I’m thinking we should post pictures of blue ceilings more often on Instagram, at least judging by the reaction we got to this pic from the Homearama Showhouse on Monday. Then again, it may have just been thanks to Sherry’s dancing girl emojis.
As those high-steppin’ cartoon ladies indicated, we’re pretty psyched about how things are shaping up over there. The bold “Skydive” color that we chose for the office ceiling (by Benjamin Moore) came out better than we imagined, and we even got to use one of our favorite lights that we designed last year. But although there has been TONS of progress since our last update two weeks ago, it’s unfortunately not the kind that makes showing the rest of that room any more exciting. Once you look down it’s still pretty empty.
Emptiness aside – the hardwood floors have all been sanded and stained/sealed (hence being covered for protection), most of the house’s painting is done, most of the lights and cabinets are installed, and even little details like doorknobs are getting checked off the list. Since we fell hard for the look of a backplate in our own house, we went that route as sort of a nod to what we’ve enjoyed here, but upgraded them with white porcelain knobs. Here’s a close up for you, and you can see two of them together in a more panned out shot of the doors above.
The glass pocket doors that lead to the dining room have also been installed. They still need to be painted, along with the front door, but we’re loving them. Especially that transom window at the top. Oh to have 10 foot ceilings…
Don’t mind the height or crookedness of any light fixtures. We walked through the house a while back to pinpoint all the lighting locations we’d need – not only for fixtures and sconces, but for can lights as well – so those junction boxes all had to be installed ahead of time (and we had to select all of our lights beforehand, so we could determine their placement). Now that the electrician has put everything in, it’s exciting to see things in place – but we still have to adjust them once the furniture is in (for example, our dining chandelier will hang a lot lower – it’s just lifted for now so people don’t walk into it).
As for fixture sources, the Loft Shade Chandelier is hanging in the foyer and the light in the dining room shot below is the Industrial Modern Island Chandelier, both generously donated by Shades of Light. We’re also excited to see the dark color on the walls (it’s Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore) above the wainscoting we shared two weeks back. Although each room is only around 5-10% complete (they still need furniture, art, window treatments, and accessories – most of which we have selected, but some of which are still on our eight-page shopping list), it’s a lot easier to visualize things now that there are actually painted walls and light fixtures to reference.
The living room and kitchen are open to each other, and they’re both staying white (which will allow us to add a lot of color with furnishings, art, & accessories), but we also added a Hale Navy (by Benjamin Moore) accent wall to the fireplace, which is mostly complete. That same navy color will be on the kitchen island across the room, so we can’t wait for the space to come together more. You can also see a hint of the dark Jacobean floor color on the edge of the stairs in this photo.
We really like the white painted mantel and marble surround against that dark navy fireplace column. It’s a gas fireplace but the cool herringbone brick pattern in the back makes it feel little old and weathered. Our builder had it wired for a TV above the mantel, but for the show we’ll be hanging art there instead of one of those fake model-home flatscreens – and it just might be an oil painting of Burger The Wonder Dog.
The kitchen cabinets are installed, and shocker-for-us: none of them are white – although the ones in this picture aren’t really their final color. Everything’s still in a pretty unfinished state (some of the doors and drawers are missing, there are no counters or appliances, the backsplash still needs to be installed, etc) but we couldn’t resist sharing a shot of one of two lights that hang over the giant kitchen island. We’re really trying to step out of our comfort zone and take risks to keep the show fun – and we thought these Accordion Chandeliers, which were also donated by Shades of Light, fit the bill. They look kind of crazy right now, but we have a plan. At least we think we do.
They’re the very first fixtures that we selected for the house back in December, so it’s kind of a mindfreak to finally see them in place. The island below them is also Hale Navy (a nod to that fireplace on the other side of the room) so we can’t wait to see how they look when things come together more.
Upstairs is seeing similar progress. Many of the lights are in (there are three of these Glass Jug Pendants in the hallway), and the glass pocket doors were installed on the playroom / reading room / library. Meanwhile the stairs are still a death trap thanks to their lack of a railing. It’s a miracle I haven’t fallen over that yet while trying to take a picture. And I basically put a security detail around ol’ preggers every time she even looks in its direction.
The jack-and-jill shared bathroom between the kids’ rooms is shaping up nicely. Nearly everything is in except for the faucet, sink, and mirror. They were preparing to install the counters as we left to get Clara at preschool – so we can’t wait to see those in place. The main color in this room is in the vanity, which we had the cabinet company paint Courtyard Green (this is the one we matched to a side table that we saw in Target).
It’s not a great shot of the floor, especially because it’s dirty at the moment, but they’re white lantern tiles from the builder’s local supplier, Mosaic Tile (with gray grout so it’s more kid-friendly over time).
The last update we have for you guys is an area that we’re calling “The Atrium.” It’s a little spot between the closet (to the left) and the bathroom (to the right). We’ve ordered a big leaning mirror for that wall (which is painted Stonington Gray by Ben Moore), so that will go right under the Driftwood Pendant that we purchased. We loved it so much in person that we were almost tempted to get one for our nursery at home, but we worry it won’t give off enough light for a whole room (it just needs to illuminate that small nook in the showhouse).
The most exciting thing to report is that builder John and his crew are fast at work trying to wrap everything up in the next few weeks so that we can start moving furniture in before our early April deadline (the house is supposed to be finished so it can be photographed for press for the show during the first week of April – and of course we have our own mid-April due date to work around for finishing touches). We’re simultaneously thrilled and terrified to be moving from the construction phase to the furnish & accessorize phase. Just hopefully not in that way that makes anyone go into labor…
Psst – Wanna see the finished showhouse? Click here for Our Full Showhouse Tour, which includes final pictures of every room, the floor plan, budget info, a video walk-through, and shoppable showhouse furniture & accessories.
I love how it’s coming along so much, I just looked to see if there are jobs for me in your area so I could move there. But alas there aren’t any. Guess I need to stay in cold, snowy New England.
Aw man, RVA would love to have ya ;)
xo
s
Love it!!
I have a question though – what molding profiles were used to make the door trim – like around the doors to the playroom/library doors? Do you guys know? I would love to know and use that for my own house when re-doing the builder grade trim. I can see the flat stock of 1 by’s, but wonder what the other trim pieces are that were used.
Someone else was asking about that so we’ll have to try to take a photo that shows how they’re made. They’re more of a craftsman molding detail, and we love how it looks!
xo
s
Thanks! Would love to see a close up or if you could ask the carpenter what profiles were used.
We’ll try to dig that info up and remember to snap that photo for you soon!
xo
s
Ok I am moving in. This house is PHENOMENAL! LOVE IT! And hello, why didn’t I remember your lighting collection? We just did new tile/counters/backsplash and was bemoaning that I couldn’t afford any pretty lights. But I CAN!!! Off to shop!
I love the navy over the fireplace. What color and what brand? I just painted a navy in my dining room and its not the right shade.
That’s Hale Navy be Benjamin Moore. Just updated the post with all paint/brand info for everyone :)
xo
s
I love love love it. Thank you for this post because I now have paint colors. Our great room looks exactly like this one with all the windows. It’s an ugly green and I’ve been wanting to go white to brighten it up. Did you use Simply White? Just want to double check before I head to BM. Love the blue too. Think I might do our fireplace the same. Simply gorgeous. I love your blog and have never commented before, but this post I just had to. You all are so talented. Best of luck with the upcoming babe.
Yes, all the trim and doors along with the white kitchen/liv are Simply White.
xo
s
I think you replied above that you thought the office walls were an eggshell finish. Is that also the finish you used on the white walls of Clara’s bedroom? I have always done colored walls in eggshell, but am planning my first ‘white’ room… for some reason I worry that the white will be too ‘shiny’, though leaning towards flat makes me worry they will be too ‘dull’. And when you do white walls and white trim, do you use a different finish on the trim? Thanks!
