LL,

I thought of you today when I read this article -- they connected up to a ruin in Scotland but made a liveable home off to one side. It's a lovely story, fun for anyone who likes to dream.

Here is a link that might be useful: NYTimes 5/5/11 Scottish ruin

All your pictures are, of course, beautiful as always. No picture of the wood stove sunroom though, which I am living vicariously through you on, since MY woodstove was unanimously vetoed by all :)

I love it.....

LL don't let a bunch of scaredy pants make you have doubts.
These plenty of people on here that have actually done something that can help you. ;-)

It is going to be lovely! And I am a firm believer that the journey is more than half the fun so enjoy your planning!

The photos are lovely. I have a question- I know you're in the planning stages but is the piano something you're definite about? If it's a must have you might want to think about placement. In a perfect setting the piano shouldn't be near any source of extreme or sudden fluctuations in temperature or humidity. The wood will swell and shrink with changes - it can even split or crack under certain circumstances.

It's nearly impossible to find the perfect spot in a home so you have to weigh the variables - sunlight, windows and skylights, heat and air conditioning vents, fireplaces, exterior doors etc. - and go for the best choice. Most professionals recommend that you avoid large expanses of glass and put the piano on an inside wall.

If you still want to put it in the sun room then you can plan ahead and make sure there's plenty of insulation in the wall and double or triple glazing on the windows. If it's a single story then you can extend the roof to provide shelter from the sun and insulated draperies to help maintain temperature.

Just something to consider....good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: pianos

Mary- Great link!

Beagles- LOL! I've been trying to find some pictures, but so far, I can't seem to find anything similar. I will keep looking...and remember, you might be able to add a woodstove later. Maybe an anniversary present?

Corrie- Thanks :) I'm glad you like the plan and pictures.

Roarah- Me too! I'm a big planner, which I'm hoping will prevent problems down the road. If I want a certain finish or item, now's the time to figure it out, so I can make sure the plan can support the weight of a woodstove, stone countertops or piano.

Maire cate- Thank you so much for the advice and information on pianos. Good point about the glazed windows and draperies. I am not at all sure that I will have one, but I thought...why not plan a space for one and if I decide to get one, fine...if not, lots of area for plants or a bigger table.

LL- I didn't read your original post or any of the drama that went on there, but have been following many of the threads here for ideas. This forum has given me so much insight on everything home and garden. I love reading other people's opinions, ideas and suggestions. Your pics and ideas are lovely. When the time comes for you to begin you will be prepared.

It took me 4+ years of magazine cut-outs and surfing and searching, visiting, and joining (not to mention saving!!) before I was ready to take on my kitchen, never mind a whole house. I love looking at peoples home pics and have posted some of my own. I can appreciate the gigantic projects, down to the smallest like choice of rug. People with negativity should not bother posting IMO. I come to forums for advice and constructive criticism, opinion and support, not to waste time or space. I have a plenty full schedule, and like to unwind by reading and learning!

That does not make me a "dreamer" because I have planned and worked and thought and asked and posted and changed the details of my various projects for so many years. I am happy and thankful and have no regrets.

Keep planning and your journey will bring reward.

Um...

Let me know when I can move in.

The layout is great. Seems to flow very logically, comfortably. Question, maybe I just don't see it, but where is the fridge?

Your inspiration pics are beautiful and SUITABLE for a sophisticated country farmhouse, so well done. I have to say, I don't usually do whimsy. It just doesn't call me in general. But I love that backsplash! I hardly know myself! It's great!

BTW, if you watch Sarah Richardson at all on TV, she has a new show starting this evening I believe called "Sarah's Summer House" and if I'm not mistaken, she's re-doing an old family farmhouse for herself and her family. Might be great for you to watch for even more ideas. HGTV maybe? or Fine Living? I dunno, one of those......

Oh you're just like me, I dream (yes I do and proud of it) and plan down to the last switch plate. I save tons of sites to tap in to even a tiny idea. By the time we moved in to our Maine house, within two days I had all the furniture in place due to my planning. We then started painting and doing big jobs but I had to have a sense of comfort around me. Your place is going to be sooo wonderful, good luck to you.

Coastal- Thanks for the words of encouragement! It's nice to know that someone planned everything very carefully and ended up with a finished kitchen that they love :)

Pirula- I don't know when the guest rooms will be finished (LOL) but you can always stop by for tea! The fridge is between the sink and the entry...and I know what you mean about the backsplash. It's one of my favorite ideas for the kitchen and I like the black countertop because it looks so good with the backsplash. Thanks for the tip on Sarah Richardson. I watched her show on HGTV Saturday night about the lake home. Her farmhouse remodel is my favorite so far!

