Parrot on a PorchA Journey Toward the Little Mansion Dream

Okay..now it’s crunch time. I haven’t met the required number of tasks I’ve scheduled to finish by this hour. Well, I got hooked and didn’t notice of the winding time as I just browsed nonstop for furnishing ideas for the house and researching tips on losing abdominal fat. I may be as skinny as a bamboo to the envy of many but the bulging tummy isn’t just right and unpleasant.

I may have lounged too long at home decorating sites but I feel accomplished. I found the exact design I wish to show our contractor for the kitchen cabinets. Also, I got some more bedroom cabinet inspiration. With the tons of clothes that we three have, it’s a requirement that we have ample spaced yet compact closet.

Wooden Cabinets with Glass Doors (photo snagged from Brandon Barre)

Cabinet from Deco-Designing

I have always reiterated that while I call our future home Little Mansion, it’s not actually a grand and luxurious dwelling similar to the ones situated in exclusive villages. We just call it a mansion simply because it is the home of our dreams. And for you to have an idea how little it will be, I’m going to share a replica of how our kitchen will look like. The other on the right is the service area or commonly referred to as the dirty kitchen.

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This is actually a picture of Little Mansion’s adjacent unit’s kitchen. Ours will be deviated a little as ours will be made somewhat similar to kitchen cabinets Richmond styles at OldRiverCabinets.com. We requested to have them customized by having glass display cabinet doors instead of such enclosed wooden ones. I’ve seen a lot of custom kitchen cabinets Richmond elegant designs and that’s what we submitted to the developer for them to make use of as a pattern. What I love about our developer is he’s so flexible. As long as there’s no major reconstruction to be done with the structures, he’s amenable to every preferred styles and designs we tell him.

Aside from the kitchen cabinets, we also requested for custom cabinets Richmond in the bedrooms upstairs. Our aunt who has interior design background drafted the style that we wanted and hopefully, they will be able to build it as is.

My boys and I spent our Sunday morning window shopping in the mall for appliances and furniture that we will soon equip Little Mansion. By the way, we checked out the construction last Saturday and it’s nice to see that the second floor has been done. According to the foreman, they will now proceed with the roofing this week. As I was saying, we had a fun time canvassing for stuffs at the Home and Appliance section of the mall. Albeit we’re having little debates and we don’t agree on some things like the preferred brand to get or the style and design of a furniture, I love the fact we both have a “say” on these things and that everything gets settled right away after we compromise. One particular instance was about the barbecue grills selection. Roasted meats like chicken and pork chops are the husband’s favorites and his prayers are answered when the contractor allotted an open space in the service area (near the dirty kitchen) where we can mount a grill.

27 inch Built-In Lynx Grill with Rotisserie

He’s insisting that we get built in grills. I believe he got inspiration from the grills he saw at Outdora as the descriptions of his desired types match these Lynx Grill models (see pictures above). He even mentioned about Rotisserie features which, he says, will be useful when having a big party or if grilling under time constraints. While I agree that these models are heavy-duty welded and it has superb design and high end styling, I don’t think that having a built in type is necessary in our little home.

E250s Pedestal Electric Fire Magic Grill

I prefer to have the electric free standing fire magic grills. They’re equally durable but they are sleek and can be stored easily. I was thinking of using the open space for something else so I am refuting his built in grill idea. Also, I think an electric one is better since fuels like natural gas or the liquid propane isn’t good for my son’s respiratory ailment. Another point I’m raising, I like a free standing grill so we can bring it along when we have a swimming party or a picnic adventure somewhere else.

We haven’t agreed to what we’ll get but it seems I’ll have this my way after I gave in to his preferred air conditioner type.

I was reading about social security disability benefits online (I’m impressed how Allsup has helped more than hundred thousands of people receive their entitled Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare benefits), when our “shopping box” from Boston arrived last Thursday noon. These are the Black Friday loots we shopped through a friend in the US and she sent the box via sea freight. My friends are excited over their pillows and mattresses, toys and apparels for their kids, digital frame while I was all smiles when I saw the pots and pans, towels and Corelle plates bought from Walmart. Yes, our friend’s the expert when it comes to packing.

But guess who’s the most excited to open the box!

These are my loots…so ready to have Little Mansion, huh?

The developer who happens to be our wedding principal sponsor (thus, the complaisance and flexibility) gave us the go signal to canvass in a local construction supplies and tile shop for Little Mansion’s walls and flooring. Together with the husband’s aunt interior designer, they went to Wilcon Depot last month and here’s what they tentatively came up.

This isn’t the final list as we’re yet either to go back to the shop or browse online for the two bedrooms’ flooring which might probably parquet floor types.

