The Design Journey Begins…

Fall colors on the side of the Studio. That tacky seller ‘For Sale’ sign has to go!

My apologies for being a delinquent blogger!

We are working towards the late-January deadline of closing on the house with SO much to do. We want to hit the ground running as soon as it’s ours. We can stay in our current rental until June, so we have a fairly ambitious timeline.

I would like to share my design process and renovation story with anyone who cares to come along for the ride. I’m hoping it may help keep me focused, as I’m all over the place right now. I ping-pong between researching for the big decisions, like what type of heating system to install, to exciting new ideas for the kitchen, to flooring, wall color, furniture, and back again!!!

I have a ton of ideas. I know what I like. I know how to do this.

With all of the great new friends we’ve met these past four months, we have received many referrals to good contractors. Of course, I need someone who speaks English. We now have several good candidates: a French heating and plumbing contractor who does work for our landlord and is a great local guy; a father and sons team from England who are generalists; a local French man to do the initial garden cleanup, then ongoing maintenance; another English father and sons company from a little further away that do building, woodworking, wall finishes, and painting; a French tile layer; and finally, a local Dutch/French generalist. Still missing an electrician, but these guys all have their own recommendations, so I’m not worried.

We weeded out a few contractors we weren’t comfortable with, so you can imagine how many times we’ve given ‘tours’ of the property, explaining our intended changes. Just thinking about it makes me tired!

Am hoping to make/get commitments in the next week, so we can reserve the timing. Surprisingly, with all you hear about there being little work in France, the contractors are crazy busy here—French and English alike. Some of the best referrals were booked until 2017!!!

And so it begins…