Walnutcreek, what a cool lamp! Somehow I'm really seeing that on a buffet or a console table. It would be gorgeous! Suero, that table is lovely. You're right, it's way more than I want to spend, but it's absolutely beautiful, as are all the other things on their web site. I like all the choices of woods and finishes too. Well, the budget's a problem. As is my lack of ability to make a decision. I'm currently stuck between the West Elm nesting coffee table paired with the Ethan Allen end table with drawer; and the Crate & Barrel Sims coffee table & matching end table. (For the second end table in either case, I'm going with that little orange metal table.) I think the wood on the Crate & Barrel tables is much nicer, but the tables themselves are a little boring; in addition the West Elm + Ethan Allen (gads, how many people pair *those* brands together?!) are more practical since they give me a drawer and a de facto shelf or two. Have read not such good things about West Elm quality - not sure if that applies to this table, which is constructed differently from their usual furniture. And it irritates me that I'd have to pay $70 in shipping, for this table!!! (And it doesn't even come assembled!) I don't know - there's the style thing. Maybe I just don't know who I am. I want to project a slightly funkier image than what I think I'm coming up with... maybe it's the carpeting that's the problem. The carpet ain't funky. And the funky furniture on top of the carpet just don't go. The furniture that goes with the carpet ain't so funky. I am *not* a fuddy-duddy! I'm NOT!!! (Or am I???)

I prefer the 1st, too. I am finding that rather than beige, people are choosing darker tones of beige, telling themselves they're "doing color." [LOL] It's still beige! :) Your room is dramatic, and with that subtle but bold color it'll really cozy/warm up your space. Plus, if you're keeping your love seat? I think it should look good with it. Beautiful room you have.

Thanks - the tile was pretty inexpensive (except for the deco pieces - $10 each) - the green one had already been discontinued when I bought it in 2007. I already called Marazzi a year ago looking for it. They only made it for Home Depot, didn't have any more of the decos. Though maybe they have some field tile left. I need about 150sf of it (10 cases) - I have 1 case left, and some that need to have thinset cleaned off them but if I do that maybe I can get by with less (maybe 20sf in basement? So 9 cases? Probably not worth it). It's called Antica Spagna. The white tile is also by Marazzi, it's Pietra in Alabaster color - I have 150sf of that left (bought last summer when we were replacing some, bought extra to do future breakfast bumpout). but I'd need about 200sf more (about 13 cases) - again, have some (maybe 25 sf?) downstairs we could clean up. That was probably also only made for Home Depot. I'd love to do travertine, but don't know if my structure will support it - Bill? Maybe do travertine-look porcelain throughout? I don't want to deal with this - am worried that demo will damage my BC floor in the DR (dust, etc. - will definitely have to get mew T-mold, not a problem) that I just had replaced in Sept (original 2007 floor defective - Home Depot reimbursed for materials, not labor), possibly kitchen cabinets, and now that we've moved in I have absolutely no place to store everything I have to take out of coat closets and pantry floor, all the appliances, we waited til all the ceilings were retaped and repainted to get new furniture, the sheetrock dust was horrible, concrete (grout/thinset)dust will be worse. I just hate this house! Our dream house has turned into a nightmare and a money pit between the DR floor, the ceilings, and now the tile! At least the carpet and the upstairs tile that was DIY are OK. As you can see, I'm still working on trim (won't put it up in tiled areas until this is resolved).

They say people buy houses with emotions - and I surely bought this house with my emotions. I fell crazy in love with the house the moment I laid eyes on it. Probably paid a little too much, but the seller replumbed the house for us and did a good, good job (probably a $10,000 repair job) and fixed the slate roof (not cheap either) and re-wired much of the house (probably another $5,000+). The boiler was replaced in 2004 with a high-efficiency unit, and that's a plus. So, I console myself that much of the big ugly work was already done before we bought it. It's got some nice features, such as a full basement (Very unusual for southeastern Virginia) and a huge attic with a spacious walk-up staircase. The house (and the 'hood) went through hard times in the 1980s and this fine old home was used as a boarding house. They had deadbolts on the bedroom doors and there was a family living on the sunporch (very small) and another family living in the attic (with pink insulation dripping from the ceiling). In 2004, some guys bought it for the purpose of flipping it. After two years, they grew tired of it and ran out of money before they could do too much harm (thank goodness) and that's when we bought it. It was a diamond in the rough when we bought it and we've dumped too much money into it, but hubby has a nice job with the city and I tell him, "This house is your GIFT to the city." :-) It's true, too. But there are days when I wonder about the wisdom of buying such an old house that requires a steady influx of cash, love, inspiration and perspiration. Nonetheless, when I trot downstairs in the morning and see that beautiful entry foyer, I always feel a little happier. I tell people that this house is a beautiful sculpture made of wood and designed so that people can live within its beautiful walls and admire its artistic grandeur from many different angles. I do believe that. It's also 100% identical to the house in which I was raised. That's probably why I grabbed my new husband by the lapels in February 2007 when we stood in its empty living room and said, "I HAVE TO HAVE THIS HOUSE." It was built in 1925 by a man who owned the local lumber mill and his wife became ill whilst it was under construction. He urged her to hold on promising her, "I'm building you the most beautiful house." She died six months after moving in and her funeral was held in the living room. It was a home built with love and that shows in every joint and every piece of lumber. Of all the houses I've ever seen, this is one of the best-built. These fantastically huge beams in the basement have no knots. They say the original builder hand-selected each beam and joist before it was delivered to the site. I believe that. Thanks for saying nice things about my house. Makes me feel better about having bought the old lady. :) Here's a photo of the man who built it, sitting in *our* backyard (from the 1950s).