Can hardly stand it!

Im so excited I can hardly stand it!  I finalized my appliance package!  And our walls are going up!

First, appliances:

 

This picture shows the line from Jennair that I went with.  I got quotes from Sears, Trail and Coast.  Coast came in at the best.  Then Sears said that they would match Coast's price, plus we could put it on our Sears card and get Sears points -- @$1200 worth!  In the end that is what we bought our dishwasher with.  Plus Jennair had a promotion where if you buy a certain amount of Jennair appliances, they throw in a dishwasher for free.  We've decided to have 2 dishwashers, so that paid for the second one.  Two dishwashers for free!  We were asking how much extra it would be to have 2 dish drawers instead of a dishwasher.  She said Jennair hasn't specified which dishwasher you get for free.  So we ended up with $2500 dishdrawers for free.   Pictured above is our fridge.  Except our fridge has water/ice in the door.  That wasn't my first choice, but it was $2000 less that way.  Isn't that wierd?  You can see our wall oven and dishwasher there as well.  Plus we got a 4 burner industrial -looking  range with a griddle.

Now the house....  it is being built fast and furiously!  This is our rec room.  At the back is the electrical room and our crawl space... which is full height - so thankful for that!  The other two room will be a media room and exercise room.  We plan to finish the basement, but not outfit it.  The media and exercise equipment will have to come later!

  On to our kitchen....  Its hard to see without drywall.  The boards on the floor are outlining the island!  The room in the back is the desk area for family computer etc, and the panty.  The opening is double doors onto the deck.



In the last pictures you can see our mud room and laundry.  Im so excited about these.  But it has hit me that I am going to need to put lots of cabinetry in these areas.  A little nervous about the budget!





This picture is an inspiration picture of my living room or family room.  It isn't exact, but its my inspiration.  Next week we start on cabinetry.  Stay tuned for a sneak peak at some lighting options.

Grapevine goings-on

The house is coming along very quickly.....  more on that later - stay tuned! (the picture below is NOT my house).  I need to wait for some warmer and dryer weather to brave the jobsite, and the mud to take some new pictures for you to see.  Also to come:  My appliance package!  So excited to tell you about that.  Also some inspiration pictures.

We have two big projects we are working on right now - among other things.  But I thought I would give you a sneak peak of the before pictures:

This brave couple loves their home and their North Vancouver neighborhood.  They love it enough to add a third floor to their home!  What a process it had been...  They have 2 small children at home, lots of banging, inconveniences, not to mention lots of water in their main living area!  But I think they are through the worst of it, and on to the fun stuff.  Pretty chandeliers... faucets....maybe wallpaper and furniture too!



The next project is a complete main floor reno.   Here is a peak at the old kitchen....  on to bigger and better things!  I can't wait to show you the outcome!



One of my favorite suppliers who offer quality upholstered furniture at great prices (if you get it through me:), have added some very interesting pieces to their collection.  I am very excited about it!  Have a look:

This same bed is available in many stores downtown for 3x what I can offer it for.



Although this isn't my favorite design (below), this is Carrie Bradshaw's bedroom on Sex and the City.  It is very similar to the Bento bed above.  The great thing about the Bento from Stylus is that you can customize it with a nail head detail and whatever fabric you choose.  The price for the Bento starts at $847.50 for a queen!

A couple more new pieces offered through Stylus:

Its too bad they had such large pillows covering up these great sofas.

We had a little scare last week...  My client Lil fell through the main floor of her house and into the basement!  Many of you may have heard the story on facebook.  She has angels all around her protecting her.  One of those angels was a contractor that just happened to be exiting the washroom and caught her as she fell off the pin ball machine head first!  Although you'd never know it to see her :), she is in her 60's, yet she survived the incident with nothing more than a few bruises.  Although shaken up, we continued with our wallpaper and tile meeting before she went off to the hospital to be checked out! 

One of my clients found a lovely mirror for her living room for $1500 at Jordan's Interiors.  I found the exact - i mean exact same mirror in a different finish for $40!  Isn't that crazy?

Progress!

Its absolutely amazing what 10 days will do!   We've seen great progress.  Ron is having a hard time staying away long enough to go to work!  Im just trying to keep up with the 2 renovations that Grapevine is doing, plus a few decor projects too.  Its given me a chance to get out there again and see the latest and greatest in flooring, lighting and tiles.  Keep tuned as I share some of the things I've found.

And so it begins.....

This year is going to be a year of changes!  Grapevine is expanding and changing.  I hope to be better at keeping everyone up to date.  But I need to keep things at a gradual enough pace so that I can have the time to do what I have dreamed of for a very long time!  Build our home.  After 16 years of working on many wonderful peoples homes, I get to design one for myself.  A bit of a daunting task as I feel there are so many expectations on me because of my career in the industry.  Not only by others, but by me too!

