Domino Disappointment

As I explained in a prior post I was so excited to be a subscriber to Domino magazine (thanks to my sister). Well, that was short lived! They stopped printing as of this month so I have been automatically slated to receive Architectural Digest instead. I could elect another Conde Nast publication to replace it but, Architectural Digest will do.

I'll have to remain on the lookout though for a domino-like replacement.

Economics and All

So, luckily, my husband and I have been unaffected by the economic pull back but, that is not to say that we feel free to spend any significant sums on improvements (or anything else, really). We, like most everyone else, are pulling back so no big kitchen remodel right now. I will however be looking for fun, inexpensive ideas to spruce things up. And I will try to do this on a more regular basis than I have for the last couple months.

Stay tuned!

The Best Fit

I just read an article about a woman who is on Architectural Digest's top 100 list of interior designers who has created a "new" product. The designer, Cecil Hayes, determined that many people who try for a new look in their home start by dragging their heavy furniture around to see where it fits best. Since that is time consuming and back-breaking work, she has created furniture templates made out of paper that you can drag around instead. Sounds great, huh?

Now, don't get me wrong, this is an awesome idea but, why buy this product? A few years back when I bought new furniture I decided what I thought I liked, took the dimensions and cut them out of contact paper (but, really, any kind of paper would work, wrapping paper, butcher paper, you get the idea). I then moved those pieces of paper around my family room until I saw the layout that I liked. It also gave me great comfort that the pieces I chose would fit. If I can figure this out I bet a lot of you have also.

So, the next time you are in the mood to redecorate, get out the wrapping paper first and your rearranging project will go much more quickly and smoother. Have fun!

Kitchen ReDo

We have been dreaming of a new kitchen since we moved into our current home almost 10 years ago. Then, a few weeks back my husband called me in to see a television show about kitchen remodeling. Of course, I came running because our kitchen is something I'd like to redo in the not too distant future. Well, we both sat there watching two people discuss a "new" kitchen. The kitchen had been refaced as opposed to replaced, as we watched we felt we received a pretty thorough education in refacing.

The attraction for us was that it was cost effective and we would only be out of commission a couple of weeks rather than the months that I have heard horror stories about. Our kitchen has a pretty good layout and our cabinets are good quality, just dated. So, we thought we would try for an estimate.

I called a refacing company and they sent someone out to our home. The man measured our kitchen, spoke with us about our options, then measured again, and talked some more. He remarked at how "gigantic" our kitchen is, it is 18 feet by 16 feet. I know it is a good size but I would never call it "gigantic." So, as it turns out, all this talk was to prepare us for a "gigantic" price tag. The explanation is that we have 71 linear feet of space, and here's the price: $96,000 but just for us they are offering a 30% discount which brings it to $64,000. Wow!

Now, I'm not sure how to measure a kitchen but 71 linear feet seems like a lot. Then we did need a couple of new cabinets because we do want to move a couple things around but, the price does not seem right, does it? It does not include any of the bells and whistles like under cabinet lighting, the backslash, the electrical, new overhead lighting, finishing the inside of the glassed in cabinets, or any of the pull outs that I would love to have when we do remodel our kitchen.

To make matters worse, we could not get rid of the kitchen guy. He came on a school night at 7:00. My husband's car would not start so we had to go pick it up and we could not get rid of the guy! He kept remeasuring, taking one thing to his car, trying to get us to sign the contract, remeasuring. Finally, I told my husband I was going to wait in the car and he needed to boot the man out. I hate to be rude but it was closing in on 10:00 and we still had a car to retrieve.

So, we feel like we can get a brand new kitchen for much less than that and decided to keep looking. I was so disappointed!

Air Conditioner Grilling Trouble

I'm not sure why builders do this but, it always seems like those huge air conditioner or heater intakes are in the most visible places in homes with the ugliest cover over them. In my house, our grill is down a flight of stairs in direct line of sight when entering through my front door. I have always thought that was so ugly and my husband will not let me cover it because, well, it is the intake for the heating and air conditioner.

I have finally found a potential solution that may be acceptable to both of us. Pattern Cut will cut any shape pattern into wood that you can use to cover your unsightly vent. An idea I had was to have to identical vent covers made and hang them symmetrically on the wall, one to cover the air vent and the other to make it look more like a display of art. Maybe paint them interesting colors or something.

I am still playing with the idea but I'm really excited about the solution for finally hiding that unsightly eye sore.

domino - The Guide to Living With Style

I am so excited! For Christmas my sister and her husband gave me a subscription to Domino magazine. I had never read this magazine before but after receiving the information from my sister I picked up a copy at my local Borders bookstore. Boy, is it chalk full of great information, ideas, and articles. I have really enjoyed it an cannot wait to receive my first issue.

Check it out, Domino.

Happy New Year

I have to get better about this blogging thing and photos. Last weekend we took all our Christmas decorations down and I realized that I never took any photos to post. What a pity!

Well, I am back on it. My routine has been kicked back into gear whether I like it or not and I should be able to post much more regularly now that the holidays have come and gone.

Happy New Year!

Tools For Design

The Grand Rapids Press out of Michigan recently ran an article that featured several websites that you can use to help you visualize various facets of design projects. Among them are:

www.benjaminmoore.com where you can try various shades and hues of pain on for size;

www.bhg.com that has several tools where you can enter dimensions of your room and then place design features, including furniture, areas rugs, etc. in various configurations, also where you can see various colors applied to your room or your home.

www.designmyroom.com where you can choose a room layout, add color, furniture, artwork, and other options however when I tried to use this tool it froze my computer so I'm not sure how well is works in the end.

www.purecontemporary.com on which you can lay out furniture plans but the room configurations are not quite as free form as the bhg ones.

www.baliblinds.com where you can test drive certain window coverings.

www.daltileproducts.com to check out various floor covering options.

I think my favorites are the www.bhg.com site and the www.purecontemporary.com site because they offer complete room design capabilities and seem to be pretty reliable. The others are good too if you are trying to concentrate on just one item, like window coverings or flooring, or are just looking for some good ideas. But, by now, you know I can never concentrate on one area at a time, each thing leads to the next and pretty soon I have moved from my living room mantel into my office closet. How exactly does that happen?

Interior Design Magazine

You may have noticed I have recently discovered this magazine, Interior Design. It is a little pricey but the articles and photos are fabulous.

Denser Urban Living - The New Cool

Interior Design magazine reports that as the downturn in the housing market deepens buyers dive into more densely populated areas nearer transit, businesses, and other amenities. This prevalent trend bucks what has been popular in the not too distant past. The magazine states that the current popularity in "infill sites" results in a focus on homes that are on smaller lots and positioned closer together than homes located in traditional neighborhood landscapes.

Apparently, potential buyers are making these choices based not only on living convenience but, also with resale value in mind. I guess the old adage, location, location, location never has strayed far from the top of the list of wants and needs when purchasing real property. It just depends on what the chic location is at the time you are considering your purchase.

Showering in the Rain

While on our recent visit to Mexico we lodged in a hotel where our bathroom had all the amenities of an upscale living space: stone covered flooring and walls, solid stone vanity, bowl sinks, frosted glass doors, a dual flush on the commode, a coveted, lighted, magnifying mirror, and a giant shower head that had the best rain feel.

Although the bathtub featured a sliding shower head we all elected to use the giant rain shower head. It is something that I always thought might be great when we remodel our bathroom but this experience sealed the deal. The shower head was at least 12" in diameter and it felt amazing. It was so different for us from our shower at home that when we got home our son, who is seven, came running out of the bathroom after showering and announced that there was something wrong with our shower because the water did not come out well. Upon inspection, the shower was fine it was just the beautiful memories of the gigantic rain-style shower we had all grown so fondly accustomed to.

Someday...

Christmas - The Mexican Way

We were in Mexico over Thanksgiving week and I have to say it was quite relaxing. While we were there the hotels were decorating for Christmas (which is a week long process, or more, in Mexico). Their decorations were quite creative. The hotel where we lodged used artificial Christmas trees and decorated them with ribbon, gourds or coconuts spray painted silver or sprayed with glue and sprinkled with glitter, and other natural articles. It was all so fascinating to watch and I was amazed at how fabulous things looked when they were done.

And since Mexico is a Catholic state and there is no separation of Church and state, as we traveled to the airport on Saturday after Thanksgiving, the transportation department was busily decorating the roadway medians for Christmas.

Now, if I only thought to take some photos...

Decorating for Christmas

I did it!

I successfully decorated for Christmas (well, with the the unending help of my husband and my children). I love Christmas decorations but, every year it seems like such a big deal to get them out (and an even bigger deal to put them away). I guess now that the children are older it is a little easier because they can really help.

So, last weekend we got all the decorations out and my husband, children and I worked for a few hours on Saturday and then I finished up on Sunday morning. I always struggle with the exterior entry or front porch, though, and I ended up getting some things that I'm not positive I like. Well, some I am positive I like but some I'm not sure about. And, I still have my fall wreath hanging on the door because I have not found one that I like that goes with the exterior decorations. What a conundrum!

So, maybe this weekend because I have completed my Christmas shopping, I will have time to seek out the perfect wreath. We'll see...

Oh, and I have not taken any photos yet but I will post them after I do this weekend. 'Tis the season!

Holiday Decorating

It seems like I barely got my Halloween decorations down and it's time for Christmas decorating. That is the plan for this weekend, so as soon as I get that started I will post some pictures.

In the meantime, stay safe and enjoy the holiday spirit!

Holiday Decorations

I cannot believe that Christmas is almost upon us, with Thanksgiving next week and all. After Thanksgiving, Christmas decorations will be in order. Check back for my progress.

Another Mantel Idea

I love this look (and my walls are almost identical to the color of these)!

I have been obsessed with finding a new mantel, or I guess any mantel since we do not currently have a mantel and I really like the look and feel of this one. I think though that the side pieces that hold up the mantel might be a little ornate for my taste but, I really like the detail on the top shelf part of the mantel. Now I can't remember where I found this so I cannot even see if there is something like it or not.

The search goes on...

Life is a Commode!

Or something!

I was reading an interesting article today about all the new advances in toilets. I was interested because seeing as that all of our commodes are approaching twenty years old we are looking into getting some new ones. But why get new toilets when you can get a new bathroom to put it in? We may not be able to do a new bathroom but toilets are doable, and necessary.

There are so many options now when it comes to toilets, heated seats, nightlights, dual mode flush, air assist flush, and so many other choices. But, my favorite was the "green" alternative, can you guess? Well, it's a toilet that comes with a built in rinsing mechanism, both low and high powered depending on need. This is sold as a *green* alternative because they claim you do not need to use toilet paper saving approximately $125 a year on toilet paper. Okay, I get the rinse thing, don't want to have an entire discussion about it because I'm not quite sure where it will go but, I wonder after you rinse do you just drip dry? I would think you would still need a little toilet paper.

Oh, Mickey!

Today's New York Times has an article on the new marketing prospects of Disney. It seems that Disney is starting market its brand in apparel, art and furniture without the character connection .

In 2006, Disney began a venture with Drexel Heritage, The Walt Disney Signature collection that features retro or modern inspired furniture, the kind which you might have found in Walt Disney's office or home when he was alive. Drexel Heritage describes this line as follows:

Streamlined shapes and sleek textures accentuate this collection of furniture inspired by Walt Disney. These superbly crafted furnishings for every room of the home feature decorative veneers, multiple finish selections, brushed nickel accents and fanciful shaping reflecting an Art Moderne style that has been carefully edited & outfitted to appeal to today's tastes.

They have pieces for any room, dining room, living room, bedroom, or even your home office, truly something for any room. And wall art too. It really looks enticing.

What Kind of Mantel Do I Need?

Now that the shutter is complete in our living room, I am starting to focus on the mantel. This is a picture of our, as yet, untouched mantel in all its glory. Now, the picture that my husband hung for me that is way too low, but it's there. I don't have a photo to show you but the wall that that fireplace sits on is very tall and the room has a cathedral ceiling which makes the wall appear even taller than it is. We are lucky in that the fireplace is not just hanging on the wall like so many are these days until we finish them off but, actually already had a nice marble tile surround that I think I'll keep intact. So, the trick for me is finding the perfect full mantel in the right size and for the right price.

I keep waffling back and forth between stone and wood. I think I want a lighter color, like a creamy or whitish color and that is why I think a stone or faux stone mantle would be nice. I think any wood color might look funny but, it also might tie in nicely with the wood floors from the dining room and pull the two spaces together.

Now, if I am able to just focus on one space, the mantel area, I actually might be able to get something accomplished.

Here's the fireplace up close. The marble part is 64.25 inches wide by 43 inches tall with an 18 inch apron and the fireplace is centered in the marble tile at 40 inches wide by 31 inches tall with the actual opening starting at 6.25 inches from the bottom. I think I'd like to remove the doors and just have a screen there and maybe even just put in the fake logs so we can have a fire without polluting the environment.

What do you think? Do you have any good sources for mantels? If so, I'd love to hear them.

Comfortable Country French

I found this article that describes Country French decor as "comfortable" and as I read the article I thought that that is exactly what I like about it. The colors are peaceful and calming, the minimal simple accessories with the curvy, yet simple, lines of the furniture all make me feel very relaxed.