The New White House Design! (Part 1)

Hello everyone and thanks for hanging in there! It has been a long journey to get to this point! We started this build in November 2021 and we have finished the interior of the house. Before reading this blog, go back and read the previous blogs so you know where it all started from. Included in this blog, will be the final pics of the design for the inside of our home: The Master Suite (Bed RM, Bath & Closet), Kitchen, Dining RM, Living RM, Guest RM, Guest Bath, Vel's Office, Coat/Utility Closet, Entry and the Linen Closet (organization 101).

In the next blog "The New White House Design

(Part 2)", I will feature the Courtyard Patio, Front Yard Landscaping, Front Porch, Backyard Landscaping, Backyard Patio, Garage and our custom Laundry Room.

I know you guys have waited a long time to see the new White House completed (so have we!), 😂 so here we go! First, I would like to thank the many hands of trades, store employees, sales associates, and contractors who helped us finally get here. We appreciate everyone's support, encouragement and handwork. We had a lot (and I mean ALOT) of bumps in the road, people not showing up, trades damaging our home and stealing items, delays (like 4 months), lack of furniture, decor and products for the remodel and spending twice the amount, we thought it would cost for everything. 😲 With God's grace, ☝ we have made it through to the other side! It was the MOST stressful thing I have ever been though!!!

I also, would especially like to thank my husband and daughters, Tiyana & Cierra, friends and family. Your input, encouragement, design ideas has meant everything to us. When we were too tired, too frustrated and was running out of money... they kept us going and kept us in prayer! 💓 So on to that house of ours!

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Most of the colors in the house are cream, beige, brown, white and grey. The backsplash tile in the kitchen was the inspiration for the design of the entire house. Each room also has a touch of either: pastel pink, sea glass green, yellow, lavender or African inspired colors to add a pop of color in each room. This allowed us to distinguish each space from the other.

We also went with brushed gold fixtures and mixed metals for the lighting throughout. My favorite though, are the milk glass light fixtures that are featured inside and outside. I must say, the house and design turned out even better than we expected. It feels like a coastal cottage, seaside retreat, without the ocean views, of course Lol.... 😄 It is bright, open, cozy spacious and comfortable. These were the inspirations behind the design!

The very first room that was completed was our KITCHEN, undoubtedly so, because I feel it is the most important space and the heartbeat of the house. The design is modern - coastal with a touch of everything (I have a Transitional Style). I love modern, coastal, boho, mid-century modern, traditional, and small doses of rustic, so you will see touches of all those styles in the house. The reason everything works so well together, is because of the colors we used to unify each space, so it feels calm.

The kitchen and pantry are smaller than the ones in our previous house, so we had to part with some of my dishes and hosting items due to lack of storage. But the function of it is great! What it lost in storage space, it made up for it in function, design and style. More importantly, we love our kitchen!

The cabinets all have slide out drawers which are nice! I also have two (2) large drawers to store my pots and pans and larger items like baking sheets and cutting boards. We painted the uppers pure white and the lower balanced beige from Sherwin Williams for a more modern, but warm look. It took a long time to organize everything and put the items in the proper containers. We are so glad we took the time to do it. It functions really well!

The island is HUGE and it seats (5) five people comfortably. Check out those mid-century modern bar stools! Very cool huh? The countertops are quartz, which are easy to clean and have these beautiful flecks of silver and clear glass in them. The countertops sparkle every time you walk by them, especially when the lights are on. One of my favorite things, are those beautiful, milk glass pendants and the coastal polished marble backsplash. They are showstoppers! 😱 (More pics coming up of the kitchen after the highlight of the appliances).

But the highlight of the kitchen are the APPLIANCES! When you are in the space, you can't help but notice those gorgeous GE CAFE MATTE WHITE APPLIANCES with BRUSHED BRONZE HANDLES!!! 😲🧡😱 These were a huge splurge! These cost more than what I paid for my nearly new 2009 Kia Spectra (which I still drive today and... it only has 102,000 miles on it) I'm just saying 🤷‍♀️ and keeping it realz with Ya'll! But me and my husband feel... IT WAS SO WORTH THE EXPENSE and WAIT.

Here's why! For starters... you have to wait on average, 6-8 months to get these appliances. Your name goes on a list (per store) in the GE database and all you can do is hope you get called when they come back in stock (which can be anytime). Each store gets a limited amount. When they call you, you have to pay right then and there, it doesn't matter if you are in a meeting, on the golf course or on vacation. If you don't pick up the phone, they move on the next person in line. Which is CRAZY!!! 😱The blessing was, we didn't have to wait months, just six weeks to get all of them!