Yes, eggshell is usually our all-rooms-except-kitchens-and-baths choice these days. The newer formulas are very durable/scrubable but they’re not too shiny (the more sheen, the harder they are to touch up on walls). As for trim and doors, we always do semi-gloss, so in C’s room it’s eggshell Simply White on the walls with semi-gloss Simply White on the trim/doors.
xo
s
What type of paint do you use for kitchens and bathrooms? I think I’ve used eggshell, but now I’m curious!
We usually use satin (just one step up above eggshell). In our first house we used semi-gloss which works too, but feels a little shiny to us in hindsight.
xo
s
This looks amazing! I want to write more, but I have to go check out that Driftwood Pendant light RIGHT. NOW!!!
That ceiling is gorgeous! And I love that you used Hale Navy for the fireplace. It’s one of my favorite blues. I almost used it for my living room, but went with Washington Blue instead. Love, love, love!
I just painted my entry, stairs and hallway in Stonington Gray! I love it!
The house looks so great. My friend and I are planning on attending Homearama, we can’t wait!!
It all looks terrific, and gives me lots of ideas for my own house.
We put Jacobean in on our red oak floors, and I love them – a rich, warm dark brown that still shows lots of grain (and still hides dirt – at least a little!) Were the floors here stained as-is, or were they water popped?
I also love your glass pocket doors. We have an extra wide entry on our front living room that I’ve considered narrowing and installing farm doors on, but I may have to consider the idea of making it into a bigger project and getting doors like that.
I’ll have to ask! We were all banned from the house during staining days, so we didn’t mess things up.
xo
s
I love the fancy wainscoting you’ve got going on. Such a modern take on a fancy old classic.
Looking great, I can’t wait to see it all done. John, it would be SUPER awesome if you could get tips on spraying cabinets from the pros. Especially regarding how to get the toughest finish so they don’t chip, wear, etc. I know you already replied to someone else that you would, I just wanted to cast my vote for a post regarding that as well!
Thanks for the vote Jess – I’ll definitely ask him the next time we see him. Here’s hoping he has time to dive into details with me.
-John
Do you know if there will be info to the people who tour the home about the fixtures? I was just thinking that if I walked through this home without seeing your blog, I would want to know every paint color, where the light fixtures came from, etc. Do they make info available to people walking through?
I believe most of the vendors and donors have a presence at the show (the double car garage is open to people who have provided things for the house so they can chat people up and explain what they did) and we also hope to have a little info or fact sheet about paint colors and where we got certain things, although once the rooms fill up it’ll hard to be exhaustive about that stuff, but we hope to get as much on there as we can.
xo
s
Your Showhouse is so outstanding. Everything is my favorite here….:-).
Hi guys! Love what I’m seeing! Forgive me if you’ve already posted this somewhere, but I was looking around for a whole-house palette of colors you are using for the Habitat house? Similar to what you posted yesterday for your own home. Thanks and keep up the amazing work!
Thanks Marina! We’d love to make one of those up when the house is complete (some painting is still not done for small accents, etc).
xo
s
Wow!! It all looks great! I love the lights over the kitchen island and that driftwood light and the fireplace…well actually everything! Way to go!
GORGEOUS! I have a globe fixture similar to the one in your study…since you guys are the designers of that fixture, what kind of light bulb do you recommend?
In our last house we used a clear bulb to get cool shadows on the ceiling, but it also looks pretty with a frosted one (fewer shadows, but they’re still there, just subtle). You also could use an edison bulb, we just sometimes think they make a room look too yellow, but they can be really cool in some spaces!
xo
s
Holy Hotness is right!!! It must be a dream (and a nice change) to be able to have the labor be put on someone else and then walk in and see it done.
Side question – I’m wondering if you guys consider the down stairs colors when choosing the upstairs colors. Do you have an “overall” color scheme or do you consider them two separate areas? Great job you guys!
