Impressions on living in the house.

✥ The lighting is spectacular! I've included my best attempts at night shots, I don't have my tripod here and I just used the auto setting.

There are dozens of switches and we laugh at how many attempts we make to find the combo we want. It will take time to remember what they do, it's a new palette every time I play with them though, I love that.

✥ It's friggin huge! The other night Mimi realized that for the last 7+ years we've been living in a space that is only a couple feet larger than our new laundry room.

Finding each other is a challenge, voices echo and you can't tell where they are coming from. We seem to move from room to room together, the dogs too. We're pack animals and we are not comfortable enough yet to be very far from the rest of the pack.

✥ I'm thrilled to have appliances again. I guess I really didn't kick my bourgeois background after all. Oh the joy of just putting the dishes in the dishwasher, washing a load of laundry whenever you feel like it, having ice all the time without having to remember to fill the trays.

I'm slightly embarrassed by how much I am enjoying these things. They are all the sort of thing that I never thought about when I didn't have them but strike me with glee now that I do.

✥ The design of the house is perfect. I love the indoor/outdoor blend that takes you in and out of doors when you move between rooms. The stairs are not a problem and I love that they are outside but under cover, with fresh air but out of the sun and the rain.

The terrace is as central to life in the house as I thought it would be. I find that we hang out there in the daytime and inside at night. That's because it is winter though and I expect that we will reverse that somewhat in the summer.

The core of the house holds the same temp all day and night. The living room stays cooler than any other room and yet if we don't turn on the fans or open the doors it seems warmer in the evenings.

✥ The kitchen truly is a dream, I'm in love with my kitchen. I haven't decided where things go yet, I'm working on that. Space is not a problem though, I have drawers and cabinets and shelves... oh, internet I Have So Much Storage!!

The wood is incredibly strong and resistant, it must have dozens of coats of something on it as you can set a wet glass down and it just beads up.

The concrete counter is easier to clean than I imagined, it will get a patina of different colors but that is part of the beauty of it.

The concrete sink is neat too, I love how it changes colors when it is wet but nothing seems to sink into it. It is deadly though for breakable stuff, I put a waffle liner in the bottom because I was afraid I'd break glasses against it.

The sprayer arm in the big sink is too cool for words. It reaches to the burners to fill pots, it cleans the sink off in a flash, it's great for rinsing dishes and it was perfect for filling the tall vase with water.

✥ The bedrooms are airy and light and spacious. The Dodwell's stayed here one night and said the guest room was comfortable. The shower there is going to be gorgeous once I get the side planted.

Our room has great ventilation, can be light or dark depending on how you open and shut the windows in the doors. It's closer to the street but we found that by shutting the bathroom door most of the street sounds are muffled.

Our closet is huge for a couple who have lived out of 3 drawers for years. I've been putting only one or two things in each drawer trying to figure out what will go where. Even then, there are 5 empty drawers and multiple empty cabinets. I think I have 2 things hanging up, we just don't have a lot of clothes but we sure have the space for more.

It's safe to say that we are both falling in love with this house. It's all we envisioned and much more that we couldn't have come up with ourselves. There are glitches, but all of them are being fixed immediately. Some we have noticed but most of them Henry has noticed. He's a perfectionist and he sees everything. As much as I love the design, I'm really impressed with the attention to details and the responsiveness. We are very happy clients and as we near the end of this long project we are more impressed with our architect than ever. I can recommend Henry Ponce with no reservations, he is an incredible man and an incredible architect and contractor.