| Author | Message | ||
     shh Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 1479 Registered: 5-2001 |
Thanks Pippi. I think I may end up just doing the black and white tile as in my bath and painting the walls and cabinetry different colors (in the yellow/cream family). That will be just fine. Our dining room has made significant progress. It really looks beautiful. The large archways between the dining room and the kitchen/ family room have been installed and it makes the room seem much larger. We're also changing the colors, from red walls with white trim/ceiling and black crown moulding, to Edgecomb gray walls, off white trim/crown and a taupe ceiling. The light walls totally expand the space but the ceiling makes the room feel warm and cozy. I loved the red dining room, but this is refreshing. There are no windows to the DR, just three large archways and a 5' sliding door to the deck, so I'm hoping to put some sort of dramatic window treatment there. Something to frame the view, that we can close when we want. I'm thinking a textural red drapery, either velvet or maybe a paisley with red in it. We'll see. Before I do that my husband said I better order blinds for the window in our bath. The window starts at his knees and frames his head perfectly. He doesn't want to flash the town. The tile in the mudroom went in tonight. We had a little issue. It's 4x4 tumbled marble, but I wanted the rows offset rather than in a grid. Greg and my husband tried to convince me otherwise (Greg had already laid a few rows when I went over to take a look). I felt bad changing it, but it wasn't what I envisoned (or asked for), so I'd drive myself nuts over it. Luckily, the mud was still wet and Greg was able to get most of it done in the staggered pattern. Now it's perfect. My husband loves it. I had shown the tile to him online, but he never saw it in person. Yay! The cabinets should be coming over the next few days. I must say, the quality of the work has been outstanding. Greg does most of it himself. Things take awhile, but they get done well. From having work done throughout the house over the past eight and 1/2 years, I've met with plenty of contractors. This has been a positive experience thus far. I guess it helps that I'm pretty on top of things, but there have only been a few instances over the past two months where I wasn't sure what was happening next. The worst aspect has been the garbage and the dust. But, what can one expect? There are plenty worse complaints. | ||
| bobk Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 6118 Registered: 5-2001 |
Gosh Shh your new bathroom, with the exception of the shower door, looks like maybe 100 non-renovated 1920s bathrooms I have seen around here. Why didn't you go for marble and granite?  just stiring the pot for the heck of it | ||
| shh Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 1480 Registered: 5-2001 |
Thanks Bobk. That was the whole point. I grew up in a circa 1969 high-ranch and I have all these memories of fixtures/decor that did not stand the test of time. I wanted to go with something that might look like it was put here originally (only better) with a few unique touches. Thus far I've been very pleased with my choices. | ||
| barbara wilhelm Citizen Username: Bartist Post Number: 172 Registered: 1-2003 |
shh, What you done so far with the renovation your bathroom is in keeping with the style of your house. I am pleased that it looks like it has always been there. Nice job! | ||
| shh Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 1482 Registered: 5-2001 |
Thanks Barbara. The dining room is almost done. The colors are very soft, warm and sophisticated. This can't be my house! I hope I can live with this palette of colors. Maybe it will affect my personality, and I will become mellower and suddenly wear taupe instead of red. Nah. Krista, from Classic Design Framing, is going to hang my artwork later this week. That should add a pop of color and fun. I will also have to revisit the ceiling fixture. I got a toilet seat today. My dishwasher might be moved out of the living room soon! | ||
| shh Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 1484 Registered: 5-2001 |
Why am I losing sleep now? Well, my husband is upset because the hot and cold in our bathroom sink is opposite of what's the norm. The radiator pipe seems to be in an odd location for a radiator to actually fit without scalding yourself while you're on the toilet. We'll need to revisit these issues today, or next time the plumbers come. My many light switches which are supposed to be on dimmers are not. We'll need to discuss this with the electricians. I'm still very confused as to my dining room chandelier/fixture. I'm torn between something simple, yet bold, like schoolhouse which goes well with the house (but I might exaggerate with a large size or chain), or something outrageous and fun. Bad news is, outrageous and fun is outrageously expensive and hard to find. So many decisions. The mudroom tile is completely in and grouted. I love it. This might mean my refrigerator moves from the living room. Wow. That would be incredible. I have to go make some coffee. | ||
| shh Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 1485 Registered: 5-2001 |
Oh yeah, I've been researching 2 inch engineered wood blinds for the bathrooms. From all the places I've been looking, seems like American Blind & Wallpaper (decoratetoday.com) has good prices on Durawood blinds with twill tapes. Looks like the same thing that's in the Smith and Noble catalog, but at least 25% less. For the bathrooms, I'm just doing white/slightly off white with black tapes. | ||
| greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 2944 Registered: 5-2001  |
Shh- your hubby sounds like TS. At a certain point, certain little, fixable things "enraged" her. Methinks it was the stress. One good thing about the chandelier - that's easy to change down the road when you come across something you love and can afford. Congrats on the progress! | ||
