I still love the vessel sinks in my master bath. They are made from white china and shaped like the old fashioned bowls people used before indoor plumbing. They don't drain slow at all; I think anyone who's sink drains slowly has a problem that's different than the sink style. I chose my wall mounted faucets, which are bright, shiny crome, as are all my fixtures, to be long enough to overhang the sink the perfect amount, and I have them hung at a good height. I don't know if my sinks meet code or not. They do not have overflows, which is fine with me. My old sink was metal and had rusted out at the overflow drais before we even bought the house. We lived with it like that for 14 years before we did our remodel and never had a problem with the water leaking, so I figured that not having the overflow drains would not be a problem, and it hasn't been. I think my bathroom looks very classic, and classy. I think that if you like the look you should definitely go for it.

cyn427, that white plug in the mural is our central vac outlet, and paint would not easily stick to it, not to mention that with use, I think it would all chip off. The grille, I agree probably needs some attention. I am thinking of getting a solid wood one that I can stain to match the floor trim. Then it would blend better with the trim and floor and not be so jarring. But then it begs doing all the other rooms so I'm not sure I'm up to doing six of them! paintergirl, which theme are you referring to? The hallway or the underwater mural in the bathroom? Thanks for the props...I really did a lot of research on shadowing, shading, ironwork colors and how to draw out and shade those columns. Only the top and bottom were bridgeless stencils. I did have someone point out that the flame of the candle doesn't cast a shadow quite like that but I liked it so I kept it. And, after I did the shadows for the pot, it looked like it was hovering so I had to fix that! I could use some decorating suggestions here from everyone for what to do in this hallway..I was thinking of doing a stone wall effect and then inserting a niche with hopefully a lion's head. I saw that in a home show tour and really liked it. I also have some garden flowers that I am considering placing behind a bench that sits across from our coat closet (past the white closet door on the left and around the corner). However, I don't want it to look too country or casual. My house is decorated in a mix of Oriental/Asian/Indian/Out of Africa type theme. My master bedroom where I was basically standing to take that picture is definitely Tuscan. So I guess my theme is "Around the Globe!". The half bath (first door past the wrought iron on the wall on right) is going to be redone to a more contemporary feeling with a new clean line vanity, granite and hopefully a Toto vessel sink. I am considering painting the walls to match my red kitchen in the matte/gloss stripe pattern that I like so well. There will be a Solatube installed there too and so there will be no issue with it feeling cramped. So the treatment needs to transition from a Tuscan bedroom to a contemporary/somewhat Asian bathroom. Plus it needs to keep in mind the other hallway mural since they both can be seen at the same time if you stand in the main hall and look to the right and left. Any help you guys can give me would be awesome.

Mag, my rooms painted plum? I could never be that daring... Our house is surrounded by huge oaks, so in the summertime the house is much darker than the winter. Although I love the summer, as we love to be in our backyard, I like the house better in the winter with the lower sun and the leaves off the trees and the sun streaming in. I think dark walls would be too depressing for me. A few years back we painted our foyer a darker color -- a blue-ish color. We sat in the living room and said, "Isn't it beautiful, so lively and crisp!" The next night we sat in the living room again and I turned to Cliff and said, "do you hate it as much as I do!?!" ... "Yup," was his answer. That weekend we painted it back to the Laura Ashley gold! Stargirl, art is such a personal choice. My dear father-in-law and my Father were both painters, (just a hobby) so I have dozens of my FIL oils and two of my fathers. My bedroom is full of the paintings, as well as our guest rooms, dining room, and den...The two over the TV mantle, he painted for me in the 1980's and the one over the dvd cabinet, he painted in 1940. I call it 'the cottage' and it's my favorite of all, that is why it is hung where it is across from the sofa in the den, where I can look at it every day. The little carpenter I bought for my Cliff cause he likes to make cabinets and furniture. I placed it where it is cause he looks like he's walking home to the cottage. :) Take your time looking for your artwork, also some nice original photos, matted and framed make for some nice original artwork. I love folk art and also love all the colorful artwork on Aunt Jen's walls as well... I have also seen some lovely children's drawings matted and framed that look wonderful as well..I guess what I mean is, try and find things you love or have some special meaning to you. Joann

Well, I can help you halfway. I have cheetah print runner going up my curved staircase and the upstairs foyer is carpeted with it as well. I am so bummed I don't have a pic but I can tell you I love it and so does everyone - seriously, everyone - who sees it! I have had it installed for about three months now and I still love looking at it. I seriously doubt I will tire of it for a very long time. It looks fab with my red walls and doesn't compete with the Persian rugs in the front foyer. It is not a super small print yet it works with almost everything. Another plus is that is hides dirt and lint! It rarely looks like it needs vacuuming, even in a high traffic area. I have included a link to my pattern... Nicole Here is a link that might be useful: Stanton Carpet Serengeti in Wild Root