Living Room - Where we Shop

Thank you to all of our readers that have sent in questions wondering…WHERE DO YOU SHOP? This is a series of posts listing many of the purchases broken up by room. We started with the master bedroom and bathroom and now we’re moving on to the living room.

At the bottom of the post are images of some of the items you see in the pictures. Just click on the image to learn more about each product. We hope our design ideas inspire your purchases. Happy Shopping!

Similar products are listed if products are no longer available. See disclaimer for information about affiliate links.

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With no formal and informal living space, we wanted this room to feel inviting and relaxed, but, in a tailored way. All of the upholstered pieces are from Rowe Furniture and feature custom fabrics in neutral colors with subtle textures. The ottoman has a black and white hounds tooth pattern. The side table is from Wayfair and came unfinished so that we could stain it to match the kitchen island. A cute Art Deco style drink table in gold serves its purpose without taking up too much space.

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The paint color we used on the walls throughout the main areas is called First Star. It’s light and bright, but still has some contrast with the white trim. The trim color is called High Reflective White. The barn doors are painted Black Magic. All paint colors are by Sherwin Williams.

The wood flooring throughout the first floor is 3/4” thick solid red oak by Lauzon and it’s provided by H&R Carpets & Flooring. This post has a video that describes the wonderful air filtering benefits to this smart floor. Almost two years later, we couldn’t be happier with this choice!

 

Master Bedroom Retreat - Where we Shop

Thank you to all of our readers that have sent in questions wondering…WHERE DO YOU SHOP? This is the first of a series of posts listing many of the purchases broken up by room. We’re starting with the master bedroom because, you know, we could all use a relaxing retreat these days to calm the nerves and rest.

At the bottom of the post are images of some of the items you see in the pictures. Just click on the image to learn more about each product. We hope our design ideas inspire your purchases. Happy Shopping!

Similar products are listed if products are no longer available. See disclaimer for information about affiliate links.

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We reused our bedside tables from our previous home. They were given new life with a coat of paint on the bottom and stained tops. We added mirrors above to simulate windows and provide symmetry. The headboard was made-to-order by Rowe Furniture. The lamps are from Crate & Barrel. The duvet and shams are listed below, but we added two layers of comforter for fullness. We purchased one like this. Check out our previous post for more tips on bedding. The chandelier is one of my favorite elements. The mix of rustic with a touch of sparkle is perfect for our informal taste. Last, but not least, is our mattress. We purchased this locally at Waunakee Furniture ETC. Every night I am so thankful for the comfort this mattress provides. It is the BEST!

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We used a very light grey paint color in this room to keep things light, bright, and neutral. The dresser received the same paint treatment as the bedside tables. The beautiful tapered legs on this piece pop next to the wood flooring. The rug adds some needed pattern AND needed warmth to the room. This is a really economical rug that works for both indoors and outdoors. The low pile height is easy to clean - which is great because our dog spends a lot of time on this room. The vases on the floor were a Target find. The curtain panels are from Pottery Barn and the blinds are by Hunter Douglas and are sold at H&R Carpets & Flooring. Below are some additional accessories including a vintage-inspired lamp and a cream throw. The blanket ladder was ordered from Etsy.

 

Moving Day!

Whew... moving is hard work! We're getting more settled as the days go by and LOVING our new digs!

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Construction is behind schedule so the contractors worked hard to get us a temporary occupancy permit. We sold our previous home and we needed to move! There is still some interior work to be done and lots of exterior work to be done. We appreciate not having to move to a temporary home though.

Here's a gallery of pictures taken by Liz Schaefer just as we're starting to move our things in.

A special thank you to all of our heavy lifters and packers - you guys rocked! 

We can't wait to share more pictures of our home after each room is completed. Our daughter settled right into the art room. It has one of the best views in the home!

#17 Tile Progress

For the past two weeks, the finish carpenter, painter, and flooring installers have been hard at work adding the interior finishes we've selected. It is really satisfying to see the finishes installed. The flooring is near and dear to our hearts so we'd love to share some information about the installation products and techniques.

Even if reading about tile installation technique is not your jam, we hope to convey the layered and detailed nature of tile installation. These installers are true professionals and we're so proud of their work!

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To keep our toes warm in the bathroom, we're installing the Schluter Ditra Heat for both bathroom floors. Here is a picture of the Ditra Heat Mat installation. The orange mat has to be mortared down to the 3/4" subfloor using a polymer modified mortar.