We try to think of the whole house as one big puzzle (so no color that doesn’t seem to work with the rest is allowed to the dance, haha) but we also put special consideration into proximity colors (ex: if there are two rooms across from each other or off the same hallway, we try to weigh that as well, and make sure it’s not too crazy or anything).
xo
s
Looking ridiculously gorgeous! Can’t can’t wait to see it all accessorized up…!!
I love everything I see, especially the lights!! Can’t wait to see it all finished :)
Is the fireplace an insert? I am needing to replace ours and I LOVE that look.
There’s a hard gas line that’s installed (you can sort of see it in the photos) so they’ll add gas logs to the setup and a glass door. I think they go in this week!
xo
s
OH MY GOSH!!! It is beautiful!!!!:0 ahh!! cant wait to see it all done!! You guys ROCK!!!!;)
I am absolutely loving this showhouse so much. My favorite thing so far: the navy fireplace. Sigh. Isn’t it going to be hard to see this go away? I would want to move in!
I want to house crash whoever moves in. Won’t it be fun to see how they decorate it? I think that’s what’s keeping me less sad to walk out the door – the hope that I might get to come back and see it with a real family inside.
xo
s
It’s looking so good. I know you guys are super excited to see it coming together. I can’t wait to see it in person! You are using a lot of the colors that I am hoping to use in our house so I look forward to getting some inspiration.
I am shockingly in love with the plates, knobs and hinges on the doors (shockingly because how could I get so worked up about something so mundane, right?!).
LOVE the colors and the bottom half of the dining room walls….did you buy that pre-made? And where?
That’s something we covered in the last showhouse post. Isn’t it cool? https://www.younghouselove.com/2014/02/setting-the-mood/
xo
s
So exciting to see how it’s coming together. I love the colorful paint that you guys have chosen so far. The driftwood light fixture is one of my favorite things in the house so far :)
LOVE so much of what you’ve done already! Wish I could come to the show (I’m in NY).
I also LOVE that courtyard green color. And the floor in the jack-and-jill bathroom. Doorknobs – adore! I basically love everything in this home.
Do you think you’ll pull any features/designs/colors you’ve done into the show house into your current home?
I definitely think we’re sort of “shopping” the house. It’s stretching us to think about what might work in our house, or what could be tweaked, etc.
xo
s
Hi! Love the driftwood pendant. Just wondering if it gives off a good amount of light? I noticed that it takes a 100 watt bulb so I would imagine so. I would like to put in my foyer but it’s a dark space.
Good question. Hmm, 100 watts should be good for a foyer, but we honestly haven’t seen it lit up at night yet (just off during the day before the electric was actually turned on). Next time we go we’ll try to check it out, although my guess would be that it would do the trick in a foyer!
xo
s
Wow, when can I move in?
You should TOTALLY housecrash the people who move in and see what they kept and what they changed up!
Wouldn’t that be fun?! I’m going to beg – hopefully without scaring anyone.
xo
s
You guys are amazing! I’d love to live in that house.
SO funny that you linked back to the post with the green end table from Target – I just bought two of them for my living room! The green ones are marked down to $39.99 right now – plus you get a $10 coupon online! AMAZING deal for the fellow YHL readers out there. :)
Thanks for the tip Kim!
xo
s
Wow. This post has me rethinking some of the painting choices we are considering. If only I can get my husband to paint the walls white….
I think you may have crashed the website for buying Homearama tickets . . . I keep getting an error message! No fear, there’s still plenty of time to order tickets in advance, so I’ll just keep trying!
Oh no! Hope it comes back soon!
xo
s
I love seeing how this showhouse is very YHL-with-a-twist! There are so many elements that are very “Petersik” and yet so many that I’d not expected (in a good way, of course). I’m so happy for you guys that you got a chance to stretch out of your usual zone – I bet it feels like getting a chance to live dangerously, but with a safety net, haha.
