Buying under pressure

Thank goodness we spent so much time obsessing over cabinet and flooring choices before we went to the design center. We spent two, packed hours making expensive choices. If we hadn't been so prepared, there is no way we would have been able to get it all done in our alloted time.

Here are the highlights: The back/pool side of the house, including the family room and kitchen will all be tiled. This is to prevent my spontaneous combustion when a wet, screaming child enters the back of the house, dripping all over my beautiful hardwood floors.

The hardwood floors have been reserved for the living and dining room, including the foyer. The stair rails will be stained to match the floor. Although you may open the front door into an empty room, at least the view will be nice.

Speaking of the front door, we picked a simple, glass door that should let in a lot of light.

The kitchen took half of the budget. We picked a dark, maple cabinet (Heritage/Cordovan) and added several upgrades including 42" of height, corner cabinet with a lazy susan, drawers, shelves, molding and a cabinet that will be almost flush with the fridge. The appliances will be stainless steel and the stove is a flat top.

Oh, I nearly forgot the most important upgrade. We went for the Corian counter in black- called Anthracite. It has a bit of a sparkle that should go with the stainless steel appliances. We also got the drop in seamless sink.

The master bathroom is getting high vanities and tile on the floor, on the walls around the garden tub and in the showers. We also upgraded the padding, but not the carpet for all of upstairs and Mitchell's downstairs bedroom.

I'm sure that there is more, but I can't remember everything. Luckily, the design center is sending a samples of our choices.