New wall decor

Took the clock and plate off the wall in the dining area, and replaced it with this bamboo wall installation. Its actually a room divider that we bought at World Market. We didn't put the feet on it, and hung it sideways on the wall. We really love it - great color and texture. We may hang the plate or other things on top of the bamboo, but haven't gotten around to that yet.

TV room arrangement

We got some new furtniture for the TV room - two new recliners and a couch with chaise. [sold our old recliner loveseats on Craig's list almost immediately after we listed them.] We've futzed around with arrangements in every which way, but this seems to be the only way everything works the way we need it to. Its all pretty comfy and we're happy with the way its turned out. The red cabinet in the corner is also now - Asian style storage for our computers etc. Also moved the big clock from the dining area to above left of the new red cabinet.

Dining area, New light fixture

The TV/dining area is all painted now, and we really like it. Here are some pics of the dining room wall. THe clock is new; we bought it over the weekend. The white plate we've had for years, and it looks good on the dark wall. Have also included a pic of our new light fixture over the dining table. we're really happy with that look. However, looking at these pictures makes me think the clock and plate don't give quite the dining room feel I had in mind. Will probably move the clock to another wall and find some more arty piece for the dining wall. Always a work in progress....

Kitchen Wall

Progress has been pretty slow on the kitchen wall art project. This is Gina the artist, and Bryan helping her with her drop cloth. Gina is taping off the design here, and there is now some color on the wall. But I'll wait for more progress before more pictures...

TV room paint

We painted the dining/tv room over the weekend. Chose a dark gray-green, with a light gray trim. It is dark, but we like it. Check it out Liz - its almost black in some lights, like the pic you posted on your blog.
We are still waiting for our new furniture, which is a drag. Just posted our recliners on Craig's list tonight, so hopefully someone will buy those and we can start to put the family and living rooms back together.
More pics coming this weekend - Gina the muralist has started her project, and the cabinet guy is supposed to come tomorrow to finish up. I'll believe it when I see it. Stay tuned...

The big picture

Well, here it is. I'm standing on a stool in the family room taking the picture to get everything in.
We spent the weekend putting stuff away, organizing, etc. Went to Target and Bed Bath & Beyond on Saturday to get some organizers and stuff. Also bought the bar stools at BBB. It was really fun.
Two things are left to finish in the kitchen - (1) the cabinet company still needs to come back and fix some doors and drawers that aren't quite right. (2) The "back wall" still needs to be painted. We've commissioned a local artist to do an abstract painting on that wall. We met with her over the weekend to finalize design ideas, and we're pretty excited about it. Obviously I'll post pictures to show how that develops.
Guess that's it for now... Not much more to post, but I'm sure there'll be a few more shots to take so stay tuned...

The deck

Here are a few shots of the new deck. I stained it earlier this week with an oil-based sealant. It turned out darker than I was picturing - I thought I was getting a clear stain and didn't really realize what it was going to look like till I was about 1/3 done. Too late then, so I just kept going.
The railings are polished copper tubing with rebar inside for strength. It has a clear coat to protect the finish and keep it shiny.
My next plan is to put some pots with flowers, a bistro table and chairs, etc to decorate the space. Right now we're just enjoying the pristine beauty.