Holiday House Rules

Tile of my dreams.

Okay, so  few weeks ago, the hubs and I snuck off to Miami. Just needed to be warm, and childless. You get it.

While we were there we ate at a place called Scarpetta, in the Fontainbleau Hotel. It was fabulous. But then we got home and saw some crazy Food Network show (they all meld in my mind) about the "best comfort foods," and JWH was crushed. See, Scarpetta apparently has  the best spaghetti known to man. And he had the fish. Awww, poor guy. Spaghetti is like his favorite thing in the world. After pizza. 

So while he is lamenting his missed opportunity to try the best, I'm thinking it'll get me another trip to Miami in the not too distant future. I can say "spaghetti" right as he drifts off to sleep, and one day he'll wake up and say, "You know, hon, we should go back to Miami for a few days."

Ok, if you insist.

Oh, but what does this have to do with tile? Well, the tilework at Scarpetta was to die for. I even took pictures with my phone so I could file it away in the "want to have" drawer. There were acres and acres of this. Man, must have taken weeks to install...

Here are my close ups:

And one of the whole bar area (from Haute Living).

Oh, and for the foodies out there, here is the spaghetti, courtesy of the LA Times.

Pretty (weird) thing.

OK, so it's not something you can buy - or maybe it is? - but I laughed out loud at this picture. The bathing beauty on the book. Like a chubby downward-dog. Hilarious!

(Solid Frog)

More soft surfaces in the bath.

Okay, now that I officially know that my roman shade is delayed (sigh, etsy + roman shades + me is a bad combo, it seems) I have turned my attentions toward my impending shower curtain dilemma. The current on is a perfect match to the wall color. Well, not perfect in that it's the same, but perfect in that it looks like the same color unless you actually hold one up to the other. Funny how that happens. You can see it here in the reflection - it's kind of a white lime green and sea foam stripey deal.

Also funny is this particular curtain's history. See, it came with our old condo. You know, ...you move in and the old peeps have left it hanging there and you are kind of grossed out, but also thinking maybe it was nice of them to leave it in case you can't find yours among all your boxes? Nah, I'm a champion packer and label-er, so that would never happen to me...but I digress. Why do I still have that curtain? I saved it, feeling like it was pretty and could come in handy. And, lo these 3 years, it has. 

But, now, its time has come. I need something that will go with the roman shade, and, sadly, this sucker will not do the job. I need something neutral and natural. Not bright white, and not too sheer (have to hide the kiddie toys in the tubby, after all). I'm thinking a linen texture or a soft waffle. There are so many lines already in there with the vertical wainscoting and the square tile. And, it's a pretty heady mix of bright whites and creams. I need to keep that balance in mind.

So, here are some options I've ben considering. Nothing jumps out at me as perfect yet, I may have to try a few options in situ before deciding.

(Gaiam Eco-Friendly Linen)

(Hemp Shower curtain by Anna Herman, the photos are not selling it...hemp seems to hang funny...)

(York Natural Off-White Waffle)

(Eileen Fisher, perhaps a bit too brown?)

(Balineum Elinor Shower Curtain, courtesy of Remodelista)

Bordering on an obsession.

No one thinks about curtains as much as I do. 

At least that's the reality I am forced to face as I put up yet another post of curtain pictures. What can I say? These lovelies make me happy.

(Chevron beauties via Honey + Fitz)

(Bordering on fabulous from design*sponge, harharhar)

(Mod romance from Apartment Therapy)

(And, yes, gasp, sill-length from Cococozy)

(Cute in the kitchen with Thrifty Decor Chick)

(And, just so you know I'm still thinking "Sunroom," these inspirational shades are from Apartment Therapy)

(More shades- actually fabric over standard store-bought bamboo shades - from Little Green Notebook)

The Apartment Therapy Community - love or hate?

Over on Apartment Therapy, it's common custom to see a picture and post a swoony comment below. Very often the comment is something along the lines of, "where can I get that fabric in picture #3?" People generally try to be helpful. I try to be helpful. Heck, I troll around enough that sometimes I have something valuable to add...

Anyway, a week ago I was the asker - it was this picture that got me:

The teal, the orange...the buffet?! The buffet was like the holy grail. Just what I need in my dining room to replace the particle-board, self-assembled piece 'o crapola that is there now*. You can see it here, to the right of the fireplace. Pretty low-budge as we say at HH.

