My new hobby

Since this blog is a little wordy, with few pictures, I've decided to spice it up a bit. I have found a new, totally fun pasttime: creating inspiration boards.
I was always a bit confused about how to go about creating an inspiration board, yet have seen them in so many places. I even tried polyvore.com, but I didn't feel that it suited me that well either.
So, tonight, I tried just cutting and pasting using pictures from the web, and simply organizing them through a photo editing program.
Please be kind, this is only my first inspiration board, and I still need a little practice. I even tried to find a wall color, but somehow, with Sherwin Williams website, I could only email myself one picture, and couldn't download any pictures to get the paint color. Give me time, I'll be there :)
Items from top left:
Italian Cypress Paisley from Restoration Hardware in Eucalyptus
Morgan Duvet Cover from Pottery Barn in Espresso
Hudson Bed and Wide Bedside Table from Pottery Barn in Mahogany stain
Minna Table Lamp from Pottery Barn

Obviously this is only the beginning of my interior decorating experience. We'll see how it morphs in time!!

What a girl wants

In considering our new home, here is a list of things that I know I want. Yes, I will print this list when we actually get to the building part.
Kitchen
-stovetop that has touchpad/ no knobs
-an American-style refrigerator with ice maker
-a faucet with a spray attachment
-an undersink instant water-heater
-granite countertops
-completely integrated dishwasher (no messy stainless pannel)

Guest/kids bathroom

Master bedroom (suite)
-soaking tub
-separate shower
-underfloor heating
-non-ugly tiles (if you spent time in many German homes, you know what I mean)
-possibly a built in shelving space

Guest WC
-warm/hot water

Basement
-movie room

Maybes?
-hardwood flooring throughout

I am quite sure this list will grow over time, this is just the beginning. We'll see what happens from here.

It'll make your head spin

In the past week, we have been inundated with mail from home companies. We have so many catalogs and so many home plans, I feel like we're drowning in paper. Of course, to be a good person, I do feel the need to look at most of these catalogs and brochures. Sure enough, each company has at least one set of home plans that we like.
And of course, now that I've seen a few homes that may one day be our own, my mind has started racing with decorating. I'm mentally considering colors that I like, and spending time on the internet looking at kitchens and bathrooms. I'm reading up on flooring choices, and carefully weighing the options.
Last night, I couldn't fall alseep. This is usual for Sunday night. Normally though, my mind is racing about work, the kids, and the fact that I have to wake up in only a few hours. Last night though, the strain of thought was, do I want light blue and white in the master bath or beige? I wonder how expensive a fancy shower stall will be?
Oh my goodness. It is so exciting, but I can easily see that the actual process of building a home is overwhelming. Hopefully, I don't get too caught up in the whole thing, and can keep hold of the fact that this will be our home, and that there will be light at the end of the upcoming tunnnel!

Visiting the model house park yet again

We returned to the model home park yesterday. Compared to our first visit last year, our experience was much better. I guess last year, we looked like clueless kids. We had no idea. This time, we were armed with a few necessary items: a building lot and a good starter question, "How much does this exact model cost?". With the building plot and the question, we got really far.
Our first stop was Finger Haus, the house that Jörn fell in love with. I really loved it, with one minor detail, I believe it is a bit too small. The positives included the extremely open floor plan, the all-season room, the beautiful full bath, and the "command-center" which allows you to control a variety of electrical elements from a panel near the entry-way. We also loved the price, and the fact that the installation of geothermal heating was included.
The only downside to me was that living room and the guest room seemed quite "squishy." I feel like if we are actually building a house, we don't want to be space challenged in a few years. They do offer a larger version of the same house. I would be quite interested in this larger version.
We had a wonderful discussion with the company representative. He looked at the map of our building lot, and the pictures of it. He was able to draw up an rough sketch for how our home would look, and gave us lots of other useful information. I really liked that he wasn't pushy. Plus, he invited us to the company's "Open Door Day," which takes place in 3 weeks. We will be able to see how the houses are made, as well as attend some information sessions on home buidling. We're extemely excited!
After our visit to FingerHaus, we headed into a Weno (pronounced "vano") Haus. Unlike FingerHaus, which is a prefab company, Weno is a traditional stone house built on location.
Of course, there was some heavy marketing that made me giggle a bit, like the fact that these homes had a better "living climate." Some marketing tactics can only be used in Germany.
Despite the giggles, the house was beautiful. This model home was set up as a "two generation house." A two generation home is essentially a two family home, yet is geared towards two generations of one family living under the same roof. This was kind of the set-up Jörn and I had when I first moved here. Usually, each floor is very private, and include a kitchen, living room, full bath, and often at least one bedroom. These homes tend to share entryways and laundry. If each generation is respectful of the other, the set-up isn't bad, and allows a young couple to save a lot of money.
Obviously, we are not going for a "two-generation" home, so we spoke with the company representative about making this size home more tailored to our needs. It was so exciting to actually talk to someone other than Jörn about what I want in a home. We discussed floor heating for the bathrooms, a walk-in closet (which are now all the rage in Germany,) an open plan for the living area, and a few other specifics. It felt like we were actally embarking on something big.
We should be hearing back from an architect working with the company in a few weeks, and I am really excited to hear what she has to say.
After these two homes, we visited a few more, but they weren't that interesting. Some homes are far out of our price range, and some are way below our quality standards.
I'm sure this wasn't our last visit to the model home park, and we may visit others in Germany before all is said and done.
We left the park feeling quite uplifted. Like a couple of teenagers who have the world in front of them, for the first time in a long time, I felt like our lives are on the brink of something exciting and big. We have possiblities and hope.