as per Beth ... "treating the stone" could be an option later . Is there any harm in waiting to evaluate everything.... For large expansive rooms/ stone and beams etc provide texture .

Custom Home 2012: Private Rd. NE I New Braunfels, Texas · More Info

Custom Home 2012: Private Rd. NE I New Braunfels, Texas · More Info

and stone with room decor shown which changes the impact....you arent there yet....

Frank Lloyd Wright Inspired Home in Pikesville, MD · More Info

All the above as to arch with stone. Design over think.

The lack of a WARMER toned flooring made it worse. Sorry....sorry sorry. But your own eyes are not lyin' eyes.

Taylor Clinton, I like your house very much. I don't agree with all the talk of lime washing or removing the stone. It makes me cringe. I don't think it looks too orange, not even close. I think your stone and cabinetry are perfect together. I don't think the cabinetry is too dark at all .. it's perfect. Your husband is almost right. He says it's fine. I say it's great! I love the personality of your home. It's the kind of place a real man can be himself. I think John Wayne and Ben Cartwright would move right in. I applaud you for your masculine and natural design choices. And you are in Texas, so it suits the character of the location. You chose excellent neutrals or near neutrals. I wish I could see beyond the greying lightening of the dust to the clean flooring. I'd love to see cleaned up pictures. I love the repetition of arches by the fireplace and in your kitchen entry. I love that the kitchen is sorta open but defined by the arches. I love the contrast of the delicate glass pendants with the masculine stone and wood. I'm with your husband at the bar with a tumbler of whiskey. I see your home also as a Texas version of a King Henry VIII castle: stone, oak, with black, white, and gold... his colors, but you can add more, in fact I hope you add some rich bold colors here and there. Maybe play up your use of natural materials by adding leather but not too much. Don't overdo the John Wayne thing. :-) Mix in some Henry. I see you chose a sort of taupe for the walls or is that just primer? It's ok for now, but you may want to change it after you furnish the room. If you do, and I'm not saying there's anything wrong at all about the current color. But if you do decide to repaint, that's an inexpensive option you shouldn't feel bad about. But PLEASE don't change anything else. I love what you've done!

Soo much of what you chose are such individual preferences to you! It's unlikely other's will get them. What I can say is your light fixture against the black cabinetry is very fun!! The fireplace is fine, the arch well you've been give an earful... Consider this. IMHO it won't be five years and you will be painting all that black cabinetry, white. Then the arch color won't be fighting so much as there are lighter tones in the stone. This too will pass as they say!!

My only concern is that it looks like you are planning to put a tv on the fireplace. In addition to all the advice out there that's says no no no no.... I think you aren't going to like the glare from the window to the right. But everyone else is doing it so what the heck. And maybe you will have black-out floor to ceiling draperies for your windows. And don't change your manly stone or wood to some froo-froo girly coverup to go with someone else's insipid pastel trendy vision. Your stone is what is outside too; it's PERFECT! And your wood cabinetry, which is all through the living and dining room, is the perfect partner.

If you had posted this as a finished room and said that you loved the stone, I would not have said anything negative about it. My concern is that I can't really tell if you like it or not. Nobody who is giving you opinions has much of a vested interest in whether you keep it or not. I think there have been a number of valid points raised about what's wrong with it, since you wanted honest feedback, but really only you can decide whether to listen to any of that advice.

The question you have to answer to yourself is how you respond to the decision-making process and "new things" and "results" in general.

I have worked with people on projects and the first words out of their mouth with almost every single thing that's done is "I hate it". Or, the first words out of their mouth are "I love it" and 24 hours later they hate it. I know people who have apparently never had a haircut they fully liked, there's always something about it that they don't think is quite right.

They probably don't hate the paint color or stain finish or direction the floor was laid or curtains or light fixture (all things people have told me they hated after they picked them out or approved them), they hate the idea that all of the sudden, they can no longer change their minds very easily or have another choice or pick something else without feeling like they wasted money. They no longer have easy options, it's a done deal. They hate it because it is no longer just an idea.