So, I swooned. I asked. I coveted. And later in the day I checked in to see if anyone had answered. And a funny thing happened - the minute I clicked back on the post I knew. Room and Board. Of course! I had play-configured their Linear cabinets a million times - hoping to one day put them in the family room under the tv...but since I have never though of them as a buffet option...well it just didn't click right away. (This one is a Hudson cabinet, btw.)

Now, to the folks who, later in the comment thread, chastised me for not having clicked through to the article that the post was highlighting...well, to you I say, both sorry, I was not at my best "spot the manufacturer" form, and also, "come on, no one reads Apartment Therapy! We look at the pretty pictures!"

 *Funny story about the day we bought this cabinet. Someday I'll share. But it involves a wet red paint cat print on the wall, about shoulder height. Not a cat's paw print mind you, but a whole cat...

I dream of teal and trim.

So, it's becoming an obsession. I'm fantasizing so much about a dark teal room that I may just have to do something about it. My mudroom measuring has been disappointing - there may be no room for that half bath, but I still may get the mudroom - and maybe it will be teal!

(Apartment Therapy)

(Young House Love)

(House and Home)

(Apartment Therapy)

(Decorpad)

(This Old House)

(Design Evolution)

(House Beautiful via Young House Love)

ISO: a pretty map.

Last week we were at Ikea and we spied a map. It was huge. But the kiddo and her dad enjoyed finding the homes of all her far-flung cousins. The kiddo further enjoyed choosing locations for her "aminals" to hail from. Chicky is from South Africa, BTW.

(JenDavid via Flickr)

Anyway, the map was simply too large for our space. But the idea is still compelling. So I'm on the hunt for a smaller world map. So far, big seems to be in...

(Lonny Magazine via Grace Designs)

(Ohdeedoh)

(Designwali)

(The Boo and the Boy)

(Design*Sponge)

(Apartment Therapy)

I like that these are real maps, you know, not dumbed down kiddie versions? I think even a smaller area map or subway map could be cool.

(Apartment Therapy)

When we explained  to the kid what a map really was, and what it represented, and saw a look of disbelief that was similar to when I told her a man in a red suit was coming down our chimny one night....well, it occurred to me that simply orienting her in this kind of thinking might be valuable. 

 Seen any good maps lately?

Updating the house tour.

Just because I feel like I have more and better photos...

Slip. Slip. Slipcovers!

Time for a little melodrama: I have been waiting for my cat to die so I can re-upholster my front room chairs. Wait, that sounds weird. Maybe I should re-phrase... I'm not anxious for her to pass, or anxious to do the chairs, actually. But, the chairs need help, and no way, no how, am I investing in new upholstery while the cat is, um, still doing her old cat thing. (Let's just say that Phoebe on Friends had a song that adequately describes life with an elderly cat...)

So, while this in no way should be taken as a nudge out the door to my beloved kitty...I have started looking about at slip covered chairs. I do not want a sloppy, shabby chic look, rather something tailored...

(Windsor Smith)

(Decorpad)

 (Apartment Therapy)

But, what of fabric? Should I go staid and sturdy so as not to tire of a pattern (as I have tired of the pattern I have now, cat damage not-withstanding)?

(eclectic revisited)

(decorpad)

(Chapman Interiors)

(Liz Levin Interiors via Inspiration for Decoration)

Or can I go patterned?

 (studio bon textiles)

(Decorpad)

(Discount Designer Fabric)

(eclectic revisited)

(Robert Allen)

(Room Service Interiors)

Or even bold?

(an old Urban Outfitters Chair, photo via casasugar)

(Anthropologie via Tilly's Cottage)

(Apartment Therapy)

(Crate and Barrel)

(Bonnee Sharp via housetweaking)

My front-runner right now is still based on this gorgeous setee in Peter Dunham Samarkand - I'm in love with the Sepia color, and the oveall size and spacing of the pattern. Where can I see this stuff in person? I'm on the hunt!

And the fantasy continues.

Last week I posted about my new big idea: the conversion of our sun room into a powder room and mudroom. I shared some pictures of what I had in mind for the mudroom part. But, really, is a bathroom that small even possible? Advisable? I present my evidence.

(Elle Decor via Knotting Hill Interiors)

That sink's name and manufacturer still elude me, but some others might work, too.

 

And as far as placement of the sink in the "standing" space of the toilet - there seems to be some precedent that this is ok. (I do have facts and figures as to the space required by code, btw. I fully intend to break out the tape and tape it off before I go calling an architect.)

