Re: Decorating Trends
 

thank you for the link!! I love looking at catalogs for ideas!!!

Re: Decorating Trends
 

GG,

What decor doesn't need a fireplace? You just need to decorate the fireplace to fit the new decor. If not, master bedrooms are ooooh so romantic with the addition of a fireplace. Don't relegate it to the garage!!

I love to talk about decorating and I thought I would start this one up again.

We are leaving for TV on Friday and pulling a trailer, again, and this time we have two artificial trees to bring. (I couldn't find what I wanted (cheap and gorgeous) in the short time we were there last time, and what I did find that I wanted, (?) was way too expensive.) YOU know how tight I am. Since then I have watched HGTV's 25 worst decorating mistakes and artificial flowers arrangements were on it. I do think that the house needs a little greenery in Florida and you just can't go north and leave real ones to die....or can you?

Mostly I was just hoping someone would show house pictures. I love house pictures.

I think artificial greenery is fine when used tastefully.
Don't let a tv show inhibit your creativity. Go for it!

We are getting ready to upgrade our kitchen countertop to granite. I was out yesterday looking at tile for the backsplash. We are having the granite installed in a few weeks, and then we are going to do the backsplash ourselves. We are also going to remodel both bathrooms in the next few months. We are hoping this will help sell the house next spring when we put it back on the market. I can post before and after pictures as we do the projects.

Boomer - where are your after pictures of your new room? Can't wait to see what you did!

I have a remodeled bathroom picture, but last time Peachie thought it was R Rated. We enlarged our shower and found a tile mural of a turn of the century woman entering her bath, she is thinly veiled.

Decorating
 

I love decorating! :a040: If I were better at it would help. :cus: Most times it takes several times to get what I want. Would love to do it right the first time!:laugh: I get magizenes all the time. Cut out what you think you will like and collect each room and color. I changed styles 3 times before I finally decided that I really tend to go "Tuscany". My villa is 3 styles. Livingroom/dining(really media area) and kitchen is in the Tuscany colors.
Bedroom, Zen or Asian, bath to match color wise. Guestroom, totally different. Lime green walls, black and white Troille, not sure spelled right, with white wicker furniture and black and white accessaries. Love it. Lime can always be changed with just a coat of paint.
I would love to start some kind of decor group for comparing styles and colors. Have decorators come in and give seminar's and just beef up our interest.:coolsmiley:
I have enjoyed reading all the messages and hope we can develope something!
PGB

That sounds like fun to me!

Victorian lampshades!
 

Question! I am looking for the fringed or beaded type of lampshade. Basically victorian.

Has anyone in their shopping travels come across this type of shade or know of someone who makes them? Thankyou in advance.

Nonie,

That is such an easy do-it-yourself project. I have confidence that you can do that yourself!!! Many of the craft or fabric stores have beading already on a strip of fabric that you would then just glue to the bottom of your lampshade. I even saw some at Walmart recently. JoAnn fabrics has some in their trim area. Search around until you find one you like. Then get out your scissors and glue and have some fun!!!!

My decorating style is eclectic. I like dramatic earth tones and have a rich chocolate on some walls and another brown on contrasting walls. It's not dark at all.

Really, now?

Who can tell the difference in browns?

I swear you women invent colors and the words for them. I think my wife invented ecru.

Sam,

I do not know how to put two quotes in here so I did not grab Tony's which is immediately after yours. I had just logged on, read your post, and thought to myself, "Yes! Sam knows all about how wonderful browns can be." Anyway, I was just getting ready to respond when Tony showed up here and said that brown is brown. HAH! Tony does not know what he is talking about.

I, at this very moment, have in my possession 40+ different shades of brown on those little paint sample squares. I look at them next to the fabric samples and floor tile that have already been chosen. I pile them all on top of that 18x18 piece of porcelain tile and I carry them in and out of my house, at different times of day, trying to catch different types of light, natural light and electric light, and combinations thereof. I want the brown that best brings out the warmth in the tile color.

And Mr. Boomer does not understand what I am talking about.

I ask Mr. Boomer what he thinks about the various color families and tones of the browns and which one best picks up just the right amount of warmth in that heavy tile I'm always carrying around, in and out. Sometimes I drive the tile around in my car and take it places to look at things like shades. The shades must also bring out the warmth in the tile. The shades I think might need to be ecru.

