Tamlynn's Questions Part IV- Fireplace Mantles

This post is in response to Tamlynn's question:

"Do you have some examples of mantels I could attach to the fireplace? "

Let me tell you of a few places you could check-

1. You could just go buy one or have one made- like the picture at the top of the post. This way you could select your stain or paint, your material, your style. My advice: don't go too small. Make sure your mantle is a good scale for the fireplace. You could go with or without corbels. I designed one recently- (it is not finished yet, or I would photograph it for you) that is just a big black rectangle. It does not have to be intricate or decorative to be fabulous.



2. Get one from someone that deals in salvage architecture. You can check in your local area for architectural salvage places, or go to local antique malls and ask if any of their dealers specialize in salvage architecture. Get in contact with them, tell them what size you are looking for, and see if they can help. I have gotten some different items this way. The re-finishing it yourself is what makes it your own. The photo above is from an architectural salvage place. Don't be discouraged if you don't find something right away- this route may take a while. Inventory is always changing.


3. Ebay. Check out this one I just found on Ebay, made from reclaimed barn beams. Cool huh? And the seller is only asking $299.- What a deal!

Have fun and send us a photo when you are done!

Thanks,

Christine

Tamlynn's Questions Part III How low should I go?

This post is also in response to Tamlynn's response- I thought she asked a very good question commenting on this post.

Tamlynn asked, "You mentioned lowering the mirror. Should the other artwork in the room be at the same height?"

So- how high do you hang something? I am going to share with you the rules I follow, by which I mean- the rules that everyone should follow. :)

1. If you are hanging something above a piece of furniture, the item should have a relationship with the furniture. Which means that it should not be hung very high above it.

This cork board above the files is only inches above it- that is perfect. The items on the files, (like the letter "K" and the flowers) overlap the item hanging above it. This is how it should be. Here the half round wall art is above the console table, again, not too far above. The flowers "overlap" the art above. The flowers are KEY here- they tie the two pieces together- solidifying their relationship.

Notice the mirrors above the console at the top of the post- same thing. Not hung too high, with the topiaries tying the pieces together. If there were no topiaries, I would move the lamps inward, so they would overlap the mirrors. If they were on the outside of the mirrors, not overlapping- that would be wrong. (in my ever so humble opinion)

2. OK- so what if the wall art is not hung above a piece of furniture? If it is just on the wall? In this case- the art should have a relationship with the wall itself- in size and scale. (This is where a lot of people have items that are too small, or too few.) Generally speaking, these items should be hung at "eye level." Yes- "eye level" is different for different people- and that is OK- a home with very tall people might have art hung higher than their short friends- but when the art is in scale and proportion to the wall itself, this is not going to be very noticeable. Note that the "eye level" rule is only the case if it is NOT above furniture- the relationship to the furniture rule supersedes the eye level rule.

Notice in this photo, the chair overlaps the mirrors. Again, this is good. If the mirrors were more to the left, (or shorter and hung entirely above the chairs) not "overlapping"- the area would be far more disjointed and lack the "put together" feel that is created when a relationship is created. (This is what I was referring to in your room, Tamlynn)

And so- back to your house- the piece above the piano should be lowered, (put something in the vase to use to "tie" the wall art to the piano) and the piece above the melodophone seems to be about the right height. :)

Thanks again for your very good question. Photos from today's post came from Ballard Designs.

Tamlynn's Questions Part II- Carpet Cushion

These questions were in response to her original questions- for her post- click here.

Two more specific questions, Christine: What advice do you have for carpet pads? I really want a comfortable lay-on-the-floor carpet in this room. Second, do you have some examples of mantels I could attach to the fireplace? Dang, thought of one more question. You mentioned lowering the mirror. Should the other artwork in the room be at the same height?

Thanks so much!

Dear Tamlynn,

First, a word on carpet pad. It depends first of all if you have a low looped carpet or a cut pile. For a low looped carpet, I always recommend a rubber (I use the yellow rubber one from GFI, unless I am using commercial carpet- in which case I recommend felt.)

1. Never use a pad thicker than 1/2 an inch. Your tack strip is only 1/2 inch high. Any higher than that could cause your carpet to pull away from your tack strip- it is just not good. I don't even know why 9/16 is sold. The company I worked for would not allow us to use it.



2. I have, in my home, and suggest for my clients a Primeurethane (sometimes referred to a polyurethane) pad by GFI (General Felt Industries). It is not a rebond, (the speckled re-cycled type- photo below) which is what you find most places, and may need to be special ordered, but it is sooo worth it.



