40 Days Out

We've been in our current house for 7 years, and at this point we're both over almost everything here. The wall colors, design style, furniture, artwork, etc. The things that I liked when we moved in when I was 20 are a lot different from my current style; dark red dining room, faux finishes, blue/brown combo (I know this is still really popular, but I never really liked the shade of blue in our bedroom), dark cherry wood floors, mahogany furniture, etc. Dan has decided he wants nothing to do with any dark high-sheen furniture, and I totally agree.

One of the biggest mistakes I made with this house is that I can't pass up a sale. I love to shop, on any given weekend I'll visit 2-3 malls around the city. A few months ago our friend had a garage sale and invited us to set-up a table. Well one table turned into 4 and once everything was on display I realized how much money I've wasted on "home stuff." Countless items that were never used, or used maybe once. Crystal serving ware, curtain rods, tie backs, vases, artwork, duvet covers, and random home decor. Everything was such a good deal that I couldn't pass up, even though I had no need for it. I knew that I had to stop doing that.

Last week Dan and I stopped at Macy's to check out that store's furniture selection. At one point I thought we were ready to walk out with a coffee table, console table and kitchen table and chairs set. They were all amazing prices, but nothing was exactly what I had in mind and then we'd have to find other pieces that matched the style/finishes etc. I knew that this was the exact situation I need to avoid, we would probably decide it didn't really go with anything else and end up putting it up on craigslist in a few months. As much as I love shopping, I knew we were making the right decision when we walked out empty handed.

This time around I'm going to try to figure out how I want every room to look, and then find all of the pieces to bring it together. That might be totally insane, but that's my goal. I just started using Pinterest the other day (http://pinterest.com/cmahaven/for-the-home/ let me know if you want an invite to join), and it's a great tool to collect ideas you come across online. I'm hoping this will really help me figure out the looks I like and that I'll be able to recreate those in our next house.

The plans for our next house are definitely more lighter/brighter. I love the antique white kitchen and I think that is really going to set the tone for the rest of the house. We're pretty much selling all of our furniture on craigslist right now and starting fresh. We have most of the furniture picked out, but that might change as we get closer and I start filling in my "pin boards" and figuring out what style suits us best.

So since there's not much to blog about for the next 40 days until building starts, the next few will be about the furniture...

A month before we decided to build I came across this furniture collection at Macy's. I loved it, Dan came to check it out and we were ready to buy. We decided to wait because we knew we were moving and weren't ready to commit. I'm so glad we did because although this was really comfortable and pretty, it doesn't go with our kitchen at all.
This is an option still, even though it's a little too contemporary.
My biggest concern is that it has the exact same shape and lines as our current living room furniture. The microfiber fabric has a slight pattern and the cushions are tufted, but other than that, it's the same. Our current set is red, and I do like the green above, but I can't see buying the same couches.Finally, the set I think we're going to go with (not sure what color yet though). I think it has a slightly modern look, but the overstuffed cushions and wide corduroy-like fabric make it a little more casual/comfortable. This is by-far the most comfortable sofa.
Moving on to the dining room... I like this set, but think it might be a little too big for the space.
I love this set. We've definitely been gravitating more towards painted wood, and even though it's a little small, it can still seat 6.
I also love the sideboard.

That's the furniture update for now. With 4.5 months still to go it seems like forever until we'll actually buy furniture and move in. Luckily this is my busy time of year with work, so hopefully the time will fly by.