Next, the finish on the appliances is not like anything else on the market. I can't even explain what it is or how it feels. It is not smooth or rough, but it feels nice. more importantly, it is easy to clean, the surface is magnetic, and you don't have to worry about FINGERPRINTS or STAINS! They have a matte (non-glossy) finish, and you can change out the handles for around $500 per appliance. So, it is not cheap, but cheaper than buying new appliances. But having options are good, I guess? ‍🤷‍♀️ The features are really cool and there are many of them. It works with Wi-Fi and Alexa, if you are into that sort of thing! I say to Alexa, "Alexa...I can turn on my own darn oven, thank you very much"! Lol... 🤪😂

As for the range, we opted for a gas double-oven range. The handles are a thing of beauty and simply design yumminess! 🧐 They are chunky and stylish but so functional and stately. Having a smaller compact oven and a medium sized one is a game changer for us! We only bake or broil once or twice a week, but it is nice not to have to heat up the entire house when we do. The ovens also work independently of each other. They cool down really quickly and the outside of the oven, doesn't get hot (great if you have young kiddos). I love the way gas cooks as well. The food cooks more evenly. It gets warmer and cook quicker preserving the juiciness and tenderness of your food. As an added bonus... gas appliances use a fraction of the energy, so you will enjoy lower electric bills. Our washer and dryer are also gas.

We upgraded the dishwasher to the quieter one. Oh-my-gosh! So glad we did! It is so quiet, and the dishes get really clean and dry well. There is even a cooling feature so when you open the dishwasher, when drying and cooling is complete, it isn't hot or steamy. Nothing like getting hit with steam when you wear glasses! 🤓 Instead, when you open the door, it is already at room temperature, which is genius! The microwave cooks food evenly and has a dial you turn to your desired time in increments of 15 seconds. You can add more time in the middle of the cycle. It is something out of the space age. All in all, the appliances are worth their weight in gold. They are professional grade and the star of our kitchen. We still walk pass them, smile and touch them! 😆

The downsize of the refrigerator, is it makes a humming noise when the icemaker is making more ice. It is a little annoying, but you don't notice it all that much when the TV is on. Also, the fridge is smaller than we wanted (24.5 cubic foot.), but since we have a built-in cabinet, we had to go with the smaller one that fit inside the cabinet. But we make it work, by keeping the fridge very organized and not buying more food than we need for the week!

On to the MASTER SUITE: Bedroom, Bathroom and our Grande Master Closet (which is the size of TEXAS). There are no words!!! Our MASTER BEDROOM is a comfortable sanctuary of calmness and peacefulness. It has a soft color palate, yet stylish and dreamy. In every direction there is something interesting to see. The light and bright white wall length curtains and our beautiful window shades, diffuse the bright sun, while allowing light to filter through. They also help control the heat from the sun.

Since Vel works from home part-time, I didn't want to crowd his space with my office and my crafts supplies. So, my daughter, Tiyana came up with the idea to put a very stylish, functional desk in front of the bay window in our bedroom. It looks really nice there, and we love the desks color. The desk frames that side of the room and I have my own workspace that is out of the way. All of my office and craft supplies are organized and neatly stored in our closet... just wait for it!

The MASTER BATHROOM is simple, but elegant with plenty of storage. We love the huge shower and there is plenty of countertop space for HIS & HERS. The surfaces are easy to clean (they are quartz as well) and plenty of storage in the drawers, shower and underneath the cabinetry. Lighting is key as well. Plenty of lighting in all three spaces. We have recess lighting and soft indirect lighting to create whatever mood we are going for. Also, the window film lets light in, but the window film filters the harsh heat from the sun, helps control temperature, but still help it look pretty. In the final pictures, we added the Champagne gold mirror frames to both mirrors, that we ordered from Mirrormate.com. When they arrived, we had to assemble them. I love them so much because they elevate the design and look fabulous!

And our MASTER CLOSET... Oh, the master closet is simply DEVINE!!!.... Not only is it HUGE; it is also pretty, organized, functional and gorgeous! The design was initially envisioned by me and my husband, Vel and then The Container Store took it to a whole other level! We have so much storage... it is unreal! 😱 After the install was completed, me and my husband went to work organizing it. I ordered pretty decorative storage boxes upon boxes of storage solutions from The Container Store (shout out to the girls from Netflix's, "THE HOME EDIT" and M-Design on Amazon.com.) I have read all of Clea and Shera's books and their magazine to come up with our own storage solutions for the entire house. YES! the entire house!... There is no space that has been overlooked, including the garage!!!

Clea, Shera and their team make every home function, but also look pretty and that is what I wanted! My motto for a space is, "Everything has its place, and every place has its thing!" meaning, no space should be cluttered with things, because if that item has a specific place of rest, then there is no reason for it to be out, unless you are using it. Labels & color coordinating are your friends. They are very key in organizing! Buy colored boxes and storage items to make it look fresh, vibrant and exciting when you enter a space. These pink storage boxes make you want to put things in it, don't they?

