Billie's Folly

As I mentioned before, there were a few features I dreamt of in my house.  A couple drawn into the plans are the thick walls and stone exterior.  But there were two features that were add-ons, additional expenses, and major decisions.  The first was the conservatory/greenhouse added as a front porch (and glass covered patio and breezeway).  That became such a part of the unique character of the house early on, we pursued it with an outside vendor (Tanglewood Conservatories) before a builder was even chosen.  And it's gone forward on its own momentum since then. The other feature I'd longed for was steel windows and French doors.  In my Palo Alto neighborhood there was a large white home with black windows--the muntin bars and casings were thin and black.  It gave the home a vintage look, and I loved it.  Unfortunately the owners didn't share my appreciation, and they eventually painted the windows white.  Meanwhile, I was doing my usual mag...

At the same time I pursued plumbing fixtures, I was making decisions on hardware--door handles, knobs and pulls for cabinets, and appliance pulls--because Chown Hardware in Portland carries it all.  I also opted for robe (towel) hooks for the bathrooms, instead of towel bars, which take up much less room and still allow the towels to dry. I was introduced to Rocky Mountain Hardware.  It's hand-made bronze with a feel and patina that closely resembles what old-world artisans would have made.  The exterior doors will have simple "Paris" levers.  And I surprised myself with the somewhat ornate interior "Reed & Ribbon" levers. The knobs and drawer pulls I've chosen have the same weight and organic feel as the door levers.  The kitchen and pantry will have "Egg" knobs and "Bin" cabinet pulls (both in the lighter finish).  And one of my favorite choices, for the master bedroom and bathroom cabinets, is this "Quatrafoil" dr...

While the progress on the house is steady, the visual changes are slow in coming.  But I'm keeping busy with the part I love second best to the planning--sourcing.  My first project has been plumbing fixtures--it's been exhaustive and exhausting. It's been fun to look for pretty faucets, all the configurations of sinks were interesting to discover, and then there's showers fixtures, toilet paper holders and even coordinated toilet tank levers (if desired).  Then there's the basics--tubs and toilets, garbage disposals and hot water dispensers.  And who knew you needed to buy the mechanics behind the wall for showers. My most unique faucet is for the powder room.  It's wall-mounted and mixes hot and cold water.  If you compare chrome to polished nickel, there's a big difference in color--polished nickel is much warmer, more like silver.  Consequently, I chose all polished nickel, except for brushed nickel or stainless steel at the working sinks,...