Linda {Calling it Home} 6/1/15 Linda {Calling it Home} 6/1/15

House Updates

Happy June! Things are moving very slowly over here. Destruction is always fast, while reassembling this ~~mess~~ home into a livable structure can feel impossible and endless. But there is progress.....

I'm sticking with my plan for an open white kitchen. The cabinets are in my garage and waiting for the floors to be installed. Not wanting to hold up the renovation process, I went quartzite shopping for kitchen countertops.

White quartzite is not easy to find. I needed three slabs. I thought this one was beautiful, and I should have reserved it for my bathroom.

Too dark for my kitchen.

This group was considered damaged, and would have required a few more slabs. The price was reasonable, but it would have resulted in several more seams.

And then I fell in love. This is called 'White Marble', but it's quartzite. You may have seen it on my IG feed?

There were five slabs, and I needed to pick three. This was not easy, but a good problem to have.

I can't wait to see it on my white cabinets.

Clean Design Donna Dotan Photography

Matt Bolt

Luxe Interiors

Elle Decor

I can't want to tell you about the wood tile I selected. It looks so pretty.

Linda {Calling it Home} 5/18/15 Linda {Calling it Home} 5/18/15

House Update, California Style

Is anyone else having One Room Challenge™ withdrawal? I don't know about you, but I can't wait until October! I found so many ideas to borrow from the Wednesday, and Thursday groups. But for now, back to my project.....

When I think of what home feels like, my mind goes back to my childhood. I grew up in Southern California, the Valley, to be specific. Our home had wood floors, light colored walls, and lots of windows. I can still remember what the cool brick pavers on our front porch felt like under my bare feet. It felt like Summer.

Not my house

Michael Kelley Photography

I definitely had a uniform back then, too. My daily wardrobe consisted of shorts, a t-shirt, and my favorite Vans shoes. About ten years ago, when that shoe became popular at my daughter's school, she asked me how I had heard about Vans? I gave the classic parent answer, "I was wearing them before you were born.....along with the surfers and skateboarders". I wanted to live at the beach.

Butler Armsden Architects

While reading Jennifer's series, Purposeful Design, I started thinking about the feeling I want this home to have........Summer......California Style.

Sanctum Design

A place where the lines between indoors and out are blurred.

High Shots Photography

A place where shoes are optional.

Bowley Builders

When I told my architect this was going to be my California beach house, he said that he was helping my neighbor build her Colorado mountain home.

Adam Design

Thank goodness all these styles are welcome in my neighborhood. What style reminds you of Home?

Linda {Calling it Home} 5/7/15 Linda {Calling it Home} 5/7/15

One Room Challenge™ Linking Event, Spring 2015, Week 6

Welcome back to week six of the One Room Challenge™. This is where everyone taking the challenge will be linking up and sharing their room transformations. If you are participating, I hope you have enjoyed the process. If you did not join in, but would like to....I hope to see you in October.

Before you link up, please read this: Only link rooms dedicated to the One Room Challenge Linking Event. We are all here to support each other in crossing the six week finish line. You will not be able to link up until you have a link back in your post. That way, everyone can benefit from the encouragement, support, and recognition from one another.

Five short weeks ago, 154 people started this challenge. I think we are all about to blown away by these transformation. Let's go see, shall we....

Thank you for joining in, following along, and supporting everyone with their room transformations. It really helps make this event so inspiring.

Happy Mothers Day!

Linda {Calling it Home} 5/6/15 Linda {Calling it Home} 5/6/15

One Room Challenge™, Spring 2015, Week 6

Hello, and welcome back to the final week of the Spring 2015 One Room Challenge™. Four years ago, I had this crazy idea, and today I am thrilled to share that there have been over 500 room transformations as a result of this event. The excitement and enthusiasm that surrounds this event is fantastic. Now let's go see the finished rooms.

I can't stand the suspense....

Kimberly Schlegel Whitman

Trademarked by Calling it Home

Thank you ORC Sponsors

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for an equally impressive display of room transformations.

#oneroomchallenge

Linda {Calling it Home} 5/4/15 Linda {Calling it Home} 5/4/15

House Update

Happy May! By now, everyone should be having spectacular weather. May is a great time to be in Naples. All of the snowbirds are heading home, traffic is light, and you don't need restaurant reservations on a Saturday night.

Things are moving very slowly on my home renovation project. I need to have our window replacement plan approved by an engineer before we can move forward. Florida has a law about replacing more than 25% of your windows....don't quote me...but they need to have impact resistant glass, or hurricane shutters installed over them. I will be installing impact resistant glass windows. I weighted the convenience of not having to apply the shutters ever time there was a need with the fact that nobody in this house would actually do it. Decision made.

Another decision that needs to be made is the wall tile combination for the kids bathroom. I can't decide between beveled subway or flat subway?

Thoughts?

I think this will be my new (to me) kitchen/dining table. I found it in Palm Beach and am smitten with it.

I need permission from the homeowners' association that resides over the furniture in this soon-to-be renovated party room. I hope they say yes.

I'm off to hunt for countertops. I think I'm leaning toward quartzite. Of course that's subject to change like everything else around here.

Linda {Calling it Home} 4/30/15 Linda {Calling it Home} 4/30/15

One Room Challenge™ Linking Event, Spring 2015, Week 5

Welcome back to week five of the One Room Challenge™. This is where everyone taking the challenge will be linking up and sharing their progress. If you are taking the challenge, please take a moment to read this:

I know how hard you have worked on your room. The best advice I can give you, is to find a way to have great pictures. Great pictures make an average space look good, and a great space look amazing. If you can't take great photos, find a friend....or teenager with an iPhone.

Off we go..... #oneroomchallenge