Bougth cabin on RIver. Please help with interior design-decor!
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
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Here goes..newbie new build exterior help and interior feedback please
Comments (33)To piggyback on Virgil's comment...could you design the empty nest space on one floor with separate climate zones so that later on you can completely close off part of the house unless you have guests. This makes perfect sense. Specifics I'd care about: - Place everything you and your spouse will need once you're "empty nesters" on the first floor ... and make sure it's elder-friendly. - This is an ugly thought, but it's realistic: It's easy to consider you and your spouse living in this 4000 square foot house together as empty nesters ... but one day one of you will be widowed. Will 4000 square feet still feel okay then? - Put the kids' bedrooms upstairs, but make sure you can close off that space when no one's using it. Be sure you have at least one bedroom that can hold at least a queen bed so that visiting adult children (who bring along a spouse) can be housed comfortably, and think about a room that could become a grandchildren's room. - This upstairs space might one day be needed for a live-in caretaker (who could be a child or grandchild, or could be a paid caregiver). - Lose the loft and instead make the basement a kids' hang out space. - A completely different thought: Design the house so that you have two bedrooms upstairs for your younger children ... and a one-bedroom apartment (with a separate entrance PLUS a lockable connection to the main house) for the older boys. My mom has this set-up in her house, and it has proven itself very flexible over the years. In her case, the one-bedroom apartment is connected to the main house with a breezeway. Initially an elderly relative lived in the apartment. Each of us kids took turns living in that bedroom. It's been temporary housing for a number of people. Now my mother lives in the apartment, while my brother and his family have the main house. Heck that double bedroom might not even get a year or more out of it before the boys are off to college. I say that because it may be another year or two before the house is built. Yes, realistically, the oldest boys will barely ever live in the house ... but assuming they're going away for the traditional college route, they'll be home for holidays and summers. They may or may not come home after college, but they're not likely to stay long. My oldest has been out of college two years now, and as I think about her high school classmates, only one is still living at home with her mom ... and it's because she is a single mother. I know plenty of empty nesters living in 4000+ sq.ft. houses and none of them are overwhelmed. Eh, I bought my current 2400 square foot house from an empty nester who was overwhelmed both with the upkeep and the cost of the home. I know a couple other people who would like to downsize ... but they can't unload their large houses and/or can't find something small and manageable for the same cost now. I do know one retired guy who stocks grocery shelves part-time literally because he can't afford his oversized house ... neither can he sell it. As for maintenance and upkeep, well, if one can afford to build such a house, they will probably still be able to afford it 30 years later. And also afford the help to clean it. Totally disagree. Speaking hypothetically, definitely not pointing at the OP, whose financial situation I don' t know: pretty much anyone can borrow to build a big house ... but that doesn't mean the individual can afford to retire AND maintain the big house. No one wants to discover too late that he cannot afford to travel, etc. in retirement because of the necessity of maintaining a big house. I have always told my husband that I wanted a home where all the kids would have a bed to sleep on when they chose to come back home to visit. Yes, I always want to have a space for my kids ... but at 4000 square feet, you have space for other people's kids too. Remember that an average house in America today is 2400 square feet; you're looking at practically double that size. I agree that's important too, but a few thoughts on that. How many will be moving far from home and how many will be staying with you at the same time? This is more unpredictable than your own health. With four kids, will they live nearby and visit but never stay the night? will they move far away? will they likely come back to visit at the same time? will they send their kids to stay with you two weeks every summer? Other thoughts: - That's a lot of garage for anyone. - I like the connection between the laundry and the master closet. - The master bath could use improvement. - You're devoting a huge amount of space to bedrooms ... but not nearly as much to eating space. Fast forward a decade or two: imagine four children, spouses and grandchildren ... you don't have anywhere to feed even half that group! And, in my experience, you're more likely to have family for a day /a meal than for overnight. - The placement of the toilet in the shared bathroom seems to be very much "out in the open". I get that this bathroom is designed for sharing, but it could be better....See MoreI am looking for help with white washing vs just painting a log cabin