Yayagal- Thank you! That is so how I do things. When my mom got her new home, we knew exactly where everything was going and had her all moved in, within a few hours (except for pictures, etc.) She still loves it and wouldn't change a thing!

Aha, that dreaded basement. So much work. I know, I know. I have one of those basements, too.

I'll bet you want to have a clean slate to implement all your lovely plans. You sure can't put your great ideas on top of all the old stuff.

Call it a treasure hunt and spend two hours of each and every day of the task. Think positively about it. What good things will you find? It will bring you closer to your goals. Yes, cleaning the basement, a chore but necessary, will bring you closer to you wishes. If you don't clean the basement, your dreams cannot come true, right?

Are you hoping that someone will clean it for you? I hope for that, too.

One step in front of the other, LL. I know you can do it. Just 2 hours a day, and you will feel so good. 2 hours to do something concrete about your goals. And every day. You can make hard decisions-you will have to. If you want to put dream stuff in, you have to get rid of non dream stuff. The Clean House/Sweep folks don't have my address nor do they have yours.

You can do it. Good luck.

Westsider- LOL! That's a great post :)

Actually, we have some friends coming to help us and we're hauling a bunch of things out on the weekends, but we have to wait until it quits raining! Hopefully, we can start on this in mid-June. We're planning to rent a dumpster, to get rid of all the non-treasure items. With any luck, we'll have the bulk of it done, by the end of the summer!

LL, Why can't you start now for just two hours a day? Why wait until June? Yes, I know you will have help, but you're a big girl and you can accomplish a lot in 4 weeks. Why waste that precious time by asking others in forums when you, yourself, could make your own life better, all by yourself. You will feel a great sense of accomplishment and break a wasteful cycle.

I am tellin' you true. Let it rain. Bring stuff up halfway and then all the way. Pile it in the corners. One step in front of the other. Start now. If you have all this time for the forums, do what you know you'd best be doing. Break the emotional dependence on approval from others. You can. Show yourself that elegance is more than putting together nice rooms, on paper or for real. Be, be, be, truly elegant.

Westsider- Actually, that would be a good idea, if it were my stuff, I was going through. The family has final say on what they want...and what might be junk to me, might be treasure to them :)

Speaking of family, I have had one small setback...the idea of moving the dining area and putting the kitchen there, may not be such a good idea. For various reasons, I might be leaving the dining room in the front and moving the kitchen to the back.

Also, there have been some good concerns brought up here, about the piano...and since my possible 'great deal' fell through, I'm wondering if keeping the dining room and making a bigger kitchen area (and smaller sunroom) might be a better choice.

Anyway, all the inspiration pictures are the same, but I may be bringing back my "Plan B" in the near future. You know, I was so sure I didn't want a separate dining room, but after having a few days to think about it...maybe it would be a nice idea, especially for the holidays. If I keep the dining room, they're going to have to drive out to the farm (in the winter) and have dinner! Sounds like a fair exchange to me :)

Lavendar, I think it's far more admirable to sit tight and wait until all the decisions are made prior to starting a major project. I cringe when I see posts "desperate for help" "need help right away", for decorating decisions. I realize that some work better that way, but I don't when it comes to my home. I like to make a decision and have it settle in for a few months (or at least a few weeks) and see if it still seems right. I don't know how many times, I'd think it was good, only to scrap the idea completely. We've been "sitting" on the same idea for about 2 months now and it seems to be the winner. I still question ideas, as I read something, but then we always end up with the same layout. I figure, if it sits well for a few months, it will likely sit well for the long term.

Family and friends ask, how the kitchen is coming along, and they seem perplexed as to why we haven't started. I want to have everything picked out prior to destroying the kitchen, so nothing is snagged up by my obsessing about the sink, or faucet, or countertops, etc. Maybe I should change my wording for obsessing to dreaming, much more positive wording.

Your inspiration ideas look wonderful and give a warm welcoming feeling. Are you going to move out for this massive renovation? You give me inspiration that I can divide and conquer the one room (kitchen for now).

Aloha- Thank you! That's what I've been thinking too, so it's nice to see that it's working for someone. Your kitchen is going to be beautiful and very fuctional, due to all that careful planning!

You're right, it can be kind of frustrating when you're planning and taking the time to make sure it's what you want and people are so surprised it's not done yet, or even started. I agree, though, it's much better than being in the middle of the project with these 'desperately need help' posts. I've seen so many horror stories on HGTV and other places, where people spend tons of money fixing mistakes that would never have happened with a little more thought and care, in the planning phase.

