Our New Home

The building materials we used came from all around the world. The ceramic tiles alone came from Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Portugal, as well as Oregon and California. The soapstone counters are from Brazil, the mines here having long ago been mined out. The block for the interlocking retaining walls came from Minnesota, the blue stone from New York, the redwood from the West Coast. We used a mix of old and new—in the kitchen, for example, we mixed antique light fixtures with state-of-the-art control systems.

I learned once again how much fun it is to work with pros. You get great finish work from the best workers, yet I appreciate fine craftsmanship almost as much in the prep stuff you don’t sea Like the tile surface prep that gets buried. Or the wall-to-wall carpet joints that, when made properly, simply disappear. Or the tricks we used to restore the balustrades when they came back from the stripper. Or the window restoration. The lesson? Hire the best people you can afford and communicate with them as clearly as you can.

Speaking of professionals, don’t underestimate what other design pros can contribute. The interior designers we hired from CLC Interiors followed our lead, using rugs that my wife and I already owned. They used the colors in those rugs as a palette to help select other elements. They integrated pieces of furniture we already owned, but also introduced new wallpapers, fabrics, and paints. They brought a great sensitivity to colors, patterns, and textures that contributes greatly to the finished product. The closer you get to the end of the process, the more important the fine distinctions become. It took ten months and, no, we never regained the weeks we lost. In fact, more time just seemed to slip away, so the house wasn't truly finished until just moments before Christmas.

Was the process stressful?

Yes, of course, partly because we felt like a family without a country in the months between the projected and real completion dates. Even after we moved in—before the house was finished, a step I could never endorse but one that is often necessary—we shared our space for weeks with plumbers, carpenters, and other tradespeople. At one point it became just too much. I was traveling a great deal and my wife and daughter moved in with some close friends who have a large home just a half-mile away. Living in a work-shop is never easy, even if all parties are sensitive, courteous, and professional.

Is there a moral to the story?

We’re very happy in our house. It suits our physical and aesthetic needs. But was it all worth it? You bet it was.