Comments (17)You might gain inspiration from the makeover Sarah Richardson did for a contemporary ski chalet. She has a series of videos on YouTube and pics on her website. In your case, I would add contemporary not farmhouse details. Here’s the link for the kitchen reveal video. https://youtu.be/k5mEc-fhR0I I’ve seen some problems with a translucent too white paint wash on cedar and pine, the wood can go pink in a big hurry. Not good. I do like how Sarah painted out some timbers, she left the ceiling as is in the great room but painted the wood ceiling in the master bedroom. Take it slow. Leave the FP stone as is, I’d try a large painting over the fireplace, not the tv. Lightening the kitchen counters and cupboards will go a long way....See More70's Cabin...Help Me! (See Pics of Wood Paneling & Orange Carpet EEK)
Comments (50)My friend painted the interior of her rental cabin that very same green and with the low ceilings it feels very oppressive to me. I've painted paneling that dark green, but ceilings were 10'. Paneling was wood, so prep was to clean with TSP (tri-sodium phosphate,) rinse, let dry, lightly sand, tack off sanding dust, prime with 2 coats of KILZ, Zinzer or other primer, and then paint with 2 coats of your color. As a vacation property manager for the past 16 years, I can tell you the majority of guests will presume that descendants of the original 70's cooties are living in that rug unless you can prove that it is a new installation. Guests might not hate the faux paneling, but cleanliness issues can kill your rental. The ceiling and floor are your biggest dilemmas. If you decide you want to promote the 70's feeling, you'll need to carry through in the furnishings, etc. Potential galore, but not an easy decision....See MoreHouse interior color theme, help?
Comments (22)I am going to disagree with others. I moved into my home with the intent that I would get everything renovated in a year or two. I was diagnosed with Cancer while in escrow. 1 year later I fractured 4 vertebra and a year later I had a heart attack. Renovations are going much slower than planned, but I do know my overall plan and am working as fast as I can, but a full time job doesn't leave a lot of time and health issues have reduced my energy levels. You say you like nature and warm colors better than cool, greens/browns. Why agreeable gray? The first thing I want you to do is go out and buy a few other lightbulbs. I think you have 2700k lightbulbs. These bulbs throw a lot of yellow. I prefer daylight lightbulbs, but some people find them too bright. You have to be comfortable with your choice and the lighting should give your home a feeling that makes you comfortable. Before you pick paint colors you have to choose the lighting that you will have. The lighting does change the appearance of the color on your walls. Test a couple of lights with each temperature and decide what you like best. The next step is to decide on a color palette for your home. First thing to think about is if there are any colors in the home that must stay. Either things you like or things you can't afford to change. A few things I see that I would want to keep and work around are the wood floors and the brick fireplace (especially if the brick fireplace matches the brick on the outside of the home). What is the kitchen like? Do you have decent cabinets that will stay? What is the flooring in the kitchen? Do you have a favorite color? Do you have wall art that you own that you love and want to display in your home? The wall colors you pick should be a backdrop for things that are the colors you love. Once you have a list of the colors that must stay and the colors that you love we can start working on a palette that works with all of the colors on your list. I always start with the actual colors and then pick a neutral that works with the colors and then I pick a white that works with the neutral. I usually end up with colors on bedroom and bathroom walls, sometimes kitchen and laundry, foyer walls and a neutral color for the main living spaces and hallways. I will repeat the neutral in the bedrooms and bathrooms through art and upholstery, decor, linens . . . I will repeat the colors I love in the neutral spaces through art, upholstery, decor . . . Usually I end up with 5-7 colors for my home. For someone who has never tried to pick a whole home color palette it may be helpful to limit the number of colors you are looking at. Sherwin Williams has "Designer Color Collections" for their Emerald paint line. There are 5 color collections. Go to the SW store and pick up all 5 brochures. See if any of the brochures have a look and feel that appeals to you....See MoreRelated Professionals
Stanford Interior Designers & Decorators · South Farmingdale Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Ken Caryl General Contractors · Bend Furniture & Accessories · Boston Furniture & Accessories · Emeryville Carpenters · Warr Acres Cabinets & Cabinetry · Chicago Custom Closet Designers · Dale City Custom Closet Designers · Wayne Custom Closet Designers · Charleston Interior Designers & Decorators · Tahoe City Interior Designers & Decorators · Washington Furniture & Accessories · Portage Furniture & Accessories · Clinton Window Treatments- 6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
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