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Friday, August 10, 2012

Fun in the Kitchen















Just because you have a neutral kitchen doesn't mean everything has to be beige, white or stainless steel. Today both large and small appliances come in all sorts of bright cheerful non-neutral colors. I am not quite ready to invest my hard earned money on a blue stove that I may tire of after a year but I'd love to bake with a Turquoise mixer. My beloved Chock Full O' Nuts might be tastier brewed in a Magenta coffeemaker. Who wouldn't love a racy red toaster. There's nothing wrong with loving neutrals but we all could stand to embrace a little color from time to time. I'm ready to do some work on my kitchen and I think I may have to treat myself to one of these cuties. It's sure to be a conversation starter.  

Bertazonni.com
                           
                 
Waring at Lowe's
Dualit at Home Depot
DeLonghi at Amazon.com
                                                                                                                   




DeLonghi at Home Depot
Oggi at Amazon.com
Kitchenaid at Amazon.com


   

Friday, August 3, 2012

For Your Consideration - Gray

Lately I have been smitten with the color gray. Gray walls, floors, furniture, lighting, fabric or pretty much anything. I am in love with it's versatility and softness and there seems to be an unlimited number or shades to choose from. Gray can take center stage and be the dominant color in a room or just as easily be the backdrop for brighter more vibrant colors. It also works very well with other neutrals like black and white or cream which I think is the prettiest combination. I once painted my living room a light gray that was borderline blue. I was not happy with it so I am a little reluctant to go down that road again. Having said that I think I can do a better job this time. I learned from that experience that you have to think your design ideas through, decide on a look and commit to it. If you only go halfway it won't work. Here are some really pretty gray rooms rooms that inspire me. 

I like the gold accents in this room. I would have only thought to use silver but this gold mirror looks so pretty with the gray walls. 
Elle Decor

The yellow accent is nice but not right for my living room. The rug....gorgeous! And did you catch the tiger covered chairs.

Love this warmer shade of gray. The oak wood cabinet looks perfect against it.
Better Homes and Gardens

The black accent furniture is a nice touch. Wonder if I can work a black piece into my living room. They say you should have at least a touch of black in every space.
Better Homes and Gardens

The gray and cream combination is simply lovely. I am in love with the tables. If I could find just one of those chairs at an estate sale consider it sold.

I really like the mix of colors in this room. The golds, blues, turquoise and warm wood color work so well with the neutral gray. This is a room I could live in. 
Elle Decor

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Working With a Contractor

My friend is my contractor but my contractor is not my friend. What I mean by that is even though he is a friend, and I trust his skills completely, I don't always trust his judgement aesthetically simply because he has his tastes and I have mine. He is a good friend of mine that I can call on anytime if I need help with installing or repairing something or even making something. There is no one I trust more. When it comes to making a decision about what I want for my home, he is no longer just a friend, he becomes someone I've hired to do a job because of his skill and expertise. 

Over the last few years my contractor has completed several projects for me. When I bought my house it did not have a gate. When my Pug Roxie adopted me, it became necessary to get a gate because she kept finding her way out the yard. I asked him to install it and he offered to swing by and do it. When I came home the gate was in and I hated it. I didn't hate the material, it was just a simple cedar gate, but he put it right at the front of the house and it lined up perfectly with my neighbors gate. This really looked odd because it looked like one long 15' fence and you couldn't tell where her property began or mine ended. I wanted the gate to be at the back end of my house, but it was totally my mistake for not stating that. My contractor graciously came back, cut down the post because it was set in concrete, ripped out the gate and relocated it. In other words, he had to do it twice.

When it was time to install the tile in my bathroom, my contractor wanted me to use 6" x 10" tile. It's quick and easy to install because they're larger and would require fewer cuts, but that was not what I envisioned. I wanted 6" x 6 " tile in a running bond pattern. It was a little harder to put in, but it was what I wanted and I'm happy with how it turned out.

We installed the marble top in the downstairs bath but had not worked out the backsplash detail. The top came with a 6' long marble strip that was tapered on the ends. We cut the ends off and glued it to the wall but it looked awful. I asked if we could instead take the rest of the top and cut a 4" high piece to make the backsplash and wrap it around both sides of the counter. Again, it took a little longer but he did it the way I wanted and it made a tremendous difference.

When we installed the light, I again was not home when he started. I came home in mid installation and it was good thing I did. The placement of the light was too low and two far right. I wanted the mirror centered under the light and the way he positioned it my mirror would not have fit. He took the light back down, moved it up and over and now it's perfect.

What I learned is that even though your friend is your contractor it is still your project. It's important to review exactly what you want to avoid not being satisfied with what you get. You never want your contractor or even your friend to do anything twice because their time is just as valuable as your money. It's so important to be around when the work is being done because it's much better to catch a mistake at the beginning where it's easier to correct than it is to walk in, see it finished and have to rip it out.

I am so blessed to have a friend like Monroe work with me on my home. The amount of money he has saved me over the years by not taking advantage of my lack of knowledge is huge. We've developed a good working relationship and for every project we do I will make sure to discuss every detail thoroughly. This is the best way to maintain our working relationship and especially our friendship which at the end of the day is the most important thing.

Monroe rocks!!

 
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