Posts tagged remodel
is your house ever really “done”? (modern southern bungalow week 48)
is your house ever really “done”? (modern southern bungalow week 48)

Thank you for your patience as I’ve certainly fallen off the blogging radar over the last little bit. Yes, that “last little bit” would be 10 weeks, but who’s counting? (Hi, Dad.) I’ve started drafting updates on our house several times, only to find myself wondering how to possibly tell the story of the last couple of months. What you want, I suspect, is a finished product. We are conditioned to look for enormous change, to see the train wreck that was the space before a remodel and compare it to the beautifully styled, perfectly lit photo of the new and improved space. This is not that story. This is the story of a real family who remodeled a real house in real time and who is not anywhere near the internet’s idea of “done”.  There will be before and after photos, don’t worry. It just might be awhile.

I’ve mentioned all along that this process has been slower than I could ever have imagined. Remember that story I told you months ago about overhearing the couple on the street commenting on how fast a new house had gone up and wondering what could possibly be taking so long for the house to actually be finished? Those people have never remodeled. And they probably shouldn’t. They sure as hell shouldn’t hire the painters that worked on my house.

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decorating with kids, design, interiors, modern southern bungalowadrienne robideauxmodern southern bungalow, remodel, kitchen remodelComment
on lighting, hardware, and learning (modern southern bungalow week 31)
on lighting, hardware, and learning (modern southern bungalow week 31)

While walking the dog the other day, I overheard a couple talking about some houses being built across the street. “Those went up so fast,” he said, “and now it looks like nothing is happening.” “Maybe it takes more time to work on the inside?” She wondered. Or maybe the subcontractors are busy on another job. I can relate. We are 27 days from scheduled project completion and over the last two weeks you would think that absolutely nothing has happened.

So yes, I did miss your house update last week. This was not only because there was nothing to report but because I was trying so hard to finalize lighting and hardware. I can tell you that my kids get an award for patience because they are so over me sitting at my computer trying to make selections for our house or taking them to shops to look at samples. They are actually over everything about the house. The tile is finally going up in the kitchen right now, and when I stopped by yesterday to check on progress, the kids didn’t even want to go inside. Our move can’t come soon enough.

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modern southern bungalowadrienne robideauxmodern southern bungalow, remodel, kitchen remodelComment
travel inspired decor that doesn't involve a map (modern southern bungalow week 24)
travel inspired decor that doesn't involve a map (modern southern bungalow week 24)

One of the things I keep coming back to from my California conference tour was Justina Blakeney’s story about how and why she chose the colors in her very blue bathroom. The story goes that Justina wanted a serene feeling in her bathroom, so she thought about places in her travels where she had felt the kind of serene that she was going for in the bathroom. For her, that place was Lake Tahoe. The deep blue of the lake inspired the deep blue of the shower tile.

This is a brilliant way to approach design. What if you really got in touch with the feelings you want to convey or attract for each space individually? What if you used those places where you find peace or inspiration or center as a muse for your own home?

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modern southern bungalowadrienne robideauxdecorating, inspiration, modern southern bungalow, remodel Comments
kitchen planning (modern southern bungalow week 19)
kitchen planning (modern southern bungalow week 19)

While it feels like we have been at this forever, a quick look at the calendar this weekend revealed that we still have about 15 weeks to go before our tentative job completion date. Tile should be here in a couple of weeks and the wood floors will begin going in this week. The cabinet maker is beginning the process of building the boxes for the kitchen and vanities. We are still in the weeds making decisions about cabinet fronts and door knobs and pulls. Let’s be honest. There is a whole lot of decision fatigue at this point in the process. And we have so so many more decisions to go.

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modern southern bungalowadrienne robideauxmodern southern bungalow, remodelComment
why can't i pick an exterior paint color? (modern southern bungalow week 18)
why can't i pick an exterior paint color? (modern southern bungalow week 18)

You can't rush progress, y'all, and in this case, you can't rush Houston humidity. The drywall is hung and ready for mud, but at this rate, it will be next January before it is dry enough here to do anything with these walls. We are already seeing mosquitos. Ugh.

Meanwhile, we've started looking at paint colors for the exterior of the house. Truth? We've been looking at paint colors for over a year. My kids have begun to revolt when we drive around the neighborhood looking at paint combinations. We were asked to pick a paint color way back in October before we picked the roofing material. Remember this? Yep. September was so long ago.

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modern southern bungalowadrienne robideauxmodern southern bungalow, remodel, family living, family, paintComment