i surrender

Remember this room?

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm nine months pregnant and in desperate need of a "project," but last night my husband and I decided to comply with the advice of the agents who have looked at our house and tone down our color choices. So today--on Catcher's birthday--instead of baking a cake or wrapping presents, we're "neutralizing" the home. Starting with the dining room, we'll see how it goes and consider a fresh coat in the living room next week. Hopefully the baby will work with us and not decide to arrive early. Yikes!

We also have "a guy" coming to the house this afternoon to let us know how much it would cost to paint the exterior--it could use a facelift. And tomorrow Alex and Catcher are going out on an adventure to find suitable plants to plop down on the front porch. One of these tactics--coupled with historically low interest rates--has to get our house sold, right?

Stay tuned for "after" photos of the dining room.

dream home #2

Photos from carolinahome.com

Although this house does not top my list of dream homes, I literally dreamt about it the other night. I first discovered it when I was on my mid-century kick and determined to find a decent/affordable one for us in Charlotte. At the time, the house was under a conditional contract and I sent my husband out for some recon work to see if it was even worth my time daydreaming. He came back with the report that "it needs a lot of work." At that point I pretty much brushed it aside and focused on the box house, but now the contract that was on it has fallen through...and why was I dreaming about it? Here's a peek inside:

I've always been a believer in having a property "speak to me" (not speak to me in the sense that I fall for all that aura of the house or spiritual stuff, but speaking to me because I believe I see something that others do not). Although I have not seen this house in person, there is something about it that speaks to me. Perhaps it's all the windows and exposed beams that I find so appealing...

I'm also fond of the apparent openness of the space. Some of the details are less than desirable--is that wood paneling I see--but I'm curious enough to check out the space in person (just to make sure I haven't made up my mind before looking at more than one house on the market).

I'm not in love with this kitchen situation, but part of me likes the idea of having a house that needs a little bit of work where you can inject your own personality into it. Perhaps it's because I've never lived in anything close to resembling new construction (like the box house) that the "fixer-upper" is somewhat appealing to me. Of course, dreaming about remodeling and actually doing it are two completely different things. Let's see how I feel if and when I see the house in person and not just in my dream where anything is possible.

let's hear it for the boy

Now that Catcher is about to turn two (his birthday is Friday), I feel that he is outgrowing the nursery and is ready for a more sophisticated dwelling, if you will. Of course I'm not making any dramatic changes while we're trying to sell the house, but I'm constantly coming up with ideas for his "big boy room" (see: all jacked up). Inspired by the chic sports-themed room that Bob and Cortney Novogratz designed for their boys' room (pictured below), I've been looking into ways to incorporate sports that isn't too kitschy or predictable--it's not easy to go that route while steering away from all-star posters or beds in the guise of race cars.

Room design by Sixx Design - photo by Costa Picadas

One steamy afternoon a few weeks ago, my husband and I found ourselves wandering around the mall. While I prattled on about my vision of finding a vintage Muhammad Ali or Michael Jordan photograph for Catcher's bedroom, we happened upon--and I couldn't have scripted this any better myself--a silent auction of sports memorabilia. While we browsed through the offerings, which included your typical NASCAR hologram photos and a poster advertising The Color of Money signed by Tom Cruise and Paul Newman, Alex discovered this photograph capturing Michael Jordan's winning shot for the University of North Carolina in the 1982 National Championship game:

Michael Jordan 17 Second Shot; image from cstv.com

The bidding started at $120 and Alex tried his luck by writing down $150. A week later he got the phone call: he had won. Yesterday I saw the same photograph--same size, matted and framed just like ours--selling for $999. I think we did get lucky...

And speaking of lucky, I also got lucky one night when I was playing on the Internet and came across the notNeutral platform bed pictured below on sale (less than half off!). I had been looking into modern beds for that day when it's time to make the switch from crib to bed, and this one was high on my radar. Because the sale ended the next morning, I had to go ahead and purchase the bed, which arrived packaged in three separate boxes that are currently "hidden" strategically throughout our house.

notNeutral bb2 twin bed; photo fawnandforest.com

While I continue searching for decorations and bedding that I can't yet put to use, check out these inspiring kids' rooms:

Kids' bedroom of actor Mark Ruffalo and his wife Sunrise. Photo originally featured in Domino magazine.

