pps7, I love all of the tiles you posted and I really love your home. And athomeseweing's mockup is really lovely. However, I do worry that the rest of your space (your kitchen, etc) are very quiet and not busy and adding such busy tile might be overpowering. Maybe you can try stenciling some poster board to put up and see how it looks and/or picking up some sample tile. The framed pictures are really lovely. Also, if you do get any pricing on the New Ravenna tiles, let me know. I've been drooling over several of their mosaics but have absolutely no idea on pricing.

Hi Newbie! I've wondered what happened to you! Haven't seen you over in Kitchens for a long time! First, congrats on expecting a baby! Exciting! You're on the right path trying to tie up all these loose ends before May. Have you thought about posting over in Kitchens also? So many there have heavily researched lights that someone may have seen the perfect fixture for you. Plus, I know everyone would like to see your progress. :) When I saw that first WE fixture, I thought of a Barbara Cosgrove pendant I like. It echoes the shape. I'll link it below. You might look around for other lights on that site, too. Some of them get into the $$$ range though. I don't care for the mod WE glass cluster you just posted. How far apart would the peninsula and banquette fixtures be? I'm thinking that you might want to scrap the peninsula pendant... Here is a link that might be useful: Savannah pendant in polished nickel

Ingrid VC, it's funny that you should mention English country house style, because it's the ultimate when it comes to being inclusive, rather than excusive in nature. The style was only christened with the name in the mid-20th century, but it's a look that's been around for few hundred years, and for ease & livability, it can't be beat, because rather than being about things--certain pieces or motifs (wire-fronted wooden cubboards="French Country"; pastel-painted coyote silhouettes="Southwestern")--it's about an approach, one based on comfort & practicality & hanging onto things, rather than tossing them just because their moment happens to be past. If the damask sofa's upholstery gets a little shabby, a chintz slipcover will take care of that. If the elegant curtains form the old family place are too long for the windows, we'll just call them 'puddled' and let it go at that. There are bigger things to think about. If there are rings on the mahogany finish where somebody put down a wet drink, oh well. That's patina. And threadbare rugs are welcome too, because they not only take less upkeep than pale carpeting, they're also cheaper. The ceaseless quest after perfection is a killer, and nobody does take-it-as-it-comes decorating like the English. But English Country Style it's not only inherited antiques & old stuff. The Victorian bamboo what-not over in the corner next to the Sheraton style desk was itself a brand new piece at one time, as were 192Os floor lamps, and if there was room for them in the overall scheme then, then there's also room for the 196Os brass drum table & the scratchy-looking 197Os wall hanging somebody made in the ashram, & those 198Os engravings of temples & that wire-fronted cupboard, too. It doesn't matter that it's supposedly "French Country" in inspiration. So, in the 18th Century, were Thomas Chippendale's ribbon-back carved mahogany chairs, and they fit into the mix just fine. And in the Victorian era, people began with the same room, with the same inherited family pieces both good & bad, then filled up the bare spots with Chinese vases & Japanese fans & Persian rugs & tooled leather stools from Egypt & native American baskets from Arizona & brass lanterns from Morocco & plaster casts of famous sculptures & tooled silver vases from India filled with peacock feathers or pampas grass. The eclectic look that's featured in Pier One ads or in vignettes at Cost Plus World Market is nothing more--or less--than a look that was common in millions of homes in say, 1880. So much for progress. But besides all that imported souvenir stuff in the typical English country house, there was the homey stuff, too. On one side of the elegant carved marble chimneypiece was Great-grandmother's rush-seated baby chair & on the other side was the dog's chewewd-up wicker bed & a pile of slimy doggy toys. Dogs were just as important to the overall style as were the family heirlooms. And of course there, in a prominent place, were the twin entertainment centers of the day, the upright piano & the stereopticon. As for the TV that's replaced those items today, Victorians were the ultimate believers in technology, so the last thing they would have done with an amazing gizmo like a 54" screen is hide it away in an old-timey cabinet, or othewrwise try to make it disappear. No, that's the great thing about the relaxed English Country house style, and more specifically, the ultra-forgiving, unpretentious Victorian version of it: there was room in it for everything, old & new, plain & fancy. That's why the style is still a good, practical model on which to base a room for the 21st century. Magnaverde Rule No. 16: Decorate for the life you really have, not the life you wish you had.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement! So sorry I couldn't get back to the thread right away but one of my friend is going through a tough divorce right now and someday he needs more hand-holding than other. First, I love all the inspirational pictures! I am not usually fond of wing-backs unless it's has interesting/unusual style. However, this one came to me for nothing so I couldn't refuse. Originally, I'd wanted to slipcover it for my DD's bedroom as her reading chair but she rejected it saying it's too "granny" LOL. Slipcovering it would be the cheapest alternative because I can slipcover anything myself but since the line of the chair is so dramatic, I thought upholstery w/ nail head would be better. Now that we agree to save the poor thing (I checked w/ my upholsterer and he said, because he likes me, he only gonna charge me 200. For others, 275 starting price LOL) :-) I agree that the fabric choice would be depending on where it would be. There are 2 possible places in my house for it, which one do you guys think are better (or maybe none of the above :-D ) 1. Our bedroom -- it would replace the Eames lounge chair (a step down, I think) :-) -- This room looks horrid in this picture but I haven't gotten the time to work on it yet. Eventually I hope to mount the TV on the wall, get a rug, etc..) 2. Our living room (also under construction). We recently got a baby grand piano which mess up our furniture arrangement a bit. The wing chair would go on the left, next to the entry ledge. I was hoping the taller height would counterbalance the piano. This is such a bad picture, :-) but I think it show the room the best. Sofa will be reupholstered, and I hope to change the 2 armchairs out for something a bit more interesting. Thanks again for all your input. Feel free to give any other advices, including unsolicited ones :-D.