For the Living Room:

Romangres Byzanthine Pentelic Porcelain Rustic Semi-Glazed Tile

For the Hallway (Kitchen) – I think this is for the service area (dirty kitchen)

Mariwasa Loft Tokyo Floor Tiles 30x30cm

Flooring, Wall and Boarder for the T & B on the ground floor:

Flooring: Romangres Noble Marrone 25×25cm
Wall: Romangres Enigma Beige 25×33cm
Boarder: Romangres Listelo Ditany Arvada Bisquit 7.5×25cm

T & B on the second floor:

Flooring: Romangres Noble Blue 25×25cm
Wall: Romangres Grey Ceramic 25×33cm
Boarder: Romangres Torelo Oasis Azzuro 3.5×25cm

For the Kitchen:

Flooring: Romangre Inserto Dittany Beige
Wall: Ramongres Marmara Dark Beige
Boarder: Listello Marigold Marmara Beige

When we visited the adjacent twin unit of our dear Little Mansion last time, I got a glimpsed of how ours will look like. The construction of the said unit was prioritized since the US-based owner will be needing it as a vacation house for this month. The house is fully furnished already and is just waiting for the occupants for the big move. We took note of the details of everything and since we can somehow customize to our liking some stuffs like the sinks, cabinets, etc, that following are what we have as options particularly for the kitchen and bathroom sinks.

We don’t want anything fancy like those luxurious sinks in hotels. We want it uncommon yet just simple such as this Overmount Porcelain Vanity Bowl from MR Direct Sinks and Faucets. It’s interesting to note that it’s just $23..so affordable yet dainty especially if partnered with a brushed nickel two handle faucet such as below.

As for the kitchen sinks, we’re amenable to what the developer plans to install. Their choice of undermount kitchen sink satisfactorily matches ours. I can’t find the exact model but it has great resemblance to this:

But seeing these undermount kitchen sinks convinces me to have another type installed in the main kitchen (the one near the dining table as we also have a dirty kitchen in the service area). I find them really unique and I bet my son will definitely enjoy washing his hands in his “own territory” in the middle. Then we can say…”a family that washes together, stays together”.

I love browsing MR Direct’s huge array of bathroom and kitchen sink selection. But what I love more is their economical costings because they manufacture their own sinks and direct sell them to clients. Their offerings are at par with those branded ones but way low-priced than Kohler, Blanco, Elkay, and Franke sinks.

It’s the start of a new year and I bet everyone’s anxious and looking forward to what 2010 has in store for us. Well, for me and hubby, this year will be a remarkable one. This is the year when we’ll finally unfold the dream of having a place that we can call our own after four years of saving up for it. As recounted on this blog which was put up to specifically monitor and account the development of our housing project, the “little mansion” as I fondly name it, is now being constructed and is targeted to be finished by mid-February. Yep, that’s next month. So just imagine how really excited we both are. The last time we visited the site, they have put up the foundation, beams and walls. So by now, with less than 2 months before the target completion date, I bet they’re about 60% through or even more. That’s the advantage of having a “little mansion”, the construction can take place in almost a flash.

While we shopped during the holidays, the husband and I have also started scouting and canvassing for furniture and appliances. We saw various custom cabinets Richmond designs in a nearby local furniture shop, similar to the custom kitchen cabinets Richmond featured in OldRiverCabinets.com and we both agreed that the kitchen cabinets Richmond are the best option to complete our kitchen furniture. Design excellence, luxurious finishes, true-custom features and exceptional craftmanship – just the perfect cabinet furniture to adorn and complete a family home.

Sub-consciously, emotionally and mentally, our perceptions of colors affect and influence us. Colors affect our moods.

Blue is calming and soothing. Its different shades can be strong and steadfast or light and friendly. Interior designers say that blue is a good color for bedrooms because of its cool, calming effect and it can help you sleep. However, too much blue could dampen spirits as the phrase “feeling blue” conveys.

The color blue has always been my favorite.  According to an online quiz that I took, blue is my primary color and it symbolizes that I am a sensitive and reflective person..which is actually true.

Here are some of the blue inspired home inspirations for our future little mansion.

Photo Credits: Coastal Living

I grew up having Legos as part of our childhood toys. My sisters and I would interactively create each our own dream houses and other structures. It is one of the most popular all time favorite construction games and with children around the world spending 5 billion hours a year playing with LEGO bricks, there’s no doubt that Lego fans, not only the kids, but even those young at heart would love to have this as part of their home furnishings.

Do take note that this is not just a imprinted or painted design but this a kitchen center (IKEA Kitchen Island) covered with more than 20,000 real LEGO pieces. Called the Munchausen LEGO Kitchen Centre, it was designed by Paris-based duo designers Simon Pillard & Philippe Rosetti. (Posted via The Cool Hunter)

Along with our house hunt, I am also taking baby steps towards realizing that dream house by searching for home ideas like interiors, furniture and other home inspirations through interior design and architecture blogs and sites on the web. For example, take a look at these kitchen design concepts. Aren’t they impressive?