When I was initially thinking about the option choices for my new kitchen, white cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances and hardware, white granite countertops and hardwood floors ran through my mind. A kitchen like this is what I was envisioning:

[ Image via Houzz ]

Unfortunately my builder doesn't allow hardwood to be installed in wet areas, including the kitchen. This was a bit of a let down because the first floor of my new place (shown below) has an open floor plan and I want the flooring to all be the same so it's cohesive throughout.

All is well though because I have a new plan and it looks like:

1. I'm planning on painting my entire place white and adding a white kitchen into the white wall and trim mix just seemed like it would be a little too sterile for my tastes so I've opted for espresso stained cabinets to help add a little warmth to the downstairs.

2. I'm pairing the espresso cabinets with stainless hardware from IKEA.

3. I'm not sure if these floor tiles are going to be the exact ones I'm getting (I haven't seen the options yet) but I'm going to look for something similar. I'd like 12" x 24" tiles instead of 12" x 12" ones for more of a modern feel.

4. A bright striped runner will help add a little punch of color in an overall neutral space.

5. I'll have a little snack bar/island area now and what does every island need? Barstools! 3 to be exact :)

6. What else does a snack bar/island area need? Pendant lights! 2 to be exact :)

7. In case the espresso cabinets turn out to be darker than I'm imagining, I'm planning on having white Caesarstone countertops installed. Caesarstone or granite, I haven't really decided yet but whatever kind I choose, it'll be white.

8. Last but not least, I'd like to have this Moroccan patterned backsplash installed flush against the counters.

Here are some examples that show a clearer idea of what I'm thinking about:

[ Image via The Kitchn ]

[ Image via Caesarstone ]

[ Image via Houzz ]

What do you think? Are you excited as I am? I can't wait to choose everything!

Happy Cyber Monday! How was your Thanksgiving? Did you participate in the Black Friday madness? If so, what kind of deals did you get? I didn't go out to shop on Black Friday but I did get a few things from West Elm's Buy More, Save More sale.

I finally got the organic chevron duvet cover I've been stalking since July:

It wasn't on sale like I had hoped but I did get 10% off my order so that's better than nothing. Funny story: right after I placed my order I noticed that my current duvet cover has a rip in it so maybe this purchase was meant to be? Anyway...

I also got two of the organic chevron euro shams to go with the duvet. I'm not sure if they'll go on the bed with the duvet (too matchy-matchy?), on the couch or in one of the new house's guest rooms but I figured it couldn't hurt to have a matching bedding set for once.

In addition to the bedding, I also got two hive vases, one short white one:

And one tall white one:

[ All images via West Elm ]

On second thought I should have purchased two short vases or two tall vases instead of one of each (for symmetrical purposes) but I could always get another one (or two) if they go on sale.

What did you get? Anything from West Elm?

I'll be cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year and my menu includes:

Alton Brown's Good Eats Roast Turkey:

[ Image via Food Network ]

Ina Garten's Garlic Roasted Potatoes:

[ Image via Food Network ]

Tyler Florence's Stuffed Sweet Potatoes:

[ Image via Food Network ]

Claire Robinson's Sausage and Brioche Dressing:

[ Image via Food Network ]

Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Balsamic Vinegar and Parmesan:

[ Image via Kalyn's Kitchen ]

Cranberry Sauce:

[ Image via Food Network ]

Along with some delicious pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream!

What's on your Thanksgiving menu?

I'm making a few changes to the blog so bear with me if things look at little "off" the next couple of days. I hope to have everything wrapped up before Thanksgiving :)

Look what I got last night! A roasting pan from World Market for ... $4.99!!!

[ Image via World Market ]

The $4.99 sale is going on until Sunday but when I picked mine up they only had 3 left and the sale started today so you might want to get yours ASAP before they sell out! Can't wait to cook a big bird in this bad boy next week :D

Yesterday I announced that I was buying a house and had mentioned how a lot was going to be changing decor wise. I've put together a mood board of my future loft space (where my desk/office will be) to illustrate what I mean.

I'm really loving a more modern rustic look instead of the stark black/white modern look I have going on right now. Something about the mix of textures makes me happy. I've also been dreaming of a navy wall for a while now but my current place has an open floor plan meaning every room is connected which makes stopping a paint line difficult. My new house also has an open floor plan on the first floor but the second floor has actual rooms with walls that stop so painting one wall one color should be doable :)

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 (Target Gold Pouf - No longer available) / 8

And by new I mean

I'M BUYING A HOUSE!!! 