As you said, I'm living with this new idea for a while, to see if I like it. No plan is going to be perfect, but this one has some features I like that were missing in my earlier plans, like a separate dining room and space in the kitchen for the wood stove.

One nice thing, we don't live in the farmhouse right now, so there's no need to move out or rush to get things done, while living in a rental. We live next to the farmhouse in a pretty cute manufactured home, which I really like, but is quickly becoming very small, as the business grows. I love having our own business, but it will be nice to be able to 'go home' at the end of the day...even if it's just a short walk across the yard! :)

Lavender, I didn't understand the whole attack mentality, much less why people didn't understand what you were doing.

I'm exactly like you, 100%. We're not moved yet, so I'm planning. That's the way I like to do things too. When the time comes, I hope to know almost 100% what is going to happen, right down to the hardware, appliances, paint color, all of it that I can. Exactly what to buy, where to buy it, what it costs...all spelled out, so I don't even have to think about that.

I'm going to have enough other things on my plate at the time and everything I have have ready will just make the things I can't have ready - easier.

LL, I haven't been following what happened, but I think I take the cake for planning a new kitchen 15 years. We've lived here 15 yrs and the first thing we were supposed to do was remodel the kitchen. Well, that got put on the back burner as other things came up but I never stopped dreaming. My friends and neighbors have all updated and added to their homes, my sisters have moved to larger homes and still I'm waiting. The good news is we finally signed a contract to do our remodel, that was in January. We still haven't started the rain thing (my other post). I wish I had a vision that is as clear as yours for decorating. Don't worry about changing the layout numerous times, we've gone from keeping the original footprint to adding a large addition and getting what we really want. Our contractor says that things change as he builds, some ideas don't show themselves until the project is underway. So keep dreaming, if I didn't have my dreams I wouldn't have my wonderful little family and get to be a sahm. Well being a sahm was never a dream of mine, it just happened and I feel blessed to be able to do that. I always tell people I have everything I need but not everything I want!

Keep the layouts and pictures comming I love to see them.

Pevo

Corrie- You're going to be really well prepared for your new place! I think it's a smart idea, to plan out as much as possible, ahead of time. It's much better, than the desperate cries for help we see on the forum, with people undecided on backsplash, countertops, or other details...and the GC needs to have them make a decision NOW! At least we'll be as ready as we can be and hope it will make everything much easier!

Pevo- How exciting to be finally getting your dream remodel! Your kitchen and sunroom (maybe other areas?) will be so beautiful and I'm looking forward to seeing pictures. Good for you to have a plan and be ready for this remodel...as soon as it quits raining! :)

Oh I'll have plenty of desperate cries...LOL
Just not about anything I can plan ahead of time.

Honestly, my plan is to have everything at least picked out, if not bought already. All the sinks, appliances, backsplash tile, you name it. All ready, so I can hand it over to the cabinet and countertop guys.

I'm not going to be that difficult. I know I want a white kitchen. I don't care if it's insert, framed, frameless...whatever he can give me a good price on. No matter what I pick, if I tell people it's exactly what I wanted, they'll believe it. LOL

I know I want something that looks like marble, if not marble. I'll take a couple of trips out to the stone yards and pick something white.
I do want stainless appliances, so that's not that hard to do either, a all freezer and all frig combo, probably Frigidaire, and a huge SS sink with a high faucet.
I will be just as happy with a white island, or dark stained, just depends on what the cabinet guys feel like doing.

I know me. I could work myself to death designing the best kitchen for me - today - and a few years from now I'll be over it. So I'm going for form and function. Something I can decorate around forever. I can make it do anything I want.

The only thing I'm having a problem with is the cooktop. I wanted induction, but induction looks stupid with a hood and I don't want black on white marble. I'm looking at the silver inductions and trying to talk myself into that. What I think would look the best is gas, but I'd probably burn the house down, and they are a royal pain to clean.

Corrie

Corrie- I think a stainless cooktop would look wonderful with marble or that White Princess granite. Both would look good with a wood island, too. Your kitchen sounds beautiful and very practical! I like that you can decorate this kitchen in many different ways, since all your finishes are timeless and neutral. Very smart! :)

lavender, I think I hammered out almost all of the last details.
There's only two of us, so I don't need a huge frig/freezer.
BUT, you can get the all frig/all freezer for less than a decent french door.
I'm getting something like this:

http://www.militarymegamall.com/wp-content/uploads/frigidaire-professional-stainless-steel-refrigerator.jpg

And this sink. Go down to the very bottom and look at the 3D sink. That will be my splurge item. It would solve all of my sink problems. I was thinking about putting in two big sinks. One for dishes and one on the island for prep. I have a small prep sink now, and let me tell you, it's the most worthless thing in the kitchen. I can't do squat in a little sink...LOL
The only thing I don't like about the 3D sink is it will have marble in the front. I was thinking a undermount with a front apron, so no marble trim in the front.

