New Construction Archives - Pacific Design Co.

June 15, 2023June 15, 2023

Hillside Residence: Final Reveal

The Hillside Residence has been a fun project but also one that’s filled my cup. I’ve mentioned throughout the “Before” and the “Progress” posts how our clients are absolutely amazing and so wonderful to work with. This project was done in phases so you may have already seen some finished rooms before this post, but here we get to officially reveal every space!

The Kitchen

The heart of the home. And even though you’ll see how many amazing entertaining spaces the Hillside project has, the kitchen will always be the most loved on. We kept the kitchen layout similar to the existing layout. However, we rearranged some appliances and straightened out the island so it was no longer intruding on the living room and dining room spaces.

The finishes were completely changed throughout! We paired a darker wood island with lighter perimeter cabinets, combining both finishes on the custom hood. We then pulled in a backsplash full of character with uneven edges, dimpling throughout, and a beautiful variation in color. Adding a white countertop with large yet subtle veining throughout kept things light and clean. We finished the space off with a new wood planked ceiling and refinished the hardwood flooring with a natural topcoat.

The pantry

The pantry is one of my favorite features of the home! The clients wanted a large walk-in pantry off of the dining room. However, we didn’t want a plain door along this focal wall. So a custom built-in was designed with a hidden door to conceal the pantry when not in use. The pantry is stocked with small appliances, a full-size freezer, and tons of storage space throughout!

Primary Suite

This is one of those spaces that if you never walked through or saw the “before” photos, you’d be surprised what was originally here! For this space, we did a lot of reconfiguring to the floor plan to get an incredible luxury suite! We took over an unused bedroom, and then rearranged the existing bathroom and closet spaces. The return? A nice flow from the primary suite to a bathroom and closet of our clients (and my!) dreams! These spaces feature a washer and dryer in the closet, a large built-in for linens, a steam shower, and a freestanding tub with a gorgeous view!

Their steam shower transformation needs a moment to itself. It went from a bit of a cave-like vibe to sleek and sexy! One big custom piece in this shower is the curved bench. I’ve gone into a little detail in the progress post on how the process of getting it went. So today I’ll just say, can every steam shower project please include a curved bench!?

Entertainment Addition

The biggest and probably most talked about transformation to the Hillside residence is their entertainment center. To make this space happen, our clients took over their existing large garage. Later they did an addition to the home of an even larger garage with a storage room and loft. But let’s talk about their entertainment center! We started off with a professionally installed golf simulator and a custom bar top. The bar features a large piece of glass with a shadow box below to display their golf collectibles and memorabilia.

Behind the bar is a game area and large bar/kitchenette. And the main attraction leads us into the most professional in-home theater I have ever laid my eyes on! Our client is incredibly tech-savvy and did so much research and work to determine what kind of equipment he wanted in this space. From speakers, insulation, lights, and getting the sound to bounce at just the right spots of the room, this theatre is impeccable! On one of our final walk-throughs of the house, we got a little preview of the video and sound quality. I have to say, whether lounging on the cozy sofa or supported by the ergonomic recliners, it gives you quite the movie experience!

The Hillside residence will always be a favorite of ours and one we think back on often! A home like this that has all the comforts and luxury is one you can settle down in for a long time!

Be sure to check out the before and progress posts of this job, you’ll be surprised by what you see!

September 22, 2022September 22, 2022

PDCo Home: Fireplace

** For a full resource list of blog posts about our home, check out this link.

What questions do I get asked most often when it comes to PDCO home? That’s easy; where do you get your light fixtures? Annnd, how do I get my fireplace to look like that? I went through light fixtures in our PDCO home reveal post so today let’s take a closer look at the PDCO Fireplace! Something most of us don’t realize, until we start looking into installing our own fireplace, is how much detail goes into it. Today you can consider me your fireplace fairy godmother! I’ll take you through every decision we needed to make to get our fireplace to look like this. And every detail you’ll need to make when you’re getting a fireplace installed.

Where to start?

If you’re from the Spokane, WA general area then highly recommend Falco’s Spokane for all your fireplace needs! They truly are the full package; they’re easy to work with, have quality products and do quality work! I love that they are a one stop shop for finding the right unit AND installation. After finding a fireplace supplier, your next step is to decide what type of fireplace you want. Gas, Wood or Specialty? The exact model we selected is the Kozy Heat Bayport 41 gas fireplace. A fireplace is a big focal point in any space, so one thing to consider is the style of your home. Not only with the shape and size of the unit, but all of the “media kit” items inside the unit! There are fireplaces that lean more traditional, transitional, modern, etc. so make sure the fireplace you select fits the home you’re dreaming up.

Falco’s has details about each fireplace unit and here’s what they have to say about the Kozy Heat Bayport 41 direct vent gas fireplace. “Direct vent gas fireplaces don’t require a chimney or existing fireplace for successful installation – they can be installed almost anywhere, even on interior walls and in modern homes. The Bayport 41 Log is energy-efficient, easy to operate, and provides an exceptional level of heat output, making this fireplace a great investment that will give years of good service.”

We really wanted a fireplace that put out heat. Many fireplaces are fine for just aesthetic purposes, but some people don’t realize that there are special units that are more for the functionality of heat output!

Let’s personalize it!

