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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

#36 Window Box Planters

This warmer weather has us thinking that spring might be here to stay. Or is it too soon to put away the snow shovel? It really is hard to know what Mother Nature will send your way when you live in Wisconsin. Nonetheless, we are crossing our fingers and hoping for spring, mostly so we can start designing our flower boxes!

We created a Pinterest board with our favorite flower box ideas and color palettes. You can take a look at it to get some inspiration for your own home, and to see what we are loving this year.

A wonderful mix repeating the purple from the sage

A more formal approach with pops of red

An informal mix of purple and magenta

A brighter choice with magenta

We are torn between a whimsical and natural looking “wild flower” assortment, and a more-tailored arrangement of blooms. We think we have a favorite, but we are hoping to hear from our followers on which look they like the best. You can head over to our Instagram page to help us decide!

It is really reassuring that we can change the look of our landscaping up each year so we don’t need to stress out about permanence.  Whatever we end up with, we will make sure to repeat the floral groupings at the front porch in a planter, to balance the home and to carry over the colors and texture of the botanicals from our window boxes. This is a fun project that we looking forward to taking on in the next few weeks.  Here’s hoping for spring!

#35 Our Favorite Neutral Area Rugs

Area rugs are such an important part of creating a layered, warm, and interesting room. Rugs can brighten a room, offer comfort, and protect a more expensive floor underneath. In our home, we have a total of 13 area rugs and I love the look and function of all of them!

We have also spent hours (okay…days!) looking for the perfect rugs and we’ve found so many great ones that we wanted to share our favorites with you. Hopefully it can save you time when searching for your perfect rug!

Click on the rug below to see more information (size options, material, price).

Karastan Expressions Solstice Onyx by Scott Living Dark Linen Collection

Karastan Cosmopolitan Kew Dove Collection

Mohawk Laguna Geo Board Gray Collection

Dalyn Cabana Cn8 Pewter Collection

Karastan Enigma Horizon Dove Collection

Mohawk Berkshire Truro Grey Collection

Karastan Expressions Elan Oyster by Scott Living Oyster Collection

Mohawk Loft Quilted Geo Gray Collection

#33 Tech to simplify our day

Automated Faucets

1. We automated the faucets with this motion or touch technology from Delta Faucets. It keeps the countertops clean from dripping hands and it keeps faucets clean from dirty fingers. Oh, and it makes the necessary yet mundane things like washing hands go faster. It even has an LED light that indicates the water temperature. We have these faucets in the main bathroom, the master bathroom, and in the kitchen.

Automated Blinds

2. We automated the blinds with PowerView and SoftTouch technology from Hunter Douglas. With a quick tap on the wand or a click on the remote, the blind moves in place while you walk away. Once again, a twice-daily task is faster making our day more efficient and our outlook (literally) sunnier.

Automated Garbage Bin

3. We automated the garbage cabinet with servo drive technology from Blum. With a gentle push on the handle or the door, the garbage pops out at me. Our first thought was to keep the cabinet in good shape but having the ability to open this cabinet hands free is awesome (like when I just cracked an egg)! It’s another small way to make daily tasks more efficient.

Automated Lighting

4. We automated the lighting with motion sensors. More often than not, my hands are full when I'm entering certain rooms like the mud room or the laundry room. A motion sensor removes the burden of stumbling through a dark room or having to drop everything to flip a switch. Every time I enter the laundry room with a full basket of clothes in my hand, I’m so grateful for that sensor. Also, coming in from the garage with my arms loaded with my work gear and the mail, I’m so grateful for that sensor. We used the Lutron brand in our home which also has some great additional features that allows us to control some of the dimmers with an app on our phone.

All of these features cost a bit more but daily life is so much more efficient! Keep in mind that many of the features involved some planning and a lot of help from our electrician. We can still both recall our frozen feet and hands when doing the electrical walk through very early on in the building process. Thinking through these details, however, has proven to be so WORTH IT!

#31 Kitchen After Photos

The location is great. It’s proximity to the garage makes carrying in the grocery bags a short trip. It’s right off of the foyer and serves as a welcoming place for guests to gather. Last but not least, it’s close to the patio for grilling out.

We really are enjoying the semi-openess to the dining area. It is nice not being able to see the mess involved in food prep while we’re sitting down to a meal.

The arch top window is a nice balance to all of the straight lines. This area with the dishwasher on the right and the garbage on the left is highly used and we’re happy to report it is very efficient. The spacing between the perimeter and the island is perfect. We love the farmhouse style sink too! The maintenance is less than we expected based on reading reviews. Whew!

We really like having all of the appliances and the sink on the perimeter. It leaves a nice open countertop at the island for eating, working, and gathering. We really like having the microwave in the pantry too. Now if we could just install an automadically closing pantry door…that would be perfection!

