days ago, I decided take pictures of things I like, then post them, so as not to forget! Above, I loved the idea of having a hotel-like row of lounge chairs for afternoon parties where you can relax after dessert and enjoy the sun... or shade. Also, I love the lantern closest to the photographer. It is a simple old-time charm just with the candle and metal strap to hold the glass. Just don't trip!
The colors used in this room-stage are lovely. PB took a bold move with this catalog. I've never seen (at least not in a very long time) them use animal print and more ethnic things as they did in this catalog. They pull it off with their sophisticated charm, very nicely. The windows are also an eye-catcher. 
The entry/console table that is pictured above, is similar to a table that we have. One, very low shelf, and long. Same build. Same sort of table. But I have never successfully decorated it before. But now that I have the ideas from the picture above, I will succeed.
In our Alaska home, we have no proper entry way. No mud-room. In a place you need a mud room. For the next home we buy, I will pay closer attention to conveniences such as this. Enough room for a bench and proper coat closet would be a luxury. Someday... 
Though this above pictured office is hectic, it is well organized: organized chaos. I really like the collections of jars holding miscellaneous things on the white shelves. I have a lot of ribbons and buttons that could use such a fashionable home. I also really like the red magnetized chalk board and white magnetized dry-erase calendar. All surrounding a beautifully crafted Mac computer. The industrial feel of the hanging pendulum light is a nice touch with the bare wood walls.
Keeping track of art and craft supplies is sometimes a very difficult task! But if you can find a desk like the one in the above picture, you'd be in good shape. The shallow, but deep-enough shelves would let you store in an organized manner while not losing track of anything because the shelves were too deep. I love how they use the space. You don't need so many wall-units if you have shelves built into a desk top. Lovely and ingenious.
These bathroom colors are very similar to the ones I have in our bathroom. Green whites and dark browns. But I love how there are splashes of yellow and light browns. Adds in a bit more texture with the light brown whicker baskets and the green branches in the glass on the counter. I love how it is staged.
I have been looking for 'fashionable' Rs since Mark and I have been married. I'm sure it is no surprise to anyone that having a big letter from your last name's first initial is pretty in-style right now. I love the crafted, painted R that has a vintage flair surrounded by other scripts and photographs in film-appearance. Classy.
I have collected about 43 sets of keys since living here: mailboxes, church keys, closet keys, lock keys, door keys, garage keys, etc. I don't want to always cary them around with me, so if they had a nice looking home where I could place the daily mail for Mark to see when he came home, I would be a happy house-wife. 
The above picture is really just for the lime green color. I have been contemplating which colors to paint our front room (that also has the blue one the kitchen wall). I have decided that the blue that is in the house is so rich and warm, it could actually be paired with quite a few colors, bold, meek, or sleek. Any, really! This was one that caught my eye. If not for a main color, perhaps for the fireplace cut-out where we could hang some photography art. It would make for a nice off-set, and frame whatever I hang pretty nicely.