The next room was the LIVING ROOM. Our living room is very comfortable, warm, but also coastal modern. My daughter, Tiyana helped us pick out those gorgeous, wide chairs. We love the oatmeal-colored rug, with touches of rust, lavender and green in it. It makes our large space feel cozier. The beautiful, embroidered pillows on the sofa, are from Tiyana's home collection @Dusk & Bloom | Nature-Inspired Home Decor (duskandbloom.com) and we just love them! I found the lavender lumbar pillow covers on Amazon.com.

When you work from home part-time, you need a place where you have space that has light, feel comfortable, inspired and has plenty of storage. So, VEL'S OFFICE was created with his needs in mind. The design we chose was warm, neutral colors, with pops of African culture and colors. Years ago, Vel went to Cameroon, Africa on a mission trip, he has always had a fondness for the country, so we are glad he was able to go and have that experience.

Vel didn't want too much color in the room. By adding pops of African colors and design throughout the space, it allowed him to experience Africa and enjoy the culture without overwhelming the space. I think personally, it turned our really nice and Vel loves his office space. In the near future, we will add the same blinds we have in the rest of the house, on those (3) small windows to he can control how much light comes in the space.

As we are nearing the end of the inside spaces, we come to the GUEST BATH. In the guest bath, my favorite thing in the space is the custom gold shimmery mirror frame around the mirror. Not only does it look pretty, but it is also a design feature in the room. The mirror frame is from https://www.mirrormate.com/ You measure your mirror (per their specifications), submit it online, pick out your frames then Mirror Mate sends you the kit with instructions on how to install it. This concept makes a builder basic mirror, look custom, stylish and fabulous. I also like that the clutter under the sink is contained and organized with clear bins and drawers.

We had an electrician come out to add electrical outlets to several spaces, the entry was one of those places. It is nice to enter the house now with light from our little vintage lamp. The entry is simple, but the entry cabinet serves several purposes: hold decorative items including the lamp for light, but also a place to store all of our games, children's books, crayons and coloring books. The entry is warm and inviting for guest.

Although the UTILITY/COAT CLOSE is the smallest space in the house, we felt it should still have purpose and function as well. We had this closet organizer installed by The Container Store when we had our master and guest rm. closets done. They added shelving and a hanging rack for coats, and we will add some hooks to hang the brooms/mops and other items on the walls. It is still a little messy, but the clear bins from M-Design help us find specific items you don't use that often like light bulbs and felt padding for your furniture. For now, it is fine, but we will eventually spice it up later. On to the next space!

The LINEN CLOSET is not usually a space people think about all that much making it pretty, but also functional. It was important, because it keeps the space from becoming a catch all for other things. If every place has its thing, then... everything will have its place. Clear bins made by M-Design and sold on Amazon and The Container Store makes organization and finding things easy. There is no need to label them, because you can see everything through the clear bin. Now cotton balls, cleaning supplies, deodorant, shampoo, soap and even those shower puffs can easily be seen, and you can do inventory easier to reorder items.

I am also utilizing the space on the floor and using collapsible storage bins to store larger items. Now, Kleenex, paper hand towels and hand-wipes won't take up valuable storage space above. It took me a while to get it all set up, but it so much easier to find what I need and Vel doesn't have to ask me anymore, "Hey dear, where is...?"

And lastly, using vinyl liners on your shelves keep the shelves from being scratched up and damaged (You can find them on Amazon). The large, clear bins for the toilet paper, paper towels, bath towels, washcloths and hand towels are a great find. The large bins save so much space and nothing gets lost or missed place. And don't forget to include a sturdy stepstool so you can reach items that are higher up. safely! #SafetyFirst

Our GUEST ROOM is one of my favorite rooms in the house! The pop of yellow and all the calming colors of the beach makes this a quiet, restful retreat for our daughters when they come visit. We also had a closet organizer installed in this closet, so there is plenty of drawer and hanging space for our guests. Muted greys, tans, and creamy white's gives this room a relaxing atmosphere. The pop of gold and wood accents makes the room feel elegant. There is great lighting throughout and the sconces allow our guests to read in bed or surf the internet.

Speaking of beds... my daughter, Tiyana found these beautiful, elegant, stylish beds on Wayfair.com

The headboards are upholstered with linen fabric, and they wrap slightly around the head of the bed. We were pleasantly surprised to discover, we could get two (2) full-sized beds in this room, a small night table, two poufs and a nightstand with drawers in the space. Now our daughter's and other guests will be quite cozy and comfy. The bonus is that the guest bedroom is conveniently located right next to the guest bathroom and lined closet at the front of the house for complete privacy and peace and quiet.

Well, that's it so far! When we have completed the laundry room and the outdoor spaces, I will post those pics on Part 2 of The New White House Design blog. Until then, thanks for viewing our new home and all that has gone into it.