The tile company designer came up with a new tile for the master bathroom, which is the creamy white tile you see here.

We had something else picked out, but when I went to order samples, it was no longer available. They told me that it was either on a slow boat or that the color had come in so different from the previous lot that they had had to give it a different name. I guess this the problem when you are dealing with stone.

At any rate, the tile designer found this tile, which is a creamy marble—it looks like heavy cream. I actually like it better than the original choice.

The cabinet makers wanted me to come look at some stain samples. When I arrived, they surprised me with the completed hutch which will sit at the end of the kitchen island. I was floored by how fabulous it looked.

They had it under a sky-light in their shop, so it was lit beautifully. You can see from these pictures what a wonderful job they have done. Jim and I worked very closely with them on the design, and I am so pleased with the way it came out.

I did not like the stain sample they had done for this cupboard so they will do a second one. It would truly be a shame to stain this beautiful cabinet an ugly color.

This end will contain book shelves for cook books and face the courtyard side of the kitchen.

The closed cupboard on this end will be near the dishwasher in the kitchen and will probably be where we keep the everyday dishes.

The windowed cupboards will probably house some glassware and some vases which are not fancy enough for the dining room hutch, but still attractive enough to show off.

I now find myself obsessing about cupboard door pulls and knobs. I came home and made a huge folder of possibles in my House Parts file on my computer.

This is how I have been choosing things for the house, amassing files of things I think I like—either off the internet or from photos I have taken—then eliminating the ones I don’t like so much or can’t afford until I have a few real possibles. Then it gets tough, but somehow I continue to pick finalists.

Here is the sample of the maple the cabinet makers had for me—and I liked this one a lot. This will be the color of both bathroom vanities. What they did is add a little white to the finish, so the maple looks almost exactly like it does when it is raw wood. I find that I have been trying to do that throughout the house—simulate the look of unfinished wood with the finishes.

The kitchen cabinets and pine doors and windows are the notable exceptions since both will be green.

The master bath will mostly be the creamy white marble on the right, so the color balance will shift considerably from this photo.

Also, I am now somewhat doubtful about the small tumbled red travertine, but perhaps I will find something else or cut up some of the larger marble tiles—or maybe it will look fine. We will see what the designer has to say.

The amusing thing to me is that the wood sample and all the tile samples look like food—cheese or nougat or salami or ice cream or heavy cream. We will certainly have an appetizing bathroom—I just hope it doen’ t make me hungry all the time!