It’s exciting to finally be in the new house! Our builder, J Martin Builders pushed the subcontractors to get a lot done, so we could move out of the rental. That means we’ve also got a few things left to be done or corrected, which is common in new builds. In today’s post, I’ll share some of the fun items we’ve designed for the house, as well as the furnishings we’ve selected. You’ll see in some of the pictures that there is still things to be finished in the house.
Sloan Sectional
We are really happy with the Interior Define Sloan 4 seat corner sectional. This company allows you to fully customize your couch selection, including fabric, color, size, cushion type and filling, as well as leg options. Be sure to order samples to see and feel the fabrics you are considering. The back of the sample also describes the type of fabric, cleaning code and rub count. After visiting the Seattle showroom, we ordered the sectional in Field chenille fabric. The chenille is soft but should wear really well. I also went with individual cushions, which allows you to rotate and turn them helping them wear evenly. I prefer a cushion that doesn’t need fluffing, so the cushion filling we picked is perfect. Finally, the walnut legs tie into the other walnut elements in the house.
Our fabric and color selections – Chenille Field, Velvet Rust, and Velvet Coriander:
Coffee Table
I found the mahogany coffee table pictured above at a local thrift store for $45. I really want a drum option, something solid that sits on the floor to help balance the room. Apparently, I’m looking for a “Goldilocks” table because everything I like seems to be too big, too small or just too expensive. Your coffee table should be within an inch or two of the couch seat height and sit about 18-24″ from the seating. In addition, the table should also be about two-thirds the size of the couch. The Sloan sectional seat is at 18 inches and each “sitting” portion of the sectional is 56″, so I’m looking for a table that is about 18″ tall and 36″ wide. As you can see the mahogany coffee table is the right width but feels too small because of the legs. A solid, drum style will be just right.
Here is one option from West Elm that is relatively affordable at $700, but it is pretty basic. This coffee table has storage and is one of their most popular items. But who wants something that everyone else has? Not me.
I found this 1970’s walnut and colorful glass inlay coffee table on 1stDibs. The table is handcrafted in an Art Deco style and actually rotates. It also sits on small brass wheels. It is just funky enough for us to spend extra money for a unique and well-made piece of furniture. We both love vintage pieces, and this one is really cool. I’ve still got to work on the tabletop decor but was excited to share it with y’all.
Accent Seating
I found a really comfy accent chair for our primary bedroom at HomeGoods. It feels like a soft velvet and the green works with our color scheme. The black metal frame ties into the other black elements in our home including the windows and stone. In the picture below it is sitting in our living room.
We’ve finally received the Interior Define Gwen accent chairs. As I’ve mentioned, this company allows you to customize the fabric and color. We picked a Rust color in performance velvet, which feels so luxurious and has a rub count of 100k, which should wear well on these chairs. The fabric is also stain and liquid resistant. The frame is made of walnut, which compliments our White Oak flooring without being matchy. The Mid Century Modern inspired design works great with our MCM inspired home. The low back on these chairs don’t block the window or the views out.
Dining Room
We also received the Interior Define Hollis dining room chairs this week. They look great with the Arhaus Jacob walnut dining table. We love the feel of the performance velvet and the deep green of the Coriander in this room. The rub count is also 100k for these chairs. The black metal chair frame ties in perfectly with the dining table’s Vertex black metal base.
Vintage Finds
In addition to the vintage coffee table, I also found some beautiful Franciscan earthenware at a local antique shop. When shopping for vintage dishes or glasses, be aware that some pieces could contain lead. We tested these and they are fine, but you don’t want to use chipped or cracked pieces. The Maderia collection was made in the 1970s and still looks fantastic. The brown and green works with our colors and looks fabulous in our walnut glass cabinets.
The pottery vase I found in another shop works great for our large kitchen utensils. I had a stainless steel one in the past, but this is so much prettier.
We brought the console table and Van Gogh print with us, but the vintage Tiffany style lamp, Radio/Record Player and bathroom rug were found in local vintage shops.
I also found some awesome vintage side tables I planned to use in our primary bedroom as nightstands. They were the perfect size if we had stuck with the same mattress size we’ve had in the past. We ended up getting a Beautyrest Series 2 Plush King with the adjustable base at MattressFIRM. Good Lord, this was a splurge, but it is super comfortable and worth every penny. I’ve always slept on my side, which means many mornings I wake up with shoulder pain, but this crazy bed has got me sleeping comfortably on my back. If you’re local and looking for a new mattress, go see Fernando Vargas at the Kalispell MattressFirm store.
As you can tell in the pictures below, the vintage tables are too low for our new bed. Your nightstands should be within 1-2″ of the top of your mattress so you can comfortably reach anything on the table. If we can’t use these MCM tables somewhere else in the house, I’ll sell them via Facebook Marketplace.
Nightstands
I’ve been looking for matching vintage nightstands for the other two bedrooms but have not found any the right size or style. Many of the Mid-Century Modern pieces I’ve seen online are not in our budget. I decided to buy inexpensive MCM inspired nightstands from Wayfair for the guest bedrooms. However, since the nightstands in our room will be used every day, I broke the budget for new nightstands from Pottery Barn. Y’all these things feel vintage, are the right size and will look really great with our new king sized bed.
Primary Bedroom
We like to have open and closed storage in our nightstands. The Pottery Barn Summerville 32″ nightstands have two drawers, space for a table lamp and other decor on top, as well as a shelf below for additional decor. I’ll share an update once they get delivered and we have them placed in the primary bedroom.
The guest bedrooms will only be used a few weeks out of the year, so finding inexpensive furnishings for these rooms was a priority. I wish I could have found vintage beds and nightstands, but as I mentioned, I haven’t had much luck so far. The nightstands for both of these rooms look really nice, one set made from pine and the other from harder Acacia wood. Both have the MCM vibe I wanted for these spaces, but I would recommend one set over the other.
