Details, Details, Details

The foundation, walls, and roof joists are up. The Styrofoam walls seem to be holding, in spite of my doubts. I imagine an archaeological dig many, many years from now. They discover my house and ship the ruins to a museum. The archaeologist delivers his lecture to a group of visiting graduate students. "We unearthed this house high atop a hill in what was then known as upstate New York. We can only assume that a decorator lived in these rooms, as evidenced by the tasteful furnishings that remain. The house appears to be made of a material called Styrofoam. Remember, the early 21st century was the Recycling Age. What an ingenious use of coffee cups."

Detail decision time is now upon me. I must commit to plumbing, lighting specs, and layout. For lighting, I’ve decided on black suspended tracks with the simplest cans for the kitchen, master bath, and halls.

My lighting will be suspended like the example above, only black with can fixtures

I’ve always thought that the best lighting (and most dramatic) in a hall or narrow space comes from ceiling cans. And, besides being cost efficient (not that that’s even an issue), it also provides flexibility, because you can easily rearrange the fixtures to suit your changing needs. It’s also the most pure and direct way of lighting a space—no silk shades or ginger jars. I continue to look for a track system that has a matte black finish, but have only found glossy. If anyone out there knows of one, please let me know. Of course, I will have decorative fixtures too. (I am a decorator, after all.) I’ll put pendants in the entry, living room, bedroom, and guest rooms.

Plumbing is another matter. I’ve purchased my plumbing supplies from AF Supply (thank you, Allison) and have spent hours trying to get my bathroom layout just right. I can’t move the walls, but I can still manipulate the space with the fixtures. If you remember (and I’m sure you do), one of my inspirations for the house was a factory. AF has a line of fixtures with an industrial look—handles that look like valves.
Urban Archaeology’s Modern Industrial Washstand, and AF Supply’s Industrial faucet.

The only item not from AF is the master bath sink from Urban Archaeology, again with an industrial feel (think hard hat instead of shower cap). The sleek Corian tub (which I will never use) will sit open to the bedroom as if to direct people to the bathroom.  ("Excuse me, where is the bathroom?" "Just turn right at the tub.") I want to keep the bathroom open, as if it were an extension of the bedroom. I hate tiny enclosed rooms. The shower will be a large niche, 10 feet by 6 feet, large enough to feel open. I love the idea of not being enclosed in a tight space when showering, the feeling of an outdoor shower, only indoors.


My bedroom/bathroom plan is anchored by a closet in the middle. There’s a door to the W.C., but the rest of the bathroom remains open to the bedroom, but not overly exposed.