Concrete countertops and wine rooms

The post below about our new Caesarstone countertops made me realize that I haven't posted any images of our concrete countertops in the bathrooms. They are nice and my favorite is this chunky one in our powder room. Without natural light, it's difficult to get a good picture, but this should do for now.


The wall tiles in this bathroom give a bit of texture against the smooth concrete. It's one of my favorite spots to send visitors. And for those who are "in the know", we actually have a secret door from here to Mr. Big's favorite spot...the wine room.

He is so protective that it took over two months for me to earn a key to his secret hideout. Two months...in my own home! Eventually I think it involved spontaneous cooking on my part that brought on the key. I guess he realized the chances of that happening again were slim. ;) Our relationship is that much deeper now.

Caesarstone countertops

Progress has slowed down substantially since the holidays. Substantially. But apparently today was a good day because we came home to find our kitchen and mudroom countertops installed. (Enter sigh of relief here)

They look fabulous. Full stop. Caesarstone was definitely the way to go. It has all the characteristics of concrete without the upkeep.


It has a nice consistent color to it, looks very impressive and seems easy to clean (based on the first wipe which no doubt tells a lot...). In fact, it looks almost identical to the real concrete countertops that we put in our bathrooms. I'm not sure if I'm ready to admit it, but I'm pretty close to committing that we would have been better off with Caesarstone everywhere. Gasp. They are beautiful and easy. What a combo.


The wall tiling is scheduled to be completed tomorrow. It doesn't seem feasible to do it all in one day, but I've certainly been proven wrong before. These two items get us much closer to the "complete" feeling. Then again, I'm sure there is something else waiting around the corner to get done that we haven't noticed yet. Let's just hope it's not a biggie...

Virtually strolling through the streets

My lovely husband introduced me to seeking out artwork in our travels. It's now one of my favorite parts about visiting a new city. And no, I have absolutely no insight into art, but find it fascinating how different pieces evoke different reactions.

Many of our walls are bare, and absent any big travels in the near future, I have taken to the internet for some virtual strolling. Wow, are there ever interesting pieces to be found. A few of my favorites so far (most are quite large pieces):

Natures Abstract II from Jeff Maihara, a Canadian photographer


Dawn by Jessica Torrent

Mystic Garden by Jessica Torrent

Four Horseman from Briana Taylor

I've struggled with Etsy in the past, but had a really good time today looking at artwork. Thanks to those who have given me encouragement to try it again. Also, ugallery is a great site to view student artwork at reasonable prices. I'll definitely be back.

Well, it's a holiday here on the island and obviously I'm taking advantage! Lazy, lazy day...

Slowly coming together

Last weekend I was bit by the decorate bug. A few changes (hopefully enhancements) were made to the general living areas. A week has passed and they still feel right. There will be months and months of more changes to come, but here's a peek at our current arrangements.


The dark leather couch will be finding a new home once we have the drive to start looking for new couches. For now it works. I'm also looking for a slender side table for between the two linen chairs. We saw the perfect option at a gorgeous store in Healdsburg, California last October, but didn't ultimately decided not to take the plunge. Just goes to show that sometimes traveling treasures should be taken more seriously...


The first thing my talented mom imagined when she walked in our (still being built) home back in November was a little sitting area to the side of our big wall. She was completely right! Now we have a cozy little nook. In a fit of luck, she and I found this great Oly chair here on island. We had some time to kill due to a flight delay and stumbled across these charmers. We shopped at virtually every furniture store in Orlando and New York only to come back home and decide that these were at the top of our list. Score!

Our final countertops should be installed in the next two weeks. After that, the will tiles should follow very quickly. We're definitely eager to see the kitchen and mudrooms completed. The stools in the picture above will be outside eventually, but we really don't have a better place for them at the moment. And I'm still pining over the Kou chandelier, but that is at least another 1-3 years away. In the meantime, an inexpensive light from Bo Concepts is working fine to give us some ambiance.

What a nice feeling to have a livable house!

We're officially on a budget

What a bummer. Now that we finally have a home to fill up with goodies, we're on a strict budget. This probably happens to most people, at least that's what I tell myself. Our walls are pretty bare, but IKEA has a few pretties that could add some flavor (without a lot of cost) for the time being.





They all run around $80 for pretty good size prints (i.e. most are larger than 36 inches). Unfortunately, these images aren't available for purchase on the internet. Pout, pout, pout. Don't be surprised if you're a long last family member that gets a call for help... :)

Only a whisper

I had no idea what a susurrus was, but now I know: a whisper. This expansion in my vocabulary is due to the breathtaking ceramic sculpture included on Item Home UK's website. Wow. Anytime a lighting fixture inspires you to do research, it must be good. And when it starts out as a light, but is also installed just as a piece of art, it must be doubly good.


No, no, no...we don't have a need for this in the house, so I have no idea why I am posting about it. But then again, who doesn't have a need to appreciate fanciful, beautiful artwork? At least that's the way that I justify it. Shhhh, let's keep this a whisper.

Dropping off inspirations

The thought of using a meaningful phrase as art stopped me in my tracks today. Style-Files featured this French artist's home. She did a beautiful job of adding interest with paint variations. This is definitely one to file away.

Getting to decorating

Building the house has left me temporarily depleted of inspiration. Being such a long process, it seems only natural to take a few breaks here and there. In general, everything has come together very nicely, but the house is turning just a tad rustic for me. My mom and I determined that we'll need to add some more modern touches in accessories and finishings.

I've always thought that this wall piece by Wingard was fun and funky. In one of the few moments of recent enthusiasm, Mr. Big chimed in with his approval.


We ordered the same piece in graphite and it is now hanging in our guest bedroom.


I'm pretty pleased with it. Maybe this is just the thing that I need to jump start myself to get going again...

A pool with water

We've had a pool for a while now, but the lack of water within was quietly torturing us. The moment that we have been waiting for finally arrived this week. Not everything is done yet, but it's pretty close. Behold the pool!


Unfortunately, the water hadn't been treated yesterday, which was the day that we decided to play hookie from work. We had to find other forms of entertainment...which isn't too hard in the Caribbean. And just because I'm a meanie, I thought that others in "milder climates" might appreciate a bit of sunshine. This is roughing it!


And we've had lots of comments on our new friend Jordan. He's fittin right into the family as you can see from his spot on the boat. Aye, Aye Captain!


Hope everyone is well! :)

Inspiration vs reality: chandeliers

One of the most exciting design opportunities in our house that I did not anticipate was the stairway. When I found the following images on the Bocci website, my heart raced.



But when I found out that it would cost us multiples of thousands of dollars, my heart appropriately sank. In an interesting twist of fate, another new home on the island had received a duplicate light in a vendor error. We viewed the alternate and it gave a similar effect to the light that had originally won us over. No, it isn't as dramatic, but it does provide a bit of fancy. With multiples of thousands of dollars left in our bank account, we now have this lovely donation (yes donation...) giving us lovely ambiance.


And just because I couldn't get the beautiful Bocci lights out of my mind, we now have three in our powder room. The mirror has a nice effect of multiplying the lights. Six for the price of three!


And while we are on the subject of lighting, I thought it might be useful to update the previous post regarding our entry way light. It has now been installed and draws many "oohs" and "aahs" from visitors. It's difficult to get a photo that really captures how much it offers, but here was the closest that I could get.


I was holding my breath about this light because I ordered it without Mr. Big being with me. I also didn't elaborate on it much because he typically doesn't go quite as modern as I do. One of the sweetest recent phone calls that I received was the day the light was installed. "Holy cow! I LOVE our cool new light". There was a deep exhalation on my part and we haven't looked back. Whew...