| shh Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 1486 Registered: 5-2001 |
Thanks Greenetree. Well, the faucet I guess we can deal with but the radiator issue remains to be seen. The dimmers are no biggie at all. Do you have any sources for lighting? I've looked into Rejuvenation and SchoolhouseElectric, Pottery barn, Restoration Harware, etc, and found things I liked, but I totally go back and forth on this one and it's driving me insane! | ||
| bobk Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 6128 Registered: 5-2001 |
The reversed faucets in the bathroom is, I am 99% sure, a code violation. It is also dangerous to the uninitiated. It looks like your radiator will go under the window, which is normally where such things go. A nice radiator cover should keep hubby and yourself from getting branded, which happened to my Dad, but that is another story. | ||
| greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 2950 Registered: 5-2001 |
Shh- We went to a little place on the Bowery for our island pendants. We didn't see any flush mounts we liked & everyone kept saying "what about recessed"? Our answer was "show us a 1927 house with recessed lighting & we'll do it". Long story short, we ended up with "temporary" Home Despot flush mounts. Eventually we'll find something we like. So, back to the little place on the Bowery. It was the only place on the Bowery that was unique; we walked in & it was an old, crusty shop with parts crammed everywhere. (The other 15 shops we went into all carried the same stuff, which you can see in books at Expo, too. What a waste of a day off). Anyway, we picked out each part individually & they put them together for us in 3 days. It was nice because we could specify the exact dimensions. A couple weeks later, I found out that the lamp shop in Summit (across from the train station, near Starbucks) does the same thing. Their custom fixtures store is a couple doors down. I'll look up the names of both places & post later, if you like. | ||
| shh Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 1487 Registered: 5-2001 |
Thanks Greenetree. We DID do all kinds of recessed lighting, but I specifically need to find two pendants for over the peninsula and a dining room fixture. I want them to coordinate— you will definitely see the pendants while you sit at the dining room table and vice versa. It definitely seems like all the places carry the same stuff. I'd love the names. | ||
| ashear Citizen Username: Ashear Post Number: 1338 Registered: 5-2001 |
Re lighting www.rejuvinationlighting.com. We love the dining room fixture we got there. | ||
| shh Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 1488 Registered: 5-2001 |
I know about them. I might get one from them or Schoolhouseelectric.com. I just can't make up my mind. Too many choices! | ||
| shh Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 1491 Registered: 5-2001 |
Hello friends. I think I've come to the realization that I do not like the dining room color. I picked up my framed artwork to see if it helped matters, but I think I will eventually need to bite the bullet and choose a different color. The gray just has too much of a pinkish cast for my taste, and although it looks beautiful next to the adjoining rooms, I think it won't work for me. I'm fine with a paint brush, so I will wait until the cabinets in the kitchen are installed and then decide for sure. Right now Im thinking a medium gray-green. I don't feel too horrible. I've made tons of choices I've been happy with. This is an easy fix. | ||
| greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 2958 Registered: 5-2001 |
Shh- Good zen! Rolling with it, not sweating the small stuff (& realizing that everything is the small stuff) is what makes it 95% fun! We're having such a good time & loving having our house back. You will, too, soon! Oh, the name of the place on the Bowery is The Light House. They are open 7 days but don't always answer the phone. Canb't find the number, but they are on the SE corner of Bowery & Delancey. You'll know it's the right place when you walk into a smelly mess (too many cats in the place). And best of all, it's cheap and quick. Fixtures for under $150 instead of $300-$400. | ||
| shh Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 1493 Registered: 5-2001 |
Thanks Greenetree. I might go check it out. Maybe next Saturday, we can bring the kids into the East Village and wander over. Thanks for the tip, that price sounds right. | ||
| shh Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 1497 Registered: 5-2001 |
Well, last night my daughters and I took baths. Ahhh. Now I just need to figure out how to make the water really hot, and we're in business. (Not used to these new shower buddy things.) The plumbers came today and put the hot and cold (in the bathroom sink) where they should be, and reassured me the radiator placement won't be a problem. Whew. Also did somethiing with the pipes so that I should be able to actually have a kitchen sink and a dishwasher (!!!) soon. (Today?) We spent a bit of time cleaning up yesterday and the living room, with the exception of the fridge and stove, almost looks like a living room. Yay! Friends came in on Sat. and loved the dining room color. I have paint chips all over though. It's looking good! My kitchen sink base is here today and it looks incredible. I haven't seen the sink yet, but it's gorgeous. Today should bring some nice changes. | ||
| shh Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 1501 Registered: 5-2001 |
New pics!  The overall kitchen layout is above. This is the view from the dining room. The refrigerator and a large pantry cabinet will be off to the left. Below is a closeup of the sink.  | ||
| greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 2967 Registered: 5-2001 |
Fabulous! Isn't it exciting? |