After selecting the exact fireplace unit we began to put together the details. Our home is definitely more modern, but still cozy and soft. We knew we wanted our fireplace to have a minimalist appearance. I kept all this in mind when selecting a fireplace, but also when going through all the details. The easiest details to select were the black gloss enamel panels for extra reflection and glow. The black full rectangular framed screen front was exactly what we needed for the sharp lines next to the drywall edges. These two things definitely took our fireplace in the modern direction we were wanting to take it.

We also customized our media kit to our personal preferences. I get lots of questions about this specifically! We selected the driftwood rock media kit but we asked them to eliminate the rocks with yellow tones. I’m a pain, I know 😉 We added the black glass media kit onto that to also increase the reflection and glow. And there you have our customized Kozy Heat Bayport 41 direct vent gas fireplace!

What matters most!

Your fireplace surround is just as important if not more important than your fireplace unit, when we’re looking at the aesthetic aspect of things. For a cleaner look we went without a hearth and mantle and chose to do a built-in ledge instead. The detail of a ledge gave me the room to “dress up” our fireplace while still not making it too busy for what we were wanting.

We brought our fireplace surround all the way up to the ceiling. In our PDCO home final reveal, I talk about how this brings your eye up making your ceiling heights seem even taller. It’s a must-have in my opinion when designing a fireplace wall. We also brought this drywall all the way to the floor with a very clean line so no base trim was needed to finish it off. We painted the whole thing in the same color as our walls. I wanted a minimalist look but felt there was enough detail because of the ledge and the angles of the vaulted ceiling! I’ve been going back and forth on adding a white oak ledge on top of the existing ledge to add a little warmth, but haven’t fully decided.

The Frame TV

I recently released a blog post talking about our Samsung Frame TV details. But a few details I wanted to add here are how we don’t have any TV “parts” sitting on our ledge and how we got away with that. We included an outlet in the spot where we’d be hanging our TV above the fireplace. So, the plan was to plug in the TV and everything would still look very clean. However, the Samsung frame TV does have the “brains” of the TV in a separate box that you plug into the TV. This allows for a thin TV screen, making it even more identical to an art piece.

That said, we still didn’t want to have any boxes sitting on our ledge. So, we decided to drill a hole through our wall (behind the tv). Then we drilled another hole through the side of the fireplace surround. We fed the cable through so the box could sit out of sight – once we find the right cabinet of course!

I hope I covered all the questions you have regarding putting together your own fireplace package! If I did miss anything, comment below!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. And/or – some of the items discussed in this post I have received at a discounted price. We hope by sourcing some of our favorite products, we provide value to you and your projects!

September 22, 2022September 22, 2022

PDCo Home: Hardware

** For a full resource list of blog posts about our home, check out this link.

Hardware. You either love it and everything about selecting it, or it stresses you out. Whichever one you are, today’s post is for you! And if your blood pressure usually goes up from just mentioning hardware, then maybe today we can change that!

our go-to resource

I often think of hardware as an accessory for your home. Just like we choose rings, earrings, and necklaces to wear with our outfits, hardware is the accessory we choose to dress up our doors and cabinets with. But it’s not just an accessory for our homes — it’s absolutely essential due to its functionality! For our home and for 99% of our projects we select all of our hardware from Spokane Hardware which is also known as Hardware Hut online.

If you are local to Spokane, Washington, I cannot recommend Spokane Hardware enough! They have the greatest selection of cabinet hardware, door hardware, and so many accessory options too. It’s so nice to go to their showroom and easily browse different hardware options, many of which you may not have thought about searching for online. I love doing this because it opens my mind to other options, while also allowing you to see the true color and feel of the hardware before purchasing. For those who aren’t local, you can also easily purchase the hardware through their online website. Their team is always so helpful no matter what I’m looking for and they are an incredible resource for finding hardware solutions for the trickiest problems! So, whether hardware shopping stresses you out or not, Spokane Hardware and Hardware Hut are your places!

The Logistics for cabinetry hardware

There are a few things to consider when you are hardware shopping. First, I normally like to use a combination of a knob and pull in each space, but you can use the same combination of hardware throughout your entire home! If you do decide to change it up, I’d recommend keeping the finish the same. However, in rare cases, I’ll change up the finish if it really makes sense for the aesthetic of a particular room!

Another thing I see people worry about is what type of hardware they should get, such as pulls or knobs. I’ll share how we do it most of the time and why. Almost every time, we vote for knobs on cabinet doors. I personally think a pull on a cabinet drawer gets too visually cluttered. The exception to this is very tall cabinet doors, like a pantry cabinet, that may need a longer pull to hold the weight of the door. Knobs are incredibly versatile, and I love using them on doors and drawers! We go back and forth between knobs and pulls on drawers in our designs depending on the aesthetic we are wanting to achieve. Every once in a while, we will throw in a special piece like a cabinet latch, cup pull, finger pull, or other unique design to change up the look.

How We Did it: the kitchen

Next, I’m going to share all our PDCO home cabinetry hardware details! For our home, we wanted a fairly minimalist look, so we chose to do knobs almost everywhere.

Starting off in the kitchen, we used all Top Knobs Nouveau II Round Cabinet Knob and a Top Knob cabinet latch. For some reason, I couldn’t find the Top knobs cabinet latch, but this Emtek Cabinet Latch is the same look. Please keep in mind though, that brands usually have slight variations to their finishes! So be very careful mixing different brands, especially when it comes to brass and bronze finishes.

The knob placement depended on how long our drawers were. Since most of the drawers weren’t wider than 36″ we just used one knob in the center of the drawer. There was only one spot, which is the tilt-out under our sink, that we used two knobs due to the length. The latches we used are beautiful but have a lot of detail, so using them sparingly is important. I like placing them under a sink, or a special pantry cabinet. We love the visual interested they added!

How We Did it: the primary bathroom

To keep that minimalist look, we carried the same finger pull knobs throughout our home so you also see them in our primary bathroom. We also stuck with the beautiful oiled bronze finish, which was the perfect brown tone. It’s not too stark like black would have brought, and not too flashy like satin brass. The oil rubbed bronze finish from Top Knobs is very different from the standard oil rubbed bronze you typically would see. It’s a favorite of ours!

Even though the drawers on our vanity are pretty large, I LOVE the very simple look of keeping one knob on each drawer. It’s modern and simple, but feels so warm due to the finishes we chose for this vanity.

How We Did it: the kids’ bathroom

The only room we changed the style of cabinet hardware in is our kids’ bathroom. I wanted something a little different in here! Something that was easy for the kids to use and also that added a little extra charm. We selected these from the Top Knobs line to make sure the finish matched the rest of the home. The exact ones we selected are the Top Knobs Egg Cabinet Knob.

Door hardware

When it comes to door hardware there really aren’t many guidelines! But the main consideration is the ease of use between a lever and a knob. We recommend levers for families with children as well as those considering a home for aging in place, due to levers being easier to grab and use. From an aesthetic standpoint, we select a finish that coordinates with one of the other finishes we’ve selected for the home. At PDCo Home, we matched our door hardware finish to our plumbing fixtures which is a satin brass.

All of our interior door hardware is from Emtek. The door levers are the Emtek Modern Helios Door Leverset with a Stretto Narrow Trim. With this narrow backplate, planning ahead is important! It requires a custom bore hole size. You must order your doors with this specific bore size, or have the bores drilled on site. I’m so in love with this look! The pocket door hardware is the Emtek Narrow Modern Rectangular Solid Brass Mortise Pocket Door Privacy Latch. It’s a sleek look and matches our narrow backplates on the other doors perfectly.

Our front exterior door is the only one that we didn’t select from Emtek’s line. I wanted something very unique for our front door and this Sun Valley Brass Bandbox Handle x Handle Mortise Lock Entry Set makes such a statement! I was obsessed from the moment I saw it. The entire Sun Valley Brass collection is stunning, with products ranging from modern to traditional styles. There are a lot of finishes to select from, too! The brass is a living finish and has antiqued so beautifully, adding warmth yet contrast with our black front door.

There you have it! A full hardware tour. I know many of my clients get stressed thinking (and overthinking!) about hardware and the millions of options and combinations out there. Sometimes, it really is okay to keep it simple!

August 5, 2022August 1, 2022

North Trail Residence

While we don’t get every project professionally photographed due to cost, I still love to share snapshots from my phone to document the process! The North Trail Residence was one of our new construction projects that wrapped up last year! Located in a rural area with gorgeous mountain views, this project holds true to traditional cabin materials and colors while still featuring modern touches.

With new construction projects, I get so excited when the framing is complete, and the space starts to take shape. This home has an open concept with lots of floor to ceiling windows to brighten up the whole interior!

Let’s Move IN!

I think one of the hardest points of any project is once the sheetrock is up. Because once you are able to walk through every individual room it starts feeling more like a house. At that point, wanting to have your home finished and waiting months for it to be done gets even harder! It feels oddly close to completion, yet so much is left to do.

Hardwood Floors

Getting the floors installed and stained at the North Trail project is different from many other projects. We selected a real hardwood instead of an engineered or other prefinished product. Once the wood was installed and ready for finishing, we got to personally select the perfect stain for the space. We use a sample color as a reference for what we wanted to work toward. Then our installer mixed and adjusted the stain until we were happy with the color. The last time we did this was on our Post Street project – oh, how I love this process!

Stunning Tile

Throughout the home, we wanted to make sure the tiles made a statement! But also kept true to darker hues and an organic aesthetic. For the walk-in shower in the primary suite, we used a dark large-scale tile for the walls and ceiling. The space is very large and has natural light coming in from a window. The clients wanted this space to feel cozy and cave-like, but we balanced it with a light-colored stone mosaic floor. Above the vanity in the primary suite, we also used a darker tile that we brought all the way up to the ceiling. This tile is incredible up close – it’s a natural stone and has what looks like little fossils throughout! We kept the floors light and simple to once again balance light and dark tones in the space. In the powder room, we used small wood-looking hexagon tiles for a statement!

Custom Kitchen

The cabinets within the kitchen and the bathrooms were all custom with a beautiful rich stain color. To help modernize a kitchen (and entire home!) with dark cabinets, we selected a light-colored backsplash and countertop. The waterfall edge on the end of the long counter was another way to incorporate a modern detail and add more light colors visually! Throughout the home, we also used the same soft white color to showcase crisp lines and help reflect all of the natural light.

When a project has a month or two left before it’s finished is probably the hardest! At this point it seems like mostly everything is done. The flooring is in, the cabinets are installed, the toilets and sinks are where they need to be and even working! For a client and a designer, the finish line is right there but you can’t cross it just yet!

the final touches

The North Trail Residence has been fully finished for a while now and it was a joy to assist these clients with selecting some finishing touches like rugs and furnishings! Many times, after a remodel or new home construction is complete, our clients realize their old belongings just look out of place! This may be due to a change of style, or their furniture or rugs are starting to show signs of wear. They then look to us to help through the last details!

I love helping with these last stages because we already have gained so much momentum on the project, as well as trust when it comes to understanding your style and needs. It’s a great time to start thinking of furnishing and decor needs for your new spaces well ahead of your end of construction timeline, so that we can get these pieces ordered and in place when it’s move in time!

If you have a project on your mind for 2023, be sure to reach out! It’s time to start planning your design to meet that timeline! You can contact me or book online here.

July 12, 2022December 6, 2022

PDCo Home: Final Reveal

** For a full resource list of blog posts about our home, check out this link.

After moving into our home a year ago, it felt like a constant struggle to find furnishings and décor to finish! When I’d find the perfect counter stools, they were out of stock. When I’d find the perfect coffee table, the lead time was months out. And I’m sure you’re all familiar with this and possibly facing the same things! So here we are a year later, posting our long awaited PDCo Home reveal! I’m excited to share the elements that blend textures and colors to bring in depth and warmth! Before we jump in, I wanted to note that we have blog posts that outline the whole process. I’ll have some linked throughout this post as well!

Kitchen of my dreams

Even playing “house” as a little kid, you start to dream up your own kitchen, right!? Of course, once you get older those dreams become more and more extravagant. I love that I now get to share something that started to bloom in my heart as a child!

The earthy tones and natural materials that you’ll see through the entire home truly welcome you into every space. This is perfectly portrayed through our kitchen. The first thing I knew I wanted is an island for gathering around. It’s the precious moments baking with Finn and she’s able to climb up onto a counter stool. She loves to help in the kitchen, doing dishes and playing in the water in the sink. My favorite part of the island is the paneling detail we added to the back. It adds so much character and texture. I carried this detail over in the pantry, and it’s something I obsess over!

I selected a grey quartz countertop that has a lot of variation in detail and tone. You can read about how we decided on our countertops here! It paired beautifully with our cabinets and has such a soft feel without stark contrast. I wrote a whole separate blog post on our cabinets here, but I’ll do my best to summarize! Two things I knew for sure is that I wanted white oak and an inset detail with a slab door. We had to go through a whole lot of trial and error with the stain because of the inset detail. In the end the amazing cabinet crew at Faber were able to get us the look we wanted and we didn’t have to compromise on style or color!

As an overall aesthetic, I didn’t want high contrast anywhere. This held true for the hardware, as black would have packed too much punch. I searched high and low for a warm brown tone, and found it with the Top Knobs brand at Spokane Hardware/Hardware Hut. I’ll be sharing a full post on hardware soon! The warm tones in the hardware paired beautifully with the satin brass accents throughout, like our faucet from California Faucets and oversized pendants! For the backsplash, I selected a glazed zellige tile from Riad Tile with uneven edges and texture on the surface. This added so much visual texture to our kitchen!

Family Room

When drawing up the plans for PDCo home, I knew I wanted an open concept that connected the kitchen, family room, dining room and even the entry seamlessly. The trick was to make sure these spaces blended and complimented each other without competing! Another element we added to the home is an outdoor/indoor aesthetic. The family room shows this off the best! We placed the three panel sliding door on the west wall of the family, arranging the house plans perfectly so that we’d always have the perfect view of the setting sun. I wouldn’t trade the glow it pours into our home in the evening for anything!

We are located in the PNW and because of this, a fireplace was non-negotiable. But also, who doesn’t want a pretty fireplace in their home?! We worked with our favorite local dealer Falcos to find the perfect design, since I had a pretty specific idea of what I wanted for the interior media kit. More information coming on this soon! We went with a very simplistic surround with built-in ledge, and brought the whole thing up to the ceiling. We can’t express enough how happy we are with the Samsung Frame TV for our family room! It’s amazing how many people still don’t know about this TV that looks just like an art piece! I’ve also made a blog post with all the different pictures we love that you can display on your TV!

Dining “Room”

The dining space sits right next to the kitchen, in a little bump-out of the house so it still feels like its own space. Making sure this corner got lots of natural light just like the rest of our home was important, so we added another black framed window, which adds an architectural element to the space too! I selected a beautiful handmade cream and brass light fixture. I love that it spoke to the uniqueness of our home and brought a fun element into our dining space. The art piece is one I’ve loved for many years, and it brought so much life to the room! I look forward to freshening up the furniture and rug in the room in the future, but for now, it’s the perfect stress-free zone for playdough parties and food messes!

Powder Room

I added this powder room in after reworking our plans and I can’t believe at one point I thought we wouldn’t need it! It sits right off of our entry and is a little gem of our home. The vanity matches the custom oak cabinet stain that we have throughout the home. But in this room, I had the idea of playing off the kitchen paneling detail in a small scale! I love a good vessel sink and this travertine bowl was a beautiful natural element for the room. Paired with the wall mounted brass faucet, this combination brings a smile to my face every time I see it!

