It’s Week 4 and we are more than halfway to the finished line. Everyone is excited around here, even the late adopters have finally caught on.

For example, heading home from the airport on Sunday, my son shouted from the back of the truck “Mom! No one worked in the kitchen the entire week while you were gone.”

I found it funny to see how vested he was in completing the kitchen. Then again, it is his favorite room of the house and soon it will be mine, too.

So much planning goes into a project like this and often clients assume that if there’s not a warm body on site–no hammers dropping, no drills drilling, everything is at a stand still.

This couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Last Tuesday, I stood in the San Francisco airport and paid the deposit for my countertops while waiting in baggage claim. The countertops were installed a week later (yesterday) and boy, oh boy, they are lovely. I think it’s important to mention that it usually takes two weeks or more to have your cabinets measured and the tops fabricated. This likely happened so fast due to my amazing relationship with my fabricator. Or perhaps it could be that I was sobbing so loudly he felt sorry for me.

Nevertheless, he and his team came to my rescue.

These lovely gentlemen installed roughly 70 sqft of Statuario Venato made by Colorquartz. We couldn’t be happier with the end result! Below is a photo from the Colorquartz website. Here you can see the pattern in the full slab.

Also while in San Francisco, my trim carpenter and I sent napkin sketches back and forth of the new vent hood cover. Thankfully the Monsoon II Insert had been delivered to my home days earlier. He needed it to ensure the perfect fit. When I returned home, he showed up with this masterpiece and a new mantel.

I must invite my contractors over for dinner once this is all done.

This photo should give you an idea of just how massively beautiful this thing is. Here, Miguel is demonstrating how to remove the cover from the wall.

Of course I added one more thing, custom brackets. We used a piece of cardboard to draw a template to determine the ideal shape and size.

The glass and marble tile was picked up from the shop, and faucets and hardware were delivered last week. With all my decorative pieces in hand, I finally created the Western Cape Classic moodboard.

This is my first post discussing the fabric, largely because I couldn’t decide between two patterns. After much deliberation, I selected this navy chinoiserie print for draperies and a Roman shade because I can’t get enough of blue. It’s the one color thread throughout my first floor.

I already know what you’re thinking. This fabric is more Asian-inspired than African-inspired. True. What is see happening now is a cultural mix of both Asian and African decor elements. You’ll see more of the African items in the accessories phase.

And speaking of The Mix. Check out our cabinetry hardware from Schaub and Company! It’s what I call our kitchen jewelry trifecta!

The Menlo Park Collection by Schaub  features a faceted cut knob for the upper cabinet doors, a stylish contemporary cup pull for drawers. and 5″ handles for the base cabinets.

There’s still so much to discuss about the breakfast area and kitchen cabinet organization that it deserves its own post. I’ll reserve that for Week Five. But let’s just take another look at where we started and how far we’ve come, shall we?

Before

Progress

TAKE A LOOK BACK AT THE PREVIOUS WEEKS

Week 1 –> Week 2 –> Week 3–> Week 4

So grateful things are going well here, let’s check in on the others and share some words of encouragement!

At Charlotte’s House | Design Addict Mom | Erika Ward Interiors | Erin Kestenbaum | Girl & Grey

Gray Malin | Hommeboys | I Spy DIY | Jewel Marlowe | The Learner Observer | Making it Lovely

 Nicole White Designs | Old Brand New | Oscar Bravo Home | Place of My Taste | The Rath Project

Room for Tuesday | SG Style | Undecorated Home | Veronica Solomon | Media BH&G | TM by ORC