Luckily we have similar tastes. It helps that Chris does this for a living, so he gets to see what looks good. I have Pinterest, so that makes us about even ;)
Kitchen: This was our biggest challenge. I either wanted to go with really dark cabinets or really light cabinets. The kitchen in the model is light and absolutely gorgeous. BUT with small children (and pets in the far future) they made us nervous. I flip-flopped so many times but Chris remained pretty steady. We picked espresso cabinets, white granite (with some gray streaks) and white beveled subway tile backsplash. One of my worries about having dark cabinets was that it would make the kitchen look small. However, with it being so open I don't think we'll have that problem. Our appliances are stainless steel and I think we'll have plenty of natural light. We're getting an induction cooktop...can't wait to use that baby!
Flooring: a few weeks ago we had some browse time at the design center. We chose a REALLY dark wood hardwood floor (another reason I was hesitant about dark cabinets.) When we actually made our selections, I spotted a lighter floor with 5" wide planks and fell in LOVE. I think the wider planks are beautiful. We are running hardwood throughout the entire first floor, even in the kitchen (still undecided about mudroom, though!). I'm a little nervous to see what the espresso cabinets looks like the with the floor. I think once we have furniture, area rugs and curtains it will all come together and flow nicely.
We chose a gray tile for the mudroom and laundry. We might change the mudroom to wood for a nicer flow into the kitchen.
I'm excited about our stairs...we're doing wood on the stars, but we're painting the bottom planks white. I think it will look great, especially with our wood railing. We'll definitely have a carpet runner (light gray) so the girls don't slip and slide and take tumbles down the stairs.
The upstairs carpet was a bit of a battle. I like the look of a lighter carpet, but that's what we have now and it just shows EVERYTHING. Chris wanted to go dark, but the light brown that he picked...I didn't like at all. I just don't think it'll go with anything. I chose a dark gray. It's darker thank what we have now, and I think it will look beautiful with the paint colors we'll eventually chose for each bedroom (pinks, yellows, blues.) Chris is not loving it, apparently nobody chooses it. I think it will be beautiful!
We're doing standard paint for now, but I can't wait to pick custom colors in the future. We like a blue/gray color for the entryway and dining room, then gray for the main living area. Each girl gets to pick her bedroom wall color :)
For our master bathroom we kind of flip-flopped from the kitchen. We picked white cabinets, a gray tile floor/shower, and a silvery blue granite. I think we were feeling dangerous ;) The girl's bathrooms will be a light beige tile with marbleized counters and espresso cabinets.
I think we are most excited about the exterior. Our house is Craftsman style, garage right. We picked blue siding and...a YELLOW DOOR. To be honest, Chris picked it months ago and I was completely surprised! I love it, and I think it will look very cheerful and welcoming.
I've been inside the model a couple of times. I've seen pictures of two other Emersons online. Since we wanted our garage on the right (we don't want to see the garage as we drive up to the house) it's switched around. I tease Chris and call it "backwards" :) I'm having a hard time envisioning everything being the opposite of what I've seen. So when we enter the house, the stairs wll be on the left, not the right. Even the dishwasher is on the other side of the sink!
Our contract was ratified, now we wait for permits. In the meantime I'm focusing on this house, packing and purging. I love this part of the process, too!