If you are somebody who does this with lots of big decisions maybe it's fine and when you move in you won't give it a second thought. But if this sticks out as one particular thing that you really do not like and it's even affecting how you feel about the rest of the kitchen maybe you need to listen to that.

Are you sure they ordered and used the correct stone? The one in your bedroom is very grey and this one has a lot of orange. Am I correct that you said they were supposed to be the same stone? I just don't think they are.

Your kitchen is stunning. And it really looks out of place with the tones in this archway stone.

I too have had moments when my place is almost finished where I've though - yikes - this is not what I wanted and it looks terrible. Then the furniture and everything is placed and it all changes. Perhaps that will happen here too. I would try to not panic. And I would not make decisions for kitchen metals based on this wall. Go with your original plans. And, if in the end when it all comes together, you still don't like it, then drywall over it.

Sending you good wishes that it all comes together to your liking.

I think the stone is the odd-man-out. I see cool grayish walls, grayish floors, white/gray and almost- black kitchen features. But the stones are warm (beige, tan, orange, brown).

Trust your gut.

What would I do? Have the stone treated somehow to make it more white-gray.

I think the key phrase in your original descriptiion "I am terrible at decorating/design" speaks volumes. Your dilemma serves as a testament of the frustration involved when visions are not realized. This can happen to anyone attempting to do design without the proper training and background. Maybe you can still contact a professional designer to step in and help you make everything more cohesive and closer to your vision. You may need to spend some money, but in the overall scheme of life, it would be better than being unhappy for many years.

Is it possible that the reason the stone looks different in different rooms is because of the lighting? Do these rooms face opposite directions? Since the spaces aren't furnished are all of your pictures and your perception of the color based on only natural light?

Once everything is done I would consider a different wall color as that will be the easiest thing to change. There may be a color that will help the floors look better with the stone. I hate to say this because what's done is done, but for me it's the floors that are the discordant element. So I agree with Jan Moyer and Littlebug.

Thank you all for your very honest yet respectful feedback. For now I think my best bet is to calm down and wait until my house is finished. When we move in I am going to do my best to furnish the house in a way that can make the space look more cohesive. I fell in the love with the stone and fell in love with the granite so I really want to make them work together and I think with the feedback I have seen on here I can do it if I really put some thought and effort into it. This is the first house I’ve ever built so I think I am just a little nervous, especially since it ain’t cheap!!!

To be completely honest i am just thankful that i am blessed enough to be able to build a house. I know I will make it my own kind of beautiful in no time. Thank y’all so much and I wish you all a very merry Christmas and blessed new year.

Im with Beth and Jan. For not wanting to be trendy you went with a grey floor and offwhite grey counters. No harmony. I think the fireplace is removed enough that it can stand on its own, i never say "paint the stone" but here I would consider white wash or schmear.

On a lighting side note, I dont think the living room fixture is heavy enough for the space.

Here is with a lighter and darker rug, larger fixture and tv ish look.

Look. Wait until done. Add rugs that suit your furnishings..... size and upholstery. SET IT ALL aside for the holidays.

After that? Consider getting some interior design help, one on one ( yes repeat that ) and let someone help you yank it all together.

Houzz is great. But you need a calm , steady ONE voice....not a three thousand comments well intended, but confusing.The money you spend? Will be the money you save on r.e.g.r.e.t.s. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, new house.

Thank you all again. Could we maybe have this discussion take a slight turn. I don’t want to cover my stone. I fell in love with each individual piece for a reason (stone granite floors etc). Maybe I need to be asking this… “how can I make good decisions for furnishings that can help create a cohesive space?” Should I change out the cabinet handles? I originally thought about going brass/gold with my hardware and faucet but was scared it would look cheap. How about some feedback on couch, rug, dining furnishings? I love the idea above about getting a more bold living room fixture.

Get thee an Interior Designer. Please?