(top photo: unknown, middle: HGTV, bottom photo: Design*Sponge)

So, I'm totally on to something here, right?

Oh, and what would that mudroom look like?

On Wednesday I posted about the possibility of putting a powder room and a mudroom in where my sun room is now. It's a bold, bold idea. And doing it would take some planning and some cash and some stepping waaaay outside my comfort zone. So, today, I retreat to within my comfort zone...daydreaming about how that mudroom with look!

I'm not thinking locker-style. That's too Pottery Barn for me. I'm liking these ideas:

These drawers feel kind of age-appropriate to the house.

(Trikeenan Tileworks)

But this picture does a nice job of conveying the shape and pleasant bench area I'm going for.

(Elle Decor via CocoCozy)

As does this one, with another storage option:

(via Our Castle)

Hmm, not digging the dividers, though. So there's this one.

(Integrity Custom Carpentry)

For the wall area, since I don't want to block the way to the bench, or take up any floor space at all, actually. So I was thinking shelves. But with all-important storage for gloves, hats, and general small items.

(JCS Carpentry & Woodworking)

(Benchmark Custom Interiors)

Since several of the floor plans I have include a wall of hooks under a transom window, perhaps board and batten is appropriate?

(One Nutty Girl)

And these folks show hooks and cubbies together (I'd have to forgo the bench, and my cubbies would be way less deep...Are you seeing it yet? My vision, I mean.

(My Greenbrae Cottage)

Pretty things that grow (hopefully).

So, time machine back to an earlier Pretty Things post with me for a sec....

Okay, and now the reality! Thanks to re-nest and the folks at toHOLD, I finally found a way to live the terrarium dream. Now that I think about it, holding out for a trip to SF was likely not a winner plan anyway...

So, behold my little air garden! 

Easy care, too. I simply take the plants out once a week and rinse them off. I have a way with plants, you might say. Hearty ones live forever without me so much as touching them, ever. The less hearty, well, it's hard to remember those friends since they were with us so short a time.  I've been moving the terrarium around the house to find the best spot for him. Yes, I have anthropomorphized it into a "him." For his safety, I'd better go for a spot near a water source...

I want a mudroom!

Okay, so I'm not competitive by nature...but my friend Val is getting a mudroom and I want one, too!

Yeah. I know, she's putting on an actual (very cool) addition to get her mudroom needs fulfilled. I am not suggesting we do that at HH. (JWH can let out the giant breath he just sucked in.) But still, we have this sun room...

JWH still has fantasies about sitting in there and reading peacefully while taking in the fabulous views of the Boston skyline. Yeah, it's been 3 years buddy, and it's a wasteland. So, inspired by Val, (see, no hints of jealousy) I got to thinking. Why not make it a mudroom. And a powder room. Yeah, I upped the ante tight there. Just like that.

Here is kind of what I had in mind in terms of layout. Certain key facts need to be stated, though, before you go thinking there are better ways to do this:

1. The current location and type of sun room door are key - it is a glass door and lets in a ton of light. Putting a solid wall there would make the living room darker by a fair margin.
2. The 3 windows at the end of the sun room have a money view. Do not obscure or the angels will cry.
3. The plumbing for the laundry room currently goes up through the coat closet in front of the sun room. Rather not open that can of worms...
4. The walls that make up the inside edge of the 2 closets contains a 125 year old pocket door. It stays. End of story. 
5. The walls that mark the end of the foyer/into the living room? Also decorative, old, and not changing.

This pic illustrates numbers 5 and 6 above. Sunroom door is opposite the black buffet you see there.

So, some ideas...

 
 
And, now I ask...are there better ways to do this? 

Wood paneling. Can it be loved?

Someone on a blog I read was talking about making-do with the wood paneling in their daughter's room. My first reaction was "paint it!" But then I started looking around. Hmmm...are there any colors that work with the orange-y badness that is wood paneling?

Green and white seem to do nice things. Kind of an air-y cabin thing going on.

(Coastal Living)

I think pink can work, if required. So long as it's used with ample white and green...

(Ohdeedoh)

Or, it's even better if the pink leans a little more toward coral. 

(Coastal Living)

Or, the use of red (or hot pink) and ample white, is kind of cozy. You'd have to be careful here not to go too deep into the land of country kitschy.

 
(my home ideas)

But, the again, the easiest decorator solution is to paint it. I'd go creamy white. You get the benefit of light, and you can then use whatever color palette you want. See this amazing before and after. This is the after:

(Ohdeedoh)

Okay, that's all I've got for now. But good luck to those of you with paneled walls!

