So, Why a Black House?
The story behind the new #houseofkords
If you didn’t know by now, we built an all-black-house.
At the time it seemed like a pretty bold move considering my then-current living situation: row house with girly details and mint accents. We got some gasps and questionable looks from friends and family when we told them our monochromatic plan, but we have no regrets. And as it seems, the black house is becoming more and more normal.
Our home build process is definitely one of the topics that brings the most questions on Instagram! I wanted to compile a list of build FAQs for you guys to refer back to.
How did we know it was the right time to move?
How did we feel about leaving the city to move to the suburbs?
How did we decide to build vs renovate?
How did we navigate THIS housing market?
How did I get the all-black house idea?
How did I get E on board with it??
So let’s get into it!
How did we know it was the right time to move?
Honestly, we didn’t! We toyed with it for years and were always creeping on Zillow—it became a hobby. We went back and forth between moving in Lawrenceville and heading to the burbs for a long, long time. The week covid hit, we were actually minutes away from putting a down payment on a new build in Lawrenceville. On the same street as No.14 actually!
We put that on pause because, well... covid. Way too many unknowns. I think the pandemic definitely sped up our process in knowing we wanted more space. Working from home together, socializing more at home, it seemed everything was leading us to space space space.
How did we feel about leaving the city to move to the suburbs?
I wish that I could give some sound advice on ‘knowing’ when it is time. But honestly, I used to drive through the city and cry on my way home from dinners with Eric once we knew we were moving. Something about cities just makes everything ALIVE. The small businesses, the young people, everyone is just hustling and working for it. The energy is contagious.
I think for us, it came down to being frustrated with HOW busy Lawrenceville was becoming, the lack of parking because of the latter, and we just felt ready.
Fast forward to now—living in the ‘burbs for several months. I am definitely happy we moved here. The things I knew I’d miss, I miss (walking to coffee, the best restaurants steps away, a quick uber to all games/concerts). The things I knew I’d love about the burbs, I really love (proximity to our family, ease of life with errands etc, a GARAGE, having the space to host).
It all came down to timing for us and we have no regrets! Obviously I work in Lawrenceville, so I still get my weekly doses and we just make an effort to go down to the city together often.
How did we decide to build vs renovate?
I was totally up for a renovation. If we had found an option in the right neighborhood with the right bones, and the right price, I would have been all-in. But we couldn’t find that anywhere. This housing market right now is insane. So for us, we decided to build because of the location and neighborhood of our new home.
How long did the build process take?
Our build took 16-months from signing on the dotted line to moving in (July 2020 - November 2021). Our projected timeframe was 10-12 months, but the additional time is very normal and definitely something you should anticipate. If you are looking to build, I highly recommend overshooting your dates, especially with the delays everyone is currently experiencing.
How did we navigate THIS housing market?
Let me say this, there’s definitely no science behind beating the market. We were really lucky and got in right before too much chaos hit. We were moving along in the process right before the lumber crisis and extreme delays set in.
We did get to experience the beneficial side of this crazy market by selling old our house at a profitable time. One thing I’ve learned is that it seems like more than anything, you need a great agent and an ear to the ground in the area you want to live in.
How did I get the all-black house idea?
We were in London back in 2020 when I saw an all-black row house amidst all white houses in Notting Hill. It always stuck with me, and I felt like EVERYONE was building white white white, so why not go black black black?
The real kicker for me came when I met with a design consultant at RH. He listened to my idea and told me to commit 100% to the idea. Basically, go all in or don’t do it at all. Because a halfway-done all-black house doesn’t really work!
From there, I was set. And to be honest, it made a lot of the little decisions really easy. Instead of having to constantly check that we were sticking to a cohesive color palette, we got to pick either black or white when it came to the tiny little home decor decisions.
Full disclaimer: there ARE very different types of black paint. I can’t even remember how many different black paint colors I swatched. To see what we settled on, check out the “Build” details linked here.
How did I get E on board with it??
The real answer? I barely had to. At first mention, he had trouble visualizing but once I showed him some pictures, he was all in.
Full disclosure, he’s very easy and has full faith in my home decor decisions aside from a few weird quirks...like he hates gold everything. I respected those preferences (re: the silver hardware in our bathroom) and ran super important decisions by him- otherwise he gave me full reign and never asked questions.
And just as a side bar, I think as a guy, an all-black-house is pretty bad ass, and let’s be real: black is sexy.
So there you have it! The origin story of the all-black house. The more time we spend here and the more settled we get, the happier I am with the decision. We’ll be taking a deeper dive into the whole design process and specific rooms later, but for now, feel free to comment below with any additional questions about the home build process! You can check out all the build details by room here, and the home decor is linked by room here.
Talk soon!