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Making sure to get good adherence is important so the installers roll it with 100lb roller and then go along the edges with a grout float to make sure it is securely in the mortar.

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One of the cool things about the Schluter Ditra Heat system is that the resistance wire (aka: heat source) clips right into the mat. Even cooler is that the spacing is set by the mat making it easy peasy to space properly. Three rows apart just like the picture. The cable gets tested before and after installation to make sure that it is still in top shape and wasn't damaged during the installation process.

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Because we weren't immediately installing the tile, the installers back buttered the entire floor with mortar to protect the cable and make it easier to snap lines for the actual tile installation. This is the blank canvas for the installer to plan out the tile pattern.

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This picture shows a very important tool our tile installers use. Believe it or not, tile is not flat and is not always square either. These orange wedges and clips are a tile leveling system by Raimondi Industries. This system helps make installations as perfect as possible by maintaining spacing between tiles and bending the tiles to make the floor as flat as possible. Extremely cool technology that has been developed to accommodate installations with plank and large format tiles.

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After the mortar dries, the wedges are broken off which breaks the clip at the bottom of the tile and leaves a perfect line for grouting.

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This is the wall tile we selected for around the tub. It is called Artigiano from Dal Tile. It's an extremely beautiful tile that can be used on walls. Notice the jagged edge giving the appearance of a handmade fire kilned tile. The tile surface is not flat which adds some additional interest.

Before installation the installer met with us to discuss the tile spacing. He pointed out that because of the irregularity, you can stack these tiles on top of each other.

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The tile installer also pointed out that the bullnose (piece on the end with a rounded edge) could line up with two rows of tile if stacked on top of each other. We like things to line up whenever possible. We very much appreciated his input!

Notice on the walls behind our installer is more orange product from Schluter. That product is Kerdi and it is designed to water proof the wall so that no water ever penetrates the tub surround. We are using it in our custom shower as well. The Kerdi system by Schluter provides niches like the one on the right wall to hold shampoo and soap. It also offers benches and other products that you would want in water proof in a custom shower.

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Oh my, do we LOVE this tile! Even surrounded by the in-progress mess - it shines bright! Go to our Shop Our House page to learn more about the products we're using in this bathroom and check back to see more progress.

#16 Wood Flooring

We can't wait to tell you about the wood floor we selected. It's this amazing product by Lauzon and get this...it IMPROVES the air quality in your house! Brent explains it all in the video below.

The sample Brent is holding is the actual color we picked. There is so much we like about it and there are so many reasons why this is "the one."

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We love the color! The brown will add warmth to our home and the undertones of grey will complement our other selections nicely. The wire brushed texture combined with the satin finish keeps the floor on trend. We like that it is oak. Oak is known for being a strong and durable wood. We also like that this floor can be sanded down and refinished in the future. It's hard to think that far in advance (especially when everything is brand new) but, we know our preferences will change and want to be prepared.

The wood floor will go in our kitchen, living room, dining room, hallway, and master bedroom. We can't wait to see how this improves the indoor air quality of our house. This is truly fascinating technology for the flooring industry!

#12 Heated Bathroom Floors

So for the MOST part, we're keeping our master bathroom simple and efficient but we can't resist a little bit of luxury when it comes to the floor. What is our biggest objection to having tile in a bathroom? "Oh, it's so cold on my feet!!" Welcome to the world of Schluter Ditra Heat. Every tile floor needs some type of additional subfloor or membrane system to make sure there is enough structure under the floor. It's necessary so that the grout and tile doesn't crack, split, or fall apart. So, if we have to put it in anyway, why not throw a warming system inside of it?!

Schluter Ditra Heat

Schluter Ditra Heat

Schluter has made Ditra for years. It is an uncoupling membrane for tile floors. Now they have taken that extremely useful tech and re-engineered it to allow a heating cable to be run through the floor. It takes a complete step out of an electric heated floor system. Innovative! Now, it is not meant to heat an area, just take the chill off the floor. But, in an enclosed space like a bathroom, it inevitably heats up the room.

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Added is a touchscreen programmable digital thermostat with 6 different programming periods per day. We can customize when our heat is on or off according to our schedule. We get beautiful tile floors and no more, "oh, it's so cold on my feet!!"