Transitional Spaces

Walking towards our primary suite, you go through the most stunning transitional space you didn’t know you needed until now! My favorite way to dress up a hallway is a wall of glass! It pours a gorgeous amount of light in and you think of it as it’s own little room. The glass door on the left wall takes you out to our newly-paved courtyard. I’m excited for the exterior area to be furnished so we can spend summer evenings here!

Primary Suite

Our primary suite went through many floor plan iterations over the years but ultimately I’m so happy with the end result! Our bathroom brings me just as much joy as the rest of our PDCo home – haha! The natural light definitely plays a huge role in this! We stuck to natural tones in here, which ties this space in perfectly with the rest of the home. We carried the custom oak cabinets in here, this time with a full overlay drawer set for a more modern look. The wide drawers are so functional for bathroom storage, but I couldn’t resist playing with aesthetic details like the thick quartz countertop with a tall backsplash. Brass plumbing fixtures from Newport Brass were carried in here as well and I love the warmth it brings to an otherwise neutral space.

I designed this bathroom with a big list of wishes in my mind! A soaking tub, a double walk-in shower, a double vanity, open shelves for extra storage, and a direct connection to the closet! The wet room helped to utilize the square footage the best but is also a look I love. We used a thin rectangular tile in a matte finish on the walls. The color variation between each tile added the visual interest needed for such a large area of tile. We opted-out of installing a glass shower door and I now love how the wet room seamlessly connects to the rest of the bathroom.

More to Come!

Well that’s a wrap (for now!) on the PDCo Home reveal! Thanks so much for all your love during this home building process of ours! If you like what you see and have a project of your own that you would like to discuss, we’d love to hear from you! Check out our services and let’s chat!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. We hope by sourcing some of our favorite products, we provide value to you and your projects!

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December 18, 2021December 6, 2022

River Bluff Residence: Final Reveal

Over the last few months, it’s been catch up time for photographing our completed projects from the last few years! Our River Bluff Residence ranked high on our must-capture list, and we’re so excited to finally share the reveal! If you’d like to look back at the progress post first, you can find it here. From beautiful and bright to moody and dark, this home has a wide array of style, but all pleasing in their own ways! The home’s floor plan and exterior was designed by architect Michael Mackin, and I was thrilled to take part in finishing the interiors of the home.

a kitchen for gathering

We’ll start in the kitchen because that’s our specialty! I love working through the technical and functional aspects of kitchen design, but in this particular kitchen, I was really excited to blend traditional elements with some clean lines! The quartz backsplash was my first encounter with this detail that I had been dreaming of trying out for several years, and I love how it feels in this space. It really lets the style of the cabinetry and the custom metal range hood show off! The hood design was also a new experience for me. but I knew it was an absolute must for this home. Picking out the exact metal finishes, tacks, and overall shape, etc. was incredibly fun and exciting to watch it come to life. I love how it pairs with the pendant lights and black/brass doors and accents around the room.

the great room of all great rooms

It’s no doubt that one of the most stunning parts of the home is the living room! With it’s extra high ceiling, double chandeliers (5′-0″ diameter each!), and Juliet balcony, it’s a show stopper. I’m particularly fond of the windows at the end, with their beautiful view framed by floor to ceiling curtains and exterior stone columns. The massive stone fireplace matches the exterior stone as well. The wood floors throughout the home bring a warm, earthy feel with their extra knots and character.

living room with extra tall ceiling height

no need to go out with a bar like this!

I’ve designed plenty of small bars in homes, but when I saw this type of square footage penciled in for a bar/lounge on the floor plans, I was definitely excited! We had lots of room to play and the client had some brilliant ideas for this space. It was a little scary to propose an all black room, but I couldn’t be more thrilled with how it turned out!

I really enjoyed working through the details of this space! From gorgeous handmade hardware, to sourcing a vintage faucet and banquette seating, and finally the client’s incredible find of the copper bar counter! This space came together beautifully, and how gorgeous does it look with the snow outside of the large sliding doors!? What a wonderful space to be enjoyed in all seasons!

and a space for her!

While the bar/lounge was clearly most important to the husband, I loved working with the wife on her special space in the home… the “Garden Room!” I have to admit, when I saw this titled on the floor plan, I was a little confused because I hadn’t heard of a space like this before! But ultimately it’s a combination of a beautiful sun room, sitting space, and office space for my client!

We played with the lights and darks of the home with a combination of a dark charcoal ceiling, floral wallpaper, and a white wainscot. Just outside of the room is a long hallway with similar trim details but painted the dark charcoal color as well. I love how the details around the home play back and forth with each other in such subtle ways! At the end of the hall is a guest bathroom with beautiful wood toned cabinetry, a fun patterned floor, and some great hardware!

dueling powder rooms

It’s hard to pick a favorite space in this home, but some of my favorites on the list are the two powder bathrooms! One of the bathrooms is on the second level next to his home office. Since this was “his” domain, it felt appropriate to incorporate some more masculine/moody touches to this bathroom. I love how it turned out, again incorporating some molding details, charcoal color, brass accents, and marble flooring!

On the main level, the powder room is also quite the impression with dark walls as well! This bathroom was one of the first spaces that inspired the moody spaces and accents around the home! My favorite part about this bathroom is the brass console vanity and the vintage brass faucet!

the laundry room

Across from the main floor powder room and near the kitchen, is the laundry room. In this space, the cabinetry ties into the style of the kitchen and pantry. There are some subtle details hiding in these photos so I’ll point them out! Instead of a backsplash, we chose to go with vertical shiplap! Off to the left, there is also a little wood bench with some hooks above. They’re so cute!

a dream suite

The primary bathroom has all the features of a lovely home spa. From a steam shower, to a deep soaking tub, and beautiful views of the forest! Separate his/her closets break up the space between the wood vanities. At one end of the bathroom is the primary bedroom, and at the other end of the bathroom is the residence’s exercise room. What a great way to kickstart the day with a work out and then a jump into the steam shower!

I can’t think of a better way to end the week than a soak in the tub and admiring these views, both inside and outside, haha! How can you not admire the gorgeous light fixtures and brass mirrors?! This whole suite is a great one that I really loved the results of!

wrapping up the year!

I’m so thrilled to be finishing off the year with this beautiful home reveal! Make sure to check out the progress post here. If you like what you see and have a project of your own that you would like to discuss, we’d love to hear from you! Our calendar for booking consultations for 2022 is officially open! Check out our services and let’s chat!

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December 15, 2021December 18, 2021

River Bluff Residence: Progress Update

The first post we share about a project on the blog is usually a “Before” post, but when we take on a new build home, there is no “before” to share! So today I introduce the River Bluff Residence to you in the form of a progress post! The reveal will be shared in the coming days, so it was about time to give this beautiful home a place on the blog as well. The home is built in the most beautiful location right outside of Spokane, WA. With stunning views of the Eastern Washington mountains, this home’s design is just as glorious as the view that surrounds it!

The River Bluff clients are two of the sweetest people I’ve had the honor of meeting and working with. Our clients wanted moody spaces, traditional details, and one-of-a-kind pieces that would add special touches throughout. With the views seen from their home, the design wouldn’t be complete without an abundance of large windows and sliding doors.

First Things First

Framing has begun! Watching a design come to life is probably the most satisfying thing you can experience. It may just be a frame but it sure was a beautiful sight to see! This home was designed by the architect Michael Mackin, so at this point we were just along for the ride, and behind the scenes, finishing up fixture and finish selections and orders!

Windows and Walls

I had mentioned that windows and doors were a big deal in this project. You can start to see just how many windows I’m talking about! This project started later in the year, so getting windows in and walls up before the weather got bad was very important!

Now that there are walls, you can see the open concept that was designed for this home. In the image on the bottom right you’re looking into the living room from the entry (what an incredible first impression!) and the dining room and kitchen are off to the right. The ceiling drops in that area to accommodate for an office and powder room on the second floor.

Assembling the Kitchen

For the River Bluff kitchen cabinets, we went with a creamy white color. Since the kitchen doesn’t have any windows, we wanted to make sure this space was still light and inviting. All the cabinets were custom made with inset shaker style doors and glass door accents. The kitchen design also called for a large double-sided island with lots of storage! I can’t wait to share the custom metal range hood I designed for this room!

Details

Hallways in a home can be tricky! They are narrow spaces and often aren’t focused on since not a lot of time will be spent in them. However, since the River Bluff Residence has a longer hallway, we didn’t want to leave such a large wall empty. To add detail to a long hallway and create a beautiful statement, we decided some detailed moulding was the way to go. We finished it off with a beautiful dark charcoal colored paint. I love how the lights cast a beautiful glow that lead you down the space.

Black painted wall with trim detail hallway

Another beautiful detail is this matte black custom metal stair railing. I love how it plays off of the rectangular detail of the hall, and brings some pattern to the second floor as well. We made sure this rail added to the beautiful finishes of the home and made a statement all on its own.

Bottoms UP

The next room we’ll look at is the bar. And I don’t just mean a cabinet full of drinks or a high countertop in the kitchen. The River Bluff Residence bar is a full bar and lounge, complete with beautiful cabinetry, refrigeration and ice makers, a gorgeous copper countertop, and an upholstered banquette seating area!

The paint color we chose for the bar is that same charcoal color we used for the hallway. We wanted the bar to have a more masculine, moody club feel. We used wood cabinets with a warm brown stain for this space to further play off of the style. Going all dark in some of these rooms throughout the home was honestly a bit terrifying! But we had high hopes for it and it definitely paid off with some stunning spaces! In some of these photos, you also get a look at the incredible sliding doors that turn this space into an outdoor/indoor space during the warmer months.

Primary Suite Bathroom

One of my favorite rooms at the River Bluff Residence is the primary suite! How can we not starting with the walk-in steam shower?! This shower is tiled from floor to ceiling, except for a quartz bench. In these photos, the tile was just set and drying, creating a darker color than it actually is. It has two large windows in the corner that bring in an amazing amount of light and beautiful landscape sceneries. Outside the shower, a freestanding tub placed in front of a window is another perfect place to relax and connect with nature.

Brown Bathroom vanity with white countertop

Large white free standing tub with matte black faucet

We covered a lot in this progress post and still didn’t get to everything! Some of my favorite rooms (the other bathrooms) will be a big surprise to share at the final reveal! The River Bluff Residence finished earlier this year, and I’m so excited to finally share the finished product with you! You can read the final reveal post here.

May 13, 2021May 14, 2021

PDCo Home: Counters

When countertops get installed, you know you are nearing the finish line! I was really excited for our counters because I had the opportunity to do a few details I had been wanting to try out for a while! Check them out below!

master bathroom

Our vanity was something I had been dreaming about and designing for a long time! I wanted something modern and simple, but warm, and also something that looked more like a furniture piece. The custom design for the vanity achieved all of those things! But most of all, I designed it to accommodate a thickened quartz face AND an extra tall quartz backsplash, with the veins aligning the whole way through. The fabricators did an incredible job executing my vision, and I couldn’t be happier with how these details all came together.

We also used the same quartz for our shower bench, again, with the veins carrying from the front and side onto the top. This baby came in one large piece, which was shocking! And would you believe it was installed AFTER the tile? A perfect fit! It extends past the tile edge so we can add shower glass which will sit on top of the bench. All in the details, and this planning ahead took a few sketches to get just right!

We did the same counter in Finn’s bathroom, but with a standard thickness and just a 4″ quartz backsplash. I need to get some photos of her bathroom and vanity because it’s just so cute!

kitchen counters

I always imagined I’d have white counters with grey veins in my kitchen. That’s my go-to and I always love how crisp and modern it looks on just about any cabinet. But the more I looked at our warm Scandinavian palette, white just didn’t feel right anymore. I wanted a warm, calm, neutral space. When I found Pental Quartz Nordic Grey (how appropriately named!), I knew it was the one. Of course my brain went into overdrive and tried to make me second-guess the decision a few times. But I’m glad I held strong because our counters are the perfect choice. There is just the right amount of variation — it’s so subtle!

miscellaneous areas

The pantry counters match the kitchen but I have to share this photo (even if it is a little blurry) because this space turned out beautifully. I love the extra warmth the wood planks bring in as the “backsplash.” This little nook is so cozy and one of my favorite features of the home.

The second photo is the custom vanity I designed for our powder room. I included it because there’s no counters here! I really wanted this space to have a vanity with a simple wood top. The travertine vessel sink would not have presented as beautifully with any type of counter. Wood was it’s soul mate!

We are certainly in the home stretch of sharing the details of #pdcohome! Plumbing, lighting, hardware, and some other fixtures will just about cover it, but we all know those details bring so much character to a home! I look forward to sharing them soon!

Want to stay up-to-date on PDCo Home?

Follow our contractor Solo Homes Co. on Instagram, too!

View a full resource list of blog posts, videos, and allllll the things about the house.

May 13, 2021May 14, 2021

PDCo Home: Tile

Well we are officially moved into #pdcohome but the end of construction came with a lot of busy-ness between final decisions, prepping for a move, and running a business! So I’m now going back through old photos, catching up on content, and excited to continue to share the last phases of the construction process!

Our tile had been done for quite some time that I could have shared sooner, but I wanted to wait until our kitchen backsplash was done as well so I could share everything at once! We have a few main areas that were tiled in the home: the master bathroom and closet, Finn’s bathroom, the mudroom, powder room, and kitchen backsplash. Scroll down to check them out!

master bathroom installation

Our bathroom was definitely the biggest undertaking for the amount of tile, due to the extra large walk-in shower/wet room. Combine that with 9′-0″ ceilings and it’s going to take some time for completion! The installers started with the floors, adding heated flooring through the bathroom and closet, then installing the tile there as well as the shower floor.

Next they moved on to the shower walls, which took a long long time but was so exciting to watch! Each piece was 2×10 and individually set. Finley in the picture for scale, I guess, hah!

Once the grout was in, the variation felt like it really started to pop, but overall the space feels so soft and soothing. The wall tile is also a matte finish which helps the room feel more natural. It’s Bedrosian’s beautiful and popular Makoto tile, which may be my new favorite, too.

kitchen backsplash

Moving on to one of my next favorite spaces, the kitchen backsplash! It took me a while to decide on the tile for this space. I didn’t want anything too modern or too traditional. It needed to fit into both a bit and just feel classic. I was excited when I finally landed on Riad Tile’s 2×6 zellige tile, which added the perfect amount of a handcrafted look and texture to an otherwise very simple kitchen palette.

Unfortunately my phone did not like the lighting when these photos were taken so they’re a bit blurry, but eventually better photos will come as I finish cleaning the house and start to share more!!

mudroom & powder room floors

I guess I’m just pretty bad at taking photos lately, because I don’t have many others to show at the moment! But I absolutely love our floors in the mudroom! It’s a large format porcelain with a tumbled edge so it looks and feels like travertine. I love the earthy look it brings to this space, and I liked it so much, I used it in the powder room as well! I had something else picked out for that space, but in the end felt like this was a better choice. So glad I did!

finn’s bathroom

Currently MIA, Finn’s bathroom has no photos to share! We went with a white matte penny tile on the floors. We threw in a cheap shower surround at the moment until I can make a better decision on the tile for that space. Funny (but also not) how I’ve been so indecisive on my own home! I have a feeling this will be an upcoming project to get that area finished up!

You are sure to see more snippets of the tile around our home in the coming posts. After months of having finishes covered up for protection, it was the best feeling to pull off all the paper and get things cleaned up. Plus, seeing all of the finishes combined together for the “full picture” was like a reveal in itself for us! Can’t wait to share!

Sponsored Post: Transparency is important! I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with some incredible companies on our home project. These collaborations may include discounted or donated product in exchange for content. But rest assured – I actually selected products from these brands based on the fact that I love them! Collaboration opportunities came later, and I’m really grateful each company wanted to work with us on our project, too!

Want to stay up-to-date on PDCo Home?

Follow our contractor Solo Homes Co. on Instagram, too!

View a full resource list of blog posts, videos, and allllll the things about the house.

March 8, 2021March 8, 2021

PDCo Home: Cabinetry

Last week was such a momentous one! Cabinet installation happened last week and seeing the final color come together perfectly made it all SO worth the wait! Sharing all the details on our cabinetry below!

inset cabinets & slab doors

We went with an inset cabinet paired with a slab door. I was inspired by the inset cabinetry I’ve done in the past for clients, which typically have a Shaker door panel, but the top narrow drawer is a slab. And I always LOVED the clean look of that top drawer. So I wanted to take it a step further and do the slabs on all drawers and doors. This look is apparently unheard of according to the dozens of cabinet companies we talked to. This is because 99% of cabinet companies use MDF for the cabinet doors with a wood veneer. This is because MDF doesn’t warp like solid wood doors do. However, this posed a huge problem for the look we wanted to achieve. The veneer took stain differently from the solid wood cabinet frame, giving it a two-tone look! I definitely wasn’t going for that.

After doing a deep dive on this with Dave from Faber Built, a local cabinet company in Spokane, he spent a good chunk of time researching options and making the impossible possible for me. We went with solid quartersawn white oak doors (instead of MDF/veneer) and solid face frames to achieve such a simplistic aesthetic. Everything was grain matched, and it all turned out exactly like I imagined! The interiors have solid maple dovetailed drawers, the boxes are made of birch, and we will have roll-out drawers with a special dovetail detail that I’m excited to show off!

the perfect stain & other details

Our cabinets have a custom stain applied. Nope, I don’t have the details on what that custom stain is made up of! It took MANY MANY attempts at color matching our floors to get a similar undertone. Then the cabinets got sprayed with stain, and we brought a few pieces up to the house, and it wasn’t quite right. It was such a tease because we were so ready to get them installed! I just couldn’t keep them that way. So we did another round of color matches with a tinted top coat. After a few more tries, we NAILED it! We spent a few extra weeks reworking the color, so we were a bit behind schedule, which was tough. But worth it!

You probably won’t notice much of a difference in the color from the photos below to the final install, but it was noticeable in person! Thankfully it’s absolutely perfect now!

Our back panel of the island was also something I had a pretty clear vision on but took a few tries to get it just the way we wanted. From the width and depth of each groove and overall width of each plank, to the way they will connect with the furniture base, it all was carefully planned and executed. I was later inspired to add this same detail to the back wall of our pantry. It’s coming soon and I can’t wait! There may be a little twist on this planked look for our powder room vanity as well. The inspiration for the all of these pieces has just kept coming! It’s been really fun to “play” a little extra on this project.

bathroom vanities

Our bathroom vanities are also all custom. Our master vanity in particular took some extra work to figure out the details. You’ll see what I mean once the countertops go in. For now, I’m just admiring the clean look of the drawers. The guys at Faber used a consistent grain from left to right across the entire vanity. Once all the drawers are in, you’ll be able to appreciate this detail even more. You see this same detail throughout our kitchen cabinets! They were built into large sections and the grain matches perfectly top to bottom. It’s all in the details, and I’m glad because it makes my OCD real happy.

More pieces are on their way, including a whole bunch of floating shelves for different areas of the home and…cabinet hardware! Lots of good things coming!

Want to stay up-to-date on PDCo Home?

Follow our contractor Solo Homes Co. on Instagram, too!

View a full resource list of blog posts, videos, and allllll the things about the house.

The Kitchen

The pantry

Primary Suite

Entertainment Addition

Where to start?

Let’s personalize it!

What matters most!

The Frame TV

our go-to resource

The Logistics for cabinetry hardware

How We Did it: the kitchen

How We Did it: the primary bathroom

How We Did it: the kids’ bathroom

Door hardware

Let’s Move IN!

Hardwood Floors

Stunning Tile

Custom Kitchen

the final touches

Kitchen of my dreams

Family Room

Dining “Room”

Powder Room

Transitional Spaces

Primary Suite

More to Come!

a kitchen for gathering

the great room of all great rooms

no need to go out with a bar like this!

and a space for her!

dueling powder rooms

the laundry room

a dream suite

wrapping up the year!

First Things First

Windows and Walls

Assembling the Kitchen

Details

Bottoms UP

Primary Suite Bathroom

master bathroom

kitchen counters

miscellaneous areas

master bathroom installation

kitchen backsplash

mudroom & powder room floors

finn’s bathroom

inset cabinets & slab doors

the perfect stain & other details

bathroom vanities

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