inlandbeachhouse's Profile

p.s. Now officially obsessed with your dog and its breed. Too delicious.

I think this is gorgeous and a home that I would love to live in - clean, calm and filled with artistic and personal elements. I appreciate the handmade quality mixed with great design, and the use of natural materials. What a wonderful place to come home to at the end of a busy day! And I love seeing pictures of the folks who live in the home.

Best Decisions –
Bought the best appliances I could afford without worrying about if they "matched" (although all are stainless, so they do match). My custom cabinets make the most of the space I have, and they don't look like Ikea. Positioning the stove so that it faces into the dining/living room. Putting in a big window above the sink with a fixed central panel and two sidelights, so I have a great unbroken view out to the garden. Had to fight my contractor to do that, but totally worth it. I am also glad that I didn't put upper cabinets on the wall that is shared with the living room and many windows. The openness makes such a difference and makes the space seem larger and lighter. Also love my above and below cabinet lighting. Love my pull-out pantry. Nothing gets lost in the back!

Regrets-
Wish I had spent the money and put in Cesarstone counters. I put in budget granite and the seams drive me insane. I also probably should have put in a hood, but I can’t stand the way they look hanging down into a kitchen. May be a resale issue, but I am vegan and don't worry about grease or smells, so I did it for me - I didn't want it breaking up the otherwise open space. I put in three skylights but didn't think to put one in the kitchen. I wish that I had, since I put a new roof on at the same time. The natural light would open the room up even more. I definitely learned a lot through trial and error. Measure ALL appliance dimensions (height of stove if it has a back, protrusion of handles), especially if you have a small space and you are shoehorning in as much as possible. I had to change my stove at the last second and it cost me about 1k.

A word to the uninitiated: I had issues with my contractor. Be sure to check the Better Business Bureau and talk to multiple clients. I got a recommendation and went with it. I thought that using a female contractor would be great, but crazy is crazy. Luckily, all of her subcontractors have been great. A true pro would have done some things that my contractor never even thought of (nor did I until talking to another contractor), like shimming the sheetrock to create the illusion of square angles in a house that is older and wonky. Those little details are the difference between a true pro and an amateur. In the end, those little things are what drive a lot of us crazy after a huge remodel. We tend to see them rather than the other wonderful changes. Or maybe I am just a perfectionist.

I have to just give praise for making the choice to be extreme. Living in a tiny space to save, to be efficient, and being part of smallcool to be a role model for those of us who are packrat artists, makes you super cool in my book.

I love the lamp sconce near the desk. Any ideas where that came from? Based on the source list, I looked for a Portico source but didn't find anything.

Trying too hard. Many nice elements but it feels staged and cold.

But where oh where are the hipster lesbian couples? They are glaringly absent!

If you travel a lot for work it is smart to carry staples. Mine would be similar, but I would also pack nutritional yeast and Bragg's.

As for margarine, not all are created equal, and not all are evil plastic. More and more vegan alternatives are showing up on the market, and saturated fats are not the devil in a vegan diet.

Even on AT, which caters to a pretty progressive community, the notion that choosing to be vegetarian or vegan is passive aggressive gets thumbs up from some? Animal agriculture is the Number One cause of global warming. It is good to examine our habits from time to time to decide what we really value, and what is just that - habit or tradition.

Lia, would you comment on how you vented (or chose not to vent) your range?

I love the niche for the milagros. I wish I had built in a place for mine! Maybe I will have to make one.

I notice the lack of a hood over the range. I am one of those folks who hates the look of a hood, especially in a prominent spot. Did you go with a range that vents under the floor or did you skip it all together?