Donna's Decembers: Planning for the Condo

Yesterday was a pretty busy day.

Cory and I had to meet our relator and the home inspector at 9am. Aside from a few small issues with the condo that the seller needs to repair, our condo should be good to go for purchase! Hooray!

After our inspection, which took longer than I had expected, Cory and I drove around our new neighborhood only to find out that it is WAY bigger than we originially thought. The neighborhood has loads of pathways, parks, pools, and trees, so everything is fairly spaced out. Little did we know that it literally goes on for miles. To be honest, once I saw how big the whole neighborhood was, I was thrilled that we picked the location. Every neighborhood is uber nice and chic. There are properties I never knew existed in Frederick, let alone the area. It's weird to say that, but Frederick is still growing into it's population in many ways. There are so many different kinds of people that are drawn to the town. It has a really awesome artist community, which draws loads of struggling, but extremely talented artists to town for studio and retail space. In the center of Frederick, there is Ft. Detrick, a major Army base and cancer research institute. It is also only 40 minutes outside of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. so it is stacked to the brim with commuters.

Once I saw the condo again (note: this is the first time I've seen it since we've made an offer and found out it was accepted), my mind started to race with ideas and a decorative "to do list." So I started going to my favorite vintage/second-hand shops downtown to gather more specifics and some advice from the shop owners.

Because our condo has a gigantic Great Room that connects the two bedrooms, kitchen, and dining area, paint color is going to be crucial. The Great Room also has vaulted ceilings, which is an interesting twist when trying to invision all our vintage pieces in a comfortable environment.

So I've decided that I need to stay in neutral that will keep the room looking fresh, but still feel relaxed enough that our vintage pieces will look right at home. I have a color in mind that I seem to only be able to describe as "canvas mixed with subtle olive green." I haven't been able to actually see it in person--but it is definitely in my mind. This is the closest I could find on the web:

In midst of my journey through the local shops, I found a gorgeous MCM credenza at Venus on the Halfshell, my favorite Frederick vintage shop. It looks a lot like this:

We have the perfect place for a credenza like this, but I will have to pinch my pennies in order to get it, that is for sure!

Here's a few cell phone photos of the condo as it was left by the previous owner (ie: don't judge me because of the paint colors...they will be changed!)

Our front door... the security is amazing... we have to buzz in our guests!