Grapevine is alive and thriving, but I am going to take a side step with my blog.  I hope to continue to update you on new and exciting things happening at Grapevine Furniture & Designs, but I also thought I would take you along for this ride we are on of building a custom home.  This will also help me show you new and exciting things in the interior design industry.  Make sure you subscribe so that you can laugh (maybe while I cry) as I find my way on this project.  I have a budget - a small one for the size of house!  My goal is to stay within it, without comprising what I hope to attain in the look and function of our home.  Don't get me wrong, I know there will be comprimise - but that is an exciting part for me!  How can I achieve a look without breaking the bank?  And, where can I save so that I can splurge?  I am excited to share with you great ideas I come across, and some of the pit falls I will undoubtably fall into.

The begining of the process was unfamilure territory for me.  I don't usually get involved with the decision to start a project, I get brought on after the decision has been made.  Thankfully my husband knows a thing or two about good financial decisions!  Still there were sleepless nights and a nervous stomach for a month while we hashed it out.  Finally the property was ours, and we've jumped in with both feet!  Having worked on countless new builds, I know it is not for the faint of heart.  And of course we don't ever do things the easy way; we've bought a bit of a complicated 1 acre property with a creek.  It sat on the market for awhile.  Not totally sure why.  I think no one had the vision for it.  I think we do! 

First, have a look at our little piece of (what hopefully will be) heaven for us:

This is the back two thirds of the property.  From the creek - back.  Our fun friend Andrew took my husband and the boys up in his helicopter to get this picture!  The big garage is staying and being made into a sports court for the kids.  The little cabin at the back unfortunately had to go.  And the other little shed.... who knows!



This picture is looking out toward the streed down our driveway:



And this is our creek:



 

The trucks have begun to arrive, and things have started to happen.  I always wondered what it would feel like to see big trucks arriving with loads of something we're paying for!  To see men working away day after day with heavy equipment, and to think money is coming out of our pocket to pay these bills!  Yikes!

 



Note to self:  Don't stop by the property before heading out for the evening!  Even if you think you are oh so smart to bring all the kids boots.  It doesn't matter!  They are still going to get filthy!

Its been too cold to pour the forms, and our permits have been caught up at the city, with a key person on holidays - UGH!  But, we finally have our permits, so we are off and running.  I hope to update you again soon.

New Suppliers!

I am very excited to announce the addition of a few new suppliers to our company!  Antiques 2000 made their debut to me in Liberty.  The style of their furniture adds a touch of old world to almost any space.  Even in a contemporary environment they add an interesting  juxtaposition.

A little bit of unique… never the same twice.

Each and every piece with it’s own story, softly worn edges, earth friendly recycled woods, hues that are never exact, a little hand finishing to ensure everything is well…just its self...

Each piece has a soul

waiting to find the right home…

you will always want more.

lovely!

 

Another very exciting addition is that of Oly.  Oly is un paralleled for style and design.  This high end company offers some of the most sought after pieces in the industry.  Their items come with a fairly high price tag, but probably less than half of what you would pay in other retail stores.  What I have seen of their products to date is simply stunning.  Click on my link for OLY STUDIO, and check them our for yourself!

Also check out the following suppliers that we are about to add to our list of suppliers:

Redford House

vangogh designs

Currey and Company

Love it!

I just love this room.  I am so proud of it.  The goal here was to bring more storage into the room.  A place to do crafting, and a comfy place to read.  So we added great storage from Unique Storage and Organizers in the closet which tripled the capacity of the closet.   A great desk from AP Industries that will provide this little girl with a place for homework, crafting and displaying her creations.  The corner shelf was a lucky find from a used furniture dealer.  We gave her a night stand which she didn't have before and is so great for a reading light and book storage.  The bed was a labour of love.  We did the footboard and headboard at the same height to create a daybed.  The floral fabric is from Crown Wallpaper and Fabric, and it was love at first sight!  The gorgeous bed was made by Surrey Upholstery.  We also added some under bed storage for her abundance of craft suppplies!  Enjoy the pictures. 





BEFORE:

Kool Kid

I can't take credit for this great room that Rachael designed for her 9 year old son.  It is cool and fun for an active young boy.  Rachael bought some of  the furniture from me.  It is from AP Industries.  We love the handles of the element 5 drawer chest - so cool and contemporary.



Also the Cyana headboard and footboard.  Of course the skater is the icing on the cake.  And perfect for Rachael's son!



And the Element Desk!  Rachael accessorized with pieces from Pottery Barn, and great internet finds.