jamms - thanks for the compliment. I have an older home & was just doing the kitchen & new back room. I also did lots of exterior work (like a new garage since it was in the way of the addition). All the decisions can definitely be overwhelming & I did not have a designer. I have lots of materials in the kitchen & I did worry about it looking like someone threw up in there, but it all worked out fine (for me). A lot of the decisions were compromises with my husband. I would have done a brown-tone island & a off-white subway but he had to have his say. I am happy at how it all turned out. There are a couple cleaning products for the travertine floors that I bought from the tile store (made by Miracle Seal). I can't remember how often I need to re-seal but the gal who sold it to me has the same floor in her kitchen & she hasn't resealed in like 5 years & it still looks great. So it may depend on the wear & tear. Here is a link to my post with more details on my kitchen: Here is a link that might be useful: annekendo's finished kitchen

I bought a house with a lot of fake brick in the kitchen, dining room and bath. In just a few months, most of it is gone. Basically, keep it away from the stove and don't use it as a backslash. I had to rip down the stuff the POs put in b/c it was covered in grease and uncleanable. Be careful you don't turn your room into a dark cave. In the end I only kept the bricks by the eating area. For me, the only paint color that worked was using something the same color as the mortar. So, pick your mortar carefully.

Hey KSWL, I've been meaning to reply since you posted but have not been able to. After your description, I don't think "old Chicago" is what your looking for either. I used to say the same thing as everyone uses that particular term but as it turns out it was actually "old St. Louis" as what I had in mind as well. I used to have brick floors in my kitchen in my former house. They were not full brick but were pavers though they did have the look of reclaimed brick (I don't think they were shaved reclaims). I loved the look and had always wanted brick flooring in my house as that is flooring staple in Louisiana. However, I don't think mine were sealed properly. They never felt clean as it always felt like the individual sands of the grout were coming out. It broke my habit of walking barefoot on the floor. But again, I think this is because mine were not sealed properly (neither was the tile countertop). I currently have brick in my den similar in looks to Lynne's. It is from the fifties and it amazingly tough. I too though like Lynn would love to find a steamer that can really handle them. Like I said above, brick flooring is ubiquitous here. It is one of the go to flooring choices. Most use reclaimed brick which is my favorite. I am not sure what the prices are for "new" old brick now but if you look on Ebay there are usually pallets of reclaimed for sale at decent prices. The main point of my ramble was that if you find the right type of brick and it is installed and sealed properly they should be no problem. Hayes Town, the famous Louisiana architect used them almost exclusively along with heart pine and bluestone. The floors in his homes still look amazing today. He had a special beeswax finish that he used on them and swore by it. I don't have a good picture of my old floors but will try to get a couple my current floors and a couple of Hayes Town brick photos uploaded so you can see them.

DH and I are having dinner at McAdoo's tomorrow! I have often thought that if I built again, I would send an architect over there to mimic all the beautiful detail of that old post office. The Wittliff is wonderful but I'm probably biased since it's located in my town (and alma mater). Plus Cormac is my favorite author - pure poetry. I agree with Kitchen, it is very specifically "Contemporary Tx Hill Country." The look is rarely found outside of the area. Bringing the exterior stone to the interior is commonly done. Our foyer is all stone: