Day 9 - Retail Therapy - Fixtures, Lighting and more...

If you know me, you know I hate to shop. Unfortunately for me, renovation and shopping go hand in hand. If I had the money, I would have hired a designer/decorator and THEY could do the shopping and make the choices. But I do not, so...I will suffer.

My mom, however, keeps saying how "fun" and "exciting" this process should be for me. I keep pointing out that she could have stayed an extra week or three and finished this task for me. Then she reminds me that I "like weird shit" and our tastes are too different. Except when it comes to Wainscot. We both like that. And square toilets. Weird.

I needed a break from the oppressive heat in the house (I can't turn the air conditioning on until the mold remediation is complete. Which can't come soon enough!) and again, I had read that most renovations are held up by the homeowner not being prepared, or the materials on back order, or something that would, ultimately, be my fault. I wish this to be a blame free reno. So shopping it will be...

Have you ever heard of a woman procrastinating about SHOPPING?!?!

I took the morning to get rid of the old stacked washer/dryer and a few file cabinets and the old hot water heater. And then I tackled the front porch.

Here's a before and after of said porch. It definitely doesn't look an abandoned house any more!

Just enough effort to work up a good sweat and call it a day before noon. I'm looking forward to sitting out here, enjoying my coffee some morning very soon.


And then, because it had to be done. I broke out my list and went shopping. 

I started with granite, mainly because I new where that showroom was located! I went to Mr. Granite and found my choice relatively quickly. I really wanted quartz, but I found a granite in a similar shade/pattern. It's called Black Palmares. I have no idea what that means. Here's the sample: 


It's amazing how many different styles of granite exist. While I didn't find this in the showroom, they have a remnants warehouse/parking lot right around the corner. With the help of Eddie, I found a remnant that would A) fit in my kitchen and B) not break the bank. In fact, I think it'll help the bank. It's black with green and tan/gold-ish flecks. It should be great with "old white" cabinets and dark hardwood floors and my beloved sink.  Or, it'll look like shit, but I'll be able to say that I picked it out all by myself! That's mature, right?!

Next unplanned stop... Ferguson's Bath, Kitchen and Lighting. Talk about being completely overwhelmed. This showroom is spectacular! And huge. I recommend (as does the receptionist as you walk in the door) having an appointment with a sales person if you are ready to purchase/make selections. I got lucky. Originally I just wanted to walk around, browse, take pictures, and write things down, at my own pace.

That actually would have been a really bad idea for someone like me who doesn't have a fricking clue! Luckily, as I was standing there, someone cancelled their appointment and I was paired with Stephanie. She was awesome. Kid you not. We started with my main floor bathroom. Since I knew what I wanted for toilets in the house, that was easy. Then came the sink/vanity. I've chosen a console style pretty close to what would have been original in the house in 1922. Then I had to pick out the faucets, and the shower fixtures and lighting. I had that deer in the headlights look.Poor Stephanie. And trust me, Pinterest does NOT help like I thought it would. Except on the lighting. So here are the winners for the main floor bath vanity and faucets:

I had some ideas for the lighting. But when you see things in real life, they look different. The biggest thing I'm dealing with in this bathroom is the square accents on the vanity/console. In my mind if that is square, it sets the tone for the rest of the items to be square as well. And chrome. I like Chrome. So that's what I'm going with downstairs. As I said, the toilets are both the same, and you can see it here, at this link: A Pretty Toilet

At this point, I'm feeling pretty sure of myself and am ready to move on to the master bathroom. Same toilet, different style vanity, brushed nickel (no chrome) and a walk in shower. Those are my requirements. Easy, right? Again, why do I fool myself?! Here's what I picked for a vanity, faucets and lighting. All of which are subject to change. Repeatedly. I'm crazy in love with this vanity and porcelain sink combo. In my minds eye, the bathroom will be gray and yellow, with a gray floor of some sort. I was thinking the faux woodgrain look. But when I saw it up close, I wasn't in love with it like I thought I would be. I am in love with the Edison Lights. I would turn the fixtures so that the lights were up and down. And have 2 of them. The downside of this is that they only take 40 watt bulbs. So lighting has become a concern for me. These were my initial selections, and I felt reasonably good about my choices. Even though I knew that my tastes were running a little, ahem, higher than my potential budget. We'll see how this works out.

At this point, I'm thinking I'm making incredible headway and I resolutely continue onward. My new quest; a suitable kitchen back splash. All the tiles stores had closed by this point so I decided to head to Home Depot. Where I promptly struck out. I will give major props to the saleslady in that area. Darlene, you were awesome. I hope Home Depot knows they have an awesome employee in Darlene. No kidding. Awesome.

My shopping done, I was officially exhausted and completely over the day.