The countertop was a difficult decision. One of the last, in fact. We both love it. We love the minimal pattern and the brightness of it. It doesn’t need constant wiping to look nice either. Crumbs don’t stick out like a sore thumb.

We went with brass finishes and we really like the warmth of it with all of the white. A mix of traditional and modern lines keeps things balanced.

Below is a look back at the process and how it all started with some sketches, renderings, and product selection. Many choices changed through the process but take a look at the SHOP OUR HOUSE page to see the final selections.

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Sketch

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Renderings

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Products

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Progress

#30 Outdoor Living

We live in Wisconsin where there are very few weeks during the year where outside dining (and sometimes sitting) is comfortable. Instead of lions, tigers and bears, there are mosquitoes, flies, and bees. Oh my!

Even with the pesky visitors, outdoor living is awesome! Nothing beats grilling out with a cold beer on a warm summer day.

When designing the house, we thought about how these outdoor spaces relate to the indoors. We put the grilling patio near the kitchen. In fact, the kitchen sink is on the other side of that window with the arch top - only 5-ish steps away from the patio. Then we added the screen porch on the other side. Perfect for bug-free dining and lounging. All in, these two areas seat 12 people comfortably with room for extra chairs to be brought in.

We actually love how the patio is tucked away instead of out in the open. We also love that putting the screen porch on the side of the house instead of the back allows for a better view from the dining room.

Besides dining, we also wanted the screen porch to accommodate some lounge furniture. The result is a comfortable mix of dining and lounging with some additional floor space to accommodate larger groups when needed.

Like many of our rooms, it could use a few more decorations but we're keeping things simple for now and loving the extra space.

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This is a view of our inspiration photo from houzz. It’s nice to have photos like this to reference when construction is happening.

Check out the Shop Our House page to learn more about the products and finishes we selected for our outdoor living.  

#29 Paint Chip Art

Brent, August, and I went to the Art Fair on the Square here in Madison this summer and the last booth we stopped at was Lydia's. I am captivated by her unique art. She paints on paint chips - you know, the little swatches of color we use to select paint colors for our walls.

I had one wall left in my office that needed some art. I collaborated with Lydia providing her with pictures of the room and a pintrest page of things that I like. I requested a series of 3.

I absolutely love the paintings she did and how they incorporated into this gallery wall in my office. I purchased shadow boxes with linen backgrounds and white frames and the painting really look beautiful and feel so personal.

Her paint chip art is personal to me because of my profession but her subjects are so diverse reflecting holidays, animals, food, and much more! Check out Lydia's website, instagram page, and etsy shop. It's really awesome!

Click here to visit Lydia’s website!

#28 Building a House: Frequently Asked Questions 2.0

Thank you SO much for your interest in our project. Whether you're interested in having a custom home built, considering a remodel, or have a decorating project, we REALLY hope you find the blog helpful. We've been asked some excellent questions over the past year. We thought we'd share a few of those with everyone.

1. How long does it take?

For us, it took 7 months.

2. There are so many decisions to make, how did you decide to do what you did?

Our education and experience helps - no doubt! But, there's more to the building process than interior design and flooring. Over the past 15 years, we have been careful listeners and observers and we've used that to cultivate our own list of wants and needs. That includes listening to our clients as well as the professionals we work with. We also utilize resources online (houzz, Pinterest, blogs, etc) and use images to inspire our own ideas. We also love a good home and garden TV show. We've actually learned a lot from This Old House and it's good family entertainment. We love walking into the house during construction and saying, "Wow, that is so cool!" when we we get to see some of our ideas finally put in place.

3. With all of the work that you have done in preparation, has everything been seamless?

No. We make regular (daily) trips to the house to check on progress and make sure that all of the details are being done to our specifications. There have definitely been some “slap the forehead” moments and definitely some “tear up and re-do’s” but we are very happy with the outcome in those situations and the way that they have been handled by the people we are working with. If you want seamless, a custom house is not for you!

4. Did you enjoy going over to check on progress?

Yes!!!  Most definitely. However, building a home is like having another job that you aren’t getting paid for. With all the planning, site visits, decisions, electrical walk through, HVAC walk through, cabinets, countertops, flooring (Ha Ha), lumber, doors, windows, on and on and on……..  You have to commit yourself to some late nights and full weekends.  Even 2 professionals like us can suffer some burnout (not to mention the poor kiddo, thank goodness for some well-placed tech-time #Ithinkweregoingtobeoverondatathismonthagain).  

5. How did you deal with ...(insert whatever you want)?

Knowing that not every decision you make in prep is going to work the way you want it to and being able to move past that is paramount to making the home building experience a good one.

Every contractor that works in our home has an opinion on how things should be done. We always listen because his/her experience can definitely lead us in the right direction; however, we also need to trust our instincts. We spent a lot of time thinking through the decisions we're making so we recognize the value in that too.

Thanks again for your interest. If you have any other questions you'd like answered, be sure to send them our way and we'll be sure to answer them in another post!