Soapstone - second thoughts. Please post your pics & honest feedback!!
Therese N
3 years ago
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Design Girl
3 years agoMelanie Beckmann
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Pics and layout - re: if you could have second island, would you?
Comments (16)Riverspots, your points are very good. The materials really do match the area. I'm from the east coast and am always amazed how many stone houses are in Austin. In DC only the expensive homes are stone. I do think the levels 'look' neat, but I trip all the time. I know, that is a personal problem :) I actually fell down the stairs into the eating area and broke two toes when we first moved in. My thinking in eliminating the levels, which may be the most expensive part, was that in addition to me liking it more, it would make the house more appealing to more potential buyers in an older neighborhood ??? Perhaps I'm biased due to my own clutzyness. I definitely don't need the second island so if it isn't the right match for this house, I could put a moveable big table on the wall in between the range and the dinning room for my purposes. I will definitely ponder what you are saying. I do like the big open space but I've been told we need to fill it up because our house seems very cold. Thank you so much for the candid opinion Jsweenc, Yes, the house will still be plenty contemporary, just not artsy funky contemporary. You asked what it is, aside from the contemporary style, that doesn't work for me. I thought it easiest to list the things I hate and definitely want to change, and things that aren't so bad but if I'm changing the other things, it would make sense to consider. Things I hate: I have bad knees so the stone floor is KILLING me. The textured stone is also next to impossible to clean. There is dirt in those crevices left from the day the builders left. The levels. I hate going down two sets of stairs to eat. If I had bar stools, I'd still have to go down one step to eat. I hate having to go down a step and then around the peninsula to clean it and then back up the step to get back into the kitchen. I hate having a double sink w/o being able to fit a big pot on either side. I realize that is a completely personal thing and many people love them. Things that I would live with but in a perfect world would be different: I normally like dark countertops but the way the light is in this house you can see every spec of dust from a mile away. So, I'd love light countertops. I'm sick of our contemporary cabinets but I do appreciate how nice they are and I could definitely live with them even though I'd prefer not to. When going to kitchen from bedroom hallway, it would be nice not having to hug the right wall so I don't have to go down the stairs and then back up the stair. Would love not having the stair from the kitchen to the living room. If I didn't have the other stairs, it probably wouldn't bother me. We live out in the country so the pantry is too small for bulk shopping. The house is ginormous, but there are very few closets, not even a linen closet (strange, I know). The current room behind the kitchen (which will be the new pantry and laundry/utility room) is an office with no windows and a tiny bathroom. The current laundry room is in the main hallway which is visible from the entrance into the house. The peninsula, while big, is on kinda far from the fridge, range, or pantry to make it really useful as a prep area so it's almost wasted space. I'm not sure what is ideal, but I know I would like my working areas to be on one side of the island so I didn't have to always be walking around it. Ideally, I wouldn't have to walk around the island to access the sink/dishwasher. I think we all agree on the fate of the big thingy around the stove ;)...See MorePlease Post Pics of your 5' wide floors or 3.25' wide floors
Comments (40)Angelclub, Now that I redid my 5" wide floors with the long boards (BR-111 Brazilian Cherry Engineered) since I had water damage in my home with Triangulo 3.25" wide boards that were all so short, I am disappointed in how the installers installed the floors in certain very noticeable areas with seams lined up and patterns instead of random and stacking similar colors to make long boards look longer. I did not know what you meant when you mentioned you like to be involved as you like floors to be random and now I totally see what you mean. I wish I could redo a section of my new floors. I also now wish I went with the wider boards only because they were longer. This post popped up in my email box as someone like a comment I made so I was happy to reread the comments....See MoreNew chairs arrived, please tell me your thoughts? Pics
Comments (43)Shee, Ha, I found out today, it will be at least another 6-8 weeks now before we get the sofa because it isn't expected to ship now till the mid part of August and then there's another couple of weeks for shipping & delivery time! I sure hope we have it before the holidays. LOL In regards to the chairs, I'm not willing to brush paint 4 chairs but we are seriously considering painting them with spray paint. (if DeeDee's idea doesn't work out) Deedee, You are brilliant! Thank you so much! I hadn't even thought of that but the owner of the store we got the cabinet from is a real character and he just loves to wheel and deal. He has a woman on staff who does all their painting and he once offered to refinish our dining room table for us. She uses a sprayer for all the base coats and seems to do a good job on other pieces I've seen. I don't see why he wouldn't be willing to work something out with me. Oh! Then they'd match the hutch! We're picking it up tomorrow morning, I'll ask him if he's in. Oh boy, I'm excited now, wouldn't that be great! Suero, That's a great price unfinished but buying them online means I'd have to paint them and I'm not really up for that. There were a couple of styles we were considering at our local naked furniture store. They had that same chair for something like 109.99 and they wanted 70 to stain it or 80.00 to paint it. Add tax and it was close to 200/chair, which was just more than our budget for the dining room would allow. Thank you for your help though, it was a good suggestion and I do appreciate it....See Moreneed honest opinions about wall art. pics inside:
Comments (39)I think it is very hard to determine what speaks to you when it comes to art, but I am not loving the pieces you have picked for the side of the thermostat. I agree with the others that they seem to be rather predictable. I keep on going back to the orange pillow which I love. I really would like to see that color represented on that long wall in some way. I am also envisioning some piece of "furniture/something?" on that long wall between the chair and bookcase - as others have suggested. To me the room seems as if there is too much going on in the other three areas especially with those beautiful windows, and this long wall is very lacking. I don't think the desk is really adding much interest. Keep looking. Les, don't mean to hijack here, but I am curious if you are on the east coast like me (CT). It is so peaceful and I have the luxury of sleeping as late as I like. I have always loved seeing the sunrise - not from getting up early, but from still being up from the night before. Like you I try to break the habit, but it is too tempting to read till daybreak. Just want to say how much I enjoy your critiques....See Morejulieste
3 years agoeandhl2
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoPatricia Colwell Consulting
3 years agoMelanie Beckmann
3 years agoM Miller
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoTherese N
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3 years agoFlo Mangan
3 years agoTherese N
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3 years agoTherese N thanked biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)Therese N
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Therese NOriginal Author