SUCCESS!

I spent the better part of Tuesday and Wednesday listening to obnoxious country music and putting the kitchen together. Since our appliances came and that obscene pink monstrosity is gone, I can tolerate being in the kitchen. Unpacking is a lot like Christmas, except that since I know what I packed to begin with, I know I'll like it. Shockingly, with our stuff settled in, I don't mind the kitchen that much. Don't get me wrong, I've been tirelessly plotting the remodeling plans, but I think it'll be okay for a few months. After things came together, this is how it looked:



I also think bathroom plans might be coming together (cross your fingers). I found a tub that wasn't in stock, according to Home Depot's website, but the store begged to differ. I think we're going to go with a deeper soaking tub (not a whirlpool), and I'm pretty sure that it will be the Kohler Devonshire in white. I though about the Archer, which was $20 cheaper, but they don't tell you that you have to use the $100 Kohler drain thingy, which made it a lot more. Sneaky. We also were considering an Aqua Glass because they make a soaker that costs half of what the Devonshire does, but then I read they crack.  So here's my review of the Aqua Glass Eleganza: given that pretty much the only purpose of a tub is to HOLD WATER, that sort of disqualifies it.



I met with a custom cabinet guy yesterday to duplicate this vanity for the bathroom. I was hoping to go with a lacquered white finish, but he said it would be significantly more expensive and take a lot more time than just staining it, so...maybe I'll get white cabinets in the kitchen.



I think we're going to go with this faucet. Kind of a fun style, huh? Another Home Depot find, knocking off the Pottery Barn. (Really, where do they get off charging $300 for a faucet? It's a FAUCET. It either works, or it doesn't. There aren't really features...)

The only thing that's presenting some trouble is flooring. I'd love Carrara marble (see pic) except that I don't want the whole bathroom to look like a cold tomb. Travertine looks warmer, but I don't want it to clash with the marble, since the marble's a gray tone, and the travertine (in ivory) would be more of a warm off-white. Porcelain is also an option; the ones I looked at looked so much like stone that I couldn't tell the difference till the guy told me.