Choosing Finishes for My Condo

Tuesday was the day--finally--to choose the finishes for my condo.  If you're new, you can read all about my condo here + and update here, however, the short of it is, I purchased a condo about two and a half years ago but still don't live there.  Since it's a brand new build, it will only be ready at the end of this year (although, it was supposed to be ready last November if we were to stick to the initial plan--but apparently this is the norm for new builds).

All that to say, I had my appointment to choose all the fun, interior stuff.  Now, although I don't do too terribly in the decor department, it's definitely not my forte.  I knew some of the basics that I wanted (ie. a white kitchen), and I have been keeping a Pinterest Decor board for inspiration, however, getting into the Design Centre to choose everything is a whole different ball game.

Click to read more and see a couple of my choices...

First off, the standard finishes they offer are pretty ho-hum basic, which makes you want to upgrade everything.  That said, I know how quickly things can add up, having done this once before, so I tried to keep the frothing-at-the-mouth to a minimum.

Like I said, I knew I wanted a white kitchen, and was really leaning towards light, maple floors as that's what our current place has and I have come to really love them.  I have always loved dark maple floors, and even when we found our current place, when I walked in I felt disappointed at the light floors.  However, now living here for over a year, I really love the light floors; it feels open, airy and bright (and the footprints don't show as badly).  So at the Design Centre, I decided that light floors would be it--after all, the horror stories everyone shares about dark floors are no joke: footprints! Dust! Argh!  

After going over some basic paperwork about appliances, faucets and whatnot, it was onto touching and choosing cabinetry, flooring and more.  Working with the Designer, we pulled a few white cabinets before I chose my favourite.  From there, the floors.  I hesitated at the dark maple, giving it a loving look, and pulled the light hardwood instead.  

Next, it was countertops and I knew I wanted a light countertop as although I don't mind the black granite we have in our current white kitchen, I love the more neutral look of a light one.  I poured over the granite options before realizing that maybe light cabinets, light countertops and a light floor wouldn't be best.  There was a reason someone chose black in our current spot, and that was to add some contrast.  An a-ha moment of sorts, I just couldn't piece together something that looked right, and so... I pulled over the dark hardwood.  Instantly, it felt right.  

I found a beautiful quartz countertop that hit the nail on the head and a shiny, neutral long tile for the backsplash and I started to get excited.  It was then I knew the dark floors were the right choice.

For the bathroom I decided to go with dark cabinets, a beautiful, neutral marble countertop (above) and this amazing, 12x24 shiny tile that is light and modern (which will be echoed in the front foyer).

I chose a pretty basic, stainless steel handle for all the cabinets and then chose boring stuff like grout and a very basic tile for the shower.

We are still a ways out from the condo being finished but it's coming along an it's cool to be at this stage.  Thanks for all your well wishes leading up to this point, and inquiries about what's been going on.  I know these updates have been few and far in between, simply because there is nothing to share.  I can't wait to see the finished product and bring you along to see how it looks when it all comes together... in December.

Related posts:
* The day I purchased my condo (video)
* Current Condo Tour
* My Walk-In Closet
* All posts about my new condo