Hunter & Gatherer

It's drawing near the end (of the beginning).. we have had a sweet architect working on our home designs from scratch. Pretty straight forward floor plan.. but its in the details.  Tim, (our architect) doesn't usually have the opportunity to render many modern homes and we have given him some wings.. we are eager and ready to try our more modern space.

So as we draw close to choosing finishing products I go back to saved, filed and logged away resources and images so we can make our final say.. pinterest has been one resourceful spot.. if you haven't started to "pin" I highly recommend it!!  {it's something I have been doing for years "pinning".. in three ring binders I have my "future book" with a slew of magazine clippings & articles to mark my favorite things}.

Here are a few I have stored in iphoto..

(a jumble of ideas but I promise it is pulling together)

Staking our claim

Imagine with me a home, with children at play..  Half the challenge is to place the home in just the right spot & I think we have done it.. now we wait while it's being rendered by the architect.. It's.. just.. like.. Christmas!!

And then some inspirations from pinterest

{image via houzz.com}

DREAM BIG

Prep work for "this" ladies home

It's that time of year.. Oh and especially now.. I am whipped with excitement for we shall be homeowners again.  It's been an ongoing process {can we?  will we?} and who have thought it would actully come true.. A neighborhood lot that we have admired since we moved to Texas was still availbale a few months ago {even after being under contract with someone else} and we finally scored it and have sealed the deal.. We have a few acres to work with {yipee!}.. & we have found a architect that meets our asthetic and a builder that has a heart of gold.

I have a score of things to share as I begin to design my world.. 

 Inspiration photos:  Here I loved the height of the ceilngs.. not 20 feet like our previous residence but high & low enough to create greatness.

 Open shelving and ceiling treatments.

 The bones of this homes exterior are fantastic.  & it's interior isn't so shabby either..

Here is a custom fridge.. I LOVE IT.  It's a work of art.

Hot Spots

So I got to have a free weekend not to long ago (that is minus my three angel babes) with my sweet man of mine, we tottered around town to some places I've been eager to visit.  First off it was NEST Modern.  Great design choices and a great staff.  I had so many questions and they offer many choices as far as furniture finishes and textile choices {love!}.  So I found a few treats I brought home tear sheets for.  An option for a more modern wing back..

The McCartney chair 

The Rex bench 

Plus we enjoyed perusing the gallery show room of Jean Marc Frey Antiques & Modern Interiors.  I was a baby in a candy store{literally}.  Totally consued in the history & quality craftsmanship in these terrific treasures, I wanted almost all I saw to be mine {Travis had to tell me "no" a few times}.  The local art alone was beautiful and inspiring but we would have to go hungry some months to own a piece.  

Can you see some of the fun from one of the mirror reflections?

Treasures that wet the appetite. (It's constantly changing with new inventory, truly it never ceases to amaze me.)

Then for the cherry on our weekend cake we enjoyed textiles at Wildflower Organics.  Another shop in which I could stay in forever.  The quality, the care, the resourcesfulnees and beauty..  It's a need to stop and shop at spot.  They offer beautiful pieces for many great furnture makers, fantastic choice in bedding textiles and some sweet treasure for you and your newest additions to the family with nursery accessories.  It's a treat to visit!

Love weeknds with my sweetheart.

How much wood would a wood chuck chuck..?

I am a trendy gal but sometimes every now and then I like to try something slightly irregular.  Is light wood floors irregular?  no, I guess not.. but it's not the favored dark color scheme that has been so regularly used.  I've discovered about myself that I love high contrasting things but I also relish the monochromatic scene to. Who doesn't like the drama contrasting hues show & then serentity muted colors evoke? Here I go on my soapbox.. just a few images from pinterest that may end up covering my homes concrete slab.  & right now these are king.

It's the oak floors that seem to be the star in most my photo likes.. Oak floors with some type of wash; white wash, gray wash something that mutes the wood tones ever so slightly.  Also what I learned is your finish needs to include a coat of non- yellowing solution. {I am sure most floor installers are familiar with this.} Plus the biggest complaint most home owners with dark wood floors is the obvious sight of dust bunnies.. if I can hold off my dust bunny attack one more day, then maybe it was worth it.
So here we go, another design choice checked off my list!

It's been a good summer.  Full of family, little outings, keeping cool by the pool & a week in Sounthern California with cousins.  & to top it off Travis {my sweetheart} and I got to enjoy a staycation downtown at a cool joint.  We stayed at the KIMBER MODERN.  It's sleek and beautifully modern but it was the idea of it that sent it to another level for me.  Newly built, a seven room hotel with no front desk, just a serene courtyard, main common room with all the goodies, happy hour and delicious snacks at our disposal. Come and go as you please with your "secret code" to get you in and out {fabulous! idea} No one to casually hello to (even though our hostess was divine).  We stayed in the red suite.. and we loved all the frills and comforts the Kimber had to offer.  I even have some of there lotions and potions on my to buy list.. have you ever tried MALIN+GOETZ?  It's quite refreshing.  I'm convinced. It's in the details of life that inspire the design I bring home.. that's another fun thing.. I'm helping someone design their living and dinning area.  I feel the fire within {design fire}.. & I'm just warming up.

Here's a few instagram photos of my favoroite summer fun..

{my oldest built the London bridge, how appropriate with the Olympic games in swing} GO USA!

The industrial side of things

There's a well known fact that the kitchen is the heart of the home.  No doubt you have a cozy sofa there in the other room but you and your guests stay and talk for hours near the sink, sitting/leaning against the counter.  Well in this heart of the home I have desires, let me clarify.  I have wishes to fulfill.  I desire great industrial appliances that function superbly as well as look pretty darn sweet.

There is the well know Wolf range which I was sold on this weekend as we perused a showroom with full to scale kitchens and heard all the fabulous facts.  But I have had the BLUE STAR range on my mind ever since I read an article in dwell magazine some years ago about a San Fransisco family who built their dream kitchen with all the bells and whistles covered & it included the BLUE STAR range.. they had a list of all the wonderful pros.  I cannot recall many of their sweet deatils since it was "years" ago but I remember being completely convinced that was what I wanted.. and since the search is on again I find myself smitten with this product.  Maybe this week we will check out the BLUE STAR first hand at a show room here in Dripping Springs, TX.  That my friends will be the tale tale of which range I might enjoy the pleasure of cooking from.

I love shopping for the home and this past weekend was testament to the fun I will have ahead assembling a home to our liking.

Here is some industrial eye candy. {wolf, sub zero & blue star}

Oh!  & my sweet family on the 4th.. We ate breakfast before a parade at the Monument cafe in Georgetown.  Oh what we do in the summertime!