Spaces And Places

A little bit of real estate, design, and travel. A whole lot of what makes spaces and places home.

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Brown Wooden Floor

The Kitchen Remodeling Journey: All the Flooring Choices

Remodel, Spaces

When we picked out the flooring for our kitchen remodel, we faced so many choices. There are a variety of factors that come into play such as looks, price, durability, and what type of flooring works best for your space.   Know your Style  It may help to use a designer at this stage. Do you prefer the look and feel of hardwood?  Do you like the feel of carpet underneath your feet?  Or do you prefer the straight lines and balance of a good tile? Also, it’s important to take into account your furniture and other accessories so that you […]

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The Kitchen Remodeling Journey: Fixtures and Finishes

Remodel, Spaces

For me, the fun part of a kitchen remodel – or any remodel for that matter – is picking out the pretty stuff. The hardware, the lighting, the countertops. The stuff that makes the space unique. So I enjoyed the process of picking out the details and letting Drew handle the details of how to make it all work! Our designer, Erin, was really helpful in sourcing the details and getting discounts that we wouldn’t have been able to get ourselves. So when you look out what we picked out below, remember the prices you see aren’t what we paid!

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Great Antique Finds Across the State of Alabama

Alabama, Antique Finds, Places, Spaces

For our kitchen, we knew we wanted to mix old and new elements to create a distinct look. One of the ways we brought in the old was in our pantry doors.  We love finding off the beaten path places. Through recommendations from friends, we found two great places to source old elements at each end of Alabama.  The first is Charles Phillips Antiques in Theodore just outside of Mobile.  Eight warehouses make for fun browsing underneath the live oaks.  We found the doors for our pantry here while the kids enjoyed playing hide and seek throughout the property.  Charles

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The Kitchen Remodeling Journey – Step 4: Find a good cabinet contractor

Remodel, Spaces

Finding a reliable home construction and remodeling contractor can be challenging. However, a highly recommended cabinet maker, John Marc Cabinets, provides essential services, including understanding design preferences, accurate measurements, and effective communication. They adapt to changes and maintain timelines, contributing to a successful kitchen renovation process. Recommendations for contractors are encouraged.

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Where to Stay on the Beach in Costa Rica

Costa Rica, International, Places

The thought of a trip to Costa Rica usually involves some vision of a beach. While there are great things to do and see inland, great options on the coast abound. As you can see from this map of Marriott Bonvoy Properties, the majority of options are on the Pacific coast, regardless of whether they are owned by Marriott or not. The Caribbean coast of the country is less developed and harder to get to. On the Pacific Coast, the majority of options are in Guanacaste Province on the Northern peninsula of the country. We’ve stayed in two different Marriott owned

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The Kitchen Remodeling Journey – Step 3: Pick your Appliances

Remodel, Spaces

Appliances need to be selected before getting started on any remodel because their size will dictate all other decisions. As I mentioned in Step 1 of our kitchen remodel journey, seeking inspiration by looking at other kitchens helped us realize that we needed more fridge space than we had originally designed for. We were able to resize cabinet space to accommodate the fridge we selected before getting the cabinetry contractor involved because we knew the exact dimensions of the fridge we wanted. We also decided to get both a beverage cooler and an ice maker and had to reconfigure some

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rendering of remodeled kitchen island

The Kitchen Remodeling Journey – Step 2: Get a Designer. It’s worth it!

Remodel, Spaces

We have been so thrilled to be working with Erin Cossey (@e_c_interriors) on the remodel of our kitchen. She has worked with several people we know and has helped us with everything from the overall design of the space, recommending contractors, thinking through steps in the process and getting us great discounts on fixtures and finishes.  A good designer will do 6 things:  Listen to how you live and understand what your must haves are. For us, our must haves were a double oven with stove top, appliance garages with space for several appliances and a tv, a larger window

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What to Do in La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Costa Rica, International, Places

Situated in the heart of North Central Costa Rica is La Fortuna, home of the Arenal Volcano and the National Park that surrounds it.  In this area, you have the opportunity to visit the best that Costa Rica has to offer (except, well, a beach).  If you are considering a trip to Costa Rica, we highly recommend spending some time in this area. While there make sure you: We didn’t have time to visit all of the attractions while there. There is so much to do and see in one of the most unique places we’ve been to by far

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The Kitchen Remodel Journey – Step 1: Find Inspiration

Remodel, Spaces

The Kitchen Remodel Journey – Step 1: Find Inspiration Last week we kicked off the story of our kitchen remodel journey. We shared the before photos and a little context for why now is right time. Today, we’re sharing Step 1: Find Inspiration. For step 1 of our journey, we looked for inspiration both online and in person.  These three photos capture images from Instagram that have helped shape our overall vision for the space:  As seen above, these three Instagram accounts are my favorite to follow for inspiration and ideas:  @vivirdesign View this profile on Instagram Vivir Design (@vivirdesign)

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The Best of Napa Valley Food

California, Places, United States

The Best of Napa Valley Food Wine instead of food may be what you travel to Napa Valley to experience, but there is an abundance of great food in Napa Valley and at every price point. Of course, the valley is home to Thomas Keller’s famous French Laundry and other Michelin-Rated restaurants, but we found four spots worth revisiting that all have a unique vibe with unique eats.  If you want something quick, inexpensive, and tasty, visit The Station in St. Helena. What was once a gas station from what looks like the 1950s is now a restaurant serving great breakfast all day

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