THE GUEST HOUSE CHRONICLES ~ Chapter Three
CHAPTER THREE
Embarking on the journey of building a guest house is not just about bricks and mortar; it's a venture into creating a space that can serve many purposes (recreation, space for guests, possible rental, home office, etc.) and also has a cohesive and inviting feel. On this guest house project, though the spaces are small, we’re trying to squeeze out every ounce of function. And, we want to play up the charm one would expect from a little cottage but make sure she reflects the elegance of the main home.
We are now in Chapter Three of the journey of bringing the vision to life. We’ve laid the foundation, completed framing, and installed the windows and doors. You can experience the earlier stages by reading the first two chapters of The Guest House Chronicles. Here’s a snippet.
Laying the Groundwork
In Chapter One of The Guest House Chronicles, we shared the architectural plans and some initial renderings and ideas for the interior design. We provided a full description of what we’re trying to accomplish with this project.
In Chapter Two of The Guest House Chronicles, the construction journey began with the earthy scent of freshly turned soil as the foundation was laid. Then the framing took shape, and oh so quickly(!), giving three dimensions to the structure. At this point, we were able to see the form and presence of the structure on the property.
NAVIGATING THE DESIGN MAZE
With the skeleton of the guest house in place, we are now in the throes of navigating the vast maze of design choices. And, since this project takes time, we find ourselves adjusting our vision as progress is made on the project. While it’s great to allow the creative process to unfold, we certainly create more work for ourselves when we source material for a particular concept and then change our minds… And, as I’ve said in previous posts, things go a lot smoother when you’ve nailed down what you want to do and have a clear path forward on a project. It’s not the best that we keep coming up with new ideas, but we can’t help ourselves.
That said, we’re challenged by the fact that we want this house to be a smaller, more casual counterpart to the main house. It should have glamor and drama, but also a serene feel. We’re going for a balance of contemporary chic and California casual charm.
THE FLOORING TANGO
After considering various options, we’ve settled on hardwood floors for the main living spaces. The natural warmth of wood perfectly aligns with the cozy ambiance we envision. And, wood (or stone) floors in a cottage are so classic. Not to mention we have 400 sq ft of white oak engineered hardwood left over from another project. The difficulty was sourcing the same flooring. One would think that if you buy the same line and color from the same manufacturer, you’re good. Not so! The color and texture of the same floor can vary significantly as different lots are manufactured. We had to pay a visit to Garrison Floors, where they graciously opened box upon box so we could inspect the pieces from different lots in order to match what we had.
For the pool room and bathrooms, we went with tile, for all of the practical reasons you can imagine (wet bathing suits). We wanted to make sure our choices were soft enough for the little house but also had a bespoke feel. So we opted for a large format 24” x 24” matte porcelain with subtle veining in silver and white. We will lay it in the checkered pattern shown here.
THE SITCH IN THE KITCHEN
There’s no cute way to put it – we’re stuck. The kitchen in this little house is so important because it’s part of the great room, which is the main living space of the cottage and the front door opens directly into the kitchen. As such, the kitchen will set the tone for the feel of the house. Though it’s tiny, we want the kitchen to feel like an elegant, proper cooking space, rather than a granny flat kitchen.
Our issue is we have seen so many of the same beautiful kitchens, with combinations of marble, wood, soapstone, and brass, which we love. But, a little voice is nagging us to do something different. On the other hand, a classic, quiet, and warm kitchen may be exactly what this little cottage needs. Though we’re hungry to make a statement, we’re thinking we should show restraint and just make sure the kitchen is beautiful. We share the latest favorite kitchen/great room concept below. We offer no guarantees that this is where we’ll end up. At some point, our builder, Charlie, will make us lock it in already.
We’ve already sourced our appliances. We went with the GE Cafe series in white with brass handles, which is so gorgeous. Can’t wait to take them out of their boxes. No matter what we choose for cabinets, tile, and countertops, the Cafe series will surely sing.
BALLAD OF THE BATHROOMS
The little cottage has two bathrooms – a primary for the main living areas, with a shower and freestanding tub; and a small pool bath with just a sink and toilet with an outdoor shower. Both baths will don the same tile flooring we are using in the pool lounge.
We did struggle with the flooring colors and how they would coordinate with the shower tile. We wanted to go with a large format white porcelain tile with grey marble veining for a dramatic look in the shower, which would coordinate better with a dark grey flooring color. We thought it would really pop with our brass fixtures. This idea is shown in the rendering below.
WHITE LARGE FORMAT PORCELAIN TILE WITH GREY VEINING IN SHOWER
But, when we polled the group on whether they preferred porcelain drama to quiet matte subway herringbone in the shower, the response was unanimous. Everyone was in favor of the softer look. The beige herringbone subway tile is featured in the rendering below. So, for now at least, we’re in business with beige. It hurts to say that since I am a fan of color, but I am trying to show restraint with this little house and let the natural charm of the cottage shine without overwhelming her with color and pattern.
BEIGE MATTE SUBWAY TILE SHOWER
We’re playing up the casual vibe in the pool bath with a console sink. It’s such a small bath and the openness of the console instead of a cabinet vanity should keep it feeling spacious enough. And, we’re thrilled to be reusing glass bricks from another project to add more natural light to the little bath. We think glass bricks are on their way back and we’re here for it (and not just because we happen to have piles of them on hand).
For the outdoor shower, we’re still making choices, but again, we have leftover waterline tile from the pool which may work perfectly. It’s white glass penny tile. We’re a little worried it will fade into the stucco wall, but it may just add the perfect amount of texture and gloss to the wall so the outdoor shower feels luxe, but not loud. Here are some renderings below.
POOL BATH
OUTDOOR SHOWER
WHAT’S TO COME
By our next post, we’re hoping to have made some progress and will be able to see some of these visions come to life. That said, it’s possible we will have changed our minds (again) and will be showing you our latest new ideas. Please forgive us.
