Clarification on the house itself... It was (and still is underneath) originally a hot dog stand in the 1940's. Then, in the mid-80's converted to a residential. There are two windows in our garage...they are the original hot dog stand windows still in their untouched original paint (blue). All of the other windows are white. So, some of the building's history remains. At the time it was converted, the sunroom with the killer view was added. It adjoins the kitchen & has a 15' open beam ceiling. On the south wall (Connecticut's shores face south)...there's a 10' wall of arched windows. When we purchased the property we: completely re-roofed; replaced countertops with granite (leaving the original, custom-built oak cabinets); added propane for a gas stove; put in new Koehler cast-iron sink, range, & frig as I noted above; the tile floors were in excellent condition so we left those; recarpeted the living room, hall, & den, & bedroom; added central air-conditioning; replaced the garage door & all of the exterior window shutters; added a new 1,600 s.f. patio to the front of the property (there are two additional brick patios in the rear); replaced the atrium door leading from the sunroom to the rear patios (all windows are Anderson so we didn't replace anything except this atrium door which had some rot); tore out all of the old landscaping & redid in an English cottage-style; redid some plumbing; the bathroom was already in great shape so we haven't touched it; repainted the interior; added tumbled marble to the kitchen wall that faces the sunroom; and probably other stuff that I can't remember right now. So, it's a small (1,255 s.f.) home with only one bedroom plus a den, one bathroom, living room, eat-in kitchen, and a large sunroom. There's an attached over-sized one car garage with workshop in the back. There's also a garden shed on the property. The home is that New England brown with white trim, windows, doors, etc. Oh yeah, that's something else we did...we replaced the front door with a really pretty leaded-glass door & replaced the storm door with a ridiculously expensive powder coated, stainless steel-framed door with glass center section & a screen for summer. But, with the salt air we thought the SS would ultimately hold up much better & cost less than replacing the door every 3-5 years. The home's size is quite typical of the area...some larger & some smaller. I still can't see it being a tear down but who knows...Sooey says they are tearing cottages down just 30-40 west of me so, maybe, someone would tear ours down too? Tricia

I would not listen to your GC. Follow your own instinct or you might be unhappy at the end of the project. I updated a small powder room (no window) about eight years ago with a black vanity, Carrera top and polished nickel faucet and hardware. I still think that it looks smart and elegant. Like a little black dress, you can dress it up or dress it down. I also have several pieces of black furniture that I have collected over the years and still love them. You could always just do a feature wall in black and bring in some black accents as they've done in the second photo with the legs on the bar stools.

yep oil rubbed bronze is what my original want was till I start looking on pinterest and seeing all the brass faucets, and brass accents on black lighting. Just got me thinking and wanted another opinion about the brass thing. My friend just finished building a new house this year...white fire clay sink, nickel faucet, goldish cabinet hardware, same on drum pendants over island. That is what I'm talking about mixing all the metals.

I've got a round and an oval table and chairs/benches in that same heavy wood. It will take a lickin' and keep on tickin'! Mine are in a cabin. I think you can buy luan and cut inserts to cover the groved backs of the shelves for a fresh look painted whatever color you decide on. Start with your bedding, pick a color from there for the headboard and another color for the walls.