3. For a cut pile, I would never use less than a 6 lb pad. Know that a weaker pad will cause more stress on the carpet, and cause it to wear faster. Too dense a pad, is also not good for the carpet, again, causing more stress on the carpet (because there is not enough give in this case). I would go to a very knowledgeable place to purchase my carpet. I like Carpet One stores. (ProSource- same thing for contractors and designers). Make sure your sales person is very knowledgeable, as the best pad really does change with different carpet choices.

I have to go- I will catch your other questions in a separate post- have a great weekend!

- Christine

Ali's Kitchen Questions

Hi Christine,
My sis-in-law directed me to your site. I have a question regarding my kitchen. Here is the rundown of where I am. We've lived here for 3 years. Our house is about 12 years old. We replaced the counter tops with silestone about 2 years ago, and installed a tumbled travertine backsplash. It was our intention to strip and then re-stain the cabinets. They are structurally sound, and I don't want to tear them out. They just need a face lift. I have gone back and forth with the idea of stain vs. paint. Now I am thinking I want to paint the cabinets. Now for the questions: Can I do a dark color on bottom and light on top? My thinking on this is that I have small children who love to leave hand prints, etc. at child level. I think a dark color would hide things better. I am afraid to put the dark on the top because I think it might make the kitchen feel smaller. There is only one small window over the sink (in addition to the open bar which lets light in). For that reason I want to put a lighter color on top. Also, do you have ideas on flooring? Right now it is a parquet floor that I don't really like. I like the look of travertine, but I am afraid it might be too cold in the winter mornings. What about vinyl/linoleum? Would I regret putting that down? We have oak in our dining room - should I continue it into the kitchen? Would it get too beat up by all the stuff that gets dropped?

Anyway, thanks for any insight/ideas you can give me!


Thank you!
Ali

Dear Ali,

Here are some things to consider in deciding colors for your cabinets:

1. BALANCE When doing a combination of two colors, always have the darker of the two on the bottom. Otherwise, your kitchen can seem "top heavy", and lack balance.





2. CONTRAST. Since your counters and backsplash are light, and if you have a good sized room, consider painting both the top and bottom dark, to give your room some contrast. When the dark is next to the light, everything shows up more. Whatever your colors, make sure you have good contrast, so it doesn't all blend together too much. See this post for another example. The top picture of the white kitchen looks good becasue the counters are black. You need some contrast somewhere.





3. For fingerprints... consider a glaze.- think distressed. Keep in mind that a black car needs to be washed more frequently than a white car. Sometimes dark doesn't mean that it hides things. A clean, smooth finish in a dark color can show quite a bit, whereas a distressed finish, (like the photo above of the black kitchen) whether light or dark, can be very forgiving. See this post for an example.

Flooring for your kitchen. First of all- know this- there are pros and cons to EVERY floor. None are perfect, and none will look like new forever.

• I don't like large areas (over 4 feet) of flooring changes. If I had wood floors in a family room that was OPEN to the kitchen, I would put the same wood flooring in the kitchen. With wood, you will have to keep water off of it. Yes, it will scratch and dent eventually. I had wood in my last house, travertine in this one. I loved them both.





• Travertine is cold. I have over 1000 feet of travertine in my home right now. It is hot outside, and the floor feels great! However, I get the feeling from your e-mail that you don't live in California or Arizona. Keep in mind that you can have radiant heating put under your stone, or wear slippers :). Stone is easy to live with regarding water. It does require periodic sealing. Oil or dark colors can stain it if it is not tightly sealed.





• Vinyl. I am not a big vinyl fan- really just because I don't like the look. It is a very practical floor most of the time. (Unless you have a high moisture content in your slab- if you are on a slab).





• Linoleum. Linoleum is different than vinyl. I like it a LOT! It is made of linseed oil, and considered a very "green" choice for your home. It comes in fabulous colors, can be a sheet or squares. I have used this a number of times in customers homes, and it looks GREAT! The photo above is from Marmoleum. You can do some cool patterns with it. It is a great surface.




• Amtico. I am a HUGE Amtico fan. It is beautiful and practical. Flooring for a kitchen doesn't get much better than Amtico. It is easy with water spills, not cold and hard like stone, fun to personalize- all around GREAT. (Amtico should pay me huh?) Again, I have put in a lot of Amtico floors for clients, and had a lot of happy people. I would not use Amtico wood next to real wood. However, they have some great stone looks that would work great.

