week 30 until now (about week 42) ...

Ok so I've been missing for a while but I have a really good excuse I promise.

On January 21st 2017 we welcomed a beautiful baby boy into our lives.

So needless to say life has got pretty hectic lately and no we didn't quiet make it into the house before he was born :(

We were so close to being moved in before Christmas (and Charlie) but tiling and shower screens held us up. It was a typical case of the domino effect. The tiler was waiting for the drain grate and the glazier was waiting for the tiler and in turn the shower screen people were waiting for the glazier.

The offending shower screen that delayed our move.

Nonetheless we moved in to our beautiful new Hampton style home in Charlie's first week of life.

I use the term 'moved in' loosely. The whole process of packing up our old house and unpacking into our new house had to happen by one of us at a time or during baby naps, betweens feeds and nappy changes and not to mention at a slightly slower speed due to our sleep deprived state.  

Day 1 of our new life in 'Our Hamptons Home'

Believe it or not we spent the whole of 2 nights 'camping' in our new home with the bare essentials before we headed off on holidays to Hepburn Springs (via Metung, Geelong, Melbourne and Traralgon) for 2 weeks for my aunt's 50th birthday delaying the moving process even more. 

Weeks 24 & 25...

It's been a couple of big weeks, cabinetry has gone into the kitchen

pantry,

and bathrooms.

Ensuite

Main bathroom

The laundry is also looking almost finished, just needs tiles and appliances.

And my favourite part yet. Our Carrara Marble benchtops have been installed! I literally squealed with excitement when I walked in saw them for the first time, much to the amusement of the tradies. They are all that I have imagined and more.

The next couple of weeks will hopefully see the tiler, concreters, plumber and electrician all do their thing. Everything is sitting there ready to go, now we just need all the trades to fall into place one after another to get us in before Christmas.

The Hamptons Style

What actually is the 'Hamptons Style' you ask? Well here is my interpretation.

The Hamptons area, from where the style originated, is in the Long Island area of New York state. It is said to be the weekend get away for the affluent New Yorker's when they want a dose of the coast. A series of villages and hamlets filled with high-end restaurants, bars and designer boutiques by the sea. Sounds like heaven to me!

The Hamptons style is loosely based on elegant coastal calm in a classic and sophisticated way, or in other words 'beachside luxury'.

• Furniture should be above all comfortable and a right balance between contemporary and traditional. Linen and cotton in neutral colours such as oatmeal along with natural raw woods like Mango or Oak. Lots of soft furnishings such as over-stuffed cushions and natural material throws are a must. 'Old meets new' seems to be the key phrase associated with the Hamptons style when it comes to furniture.  

    

               
                                          

• Colours vary from natural hues and lots of white to calming blues and the entire range of the aqua (or teal, tiffany-blue, sea-green, turquoise, mint) spectrum, basically stay with beachy tones.
• Floors are wooden and can either be a very dark chocolate brown or pale and sometimes even bleached. 
• Window treatments and upholstery fabrics are usually natural linen or cotton and of a plainer detail, with small pops of colour and traditional patterns.
• Details like decorative trims, picture rails and wall paneling are often used to complement the high ceilings which are a must.    
• Lighting, specifically feature lighting is a stand out of the style. Clear glass teamed with either iron, pewter or chrome work well for pendant lighting particularly over island benches and dining tables. Lamps are common and add ambience and warmth and are usually adorned with natural fabric shades, such as cotton, linen or silk. Bases should be made from wood or ceramic and glass on occasion. 

• Rugs should be large and are used to add character and define areas. Jute and sisal add great texture and stay within the beachy tones. Wool is another option and can be used to bring in a pop of colour to the space. 
• Natural products should be used where ever possible. Stone, particularly marble, is common for bench tops and tiles while floors should be wood. 
• Accessories need to be tasteful and displayed in a neat, breezy, clutter free way. Nautical themed items such as coral, fishing floats and model sail boats are common but be careful not to cross the line into cheesy. Natural items like driftwood, cane baskets and jute rope are also great items to incorporate and can be displayed on built-in shelving, coffee tables, side tables, consoles and wall units. 
• Other items to include may be hurricane lamps, fresh flowers, shells, ceramic urns, indoor plants, round mirrors or glass fishing floats.