Meadow View Guest Room
The Acacia Silvia Solid Wood Nightstand with 2 – drawers by George Oliver are made of hardwood and are sturdier. At $187 each, they are quite the bargain! Although they are a bit more expensive these would be my top pick of the two. In the picture below, you’ll see they are the right height for the bed in the meadow view guest room.
Mountain View Guest Room
I really like the look of the Aleyana 2-Drawer Solid Wood Nightstands by Lark Manor in the mountain view guest room. They are solid wood, but pine is a softer wood and will dent and scratch much easier than the Acacia wood. These nightstands were only $154 each, so the price reflects the less expensive pine wood. One of the reasons that these and other furniture is inexpensive at Wayfair is because you must put it together yourself. There are many steps, with some brands providing clear instructions and others not so much. Both of these nightstands were about as easy as putting together IKEA furniture.
Bed Frames
We absolutely love the leather and oak, Sunita Leather Platform Bed by Birch Lane. While on the pricey side at $2,800 this platform bed showcases contrasting materials and clean lines that add plenty of textural interest to our room. The spacious frame is crafted from solid ash and engineered wood, and both the headboard and footboard are padded with genuine top grain leather upholstery with plenty of weathering for a rustic, lived-in look. Designed to accommodate a mattress without the need for a box spring, this bed includes wooden slats for support and has a weight capacity of 550 lbs. As I mentioned earlier, we went with the adjustable bed platform, which is placed inside the frame of this bed. It looks great, but it also made the bed higher than it would have been if we used a different mattress. This King bed was more difficult to assemble than the other two Queen beds we ordered from Wayfair.
In the guest room, we are calling meadow view we picked the Mathiatis MCM Tufted platform bed by George Oliver. This platform bed features a clean-lined frame with a low profile and a tufted headboard that channels mid-century modern style. It’s built from a blend of solid and engineered wood and upholstered in a soft, neutral fabric for a tailored, versatile look. The tapered legs and simple silhouette keep the design sleek while offering just enough lift for underbed storage. We love that the tufting adds subtle texture without overpowering the minimalist feel. This bed was affordable at $400.
In the mountain view guest room, we chose the Georgina Solid Wood Platform Bed with a MCM Geometric pattern by Corrigan Studio. This funky bed is crafted from solid acacia wood and affordable at $500. The bed, as well as other pieces in this line boasts a mesmerizing honeycomb pattern and distinctive graining, making it truly one-of-a-kind.
Check out the post below to learn more about identifying quality furniture, whether your buying new or vintage:
Fireplace
We are absolutely thrilled with the Alluvial quartzite we used around our Montigo three-sided fireplace. After installing it, Serg (stone installer) called it a “piece of art.” I think he meant his handiwork, but we think it is pretty great too. We used the same quartzite on top of the TV cabinet and on our kitchen island, tying everything together. Once the walnut paneling is installed on this wall, the TV will be mounted above the cabinet.
Build Update
There are still many items on the punch list to be completed, including the walnut paneling I mentioned, shower glass and tweaking plumbing for two sinks. There is also wood flooring fixes and other touch ups that need to be done, but all in all we are thrilled with J Martin Builders. They actually provide a 12-month warranty for any issues that come up during that time frame.
I wanted to take a moment to talk about our drywall finish. Originally, I thought we would want a higher-level finish. We’ve had smooth walls and ceilings in most of our houses in the past, so we were familiar with it. Smooth is also what most people on social media and design folks talk about online. During the early stages of the build, I asked about the drywall finish because I’ve heard that drywall seams tend to crack in new builds. Our builder, Jason suggested a textured finish, which is used by many builders in NW Montana. I wasn’t too sure about it, until I asked about drywall patches. If you’ve ever patched drywall, you know it can be difficult to blend into the existing wall or ceiling. Jason assured me that the textured finish was actually the easiest to patch. That was enough for me to trust him on that decision. Y’all we actually like the texture, which is not orange peel or any texture I’d seen before in South Florida. In the Gypsum Association range, our finish would be Level 3.
Here are drywall finish levels defined by the Gypsum Association and range from Level 0 to Level 5, each serving a specific purpose:
- Level 0: No finishing; just the drywall is installed. Least expensive.
- Level 1: Tape and joint compound applied, suitable for areas not visible.
- Level 2: Tape and joint compound applied, suitable for garages or warehouses.
- Level 3: Tape and joint compound applied, suitable for surfaces that will be textured.
- Level 4: Smooth finish, suitable for flat paints and light textures.
- Level 5: Highest level of finish, a smooth surface suitable for glossy paints. Most expensive, so lower the level, lower the cost.
Our finished drywall Level 3 walls:
Garden Update
As I shared in my Native Garden post linked below, we’ll be spreading native wildflower and grass seeds at the end of fall. There is a bit of work to do before that happens, which I discuss in my post. We’ve also started planting a garden bed on the south side of the driveway, which contains native flower plugs, as well as a small tree, one-gallon Red Charm Peonies, Dwarf Mugo Pine (Pinus Mugo var. pumilio), and native low growing Kinnikinnick. We may also add some Sedum. The tree will be in the middle directly across from our dining room window. Digging in this location is no joke. I like to joke with my friends that we’re breaking rocks, but honestly that is only a slight exaggeration. Adding garden soil will help ensure the plants thrive.
As you can imagine, things are busy with the new house, but we plan to make more time for outdoor adventures now that the house is coming together. A neighbor has been working to thin the trees looking towards the Swan Range and the hidden meadow below our house. Stay tuned for updates and be sure to subscribe below:
Design, Garden, & Travel by Majestic Meadows 
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