house update

We got into the house this weekend and were surprised to find kitchen cabinets!

I really wanted white cabinets, but I hated the style of the doors and that was the only option for white. You wouldn't believe how old fashioned builders still are! So I'm extra interested to see how the darker cabinets look when the flooring goes in. Dark floors, dark cabinets? I hope it looks all right. Also notice there is no backsplash. That's because what was chosen for the floor tile (see below) was also what would go up as a backsplash. No. Just. No. I'll choose that myself, thankyouverymuch.

Here's the gorgeous quartz countertop. For some strange reason, I thought it was a lighter grey, but no worries! It's still so pretty and smooth and grey and sparkly. I'm looking forward to kneading bread on it, that's for sure.

The tiles for the front and back entrances have been installed. It's hard to see, but they're a grey-black. Here's another option we lucked out on for looking at least slightly more modern than the others. The tile options, man. They were so 1985.

The linoleum in the bathrooms had all been installed, as well as the cabinets in the bathrooms and fixtures throughout. I do not like any of the fixtures, actually, but in a way, that's a good thing. They're not terrible, so I can spend some time and find ones I do like (read: more modern) and install them myself. See? Even though it's a new house, there's still going to be plenty of projects to work on.

I do really love how the doors and trim are all in a darker, contrasting colour to the walls. It's a lot more interesting than typical white.

I thought I'd also share the ceiling texture since that was such a worry for me. It reminds me a lot of a wall texture I've seen, but it's a lot smoother (it doesn't look that smooth in the picture, but it's not as rough as it seems).  Now that I've got something to compare popcorn to, knockdown makes the ceiling feel a lot lighter and higher. I find that popcorn makes the ceiling feel lower and almost cave-like (total stalactites).

Finally, the outside door has been painted teal! I really think it makes the siding look more green than grey. But do you notice a problem? There are STILL no eavestroughs! Houses that were started after ours have them and we still don't. It's driving me bonkers. The front steps are covered in dangerous ice because of it. Argh!!

Overall, I'm really happy with it, but it feels like a builders, out-of-the-box house to me. It has absolutely no character and looks like all the other showhomes. I'm sure most people don't even think about painting or changing the light fixtures when they move into a newly constructed house, but it's our house and I want it to reflect our personalities and not the limited options (and design esthetics) that someone else made me choose from. So never fear! It may be a new house, but I'll definitely be showing you before and afters as I change things and decorate!