Good luck Ali! Send us a photo when you are done!

- Christine-

Post script- Ali just e-mailed me the "after" shots. Looks fantastic Ali! Thanks for the pics!

Wallpaper Wednesday

Do you have a room where you are wondering where to start decorating? Try starting with a bold wallpaper. This will give you a color pallet and style that will be the direction you are looking for!

Wallpaper by Stacie Garcia

Nettie- What I would do if I were you...

I have a lovely (NOT!) gas fireplace insert that I can’t afford to replace. And I’m thinking the brick may be pretty dated, too. (I’m not all that up on these things, I’m afraid.) What can I do to fix it? Would painting the brass with a heat resistant paint fix it? Dh really wants to mount a flat screen above the mantel. But, that would be too high and a bad idea, right? Oh, and any other advice you care to give about this room would be great, too! Green is my favorite color. Can you tell? Is it too much?

Thank you!

Nettie

Dear Nettie,

I am going to label this, "what I would do, if I were you"...

If I were you, I would start by looking at the picture, and pretend it is a TV. What you have (as MANY people have) is a split focal point and a lack of balance and rhythm. All of this stemming from your TV armoire.

• The two focal points- are, of course, the TV and the fireplace.



• The large armoire right next to the large fireplace have two very "visually heavy" items right next to one another that is impossible to "balance" on the other side.



• Rhythm in a room is a little hard to explain. Ideally, when you enter a room, your eye would be drawn to the focal point of the room, and then unconsciously move around the room, enjoying the "flow" of the design. Rhythm is created with a variation of high and low, soft textures and hard surfaces. Intermixing is key. Last week I told Tamlynn not to have her bookcase right next to her bench. This is for the exact same reason- we need some rhythm. The armoire right next to the fireplace (which again MANY people have a similar situation in their homes)- is a rhythm killer.

If you could have your TV above the fireplace, and get rid of the armoire- I would do it. I would then put the armoire in a bedroom and fill it with sweaters. If your mantle is too high, I would check and see if you can lower your mantle. It would be nice to have a larger more decorative mantle anyway- perhaps it could be removed and lowered a brick and half or so.

Then I would move your sofa to be parallel with your fireplace, and put your chair on an angle in the corner. If you have the space, add a sofa table or console table to the back of the sofa.

Your artwork is too small on the wall. You don't have to get rid of it, or even move it, just add some sconces, or wall shelves, or something similar to either side. (OK- maybe I would move it a bit to the left- after you re-arrange the furniture, it should be centered on that wall in the newly defined conversation area of furniture.) The shelf below is from Uttermost.

Should you paint the metal? I can tell you this, I think it would look better in a black or aged bronze, rather than the gold. Do I know anything about painting fireplace metal- no, sorry, I don't :)

If I were you..... and were going to re-surface my fireplace, I would do it similar to the photo at the top of the blog. Re-surfacing a fireplace is a bit like doing your hard floor. It is expensive- and is so important to do it in a "timeless" manner. Paint comes and goes, carpet is only around for 10 years or so, but your fireplace- that should be there forever, if done well.

Carpet Shopping

Hi Christine,
My husband and I just bought a house that our son & daughter-in-law will be renting. We have to replace the flooring. We're letting them pick it out. They've been looking around a little bit but I don't know what they have found so far. As we have had bad experiences with carpet both times we have bought a new house, I don't want to repeat it again. In your blog you talk about the warranties and I totally agree -- our carpets didn't wear out -- they just looked terrible in the traffic areas after only six months. So do you have any advice about what to look for in an inexpensive carpet? We're talking Home Depot and Lowe's here. I always think it's better if the fibers are more dense and I do remember learning about those things a hundred years ago, but I don't remember enough. I followed your link for Masland, and judging by the stores that sell it, I would guess it's pretty expensive. We don't want to be so cheap that we have to replace it in a few years, but we don't quite know where the happy medium is.
I'm painting the interior walls of the rental house Monday and Tuesday, then we can get the flooring.
Thanks,
Nancy

Dear Nancy,

Another word on the warranties, the "wear" warranty actually refers to a loss of carpet fiber, not the carpet looking "worn". I will try to give you a simple answer. I find myslef getting so long-winded when it comes to carpet. If I were getting an inexpensive carpet, for a rental property, I would do one of two things:

1. Get an inexpensive NYLON textured plush. This would be your least expensive option, generally one that they have in stock is also the least expensive. NOTHING BUT NYLON.




2. It sounds, however, that you want something a little bit nicer. I would consider a nylon multi-level loop. Multi-level is more forgiving than a level piece- it will hide more when it comes to wear and staining.

If it looks like this (above) BEWARE- a lot of those are olephin. Olephin is an "oilier" fiber, resulting in it actually attracting soil- not a characteristic that most of us want in our carpet. The upside- olephin is less expensive. Instead- look for a piece like the one below- the denser the better.Looped pieces are less likely than cut pile carpets to look bad quickly.

These are less expensive than friezes. Friezes start out generally speaking over $30/yard. If this is not too expensive, a nice tight frieze would be a nice choice as well.

Do you notice the difference in the two friezes above? The top one has a fatter yarn mixed in with a smaller yarn. This makes the carpet feel softer than if it were all the skinny yarn. For durablity- GO ALL SKINNY! (The lower sample is not twisted as tightly as the one above -can you tell?- go with one that is tight AND skinny) That REALLY skinny tightly twisted yarn (the small yarn in the carpet in the upper photo) is fabulous! It is when the yarns come untwisted that a permanent wear pattern is created. (A thicker yarn can be used if you are OK spending more money- this is a topic for another post if anyone is interested.) The length of the yarn does not play a roll in durablity in a frieze. Longer yarns give a softer feel, but it is the twist and density that provide durablity. The longer yarns will be more expensive, because more yarn is used. In this situation, price does not equal greater durability.

Nancy,

Don't let them select the flooring!!!! What if they select something bad? Go pick it out for them :) Like a helpful mother-in-law.

I hope this was helpful. It is easier to help people with these things in person, with samples in hand.

Remember:

1. fiber choice (nylon)- a brand name (Stainmaster, etc. might be nicer, but you usually get more carpet for your money with a generic nylon.


2. density- the denser the better


3. twist- the tighter the better

Thanks,
Chistine

Wallpaper Wednesday

OK- so here I go again, giving advice to the ever popular Pioneer Woman that will never actually visit my site. I feel a little like David Letterman, when Oprah seemed to be ignoring him for so long. (Except that I am more of a peon than David Letterman. - is that how you spell peon?- who knows? And except that it has only been a week :) So anyway- now she is up to 660 responses from people giving her advice- so since she will never actually see my advice- my advice is for you! My loyal readers! Think of this as your laundry room!

Here is Ree's text:

"How would you make this laundry room fabulous? I’m thinking a great color for the washer-dryer: red or chrome or bronze. I’m thinking a rich color on the walls. I’m thinking something cool in terms of cabinetry. Something un-laundry-roomish. Something unexpected."

1. First of all- even though it is "just a laundry room," I would still suggest that the colors and style flow with the rest of the house- in this case- a "zen lodge." Don't break too far from your other colors and feel. Don't go modern, if the rest of the place is rustic- don't go pastel if the rest of the home is muted, etc.
2. Nothing creates an atmosphere like wallpaper- (have I said that before?). So- in a room like your laundry, that is low on the personality scale, add some wallpaper. Washer and dryers, by nature, are not the look of a "rustic zen lodge"- neither is paint- so add your ambiance in paper.
3. I am actually slow to use colors in appliances, for fear that the appliance lasts longer than the color- but hey-- isn't this bronze from Kenmore fabulous?
4. Add some green- this gives the room life- and good feng shui.
5. Good lighting and good organization go without saying- stay halogen, not florescent. Your lighting in your home is not the place to save the earth. I know that is not a politically popular view- but until they REALLY make fluorescent not cast a blue light- I say- stay away. They make skin, food, and yes, cloths, look an off color. They are not flattering, and not soothing. BAD feng shui!
6. Put a Roman shade on the window- this is your only opportunity for softness, so don't use a hard surface. I would do a soft sheer copper-colored relaxed Roman shade with exposed grommets.

Hey Ree- thanks for the post ideas- even if you never look at it, it was still fun for me!

Wallpaper is Ronald Redding.

Tamlynn's Questions

Hi Christine,

I would love some help with my living room.

Okay, so here are my questions. I am getting tired of our couches. We've had them for over 10 years, but they are in really good condition and we can't afford just to get new ones. But I am really hating the diamond fabric on the chair and pillows. I thought since I can sew I could probably recover the chair and make new pillows. And get rid of that stupid fringe around the pillows. The question is what fabric? What color? The floral couch and the hutch fireplace are very busy, so I want something calmer.

The second question: we also plan to replace the carpet and the baseboards. It is the only carpeted room in the house. Again, color? and texture?

Also, any other things you'd like to point out or suggest for this room would be appreciated! Thanks!


Dear Tamlynn,

Let me tackle your questions one at a time.

1. New fabric for your accent pillows. Not green- there is already so much green in there. Not the lighter peach color- it will come off way too 1987. I don't have a close up, so I am guessing a bit the colors, but I would go with with either the brown (that is brown in the center of those flowers, yes?) or the shade of white that is in there. These will give it a fresher, more current look. Keep the color solid, but use a neat texture to avoid total boredom. :)


2. The carpet. I really could do about 17 posts on selecting a carpet, but not this evening. Prison Break is on, and I have a thing for Wentworth Miller. Let me tell you that I am a carpet snob. I was well trained in LA, sent to Atlanta, toured mills, learned more then you care to know about carpet, and have turned into quite the snob. I hate dirty worn carpet. (OK, now for any friends that might be reading this post- don't get all offended- I couldn't care less about YOUR carpet- I am talking about for ME- I don't even LOOK at your carpet- I am only referring to my home, and my clients' homes, as I want my clients to love their homes, and any selections that I help them make for a very long time). What I am trying to say, is that if you replace your carpet with the wrong stuff, in a busy room like this, it will be looking bad in six months. Again, I will go into more detail another day with the specifics and whys of it all.

• Stay away from large twists that stand straight on end. These are called a cable yarn. You step on them, you twist your foot, you have permanently untwisted the carpet. It is when your carpet yarns become untwisted that you see permanent wear patterns. They can be very expensive, as they use a lot of yarn, but price does not mean durability in a carpet. Commercial carpet can be $3/sq foot and wear like iron. (I have commercial carpet in my kids' playroom and LOVE it!)



• Stay away from a textured plush. These are the most common carpets- but I am not a fan. The yarns are still standing too much on end. The only way that I would use these is if I were using a VERY nice one. And in this case, by nice, I do mean expensive. Perhaps from Masland- (my favorite)



• I would use a looped carpet, cut and loop, or a frieze. Friezes are tightly twisted, so tight that the yarn twists over on itself. This curly yarn makes a construction such that you step on the side, not the top of the yarn twist, and looks newer longer. Looped carpets are not soft, but very durable. Stay away from olefin. Only buy a nylon carpet. (or wool)



• Buy the thickest, best carpet you can afford. Good brands include: Masland, Karastan, and Fabrica. Every store, or chain "private labels" most of the carpet, making it really hard to shop around. A Tuftex piece at The Home Depot might be called one thing, and the exact same carpet will have a totally different name at Carpet One. Look for a tight twist, or tight loops, and a full density. Know that density is not as important in a frieze as it is in a textured plush.


• Don't let "warranties" fool you. A mat and crush warranty is not the same as a warranty against your carpet getting "squished" and showing wear in your traffic paths. Only polyester carpets actually "mat and crush". This is why they can have lifetime warranties, or 30 years- blah blah blah... Don't get me wrong. Look for good warranties, but don't think for a minute that your carpet will last for 30 years.



• Don't get the "speckled" stuff. It is not as "in style" as it once was- and is so "over-done". Get a nice dark color, a neutral brownish, beige-ish, khaki. Bring home samples and look at them next to other flooring, as well as your furniture, drapes, paint, etc. A dark color will be easy to live with, and is also "in style".



• Prison Break is almost half over- I will come back tomorrow....



• OK- it is tomorrow now. Prison Break was great last night, as always :)



• Back to carpet- everyone is probably totally bored with the carpet stuff, (I am even boring myself- and yet part of me wants to tell you about the different nylons....- another day perhaps) so I will stop. However, I am happy to answer any specific questions that you might have. I have had three homes now, and have had Masland carpet in every one. They should really pay me to be their spokesperson, because I love their product so much. It is not as expensive as Fabrica, (which is the bomb, but costs a bit)- and it wears like crazy. In my three homes, I have had 5 different kinds of Masland carpet, and loved them all. I have put it in a hundred others- as it is always the first place I go when a client needs carpet. The carpet at the top of the post is Masland- style, Bombay.

3. Other suggestions:

Your mirror is too high. Lower it a bit, just a few inches under the height of the chair.

The focal point of this room should be your fireplace. Add a mantle; decorate it nicely. Give your room a focal point. This will make a huge difference.

I love the bench under your pass-through window. It is great. However, it gets a little congested there with the bookcase. As a general rule, I would never put two wood pieces right next to each other. Get rid of both bookcases, and get rid of the two pieces of art on either side of the bookcases. Put large wall shelves on the large wall (like the picture below, but to scale with your wall).Or get one large (or two matching) bookcase/display cabinet. The wall is large- keep a good scale with what you do with it. (Both of these photos are from Martha Stewart)




• 

The melodophone should not be on an angle. Put it square under the framed piece. Remove the sun, and find something larger and longer that fills that space better.

Hey Tamlynn, thanks for writing in with a question!! I really appreciate it!

- Christine

A friend (I will call her Denise) asked my friend (I will call her Jane), "I need a new look," Denise said, "Something fresh and different! What do you suggest?"

"Well," Jane responded, "to begin with, you need to start wearing make-up. Some mascara and lipstick would make a huge difference, and then, you should really go have your eyebrows done. You are supposed to have two, not one. What do you say?" Jane said, " I will help you."

Denise replied, "I was talking about my house."

I am always a bit leary of giving unsolicited advice. It is too easy to stick my foot in my mouth. But, I am going to anyway. Only becasue I am 100% confidnet that the advice will never be read, as it is for my neighbor, (across the street and down three houses) I don't even know their names, and am just sure that she doesn't read my blog.

I stray again...

OK- so I have another "non- interior design" post today, but it was soooooo funny, I just had to share :) Tina Fey is a crack up! (and a striking resemblance!)

Click HERE for a BIG SNL laugh- no matter what your party- it was funny.

P Dub needs my help :)

You all know who the Pioneer Woman is -- right? She is the totally famous blogger, (she has one bazillion readers- and I don't even have a site meter- we are on different levels in the bloggosphere) Anyway- we all fell in love with as she told the story of how she and her husband fell in love. She has a section of her blog entitled "Home and Garden" In it, her latest post asked for some help. So- here I am- that's what I do :) Currently, and the number increases every minute or so, she has 919 responses to this request for help. All from amateurs. They are giving lousy advice. And sadly, she will probably never even read my very well thought out, professional, excellent advice. But, once I read her post, I could not, not respond. I just kept thinking about this zen- lodge bath- so here I am, giving advice to the girl who will never see my advice, because by the time I finish this post, she will most likely be over 1000 in her comments, and surely not read them all.- So hey- maybe it will give someone else out there an idea or two on their own bath.


This is her bathroom:

This is what she has chosen for her surfaces:

Some of her feedback said, don't use the travertine in the shower- it will get moldy! People said that over and over- (no- I did not read all 919 comments- not even close- I just scanned and saw it a lot) Personally, I would not worry about it. 1. This is a GUEST house- to me that implies only occasional showers, not 2x / day. 2. Any travertine shower that is cleaned regularly, is not going to get moldy. 3. The large holes are filled with grout. It should not be a problem. You should always have good fans in shower areas- to keep the area from being too humid. 4. Some of the responses said not to use the small tiles on the floor, because of the cleaning issue again. The floor of the shower needs the little tiles to provide the subtle curve in the floor needed for drainage. PW- don't listen to those 919 people who don't know what they are talking about!!!!! If however, you only plan on cleaning your shower once ever two or three months- -- perhaps something less porous would be my suggestion.

Here is a portion of her actual text:

These would be for the shower: the tiny tiles on the floor, the 6 x 6 tile (butted up really close together) on the walls. OK- let me interject here- when you have a tumbled stone, like the 6 x 6 in your photo- you cannot but them up really close, or you have these odd looking corners- you would need a minimum of a 1/4 in ch grout line for it to look right. if you want butted edges, select a stone with square corners.- OK- I will let you continue. I’m drawn to this color range: it’s ultra-neutral, but richer—more khaki—than many of the beigy-off-white tiles I saw. (This is in bright natural light; in the bathroom, it’ll appear darker.)
Now. My thinking is to go with a neutral shower in all the bathrooms, then change the marble/limestone pattern on the different countertops from bathroom to bathroom. Of course, they’re all in the neutral range, too…but I like them:

So here I am—back in the Land of the Neutrals. I want the bathrooms to be calming, soothing, with hints of Zen, but still true to our rural locale. Am I playing it too safe? OK- interjection here again from me- I would say- yes- too safe- Or am I heading in the right direction? Was I right to steer clear of shiny, hotel-style marbles? A variation in texture is good, a little shiny would be great- just not in large quantities. Is it okay to do all the showers in the same materials, then change up the slab patterns on the countertops? Are you talking about more than one bathroom I assume? I am starting to think you should have flown me out for this one. I paint the walls Cyndi Lauper Pink? Should I do a wallpaper border of Scottish plaid and golf clubs as a nod to my country club upbringing?
(Post Script: Not really on the pink and plaid.)
I’d love your thoughts. My mind is shot. I’ve lost the will to make smart choices. “I’m a pool of mushy goo.”
(Name that 80’s movie.)
Thank you…as always.
Love,P-Dub

So- basically- she needs to get her surface material selections to the contractor- Here you go:

This material below, Jerusalem Gold, was the surface that she started with, but disregarded because of it's shininess. I would go with it, but use it honed instead of shiny. This is for your counters.

For your floor, check out the selection below- she was looking for, and I quote her, " It’s supposed to be a lodge. A relaxing, cozy, Zen-like Lodge." What says zen-like lodge more than a black pebble mosaic? Nothing, I tell you, nothing! This is the perfect floor. This will give her a textural variety that is YUMMY!

For the showers- how about the piece below? You can use it on the floor, (this photo is blown up, it is pretty small), and mix it with some larger pieces on the walls, - in about a 16 inch section, bordered with some coordinating stone rope- with large 12 x 12's or 18 x 18's as the main field.



For your walls, it looks like there is not a lot of wall space, but where there is - go with this beautiful paper (below) from the Antonia Vella collection, book, Aviva. OK- stop that! There are a bunch of you saying, "OHHHH- that's too dark!!!!" No it is not. The kids aren't doing their HOMEWORK in there! It is a guest bath! Filled with large mirrors and artificial lighting! This will give it an ambiance that will make you want to never leave! It is perfect. It is fabulous!

Ok- give the selections to the contractor- all of the selections are available through Walker Zanger- available everywhere- even on the frontier! Oh- and Ree- if you do actually read this, I wanted to tell you that your photo on your About Pioneer Woman page is really stunning- in a "makes me want to dye my hair" kind of way :) I am a 36 year old mother of two girls and two boys, living in northern California- I think we should be friends :)

The OCD Designer

Instead of writing my own post today, I wanted to direct youy over to my friend Ashley's blog. Her topic is interior design, and her post was fabulous! I hope it makes you laugh as much as it did me :)

ABC Wednesday H is for House vs Home

As an Interior Designer, one of my jobs is to create a very personal environment for the family in each home. This is the difference of a beautiful house vs a beautiful home. Lately I have been talking to my Grandfather, and trying to convince him to come and live with me. I have been giving a lot of thought to how I can make a spare bedroom in my house, feel personal, like his home. My grandfather was in the Navy. I was thinking of having a hint of the nautical (without being too themey!) in his room. Perhaps some cool wallpaper- like the one above, or the grasscolth below. There is nothing like wallpaper to really create an "atmosphere" in a home. Or perhaps a cool boat on the wall above his bed. This one below is from Bauer International, and is a large 43 x 44.

I was also thinking that I could have put on one wall of his room, full rows of lit shelves across the wall. This would maximize the space for him to display his collections, books, some photographs. I could also use this area to put a television for him, as this wall would be the wall his headboard, and chair would face.

In his home in southern California, he has a large area in his kitchen with tons of pictures, mostly of his grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, some of his travels. I would like to re-create this in his bedroom. One wall has a window in the middle, I would hang some nice drapes, and then have two long framed areas on either side, filled with photos, with space to add more. Do you think my grandpa reads my blog? Actually, I don't think he does, but hey, if you are reading this grandpa, you should really consider my place!! I would make a very cool room for you!!! You would be happy here!!

For more ABC Wednesday fun, go here. Wallpaper from Ronald Redding, Special Effects.

Cool New Find

Check out this very cool chandelier. Every room needs an element of surprise, the unexpected, something different, to make it interesting. How about this bamboo chandelier? Available in black, green, red and white as well- the coral sure is cool, and back to my forecast, one of the up and coming colors to incorporate! Found at shadesoflight.com- under$300.