Spent a fortune on a new couch and custom curtains that I don’t like.
Kim Gramaglia
5 years ago
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Don't make the same mistake(s) I did thread.
Comments (88)Great thread. I've made many mistakes over the years. When I needed drapes for 5 very tall and wide windows, I thought I would save money by making them myself. I ended up buying 30+ yards of a synthetic moire on sale at a chain fabric store, along with drapery lining, and after making up one panel, found that even with lining, the light coming through the fabric made the color brighter and kind of gaudy. The bolt is still in an upstairs closet, and I found 96" crushed voile panels online that I like very much for about $20 each. Lesson: keep it simple. A couple of years ago, I hired a local designer mainly to help me choose paint colors and advise on accessories/tweaking. In the master bedroom, I had some custom green silk drapes that I never liked that much, and she talked me into spending the money to have them interlined and a printed fabric border added, along with custom shams with the same fabric. I had already spent $2000 on the drapes, and now I spent another $1000, and I still didn't like them. I took them down, and they and the matching euro shams are in the closet in the guest room. I put up natural linen-look semi sheers from target, and I like them better. Lesson: keep it simple, and don't throw good money after bad. We weren't using our formal dining room much, and the same designer suggested moving the dining furniture into one end of our large living room, and making the old dining room into a den and the old den into a home office, which was really needed. Since I wanted to replace the old LR sofa anyway, I moved the den furniture into the living room and had a custom ($$$)sofa made for the new den. It was not a huge space, and we tried to keep the sofa scaled down. When it arrived, the fabric was gorgeous, the style just what I wanted, but the seat depth was so shallow that it was not very comfortable. I had also slipcovered the old den chairs to go with the new sofa ($$). I ended up moving the new sofa to the living room, where it was more appropriate for perching ladies than lounging TV viewers, and now none of the colors I had chosen (with help paid for by the hour) for the LR and new den would work. Plus, the newly slipcovered den chairs (on swivel rocker bases, I love them) don't work that well with the old sofa color. Fortunately, I hadn't painted yet. Lessons: Don't buy furniture without sitting on it. Choose paint colors after you are certain of your fabrics. Don't let your designer talk you into stuff you don't really need. Keep your major pieces fairly neutral. The worst was the master bath update. I had chosen tile for the walls and floor, and the tile vendor gave me a couple of names for the installation. The guy with the higher quote was very highly recommended but I went with the other guy because he said he could also do some other work I needed done. Even though I had a gut feeling I was making a mistake. He did a horrible job on the tile, broke my toilet, and disappeared. I had to buy more wall tile and pay another contractor to replace it, and I'm still stuck with a bad job on the floor. Between the cost of doing the job, redoing the job, and buying a new toilet, I could have had the better contractor do the job, and replaced the vanity and sink as well, and upgraded to a better tile. Lessons: A jack of all trades might be a master of none. Go with your gut. Ask contractors for their license numbers and CHECK IT online with your state to see if it's in effect. I've made more, but these are the recent highlights, LOL. I feel better having confessed them here....See MoreDon't Like my new $$$$ Kitchen Table!!!
Comments (77)pluckymama - thank you! That's so sweet to say, and I always feel I am coming up short compared to others homes and decorating! The tableset and stools are manufactured by "Lorts" and I purchased it from Lexfurniture.com in KY. I first read about them from this website, and I saved $1000's! Lorts didn't have a catalog online, but I found a website that showed all there products. (BeachlersFurniture.com ) However, a local store did carry many of their pieces as well as all the color samples that they do, so I was able to see, feel and decide locally. It's a dark day here in sunny FL and my already dark house is pretty dark. There is a lot of wood - but I am getting use to the set and liking it much better! Definitely the leaf helped.. so I think it's a keeper and we'll remove the leaf on Friday night card games! ( I play with my parents!)...See Morewhat don't you like about your house?
Comments (54)I have a 50's ranch and about the only thing i would change is the layout of the kitchen.I'd like to have a big window in the kitchen with the sink below it,and have the kitchen be one big room instead of kitchen and dinette area.We do have a formal DR though. I don't like the popcorn ceilings either,but like the op said,that's an easy fix. I have and will take shower curtains over shower doors any time,hate the doors,and my shower curtains don't cling.They have magnets on the liner,and the outer curtain is soft and flowy,but not into the tub. I'm so glad when we got this house,that we got a ranch and not a 2 story,they're (2 story or more) aare the pits as we age. I need and have garden space also,so you may want to consider the yard size. We have 1 bathroom also and it's served us well all these 46 years with the 4 kids and others. Don't get wrapped up in the unecessary things,look for good bones,and keep in mind what it is you want,cosmetics VS needs etc. Good luck Kathi...See MoreSOS! MY NEW WHITE BLINDS DON’T LOOK GOOD. WHAT CAN I DO?!
Comments (30)The window is on the larger end and the blinds that were previously there were two separate blinds on one valance so I stuck with that. As for the TV, I brought this to my boyfriend’s attention and he says he usually watches TV with his seat reclined so he mounted the TV to accommodate that. I don’t watch TV often and when I do it hasn’t bothered me but now that it’s been brought to my attention, I can see that it looks awkward...See Moreoaktonmom
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5 years agoKim Gramaglia
5 years agoKim Gramaglia
5 years agoKim Gramaglia
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5 years agoKim Gramaglia
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5 years agoKim Gramaglia
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5 years agoKim Gramaglia
5 years agoKim Gramaglia
5 years agoKim Gramaglia
5 years agoKim Gramaglia
5 years agoKim Gramaglia
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoKim Gramaglia
5 years agoKim Gramaglia
5 years agoKim Gramaglia
5 years agoKim Gramaglia
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5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoKim Gramaglia
5 years ago
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