I continue to try to get Mr. Boomer's opinion on those little samples of paint.

But Mr. Boomer just stares at me blankly and says, "They're all brown."

(Sigh)

Boomer

OH Brown is not just BROWN.

Carefully chosen and used with other browns, taupe, golden brown, creamy brown, (cafe au lait) and pale beige, it is lovely.

Sam Hass' house is a wonderful example of browns used beautifully. It is majestic, warm, dramatic, comfortable, arresting and so very welcoming.

I think I had the worst case of house envy in my life when I went into Sam's house. The view is beautiful and it is guarded by a huge and beautiful oak.

Sam could be a brat but she isn't.

I decorate with brown tones also. My walls throughout my home are light beige. I did that so I could add color with my furniture and accents. I add deeper browns with wood shades and stained oak flooring. I add more vibrant accent colors such as greens and different shades of reds including mauve as candles, pictures, pillows, table accents, and area rugs.

OH Bright and all. I wish you would post pictures.

I am in the midst of painting the bathroom here Ralph Laurens Sea...something. Same color as the kitchen and accent wall. Then applying 30 6"X6" mirrors in carefully measured intervals onto the ten foot wall that you can see from our bed, it is down an 18' (?) hall. The mirrors will reflect the chandelier that Sweetie took down from the dining area and used to replace the rather flat ceiling light in the bathroom hall. We replaced dining room fixture which was brushed nickel with one in off cream with wicker (baskety) shades, more...cottagy, beachy, tropical.

(I am going to have to lose a lot of weight! Crawling under the knee area in the cabinetry to paint ain't what it used to be.)

GG, I must have missed the invitation to your home tour. When is it scheduled?

Gracie's home is lovely as well. Where I used a rich tapestry of browns, Gracie has opted for the light, open, airy colors of a seascape. She painted many of the pictures that grace her walls and her talent is impressive. Her colors are soft and welcoming...much like GG herself. We both opted for a look that offers comfort. We "live" in our houses.

Nesting Tables
 

This is a pretty specific question, but I thought I would ask it anyway, on the chance that someone out there might have a suggestion.

I really like nesting tables. They work especially well in a room where you don't want to have a coffee table taking up space. Some sets of nesting tables have the top table big enough to use as a lamp table. But other sets are fairly small and just sit politely in the room, looking pretty, and waiting to be called into service when your guests need a place to put whatever you might be serving to them.

Anyway, I need some nesting tables. And I was wondering if anyone out there can suggest a company that makes these.

So far, here are the ones I have found:

I kind of like this set. It's a little different and has some attitude. But it's a little more contemporary than my usual:

http://www.crlaine.com/ViewDetail.as...98&IsPrimary=1

Now, this one is not a set of nesting tables, but I ran across it while I was searching and you just have to love this little thing, and its name, too:

http://www.fairfieldchair.com/show_p...ge=8130-88.jpg

I thought about these little guys, but they look like they might be plotting to trip me:

http://www.fairfieldchair.com/show_p...ge=8120-12.jpg

And this company has three sets that I found, but something tells me that these may cost a blue fortune:

(The following link will not cooperate and will only go the main page of the company. If you want to find the tables, go to the upper right part of the page and find "search for furniture" and type in "nesting tables" and it will take you to their 3 sets.)

http://www.hookerfurniture.com/index...h.show_results

So anyway, so far, that's all I can find. So if you know of any other companies to suggest, I would really like to know about them.

Mr. Boomer thinks some old t.v. trays from Goodwill would serve the same purpose. But I know you all will understand.

Thanks.

Boomer

Have you looked at Bombay? I hear they are going out of business.

Boomer, I know a wonderful custom furniture/cabinet maker that makes some incredible pieces. They will design for you or build to your design.
They are located in Spinnerstown, Pa. The shop is called simply "Waters..pretty good cabinet makers" . I have some of their small tables. They also did a sofa table for us and the finish is amazing.
They copied a 60 thousand dollar bed for a client and did it for 21K. They could make nesting tables in the most amazing woods and finishes. If you are interested, their number is 215-536-9058.

http://www.furniturelandsouth.com/se...urniture.shtml

Have fun. Sorry I couldn't narrow it down for you.

