Cooper, thanks! Those bowls are hand turned wood from Vermont. We used to drive by their outlet store on the way to and from DD's piano camp every summer. Bella, best years and debbbi, the FLOR is pretty amazing actually. I think the best part is that you can pull pieces, clean them, move them around....very kid/pet friendly. Before I even attached them with the sticky dots, I had the squares laid out and they did not move. I was amazed. The rubber backing and the weight of them (they are heavy) combines to create a stable situation. Parma, I think you're right about the red and too many flat surfaces. That's an interesting point...will have to remember that. It would have worked but this just feels more balanced. The funny thing is, there is no red in the carpet at all and yet it works... Ingrid, I think you're right about the painting. I think red on the floor would have drowned out the faux-Matisse. Debbi, the bookcase decision received a lot of input from this board, too! I was looking at different wood colors and just threw out red on a lark. A few people here nibbled but it was DH who made the decision, actually. The adjacent kitchen cabinets (like 2 feet away adjacent!) are espresso, so red was the "only" choice. :-) Jenny, I have to say that pink is not usually my first choice color, but I was looking for something that would work with chocolate or vanilla! It's from Pot Luck Studios. (Another outlet purchase.) Susan, those bookcases are used. A lot! Cookbooks, paint fandecks, camera gear, binoculars for birdwatching, and general stashing of things. This little brown loveseat has sort of become my home office! Fly, you're so right about the pillow! Too bad my dogger likes to snuggle on that one. It is not long for this world. There is also a painting on the other side of the room, something I bought in Florida, which has all the colors of the FLOR in it. It is amazing. Here's a little cropped version from a photo of the old house. Lousy pic, but you get the idea... As for the edges, they feel pretty good. The rug is next to the sunporch door and that's the door we use to put the dog out umpteen times a day. So, we will know very soon if the edges are as strong as they feel. I will say the rug feels complete. I don;t have a sense that it should be bound. Sable, thanks so much for what I consider high praise! I am always striving for a more contemporary look ad keep getting dragged back by all my traditional stuff. I had thought I might "start over" in this new place, but the economy said No. Mona, you are sweet to say that! :-) I do feel really at home in this space, so I guess it is all working. CT, the funny thing about those chairs is that they're a leftover from the Florida decor. I am in New England now and wasn't sure they would stay pale blue. (The piping is parrot green...eeek!) But the rug somehow makes them work and now I can keep them as they are. I suppose that means I should consider replacing the 15 y.o. tab top curtains on tensions rods, huh?! ;-)

This is a great thread. We're not remodeling but building a new house, and man, can I relate to a lot of these. ...you know every lighting fixture, faucet, sink, appliance by memory because you have endlessly researched each one. you freak out your own GC because you can discuss minute details about your house/kitchen from memory down to the 1/8". you have more e-mails from your GC/subs than you do from your friends. you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat about some critical detail and then go downstairs to e-mail your GC about it right at the moment before you forget.

I've been retired for about 1 1/2 yrs. I worked an evening shift when I worked (3 pm to 11 pm) then had to "unwind" before going to bed about 12 or 1 am. Now -- I find I am a morning person - get up about 6:30 or 7:00, and yes, I do have a somewhat routine that just established itself, but I feel more at ease if there IS a routine (not schedule!). I put on coffee, clean up the kitchen, feed the animals, read the paper, and, because quilting is a major hobby with me, and I'm more productive in the morning, I spend mornings doing more active things, sewing, cleaning, shopping, yard work, etc. etc. I am a little surprised at how busy I find my days sometimes, and wonder how I did everything when I did work. Also - I find I'm cleaning and keeping up the house a little more than I did before - I'm definitely not a "neat freak" but just do like a fairly orderly, clean environment. I'm absolutely loving retirement - I think it is the chance to choose and control how my days' activities go, and I didn't have that before. DH is still working, but I'm pushing him to retire next summer when he turns 65.

Sorry you went through all that! What a day.... I hope your tablecloths all came clean from the cherry juice. Given that it is the season for us to get juice on our nice things, I thought I would share my remedy. You know the enzymatic cleaners sold for pet urine and other pet messes? The enzymes actually consume the biological matter. I have had blueberry stains on a white cotton shirt disappear completely using this stuff. I gathered the stained area and tied it off from the rest of the shirt using a rubber band (made a "nipple" of the stained area) so that when I put it in the Simple Solution brand enzymatic cleaner I used, it would not soak the solution up onto the whole shirt. Then I put the stained area in a small bowl of Simple Solution and kept checking it a couple times a day. The stain was gone within three days. You have to keep it damp, so you may want to do this in a baggie. It did not hurt my shirt at all, but I cannot vouch that it is safe for any other fabrics. I don't know why they do not sell this stuff to people as a stain remover for clothes.