Read just above, the WHY. "One voice"

In your space, seeing all the dimensions.... considering all your likes and dislikes . It's a dialogue, a road "chick" trip. It will relieve a ton of stress, as well when you and another ....."click"

Also here is a picture of the granite in outdoor lighting. Maybe I need some more natural light instead of led?

For sure Jan!!! I think I need to just take a chill pill. Holidays make everyone antsy don’t they?! 😂 I think I may have just been in a freak out mode last night. I really did fall in love with every aspect of my home and I know I spent my hard earned money investing into what I want for my own space. I just need to see it through without frantically trying to consider 500 different opinions. After all I am the one who will be drinking wine staring at my stone at night 🤣

I think the time to do something about this is now, while you still have the contractors on site. I agree with Beth that the orange-y tone of the stone should be lime washed or white-washed, but use a color that has a bit of a grey undertone so that it works better with your black/white/gray kitchen scheme.

OR

The other option would just be to replace the counter tops. Dekton makes one with a black background with gold veining. Super dramatic and really beautiful.

Donate the old counter tops and keep the receipt for your taxes.

Oh my that is a beautiful black and gold countertop. We did consider black/dark counters but we had some in our old house and it showed EVERYTHING. I felt like a crazy person wiping it every 2 seconds just to see another spec of dust land

If you get a honed/sueded top and not a polished one, you won't have that problem.

Since you asked, I would not have chosen many of your materials and finishes, but that being said, the stone doesn't work because of the gray floor. If you had a natural medium-toned wood floor, the whole space would be warmer and more cohesive. Does your builder have a designer that can help you?

Nothing is going to happen this weekend.

The kind of mistakes or.......whatever or regrets? Not life altering. Or Shattering.

You may decide to lime wash....or even replace tops.

It's simply a lesson in this fact: Nothing, no matter how much you love it, lives in isolation. You can take eight things you love, put them in a space, and hate the space when done.

Reverse? Something else may NOT be a darling...a chorus girl, not a star. But you LOVE the whole .That is what a good designer will do for you. What one could have done for you when you were building......: )

Diana - the floor is still super dirty and dusty. This is a picture when they were laying it and you can see the color a bit better. Is this more towards the color you were thinking or no?

I agree with Beth, the stone is too warm for the rest of your color scheme. I don't think you can add brass hardware to the cabinets because everything in the kitchen is so cool in color. I would mortar wash the stone, and it will look much better.

Outside of this issue, I would try to track down more of your flooring since it already has been discontinued. A retailer somewhere still has some. You need some for potential repairs and its only going to become harder to find.

I agree with outhers on waiting until things are finished and decorated before getting too worried about how things turned out.

1. Photos on the internet are a lousy way to judge colors. Each phone "corrects" photos, then each platform translates the language from the original input into it's own color language, then your monitor adjusts the color again. It is kind of like that game where someone whispers in one person's ear and they whisper into the next person's ear and after a few people the message is nothing at all like the original message.

2. Right now there is nothing to balance the color of the stone. That will come in as you add finishes.

3. Most people are afraid to mix warmer tones with the grayer tones, often leaving us with monotoned rooms that they are begging us to help add color or warmth or do something because it is boring.

Mother nature mixes warm and cool neutrals all the time with wonderful results.

Your home is not the cookie cutter white on white or gray and white that we have been seeing for the past decade.

The idea of using the same material on the interior and exterior was seen in every Frank Lloyd Wright designed home. He also mixed grays and warm tones and took his inspiration from nature.

I like how grateful you are to be in this position to even build your own house. I hope you are able to stop reading this for the weekend and enjoy your holiday. Come back to it with fresh eyes in a few days. I also think your countertops are really beautiful.

