Inside these walls

We've been living in Modern on Meadow for a little over a week now. It is still very much a work in progress. The Punch List is a mile long! (This is the list of items that still needs to be completed as per the original design/construction contract - everything from outlets that aren't working, to putting the walls back in the basement).

I had this idea that I would bust out my 'real' camera and take some fancy images before posting, but that's just not going to happen. So instead, here are a few iphone pics taken around our new digs...starting with the entryway and our bright orange mailbox!

The master bedroom is full of natural light with windows along one wall and above the bed. I love how peaceful this space feels. And believe it or not, we have been sleeping great in the new house. We have reclaimed the master bed for adults only, and though I've have to spend a few uncomfortable hours wedged into a toddler bed to make that happen, it is totally worth it. After sharing a bed with a squirming two-year old for the last 11 months, it suddenly feels like we've upgraded to a King!

I watched the most amazing sunrise this week from the comfort of my own bed. We've said many times in this first week that it feels like we are on vacation and staying in someone else's awesome house. Except it's not someone else's, its ours.

There are so many trees all around us, we see green out of every window. It feels like we are living in a tree house. And it is so welcome after the sparse amount of green we had living downtown.

Most of the walls are going to stay white (we've had a few people ask us if this is the final paint color - fair question considering how many aspects of the house are not yet done). Not everyone likes white walls and right now they are completely bare. We hope to add color with artwork, blankets, pillows, rugs, etc. It will happen gradually, layer by layer. Someday, I will wake up to what looks like a well-lived in and well-loved home. The mudroom, powder room, and kids' rooms will eventually have colored walls. It's on the list.

We still have boxes in the basement and the garage is packed with soon to be Craigslist items, but we have mostly box free zones in the main living space and bedrooms. I cannot stand living amongst boxes and try to get them out of sight as soon as possible. I took this picture at the end of our long day of moving, the first evening in our new place. The fireplace is wrapped in blackened steel and it looks much warmer than I imagined it. We ordered the couch online from Thrive, sight unseen, and I was so nervous about it. Amazingly, it arrived on moving day, is very comfortable, and I love it.

The bathtub. My bathtub. It comfortably fits two adults or one adult and two littles. I plan to use it often. The floors and cabinets are too dark to see well in this picture. I will eventually get some pictures with more light and more detail. We had to frost the windows in the bathroom as the bathroom is right on the front of the house. The shower is just behind where this picture was taken and not quite out of view even with the frosted glass. If you drive by our street in the early morning, you might get quite a show.

This is the view of the landing play space that you see as you come up the stairs. I love that it now looks lived in - toys and all.

The landing play space is perfect for toys, reading books, and sitting in the sun. It didn't take Roxie long to find her favorite resting spots in the new house. (And check out that lovely carpet! The carpet that I worked so hard to get on time already has a coffee stain....but I won't point fingers at the only other coffee drinking person in our house besides me. I won't blame him for what would happen eventually anyway. But in the first week?! Really?!) 

This is the dining space as viewed while standing in the kitchen (the couch and fireplace area are just to left of this view). You can see the deck (finished, but railings still need to be painted black) beyond the sliding glass doors. The minute the deck went up, the entire living space seemed to double.  

I had to wait a few extra days to get my pantry shelves installed after our move. I was so excited for them to go in - I will take a photo again when these shelves are Pinterest worthy (or not). I love, love our new kitchen - but it is still not fully finished. A few cabinet fronts need to be added, the vent hood is not yet fully finished. The kitchen is not huge by any means, but the space is well planned and thought out which means everything has its place and there is plenty of room. It definitely inspires me to cook!

The deck wasn't done when we moved in and they put up plywood boards all around in lieu of the deck railings so we could pass inspection. They worked like mad to get the deck rails in before the 4th of July which was much appreciated. Each railing was welded in place on sight. Because nothing is ever easy (or quick) about this house...

The yard underwent a second round of demolition after we moved in - these will be drainage lines from the house and the area under the deck. It will be a while before the yard is all put back together. Baby steps.

The steel handrail in the stairs was fabricated for the space just like the steel screens and the fireplace covering. The same few materials are used throughout the house (wood and tile flooring, walnut cabinets, blackened steel, stone countertops) to tie the spaces together.

Charlie is in love with his new bunkbeds. The top bunk seems really high and we've convinced him he isn't quite ready to sleep up there yet, but it doesn't stop him from climbing up and down, over and over again (sometimes while wearing his sister's pajamas).

Both kids's rooms have these walls of windows, and lovely as they are, they are a bit problematic at bedtime. Since it stays light so late into the evening right now, no one wants to go to bed in our house. Just one of the many adjustments we are making in our new space. 

While we've spent a lot of time in this house over the past year of our renovation, many of the big changes happened at the very last minute - cabinets and final finishes going in to truly differentiate the rooms. The kids knew where their bedrooms would be and that was about it. When Charlie woke up in the morning after his first night sleeping in the new house, he said "Mom, I have to go potty. Where is the potty?" 

Each day it is feeling a little bit more like home.