Progress... and more progress!

I hadn't been inside the house for a week, and wow, a lot of progress was made.  I kept driving by waiting for the roof to go up... but as it turns out, the roof was delayed until next week and so they took a hammer to the inside.  More like a sledgehammer.  No bathroom, no kitchen, no bedrooms, no walls... just memories and dust.   

The wall is now gone between the kitchen and Jules' bedroom.  Our kitchen will be located in the same location as before but the dining room will be moved to the back of the house where Jules' bedroom was located.  With the walls gone, it feels much more open.

This photo is looking from the living room into the new dining area.  We removed the original brick fireplace to create flow and openness.  Finally, the house doesn't feel like a 1940s box house - it's starting to feel like it was built in this era.

Here is a photo of the former main bathroom.  The tub (and everything else) is gone and it will be converted into a funky powder room.  IMHO, powder rooms are the place to go nuts.  So we will.  Pretty much anything goes.

This is a photo looking from the new living room/entry area across the home and into... the powder bath.  (Yuck.)  I really REALLY did not want a floor plan where you could see into the bathroom from the main living space.  We originally created a little "nook" off the powder bath so that you could not see right in, but at this point, we're not sure that the nook is the answer.  We're brain storming ideas so that we can keep the open floor plan without a line of sight into the bathroom.  Hmmm...

Overall, I am very pleased with the work.  The team of 6 is working hard and gettin' it done. 

Fireplace, check.

We knew we wanted a linear (read, long and skinny) fireplace.  In general, linear fireplaces shouldn't sit on the floor.  Ben and I are in "discussions" over how far off the floor it should sit, but we know that the fireplace will be raised similar to this one. Also, we don't want a mantle... although maybe a ledge so Santa can still find our stockings?

We want ambiance, not heat.  Our living room is small so 20,000 BTUs should be more than plenty.  Hold the logs, please.  We'll also pass on those super shimmery pieces of glass that remind me of a (wannabe) cool outdoor bar scene from Miami Beach or Cancun.  Just simple black rocks will do.

So putting all of this together, the fireplace decision is made.  Drum roll, please: Heat and Glo Cosmo 32 (see picture above).  It's sleek, simple and black with a 32" linear shape.   And, best of all, it is actually affordable!

The design of the fireplace wall was a bit trickier.  After much Houzz-ing (definition: viewing photos on Houzz.com), and much debate, Ben sketched a simple design that we both like:

There is a large window on the left.  The fireplace will sit in the middle of the wall, off the floor.  There will be a small ledge above the fireplace (maybe just 6" or so), but Ben has reminded me that it is "to give definition to the space" and not for knick-knacks (except during the holidays).  The TV will be to the right, set back a bit.

We have decided that we do not want the TV to be the focus of the room.  I'd really prefer not to have a TV in the room at all, but let's be honest, I have two kids under 4 years old, so Miss TV is a part-time babysitter (at least while I'm cooking dinner).  And I do like to unwind in the evenings with some Jeffrey Lewis and Chelsea Handler, and a glass of wine.  Oh, and I'm somewhat addicted to Fast 'N Loud.

You can see a bit of texture in Ben's sketch in the form of horizontal lines.  These are wood panels and are inspired by this yellow wallpaper.

Yep, it's bright yellow.  Although we won't be using this wallpaper, it is the inspiration behind our design.  We're hoping to use actual wood to create a similar look on the fireplace pop-out.  Not sure about bright yellow, but we haven't ruled it out!  Yellow and gray with some pops of turquoise (definitely my favorite color right now) would look fantastic.

Progress

When I walked up to the house today, there were visible signs of an addition.  If you look closely (below), you can see the 2nd story overhang starting to be framed out.  That is part of the floor of the new master bedroom.  Eventually, the front door will move to make way for the new "entry" area.  One of my complaints about our house was that you just open the door and walk into the living room.  In the new house, there will be a short walk-though entryway with a coat closet, before reaching the living room.  It should feel a lot more welcoming.  

Here is a picture of the framing for the 2nd story addition (below).  This is inside the living room.  We intended to raise the ceiling from 7'6" to 8'3", but the demo team realized that our house "tipped" about 3" towards the street over the years.  So, effectively, it was 3" shorter on the street side.  In order to even everything out, they added another 3" to the living room side.  Yay!  Now our ceilings will be a foot taller.  This 3" "tip" ended up to be a blessing in disguise.

Kitchen demo has begun... the 80s cabinets are gone!  And so is that awful grayish-blue tile with gold flecks.  Good news all around.