Well, technically it still has to be built but I'M BUYING A HOUSE!!!

The whole house buying process started mid-October and while the ball is slowly rolling, I still have to sell my current townhouse before the building can begin on my new house.

Once the building begins, it's going to be 4 months before they finish so I'll have plenty of time to gather new ideas for my new place since a lot is going to be changing and I can't wait :D

The model of my new home looks like the photo below and let me tell you - it's B E A U T I F U L!!!

The first level floor plan is shown below and the highlighted options are the ones I'm getting:

Here's the second level and again, the highlighted options are the ones I'm getting:

As you can see, it's a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath house with an awesome loft and walled-in backyard which is complete with a covered patio that looks out across the mountains. I'm so incredibly excited and I can't wait for the entire process to begin so I can share all of the details!

Thanksgiving is still a week away but I've already got Christmas on my mind thanks in part to the Lowe's Creative Ideas: Holiday 2011 catalog that showed up in my mailbox over the weekend.

The catalog is free and is packed full of ... wait for it ... creative ideas to fill your DIY to-do list with. Here are a few of the holiday project tutorials that I found online:

Coffee Filter Wreath

This wreath reminds me of this pendant lamp only on a much smaller scale. Since it's made of coffee filters, it won't hold up to the outside elements so hanging on your door is out of the question but hanging it in front of an interior window would be super cute!

[ Image via Lowes' Creative Ideas ]

Drum-Shape Christmas Tree Stand

This project requires a lot of tools and time but I think it's cute and different and if I happened to acquire a jigsaw or several weekends of free time, it would definitely be at the top of my holiday to-do list.

[ Image via Lowe's Creative Ideas ]

Serving Tray 2 Ways

I LOVE the look of this tray! It's made with from basic materials and is something that could easily be finished in an afternoon.

[ Image via Lowe's Creative Ideas ]

Snowflake Wreath

Another wreath, I know, but how cute is this one?! It's made from square dowel rods, washers, super glue and spray paint and is super modern and chic. I could see a bunch of them hanging in a grouping at various heights on the wall or even from the bottom of a chandelier!

[ Image via Lowe's Creative Ideas ]

Which project is your favorite? Are you in the Christmas spirit now?

I'm always inspired by home decor that showcases a lot of books. Stacked books, scattered books, single books - it doesn't matter, there's just something intriguing about what other people are reading.

I don't have a lot of books to stack or scatter but I'm always trying to add to my collection so here's what's on my current book wish list:

Decorate: 1,000 Design Ideas for Every Room in Your Home
Holly Becker

[ Image via Amazon ]

Undecorate
Christiane Lemieux

[ Image via DwellStudio ]

Design*Sponge at Home
Grace Bonney

[ Image via Design*Sponge ]

The Meghan Method
Meghan Carter

[ Image via Meghan Carter ]

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
Andrew Bolton

[ Image via Amazon ]

Gunn's Golden Rules: Life Lessons for Making It Work
Tim Gunn

[ Image via Amazon ]

What's on your book wish list?

On Thursday I posted a photo and asked if you could figure out what room it was. If you guessed master bedroom, you would be correct! Take a look around at the rest of the room:

Since Halloween has ended and my entryway has gone back to normal, I needed to find a new location for my Giuliano de Medici bust:

Can you guess where he's hanging out nowadays?

Not only did I score a big pig at HomeGoods over the weekend but I also scored two log-like lamp bases from Target:

Although their website still says the lamp bases are going for $49.99 each, I got mine for ...

$12.48 EACH!!!

That's a 75% discount off of EACH lamp base! And to think that I was planning on paying full price for both of them when they first came out. MAN-OH-MAN am I glad I waited!

They didn't come with lamp shades and although Target had a big selection in stock, most of them flared out and I'm not a fan of shades that aren't perfectly circular or square.

However, I did find these shades from Lamps Plus that I think I'm going to order:

[ Image via Lamps Plus ]

They're plain and simple but I like how the shape of the shade is the same cylindrical shape as the base. I'm hoping they'll look something like this when they're put together:

What do you think? Should I choose a different shade?