Gracie and Sam and Shirleevee,

Thank you. I knew that nobody here would try to make me go get some old t.v. trays to do the job. (And, Sam, custom furniture is truly art. Beautiful stuff.)

Shirleevee,

That site you linked is really something! I found the nesting tables. Wow! I must shut this computer down in a hurry or I will get nothing done. I'm afraid that I could point and click the day away on there. (I will be back to it later though.)

Boomer

Shirleevee,

Well, I said I would be back to look more closely at this site later. Here I am. I have been sitting here pointing and clicking around for awhile. I am supposed to be doing something else. This is amazing. BUT I CANNOT STOP!!!!

I think I will email the link to my sister. Or maybe not. We might miss Thanksgiving Dinner completely.

Boomer

Boomer,

So glad you are enjoying the site.............

Shirleevee, I found just the console table I had been looking for. HOWEVER, I can't afford it. It is better to know what you want and can't afford than to wander aimlessly around furniture stores.:shrug:;);)

:cus::cus::cus:

This is the third time I have tried to write this :cus: post.

I had been up since 5:30, reading and drinking coffee, when I decided to log on here and ask a question about antiquing kits.

Well, you know I can never just ask a simple question. I had told all of you why I wanted to know. I had talked about my loyalty to US-made furniture. I had shamelessly confessed about the wood chairs I just bought that were from nowhere near the US. I had linked you to a picture of them. I had explained that "Antique White" must have lost something in the translation because these chairs have arrived and they are beige or yellow or something like that. Therefore, I am thinking maybe they can be saved by an antiquing kit. But do such things still exist?

Then I told you about all the stuff I used an antiquing kit on in my first apartment -- long ago.

Then I waxed philosophic about the American-made Nichols and Stone kitchen chairs that I bought 5 years ago and how I love them so.

On and on I was going.

But, alas, it is big, ugly, wonderful, fluffy robe season here in Cincinnati. And the big, ugly, wonderful, fluffy sleeve of my robe caught something on the keyboard and wiped out my whole post.

So I regrouped and started over. And then the power did one of those flash on and off things. I lost it all again.

Is the universe trying to tell me something????

So anyway, does anybody know if there is still such a thing as an antiquing kit?

Boomer

Boom.

I haven't seen one lately, but one can get the same results by painting a base coat, in your case white and then painting a glaze and wiping it off.

Boomer, I also thought of you as we went to the Frontgate outlet in West Chester. Today and yesterday was 40% off EVERYTHING. We bought a secretary in cherry and a demilune table in antique white. Wonderful price.

Boomer,

Try EBAY.........or www.howstuffworks.com

I have a Nichols & Stone (who are closing up shop), trestle table, six chairs and a bench at home in NY.......it is over 30 years old and still looks like new. About 15 years ago, I had it re-done from very dark wood to its natural oak finish.

Shirleevee, I think Stickley has acquired Nichols and Stone. The chairs, which I bought on sale 5 years ago, are wonderfully comfortable. The advertising at the time, I think said something to the effect of "so comfortable that your dinner guests will not want to get up from the table." They are big, sturdy ladderbacks. (the chairs not the guests)

I hope Stickley lets Nichols and Stone continues its tradition. It is getting more and more difficult to find American-made furniture.

GG, thank you for the information. I would never take a paint brush to the good stuff, but I am ready to give these other ones I was talking about a try. I will probably make a mess though, like I usually do when attempting a project like that. And I will no doubt find that I would have been better off just going to that sale.

Boomer

This is a good thread to dig up for decorating questions. We have talked about all kinds of decorating things in this thread. It has been helpful, and fun, too. I find myself coming back to it from time to time.

So here's my question. It's not the most general of questions. That's for sure. But what the heck, I'll ask anyway.

Does anybody know a good source for decorative floor register covers?

I have been searching on line for the past hour and have found what I am looking for, sort of, but not really. Anyway, I thought maybe somebody out there in TOTVland might know.

These things are to go over the openings for the registers in a tile floor. Several years ago, I bought some of these for openings in hardwood floors. I liked the ones I bought then. They had a little weight to them, a little substance, yet they did not cost a blue fortune. They were not custom made, but they were really nice -- and reasonably priced.