Painted stairs.

Old homes sometimes have very worn out stairs. The wood-purists out there would have you believe your only option is to strip and refinish them, or to painstakingly replace the treads. That cost bucks! And who are these purists to insist on the spending of big bucks, when a can of the 'ol floor pant can be so great!

(Decor8)

(Design Locker)

(RootsLiving)

(House Beautiful)

  

(Katy Elliott)

My bolster is here!

The guest room...you remember it. Used to be blue, is now gray, and somehow....well...blah? So I took you on a journey to etsy where I had a bolster made to jazz it up. And while my Canadian pillow-making friend did her thing, I kept bumping into photos that made me so sure I was on the right track. It was kind of like when you buy a Volkswagen, you suddenly notice all the Volkswagens out there? Right.

So here are the pics that I noted while I waited:

(Apartment Therapy)

(Little Green Notebook)

(Decorati Access)

And here, at long last, is my finally finished (and glorious, IMHO) guest room!

And, just in case you don't recall and don't want to click over, the before:

Ah, what an improvement. Even Erwin, the cleaning guy, stopped me to express his love for the new look. What a sweetie. Oh, and a shout-out to Liz at It's Great to be Home, since her February Blog Party gets full props for helping me finish this room!

Pretty things for my feet.

Yeah, today I'm going all personal.

 

I have wanted these boots for ages and ages  and, oh, ages. And I finally bought them. In navy (since that what I found in stock domestically, if they don't fit I may man-up and order the next size straight from the manufacturer). And, given my pick of colors? I may go black. Or red? Who knows?

What I do know is that I will be sporting these bad baby's this spring, and then stowing them away until fall. The end of summer will be less sad when I know these are a-waitin' for me!

I know green is the new black.

But I'm surprised at how quickly it's rolled out into the more permanent home decor items - like curtains. Usually a new color comes in on the accessory train...

(Apartment Therapy, The Boo and the Boy, Design*Sponge, That Unreliable Girl, Land of Nod, Elizabeth Dinkel Design via Loft and Cottage)

Yellow doors.

So happy. So sunny. Enjoy.

(Inspiration for Decoration)

(Hus and Hem via Emmas Designblogg)

(Hooked on Houses)

(Feathers)

(Thomas Loof via Man Make Home)

Monday. Or why I hate the hall bath.

Okay, last Monday I shared my window frosting jobby. This week, I'm going to share my shame, i.e. why I hate that bathroom. People say, "It's fine." No, not fine, let me count the ways.

1. The door. It does not open all the way. It hits a little piece of molding that caps the wainscoting. Really.

 

2. The silly molding around the tub. I will not zoom in. It suffices to say that the wood is rotted, and yucky. I mean, it's wood trim, around the base of a tub that a 4 year old bathes in. 

 

3. The vanity. It's not made of real wood. And its too big for the space. They actually cut 115 year old molding to fit the granite on there. They cut it!

4. The vanity part 2. Since the sucker was not meant to fit there anyway, you get the handy side-effect of not being able to open the top drawer. The doorknob is in the way. Umm, classy.

5. The floor. Somebody had a burst pipe. I heard all the gory details from the contractor who did not fix it, but likes to criticize the guys who did fix it. They cut the boards and put back a wobbly little hatch to nowhere. I'm told those same yahoos are responsible for numbers 2, 3, and 4 above, too.

6. The wainscoting. I hate it. Wainscoting in a bathroom is the worst idea ever. Steam, heat, cold, wait for it...crack! Yep. You can caulk and paint all you want, it just keeps happening.

 

6. The wainscoting part 2. I will let this picture, of where the toilet lid and wainscoting trim meet, speak for itself.

 

There are other things I'd like to change, too, of course (the tub is tiny and I'd prefer a built in medicine cabinet...and I'd love a non-Leaning-Tower-of-Pisa radiator, ya know?), but they are non-starters due to actual physical constraints, so why dwell, right?

So I'm going to do what I can and work on loving the one I'm with. 

Interior doors. Love.

Last week I was all into blue front doors, and this week? Interior french doors of all colors! Doors really can set the tone. Each of these rooms would look so entirely different with more plain doors. Swap them around in your head and see what I mean.

(Little Green Notebook)

(Remodelista via My Second Storey)

 
(Oh, I don't know, if this is your pic, I love it, email me!)

(Apartment Therapy)

(Elle Decor via CocoCozy)