As Promised: Happy Post with Pictures of Progress

Here they are: happy pictures of progress.

The kitchen. Sink's in. Countertops are done (but covered in cardboard). IKEA uppers are installed. Walls are STILL not painted green. (We are getting the impression that they're trying to avoid/ignore that we asked for "Serengeti Plain" green. Will ask tomorrow, as this neutral-stuff is nice for some, but lacks life in my book.)

The sink and faucet (Kohler Smartdivide Langlade cast iron sink and Delta Talbot faucet.) The house across the street on the right is painted the same green we want our walls to be. In fact, we used that house as our "inspiration." The black countertops mimic their screens. Our white sink and upper cabinets: their trim. Our wooden cabinets, their doors. I suppose this may sound like an odd way to approach kitchen design, but I like the idea of bringing outside views in, and so there you go. (We will NOT be bringing the dumpster view inside, and can't WAIT for it to be gone gone gone.)

This is the guest room door, as seen from the kitchen (the dark brown is exposed bargeboard, the grey to the left is the plaster covering the brick chimney). Most of our doors are lifeless new ones, but we have reused old ones when possible, and I asked that they be sanded but left unpainted. When they sanded, the workers left the original paint in the "grooves," and I really love how it came out. The trim is Sherwin William's Extra White, and I think it will all look really wonderful once it's cleaned up (they do scrape all the out-of-the-lines painting on transom windows, right?)
Here I'm not so sure I like the unfinished look as well. This is the mantel in the guest bedroom. I'm thinking it could look nice if I clean up the sanding a little and then paint the plywood in the middle the same color as the trim. I'd REALLY like to get one of those pretty wrought-iron screen-thingies to cover the center part, but money ain't gonna let that happen. I don't know what the heck will happen with the hearth... I can't tell what it's made of, or what it was meant to look like. This is where a preservation-person would be helpful.

Here's the mantel and door in the master bedroom. I still love the color we chose for the walls (SW's Waterscape). Since this mantel isn't a particularly nice one (it lacks the pretty flower-thingy and all that detail), I'm thinking I'll ask them to paint it the trim color. I definitely want to get one of those iron screens in here. (I'll have to find a picture). No one else seems to be a fan of the leftover wallpaper on the chimney, but I love it and have asked them to leave it. I'll try to clean up the torn edges so they're a little less jagged, but I just love it. I guess I like elements of the house that tell a story of its past.

The guest bathroom, which I once thought was the smallest bathroom ever, now looks much, much better and bigger with the tub and toilet in. The tub will have a shower kit attachment soon. Here's a question: should I use a clear vinyl curtain that hangs inside the tub, alone (which would allow you to see through to the rear wall) or cover it with a fabric one that hangs outside? I've always thought the fabric ones hide the tub and make the whole operation seem like a giant shower curtain on legs rather than a clawfoot tub with a shower-attachment, but I have strange design notions (like painting everything practically the same color... I'm already thinking I'd like this bathroom to be a more lively something.)

It's hard to believe that the tub you see above is the same one you see below...
Finally, here is the dining room, with our Pottery Barn "Cassandra" chandelier and a lonely IKEA Ogla chair. Once we have a dining table, we'll lower the chandelier, but there was some bad news, so most furniture may have to wait... You can see the wood ceilings we exposed here. I love them. I worried they'd be too dark or "lodgy," but the 12-foot ceilings seem to have taken care of that.

Okay, so the bad news: we've run out of money. This means that we will be living in our beautiful home with sofas and beds, but no tables or chairs. Who needs tables or chairs, though, right?

Tomorrow the refrigerator arrives, the time-painting gets finished, and I continue avoiding packing by spending lots of time on the phone with insurance agents, security companies (any recommendations?) and the person who will hopefully refinance our construction loan for one with a better rate (now that we're moving in and all.)

Happy post! Good night!