Taylor: it's going to be FINE! But I would strongly urge you to push for actual recessed downlights, 5 or 6 inch recessed cans with a PAR30 or PAR 38 Narrow Flood, will put out 10 times more illumination. You can experiment with the color you prefer: 2700 (warm), 3000K (neutral white) or 3500 (bright blueish white). Most my clients settle on 3000. And specify a high CRI of 90+ for best color rendition. May I refer you to an article on kitchen lighting that talks about this? https://www.proremodeler.com/better-kitchen-lighting-3-steps

It also looks like they put lights intended for flat ceilings on your vaulted/sloped ceilings. There are special cans available for sloped ceilings, so the light is directed downwards and not out at an angle, shining in your face.

Maybe I need to be asking this… “how can I make good decisions for furnishings that can help create a cohesive space?”

You do as Jan suggested and invest in a talented interior designer to help you pull it all together.

@Jennifer Hogan you are so correct in your comment about mixing warm and cool colors. I don't know where this silly "rule" came from. Of course you can mix any colors, it's done all the time. If you don't have an eye for color, then you hire someone who does.

Right now I'm doing a home office for a client and we're using gray and caramel--it's going to be fabulous!

To answer your question, @taylor clinton no, that color is not what I envisioned. But what's done is done, and you certainly aren't going to replace the floor.

However, you can balance off the gray with some colorful and patterned area rugs, upholstery, window treatments, art/accessories, and wood case goods (end tables, ottomans, consoles, etc.) That would integrate the warm tones of the stone with the gray floors and walls. What I would not do is add more cool colors, especially navy blue, instead try greens and browns.

Also I'd add organic textures, like woven wood shades, rattan/bamboo/leather, and plants if there is enough natural light.

I think your house and design choices are beautiful overall!! Just some things need to be changed/tweaked and you've gotten stellar advice and examples from Beth and others. Ppl who build new homes often say it takes 4 to finally get it right. So, you've done a fantastic job at an overwhelming big project! Focus on everything you've done right! You deserve it!

"how can I make good decisions for furnishings that can help create a cohesive space? How about some feedback on couch, rug, dining furnishings? ”

You've already done a couple great things. Let me point out what they are so you can keep going with a little more confidence.

1. You've selected materials that you have repeated in your home (cabinetry and stone), and outside/inside your home (stone). And it looks like you have the same floors, wall, and trim colors all through, which is great for continuity. What flooring is in your bathrooms? Same?

2. You've chosen contrasting textures like shiny glass and rough stone, plus some in-between textures (wood cabinets, flooring, granite). I think you could choose a few more really shiny items like maybe a glass table or etagere... There is time for that. They could be simple or mind blowing. In case you didn't know: https://www.andrewpearsonglass.com/products/bonded-glass  Up to you. And glass doesn't have to be clear; it can be colored, cut, frosted....lots of options. Everything in your home is very hard right now. Consider soft textures as you select furnishings. Leather, fur, grasses, velvet, things you like to touch. Just keep them in mind to remember when opportunities pop up.

3. You've chosen some warm (stone) and some cool (granite) colors, and I am not sure about the cabinets and floor, whether they are cool or warm. This kind of contrast makes a home feel less contrived (like a hotel) and more sophisticated and personalized. There is more cool than warm. You might add some warmth. Gold and orange are not the only warms available. Reds might be an excellent addition if you like them. They can be bright or muted. A neutral red would be a cordovan leather something, though it can look orange in bright sun. There also are some red-brown woods for furnishings. You also could add some caramels as in a caramel-colored leather.

4. You've personalized your space. Everything you selected you love.  Will you be bringing some treasured furnishings from a previous/current home? Any decorations?

5. You added some complexity with different shades of a single "color" with your cabinets and flooring. You could keep doing that with all the colors. If you say your stone is yellow-orange, then add some creamy color. Whatever colors you have, find ways to repeat them in lighter or darker versions.

What haven't you done? Right now I see too much neutral, so some brighter colors will be helpful. What colors do you react to? What are your go-to colors in your closet? I could see greens like evergreens or Coke-bottle green. I could see reds like dark red twigs or cordovan leather in a shady room. I could see denim blue. But what colors do you like?

I really wonder what you have in mind for window coverings. None? Floor to ceiling? Partway up?

"Should I change out the cabinet handles? I originally thought about going brass/gold with my hardware and faucet but was scared it would look cheap."

Cabinet handles are nothing major. They are not going to remake your whole space. They will have impact closer up, say actually in your kitchen. The metal you have for your faucet looks nice. Nothing wrong with that. I don't recall seeing pictures of your hardware.

"I love the idea above about getting a more bold living room fixture."

There's nothing wrong with what you have. Having said that, there is a major revolution in lighting design right now. There are many amazing options, and I wish I was currently ready to buy. If you want to join in the fun, I definitely would support you.

So, I think you are maybe just having a mid build freak out. You made these choices, they are big expensive choices, and it’s normal to question them through the process. It’s not done yet. Finish it, if the stone still doesn’t work well when it’s done, you can lightly lime wash it to neutralize it.

Taylor, did you happen to view my earlier comment where I photoshopped your stone?

This:

Is the same as this? And they used the same dark mortar (same exact color) for both?

I don't see ANY of the golds in the bedroom.

I also see some uneven stone placement. I guess the tv will hide a lot of them in the middle.

For the life of me, I can't understand why this dark mortar was used w/this golden toned stone.

Who picked the mortar color?) or why the batch in the bedroom look completely diff. When you use a dark mortar on natural stone, some of it finds it's way into the tiny crannies and will alter the stones original color. so you have this light stone with teeny veins of dark mortar coloring.

Any way to take another pic of it?

For now, all you can do is wait until everything is in and done. There's no rush. Maybe once you have the furniture done it will come together.

That stone in the kitchen is fabulous

The differences look like they are due to lighting to me. In this photo, the stone is the same in all three locations the only difference is lighting. The kitchen arch may have some reflected southern exposure and the bedroom might be on the north side of the house.

This kind of happened to me. I put gray-green paint samples on the front (east) side of our house - looked beautiful. Came home the day the painting was done and was horrified that the west side of the house in late afternoon august looked like a hideous shade of green-brown.

Hi Beth. Yes ma’am they used the same mortar. The mortar in the kitchen/living room was dark like that until it fully dried. The fireplace in the bedroom (with the super dark mortar) is now the same color as the rest of the mortar in the house. I just don’t have an updated picture.

Another interesting thing I wanted to show… I noticed how dark the cabinets looked in my pictures last night. I even texted my husband freaking out thinking that they added more stain because they almost looked black in those pictures. He went out there today and look at the true color of the cabinets…. Isn’t it crazy that this looks completely different than my original picture? Is it the led lights I have making them look super dark? I can tell that in this picture below my husband didn’t have any of the recessed lights on and it was just natural light coming in from the windows

that looks pretty normal looking.

did the cabinet people give you a sample door w/the stain prior to doing everything?

sos did you see the mockup in my earlier comment? with lighter stone

They gave me a sample of the cabinet but not the doors. I just can’t believe the pictures I took yesterday had the cabinets looking black almost. Maybe it was just the lighting or angle.

And yes ma’am I did see the lighter stone mock up! I like it and think it is pretty but I really wanted to go with a stone that was more warm/brown. My dilemma started occurring when I started to see some of the orangey/golden colors coming out because I’m not a huge fan of that side of warm tones. I do feel like I want to give it my absolute best shot at making the stone work with everything else. If I end up not liking it even after furnishing I will definitely consider adding something to the stone to alter the color.

Also I can’t remember if I showed you the picture of my granite the day I picked it out. Here it is. I really loved the whole slab and thought it would fit well with the rest of my vision. It was really hard for me to find stone. I wanted something warm but not orange, more brown tones than anything. I felt like I was almost limited because most of what I found that I liked ended up being manufactured stone and my builder told me we had to use full/natural stone. I went to several stone yards in Houston and didn’t like anything. The picture of my fireplace in the bedroom (with the mortar super dark because it hadn’t dried yet) was what I was hoping the rest of my stone would’ve looked like. Me and my husband both were shocked at the variation

I think you have done a fantastic job picking out everything so far! It is going to be a gorgeous home! Yes, you are in the normal freak out zone seeing things newly installed and the house naked. I can easily see it all coming together once you get furniture and decorate with some other warm colors and textures.

So, I went a little crazy decorating your kitchen. 😬

I added the brushed gold hardware because I think that will look beautiful against your dark wood cabinets. Not cheap at all!

I switched out your island faucet for a black and gold one. The faucet you have is fine, but I liked how the black tied in the dark cabinets and the tiny bit of gold on it matched the gold handles. Verses all gold.

The teapot I found is copper and gold. I threw in the bronze kitchen aid mixer just for fun.

I said brushed gold but I actually am not sure what they call the more rustic looking gold hardware. Maybe it’s champagne bronze? I am not a designer as if you couldn’t tell!

I added some potted plants for greenery and color and flowers on a wooden tray for the island. And course you must have the quintessential fruit bowl!

The bar chairs were just the first thing I saw that seemed to match ok and was a set of three with a view from the back. No doubt you can find others you like better.

I know that a rug would never be in the crazy location how I added it, going underneath the island like that! I just wanted to give you some idea on how a rug placed over in the breakfast room or the living room could bring in the stone‘s colors.

This green one happened to be the first rug I saw because it was featured on the front page of Rugsdirect.com. It is called the Cardamom collection. I used the ”See this rug in your room” feature. Here are couple from that collection that I thought might look nice.

And last but not least… Your sweet, beautiful long haired grey and peach Calico cat with bright green eyes is peeking around the corner. She was a house warming gift from Jennifer Hogan! 🥰 Yes I know I am a dork Lol!

Sorry for all the typos, I edited to fix most I think.

Rebunky, that's really nice. I like the balance the teal brings. Taylor, when you bring in some blues and greens and reds, the "colors" of your neutrals will back politely out of center stage.

I think it will look fine. bring in some warm elements like the sofa and some other things like rebunky posted. copper is a great addition to the mix.

You may want to reach out to @Flo Mangan. She is very helpful and kind and very reasonably priced. I worked with her remotely while building a house during the thick of Covid and she talked me off many a ledge. I bet she‘d have some good ideas for you.

Building a house these days is so stressful. Hope you end up loving it!

Taylor- I scanned through your thread and I think you are suffering from what. Call “micro thinking”. Thus is common thing that happens to folks along the “new build” road. Thanks for the shout out lisachew! So nice of you. This house looks a lot like yours! So, relax. Everything can be blended once all your lighting is permanently installed and you have furnishings and rugs etc. I would go with warmer lumen levels if you are using LEDs. 2500-2800. This helps. Also, window treatments will impact light levels too. So take a deep breath and keep repeating “it will all work out!” Get in touch if you need more assistance. Email me at manganflo@gmail.com. Merry Christmas and Happy New HOUSE!!
Flo

A few auto corrects above. Sorry. I think you will get the idea. 😄

A question for the professional designers: referring back to the stone exterior on the bank (earlier photo of a stone facade that Taylor admires), it appears the grout is a lighter color. Once new grout has dried, is there a technique to lighten it? Thank you.

I think it looks quite nice, really! i'd just be sure to add more versatile furniture near the arch, something like a shell chair for example

Jayapple21, there is no way to lighten dried grout other than by applying a paint on top. You could dig it out and then regrout, but that is a lot of work. I would test applying a sheer layer with force of lighter grout to see if it will hold, in lieu of painting. If you paint it, it needs to be an organic product (using the term paint loosely).

Thank you, Passionate Home.

I do personally like it very much! For me the warm orange toned stone is just perfect contast to dark kitchen and more or less neutral floor. That is a solid basic for futher decorating. Not to say that orange tone match any gray tone. Futhermore the contrast stone brings a lots of authenticity and design impact. Imagine to have gray stone and I bet the space would easy turn into a boring one or even cold instead.