Shopping for the new house

Fun, fun, fun! We need a few things for the new house and it's going to be a lot of fun shopping! Please excuse this post - it is utterly self-indulgent and has nothing whatsoever to do with cooking.

There is always a very long list of wants and needs when you move into a new home, but there are a few things that we feel are most important and we'll concentrate on those first. On the priority list is a new king-sized bed. Woohoo! No more small full-sized bed. I'm going to be in heaven. Room to stretch. Room to get away from a snoring DH. Or vice versa. So obviously this means a new mattress, bedding, and frame. We're going to stick with the cheap metal frame for now and eventually get a real frame - either in black or a dark wood finish like mahogany. My vision of the room is framed after a hotel we stayed in in Chicago where everything was simple, neat and uncluttered. The walls were sage green, the furniture was dark and rich, the trim was crisp and white and the accents were black. I loved it - so soothing and comforting.

I was surfing the net in search of a quilt and wasn't finding anything I liked. Then I happened to look through my Room and Board catalog and found a duvet that is pretty much what I had in mind - something neutral, tailored and simple. My tastes have definitely evolved toward the minimalist, more modern styles - with some antique thrown in for an eclectic look. I love Room and Board and we've purchased a table from them before - like this one, only square and in cherry. We love it.

Another item or items we need to get are new chairs for our dining room table. I inherited a lovely table from my grandmother, but I really don't like the chairs. They creak a lot and are uncomfortable to sit in. This hasn't been a big problem because we tend to only use our dining room table for special occasions or when we have guests. Our new house does not have a dining room, so our dining room table will be in our breakfast nook and will be used every day, so new, comfortable chairs are definitely in order. The more I look at that dark carpet and the dark drapes, the more I can't wait to get away from them! Funny how pictures make our walls look so yellow - it's actually got a lot more brownish tones that what appears in photos.

I'm contemplating blending new with old and instead of trying to find wood chairs that would match the table, I'm thinking of getting a more modern chair with a black metal or wood finish - no arms. All arms really do is add cost. Perhaps we'll look for something like the stools we got for our bar/counter table. Not sure yet.

We'll also need stools for the breakfast bar - it would be easiest to just buy something that matches the table chairs, but we'll see.

One of the other big things will be new countertops for the kitchen. I have several samples that I like quite well, but I'll need to wait until we actually have access to the house before I decide for sure.

And of course there's the long list of things like window treatments (the new house has lots of ugly venetian blinds which I can't stand), a tv and tv stand for the living room, a new chair to provide more seating in the living room, etc. We'll add things piece by piece and take our time - getting exactly what we want instead of just rushing to fill space - that never leads to much good as I've learned from experience.