So far, I have looked at Restoration Hardware's site. They have a few but don't have the size I need for the room next to the room with the tile floor. That room just got a new register, too.

At Home Depot I saw some, but they did not look right. They were flimsy.

Has anyone among you bought any of these things lately, and if so, where? And do you like them?

Thanks.

Boomer

http://www.floorregisterresources.co...r-Registers-SN

You can try a search for Signature Hardware. I bought some things from them a while ago.

Good Luck

There is a chain of stores called "The Tile Shop" that I have spent some time in lately. If they have a store in your area, you might want to check there. It seems to me I remember seeing some register covers there that were appropriate for tile flooring.

Boomer, YES! :a20: That's the Universe talking to you.
I think the new glazes are today's answer to yesterday's antiquing kits. You paint your chairs whatever base color you want (no more avocado or federal blue kits) and then "glaze" the furniture. At least this is what the woman at Lowe's told me, and she was old enough to know what an antiquing kit was. They have a gazillion colors of glazes.

Shirleevee and SS and UU,

Thank you.

SS, tiling, too, huh? I have the skinniest grout lines possible in this floor. I live and learn.

UU, WHAT!!!!! NO AVOCADO!!!!!

And Shirlee, has anyone ever told you that you are a genius? You always know about the best sites.

btw, I have been spending the day cleaning out drawers and files. It's a New Year, right? I am sure I will get over this cleaning frenzy soon.

But I gotta tellya. Today, I found an old notebook where I kept track of the stuff we did to our house when we bought it. And there, in that notebook, I found the LIGHTING FORMULAS! Yep. I did.

Now, you may be thinking, "WTH is Boomer talking about?"

Well, a long time ago, in this very thread, I asked about lighting formulas. I knew I used to know what I was talking about, but I could not remember those formulas.

Here is what my notebook said...

Size of a chandelier: 1/2 the width of the table and hang it 30 inches up from the table top.

Room Wattage: To have enough lighting in a room, do the old A=LW thing and then multiply the square footage by 1.5.

Well, here I am, just being the queen of information tonight. But you know what I really think? The chandelier? That's a start, but other stuff can work, too.

And about that wattage for enough light in a room. It depends on what you want to do in that room I think. I have sconces and I will have lamps and the ceiling fan has a light and then there are some more lights.

I am always trying to light up my life I guess.

For this project, I have enough light available to be able to perform an emergency appendectomy on a dinner guest if need be. (only thing is -- I am not a doctor.)

That's the way I like it. But I also make sure there is a dimmer switch or two.

Thanks, again. And I think I have found the register covers of my dreams on that site, Shirlee. And they do not cost a blue fortune. (I must confess. I have no idea what a blue fortune is. Why is the fortune blue? I do not even know why I say that. Or where I got the expression. Oh well.)

Boomer

Boomer- I posted pictures of the tiling that my hubby and I are doing in our house. It is listed in the Feminine Forum under "Remodel Report". I promised that I would post pics to let you see how we are progressing. You need to post pics of your new room that you put in too. Let us see the before and after! Can't wait to see what you have been up to!!!

Shirleevee,

I just placed an order with Signature Hardware. Their selection of register covers is impressive. I have never seen so many choices of styles and finishes.

Throughout this thread, you have consistently come up with places that I have never heard of. You sure make wonderful connections. And I just want to say thank you.

And something else -- As it turns out Signature Hardware is located in Erlanger, Kentucky, right across the river from Cincinnati where I live. They even have a showroom there. And also, their prices are not ridiculous.

Again, thank you.

Boomer

Thanks
 

SS, you inspired me! We ordered our tile today. Glass. Here's a close-up picture of it. We have mostly earth tones in our home and many copper, other metal and stone accents. I'll post another picture when it's finished. You can't really tell from the picture, but the copper is very bright, sage green, black, tan, ivory. I love it! Thanks for the inspiration! ;)

Boomer,

So glad you found something useful. My dil was looking to replace registers and I found this place for her. They were very happy.


Chelsea,

ILove your colors. I have this palette in our NY home and hopefully one day here. Beautiful!

Chels,

I love your tile! Glass tile is soooo beautiful. Please let us see the pics when you are done!