I also love that it seems like John is writing more of the posts these days – we know $herdog is still having fun times with the pregnancy sickness (did you have a Kate Middleton-esque hyperemesis gravidarium, one wonders?) and I think it’s just awesome for John to be doing so much. Not that we’d expect any less, naturally – you two are always so great at supporting each other and I think it totally deserves a shout-out :)
He’s DA MAN. I am so grateful. I’ve been on a lot of secret project and book stuff lately (along with this lovely barfiness) so he has been diving into more post writing (and spraying that blue trim all by himself in the office) like a champ. Love that beardy man of mine.
xo
s
That driftwood pendant is so cool! This whole house is so awesome, I’m loving all the risks you guys are taking this time around. The wall colour in the dining room and the ceiling colour in the office are so beautiful.
I’m so excited to see the finished product and am really disappointed I won’t be able to see it in person.
I saw some comments about an upcoming surprise or announcement on Monday. Did you mention something like that on this post or on yesterday’s? I must have missed that somehow.
We have offhandedly mentioned we have a secret project in the works for a while (during our blogiversary in Sept, on instagram a few months ago when we had a secret photoshoot, etc) so we can’t wait to spill the beans but we haven’t been allowed to until MONDAAAAYYYYY! We’re just a little excited about it. Haha!
xo
s
Love it! Can you please tell me the paint color/brand of the navy around the fireplace?
It’s Hale Navy by Ben Moore :)
xo
s
This home is looking SO fabulous. You guys are seriously talented. I applaud you for stepping out of some comfort zones and going BIG :) It’s going to look amazing!. . . that green vanity – and that brass fixture in the kitchen! Yum!
OMG I LOVE the dining room colors! So neutral but so calming and beautiful. Must have in my own home. Also love the ceiling color my favorite color!
I love the way your show home is coming together. Great choices, colors, fixtures! We live in Richmond so will be going to the Homerama and I am looking forward to seeing it in person!
Looking great guys! LOVE the blue ceiling and navy fireplace – I’ve developed a new navy obsession. Looking forward to seeing it (and drooling over it) in person!
I actually just looked into a flight from Montreal-Richmond so that I could see this amazing house in person in May. Crazy, no? Wish the flights weren’t all over $800… I’ll have to admire it from afar.
By the way, your blog has inspired me to write my own DIY blog! Thanks for your inspiration and (admittedly unknowing) help!
Oh Sarah, you’re so sweet! We want to take everyone on a virtual tour after the show closes by sharing a big ol’ video walk-through. I hope our shaky hands can do it justice!
xo
s
WOW! I love ALL of it. Awesome job guys! Can totally see the vision taking shape and it’s so exciting :)
House is really coming along fabulously!!! What is the grey paint color used in the dining room? Thanks!
It’s Kendall Charcaol by Ben Moore.
xo
s
Hey – what is the shade of white you used in the living room and open kitchen? We are trying to pick a white to paint our whole house (just moving in – but the current paint is so beat up). I’ve got samples of BM White Dove, Monterey White, Sebring White and Meadow Mist on the walls now, but I’m not sure of any of them
It’s Simply White by Ben Moore (it’s also on all the trim/doors).
xo
s
The house is looking phenomenal! Your creativity always impresses me!
I love everything, but was so excited to see the driftwood pendant in the bedroom nook because I hung that light in the nursery for our little guy! He is 3 months old and LOVES to look up at it, and it puts off great light. We actually have a lot lower wattage bulb in it right now because we like it to not be so bright in the evenings when we put him to bed. Wish I could load a picture for you…
That’s so sweet! I love hearing that Noel!
xo
s
I really love everything about pocket doors – and these are beautiful, but what was your rationale for putting them there? What are the scenarios in which they’ll be the most functional?
Good question! Apparently some buyers like to close off the noise of kids playing in a playroom, or keep the formal dining room off limits to kids or hold meetings in there (so they also like the option to close it off). We originally leaned towards glass french doors, but we realized that pocket doors were more flexible (no disturbing flow, so pretty to look at, and they can be rolled completely out of the way for nice open look if you don’t want them there).
xo
s