Because these things seem to go together like The Patriots and Super Bowl trophies I'll ask the next question. If you watched any of the shower tile installation, did they use premixed "mastic" straight from a bucket, or did it start as a dry powder then get mixed with a liquid to stick the tiles onto the walls? Tile and grout are pourous materials. No amount of sealer will ever change that. As such, water will get behind the tile and thru the glue that holds the tile and onto whatever substrate (in your case greenboard) you've got. Greenboard is simply sheetrock with a special paper facing. It will eventually fall apart with repeated wettings. Like the kind you get in a shower. That's also the problem with "mastic". Premixed mastic is super easy to work with, but it's water solluble. Dry mixed thinset sets by chemical reaction, mastic dries by air. I'm sure Mongo will be back, but my guess is he's probably working. I'm also guessing that your not real comfortable with what he left you thinking, so I figured I'd give you some rudimentary info to hopefully answer some questions. Unfortunately, if that shower gets heavy use that greenboard's going to fail. How long will that take, I don't know. A quick trip over to the John Bridge forum and a search using greenboard and/or failure will get you plenty of reaffirming info...unfortunately most of it won't make you real happy. What would I do in your shoes? With a little help from our resident consigliere's Mongo and Bill V (I'm sure they'd both be more than happy to send you the IRC codes forbidding greenboard), call the tile guys and let them know their work is substandard and you expect it fixed. When they protest...and they will...hand them your documentation and have them fix it.

I am coming late to the party, LOL, but I think you need to create the sense of an entryway at the door, rather than having it in the middle of all the seating. I would pull the rug over in front of the daybed, running longways parallel to it, and the coffee table running the same way. Bring the black bench forward so that the traffic walks behind it to the entry door, rather than in front of it. Bring the torchiere out of the tv nook and put it in the corner to the right of that. Take the little table and lamp that are there and put at the corner where the two seating pieces meet. Angle the chair just a bit more toward the window with the ottoman in front of it. Move the sofa table to the spot under the window where the small table is now, and move the small table to the wall where the black bench was. Gather all your little pieces of art and group them over the daybed. The one piece looks lost there, but you have the two little pieces by the window that also seem lost - all together, they will have a more dynamic effect. Love the idea of bookshelves in the nook over the tv. For now, I would hang the six tiles that are by the door over the tv in two rows of three. Hang the artwork that is leaning on the mantel. It is too small to lean, will have more presence if it is lifted off the mantel. Take the small vase that is down on the hearth and put that on the right side of the mantel, and move the container that is there over in front of the pillar candle. Down the road, you certainly could use more artwork in the room, and another small chair angled in the corner to the left of the fireplace, or a tall tree as was added by squirrel above, with an uplight to bring more light to that part of the space. I think you could use bigger end tables, perhaps something round between the two seating pieces for interest.

Yes, definitely try out a bunch of color boards before deciding -- colors are so tricky and can look so different in context as opposed to on the computer screen. Whatever you choose, you will certainly wind up with a gorgeous workspace. I do recommend getting your chosen color made up in Benjamin Moore's Aura paint (they can match any other brand's color exactly) - it goes on so beautifully and is very washable. I'm loving mine in my kitchen, which by the way is an antique yellow that took about 8 tries to get right -- so don't be feeling bad about one little blue goof!! :)

This is what you see when you walk in the door from the front hallway. There is a door to the backyard to the left of the long row of cabinets. The light switch for the exterior light is just below the upper cabinets on the left. I don't think we can move this. The long upper cabinets contain glasses (left), dishes (right). The lower cabinets contain place mats (left drawer), bread and cereal (left cupboard), silverware (right drawer), and mishmash of items (right cupboard). The skinny drawer next to the sink holds matches and birthday candles. Skinny cupboard holds baking pans and cookie trays. Sink cupboard has tip-out drawers. Cupboard holds trash, dish suds, dishwasher detergent, garbage bags and similar items. Lower cabinets, left, drawers top to bottom: cutting board; utensils; towels & dish clothes; mishmash - could be used better. Lower cabinets, right, drawer: knives. Cupboard below (can't see) holds 2 pull-outs with casseroles and baking dishes. Upper cabinets holds oils, vinegars, salt, pepper, flour, sugar, corn starch, baking powder (etc) & measuring cups. The very top shelf holds my copper roll warmer (was my mother's) and a few other seldom used items. Cupboard above refrigerator (currently on its side in the DR because our new fridge is 2" taller than cut-out) hold roasting pans, canning jars, and similar items. I want cabinets in the existing bar area. We've never put stools here and never will. There isn't enough counter, knee room and not enough distance from the table without blocking the aisle. Pocket door leads to the DR, regular door leads to the pantry (love my pantry). Oven column: the drawer below the oven (can't see) holds Tupperware. The doors just above the oven hide the microwave. The tall cupboard holds small appliances - blender, griddle, waffle pans, etc. Right side, cabinets: drawer holds plastic wrap, baggies, foil, etc. Cupboard has 2 pull-outs holding Mixmaster, small hand blenders, punchbowl (never use but it was my mom's), slow-cookers. This counter here is a catch-all and always a mess (drives me nuts). I don't count it as usable counter space in my kitchen The two drawers under the cooktop are fake. The cupboard below hold pots and pans and the downdraft guts. To left: drawer holds potholders. Cupboard holds baking pans that don't fit in the skinny cupboard next to the dishwasher, food scale, cheese grater, trivets - could be used better. To right, top to bottom: cooktop utensils (spatula, ladles, big spoons, meat thermometer, etc); mishmash including citrus juicer (low tech, not electronic) and funnel - could be used better; pot lids - could definitely be used better. It started out with dividers to hold the lids but it didn't work so they were removed. The original plan called for a desk here, so glad we nixed that idea. Counter is always a mess (also drives me crazy but, as my husband says, it's a short trip). Upper cupboards hold plastic dishes, travel mugs, coffee thermoses, ice bucket, cookbooks (visible), bills and to-be-filed pile (visible). Lower cupboards, drawers left to right: sunglasses, coupons, misc.: my boys' stuff - I was tired of it always being on my counters so now I just throw it in the drawer. When they ask "where is...?" I say, "Look in the drawer.": Pens, pencils, stamps, address labels, tape, etc. Cupboard, left to right: paper recycling - could be used better; phone books (who uses these anymore?), envelopes, recipe file - everything I've clipped out but haven't tried yet - and an almost empty shelf. Here's the other half of the kitchen great room area. Hubby and dad built the bookshelves and mantle. The mantle is quarter-sawn red oak, the bookshelves are regular red oak since we couldn't find quarter-sawn red oak plywood anywhere. They were very choosy about the oak, though, so the grain is not nearly as busy as in my kitchen cupboards. These are stained lighter than my kitchen cupboards, which have really gone orange. There are 2 doors made and ready to go on the left unit just as soon as hubby replaces his 30+ yr old receiver with something slimmer (couldn't get it out with the doors on). Can you tell what our favorite colors are? ;-)