I’m going to let you in on a little secret…
I really didn’t want to buy our current house.
At the time, I was hoping we’d be able to build something new – I even had my vision of a “forever house” floorplan all sketched out! – but as we searched for a lot, G also kept an eye on house listings. He talked me into checking out our current house and he instantly loved it.
I was not as easily convinced.
For starters, it had none of the things on my “must have” list. (You know the list I’m talking about, right? Fireplace, mud room, granite countertops, his and her closets, double sinks in the master bathroom, unlimited storage, toilets that clean themselves, etc.) On the flip side, however, I had to admit that it was a great house in a great neighborhood, and a fantastic deal thanks to the sellers needing to relocate.
I decided to negotiate:
Me: “We can buy this house only if you promise that we can put in granite countertops as soon as we close.”
G: “Deal.”
Me: “Do you promise?!”
G: “I promise.”
Me: “I mean it!”
That was six years ago.
Presenting, our new countertops!
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| Our new granite countertops! |
The granite we went with is Giallo Ornamental. I wanted to stick with light countertops and G wanted to go dark, so I thought this was a good compromise.
I’m just saying.
What are/were some of your home must-haves?
P.S. I’m having a fabulous time at the Haven Conference right now, and am learning so much! One thing I’ve learned, thanks to a photographer workshop by Kevin and Layla from The Lettered Cottage, is how much these pictures I took of my kitchen last week could’ve been improved. I’m going to have to do a re-shoot when I get home!
Awesome, Dusty!!! They look gorgeous! OMG, are you saying you actually saw Kevin (ok, and Layla) in person?! So jealous. He is so cute:)
Oh I love your new countertops!! So worth the wait. Granite is also on my must have list, but I’m still waiting.
LOL Sarah! I did – and they are both super cute and charming!
Thank you Nikki! I hope you don’t have to wait too long!
Love the new counter-tops! My new house must have was furniture. And fortunately, I’ve gotten most of it. After getting married, I wanted to replace most of our older furniture, so this has been a treat to me.
Congrats!
It’s so interesting to see the house wish lists from other areas of the country or watching house hunters and see what people consider “small”. I live in a very expensive area (Washington,DC) so my wish list was less about the house and more about it’s location and potential since all the houses in our price range were small and older with one bath on the upper floor. My list was in Arlington (a county in VA right next to DC), walking distance to restaurants, close to transit, good school district and a lot with room for future expansion. We’ll add on an addition one day to expand/upgrade the kitchen and build a master suite.
ooooooooooo, they are beautiful…bet you walk by just to stroke them! 😛
Gorgeous! Now I remember the old ones!
Ummm just a tad bit jealous! I love the color and esp the sink. Woohoo!
Ummm just a tad bit jealous! I love the color and esp the sink. Woohoo!
The counter tops look awesome D! Glad you are having fun at Haven!!
I think they look beautiful. Definitely worth the wait.
Have good fun at Haven!
jbhat
Your new countertops are gorgeous! I’m totally jealous-I’ve been waiting for mine for quite some time as well
The new countertops are fabulous! I love the pattern (is that how you describe granite countertops?) — it goes so well with the rest of the kitchen.
They look awesome!
I also LOVE your countertops. My husband and I are arguing over the light/dark too. Of course, we are still remodeling the entire thing so I have some time…
So glad I got to see yours!
Oh…so pretty! An undermount sink and self-cleaning toilet are now on my house wants list, in addition to a lot of natural light (need all the help I can get from the PNW weather).
Are your counters always that nice and de-cluttered? Ok, that’s another item on my list…counters that de-clutter themselves.
This is a perfect transformation, what can you ask for. From cabinets to the counter top was totally changed… Amazing job!
Niiiice. Way to put some granite on it, Super D. Thanks for having stools, too, for when I house crash for an impromptu chardonnay happy hour! Miss you already.
Hi Dusty! My name is Claudia and I live in Brazil. I love your blog and all your posts. I have a 22-month old daughter and I find myself laughing at all your posts about Kate and everything that comes with motherhood. I sent you an e-mail a while ago but I’m not sure you received it. Hope to hear from you!
I love the granite, but have a hard time believing you didn’t want to move into your current house. You specifically said in a past post that you loved this house, you actually found it and crunched the numbers and told your hubs it was totally affordable and you guys could do it. You also, more specifically, said that the kitchen is the one thing that sold you on the house.
Dusty,
Okay….could your new blog design be any cuter? Could you be any better writer? Could those granite counter tops be any more beautiful.
Carmen Electra….you are amazing
karianne
6 years – worth the wait!! Looks amazing!
Kelly
Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments everyone!
@Brianne: New furniture was at the top of my must-have list when we moved into this house too (and the reason we decided to put the granite countertops on hold) so I understand where you’re coming from!
@Anonymous: Sounds like a great list to me!
Thank you Jill! And I totally do. How’d you know? Hahaha!
@Alison: Oh yes, natural light is a great thing to have on your must-have list! And yep, I like to keep our countertops as cleared off as possible. (Other than dirty dishes, lol) the only things that “live” on them are the knife block, my Keurig, and the fruit bowl on the island.
@Colleen: Miss you, too! Your ass is welcome on my kitchen stool anytime girl!
@Claudia: Thank you for your sweet comment and the heads up about your email. I will search my inbox (and spam, just in case) for it!
@Anonymous: You’re partially correct. The “crunching the numbers and realizing we could afford it” experience was actually in regards to our first house – not this one. This is our 2nd house and yes, the kitchen was (and still is) my favorite space in the house, but believe me, G still had some art-twisting to do to get me to sign the papers. It’s a wonderful house, it’s just not (and never had been) my “forever” house.
@Karianne: Love the “Carmen Electra” reference, lol! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog, and for such a sweet comment!
Thank you Kelly!
Those granite countertops are like mine!! See we are kindered spirits!
Aww…I think you’re right Deneen!
Dusty- you’re always so gracious with your responses to these comments. BTW- it’s awesome that you take the time to respond to your commenters. I admit, I check back…stalker, much?! How I wish I could keep my counters as spotless as yours.
Thank you so much Alison – you’re always so gracious as well! I’m trying to get better at responding to comments *sooner* but I always get there eventually. You’re so sweet to notice!
Love the countertops! My parents did an under mount sink when they redid their kitchen, and since then I have been obsessed. Love that look!
Thank you Julie! We really love our new undermount sink, too. Wanting one is what finally pushed us to do this!