Here's the sink, go to the bottom, 3D sink:

http://www.toyokitchen.co.jp/en/kitchen.html

Now I only have the induction or gas thing going on, and can't make up my mind on that at all right now.

Corrie

Corrie- That fridge is huge! That is going to look great in your kitchen :)

The 3-D sink is amazing, looks like nothing I've ever seen before...and very practical. And I love that Toyo kitchen site! Normally modern is not my style, but it's so european and sleek...like a sports car! (LOL) I really like the kitchen with the curved hood over the island, in the old fashioned kitchen.

Aloha has been looking for black and white modern kitchen styles (on the Discussions side) so I gave her the link. She's been looking everywhere for inspiration and I think you just gave her some!

Are those cooktops induction? They look very cool and would be perfect with the other appliances. I can't wait to see pictures of your new kitchen! :)

Okay, as I mentioned earlier, the idea of losing the dining room was not all that popular...so I went back to the drawing board, on my plan. The living room/bedroom side (the 1950's addition) is staying pretty much the same, but the master bathroom is back. The hall bath is more vintage style, with the claw foot tub and slipper chair...and I switched the sink and toilet...hopefully making soaking in the tub more enjoyable :)

By adding the little 'back hall' I was able to flip the hall bath and finally have the plumbing back to back, which is a big improvement! The dining room is 'as is' with a bay window and french doors, rather than the current corner windows. This allows us to add the small sun porch/study, with windows on two sides, with short bookcases, below. There's room for a couple of reading chairs, a small desk, an orange tree and a few Star Jasmine. They're the plants I would love to have, even though they don't bloom that often, when the do....Wow!

The kitchen is similar to Laura Calder's kitchen (which I love) with the addition of the banquette and wood stove. I finally found a way to incorporate the country kitchen, wood stove and view to the back. It's kind of a no-brainer, once we kept the dining room, but hey...it's a work in progress! LOL

The sunroom and kitchen both have doors to the 'laundry porch' which is the laundry/freezer/pantry area, with lots of windows. It is the old porch and I still wanted it to look like one...as many old houses have this feature. The mudroom on the back is small, but works well to keep cold out and kitties in...and provides access to the greenhouse. This is mainly for starting veggies/herbs and flowers for the garden, growing a few veggies and some hothouse plants...but I couldn't resist a small table and chairs. The perfect spot for enjoying a quiet cup of tea :)

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Now that the kitchen is no longer open to the living room, I can bring back some blue! Here's a kitchen I love...

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With this blue laminate countertop for the perimeters and wood on the island.

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Same backsplash..don't this little blue flowers look great with it? A little more cheerful than the black granite, but I still like the sunflowers!

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Sarah Richardson's farmhouse island is a great example of seating on one end of the island...so not too close to the cooktop.

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I think both of these are beautiful! Maybe the first one for the corner sunroom (without the door) and the second one would be more like the greenhouse.

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Thanks for looking :)

ok, the double frig stays, scratch the 3D sink. I emailed them and that sink is a deal breaker. I can get the double frigs for less than that one sink. I'm going back to Kohler and Kohler has all the accessories I need like dish drainers.

Lav, I like the new plan 100% better. You solved a lot of problems with it and I love the way I could imagine walking around and actually using that space.

One word of caution. I'm had an attached greenhouse, just like that before. Be sure you water proof everything between it and the house. Use some sort of moisture/vapor barrier. The condensation in the winter will get into the house if you don't.

Corrie- Too bad about the sink, but I'll bet you can design your own, with Kohler accessories :)

I'm still making a few small modifications to my plan, but I really appreciate you telling me about the greenhouse! It would be such a great addition, like summer all year round (I hope). Thanks for the info and I'll be sure to do some more research, before I talk to my GC. I like to seem somewhat informed, before I ask him a question. LOL

If you live in a place with trees, think about who is going to clean the leaves off the top of that greenhouse. It may not be fun in the fall.
- says the person who got talked out of an all glass roof on my sunroom because my GC pointed out that fact to me. Course, we live in a forest...

Beagles- Good point, but no trees right by the house. Most of the trees are across the creek, on the back hill. I would like to add some more fruit trees, but not close enough to be a problem.

Sorry you couldn't do the glass roof in your sunroom...but living in a forest does sound romantic...especially in a French Manor home! :)