Image from ohdeedoh

Image originally published in Time Out Kids

Domino

Cookie magazine

Cookie magazine

white on white

Almost every interior decorator I know of--amateur to professional--wants to design an all-white room. I believe it is a true challenge working with textures and patterns to create a visually stunning space in the absence of color. In modern interiors, white often serves as a blank canvas on the walls for showcasing art or interesting furniture, but white works well in traditional settings as well. While I personally need a little sass and pzazz (in the form of color) to occupy my own surroundings, I would love to see if I could actually create an all-white room that doesn't come across as cold or downright boring. Here are some designers who got it right:

Image: elledecor.com

If you're going to do it, do it. The 700-square-foot Santa Monica cottage of designer Brian Murphy is "a massive whiteout" in his own words.

Photographer: Fernando Bengoechea

Image: architecturaldigest.com

Is a white kitchen possible? Architects Michael Gabellini and Kimberly Sheppard prove it is.

Image: Kelly Wearstler Interior Design

Image: apartmenttherapy.com, Philippe Starck interior

Image: New York Magazine

In a Brooklyn brownstone designed by Lyndsay Caleo and Fitzhugh Karol, white permeates the bathroom where even rolls of toilet paper appear as artwork.

Photo: The Selby

Image: Interior Design Magazine

Sagaponack, New York home designed by Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz and Brian E. Boyle.

Before I create that "perfect white room" in my head, I need to zero in on the perfect shade of white paint (Benjamin Moore alone has 140 whites from which to choose). Of course, this perfect shade will cover the walls of my next house, which I don't even own yet...stay tuned.

the competition

Last week marked the first showing that we've had after re-listing our house on June 1st. After some urging by our realtor and the advice of her colleagues, we decided to lower the asking price on our house once again. This weekend, while out on a leisurely stroll with my son, I decided to check out the competition in our neighborhood. Pictured above are two other two-bedrooms/one-bath homes with similar square footage that are for sale in our neighborhood. The one on the left is listed at $5,000 less than ours and the one on the right is listed at $1,000 more (neither house has granite counter tops, by the way). Both houses are located two streets away from ours, but what you don't see in either picture is what you'll essentially find in their backyards. Here's a little hint:

Yes, our neighborhood is lovely, but there are railroad tracks that mark the boundary and trains scoot by at all hours (I wish I had a schedule because I swear there's one that comes choo-chooing around 3:00am every day).

The tracks, which may have a Stand by Me sort of romanticism, are not a selling point in my opinion. Our house is located four streets away from the train, but we can still hear it rumbling in the distance (especially in the middle of the night when the streets are silent). I can only imagine how loud it is to those houses situated much closer to the tracks. We should get bonus points for location, right?

The only other serious competition in the neighborhood is the house pictured above on the left, which is also listed at $1,000 more than ours. It is on the same street as the two mentioned above, but it doesn't have the unfortunate distinction of the train running through its backyard (it is located on the other side of the street). However, what you don't see on the MLS listing is the house next door (pictured on the right). While our neighborhood boasts half-million dollar homes on the most desirable blocks, there are also several "fixer-uppers" scattered on the fringes of the neighborhood where you'll find lawn art and AstroTurf-covered front porches. Our competition has great landscaping and is totally cute on the inside--at least from the pictures I've stalked online--but the rundown home next door and the neighbors across the street who have two or three pickup trucks parked in their front yard at any given time are surely a turnoff to home buyers, no? Of course I'm biased in thinking our house is a better deal, but don't they always say location, location, location...

happy birthday america

In celebration of July 4th weekend, here's a salute to the red, white and blue:

Classic Starship Popsicle

Jasper Johns, Three Flags

Image from Elle Decor, room designed by Jonathan Adler

Image from flickr

The all-American Chuck Taylor decked out in a British red, white and blue

the one

How often have you used the phrase "the one" in your lifetime? Is he the one? Is she the one? Is this the one? On Tuesday my husband received a phone call that someone was interested in looking at our house...could this be the one? Unfortunately, I already have the answer and know that our house is not "the one" for the investors who saw our property. Trying to sell your house in this economy is a roller coaster of emotions from one moment to the next: you're up when Central Listings leaves a voicemail saying there's an agent who wants to show your house; you're down when the feedback from your realtor comes back as "thanks but no thanks."

Since re-listing our house on June 1st, yesterday's showing was the first glimmer of interest we've had. Considering we only had a handful of people look at the house the entire year it was on the market previously, I don't know how many chances we'll have this time around. At this point, the only "one" I'm worried about is the number of one dollar bills that appear in our checking account after the sale, and I guess one is better than none.