Oh sure, silversword, you have to recommend Gardenias and then give me that post to read. Ha! Ha! I only made it as far as the August 3rd posts, but I intend to read a little more at each sitting. Boy is it funny/eye opening. I, being a Gemini, get bored easily and can't finish things so I just skimmed a little to see how far the thread went. I happened upon the reply from "Jim" who was giving his wife a Gardenia bush for Mother's Day and then he was printing out the entire thread and writing "sorry" on top of it and running. That was so funny! I guess I am pretty stupid because even after reading all that, I am going to have to get a Gardenia at some point. I was sold on the description of the scent. I am just not sure I will actually try to grow one. I would probably do better to just have one and toss it aside like the Freesia. For some reason anything I try to actually put love into and take care of, dies on me, whereas anything I just neglect thrives. Perhaps my plants are suicidal too. The title of the thread reminded me of something Jerry Seinfeld says in his book Seinlanguage and it makes me laugh every time I read it: "I have no plants in my house. They won't live for me. Some of them don't even wait to die, they commit suicide. I once came home found one hanging from a macrame noose, the pot kicked out from underneath. The note said, "I hate you and your albums." It's so funny to think of plants as human. I'm screwed though because I am definitely a sucker for a good-smelling plant. The house we bought has some kind of lilac that blooms in the spring and fall. It is pathetic looking (not like back home) but I never grow tired of smelling it and reminding me of home. And I love the Freesia because it smells like Froot Loops (which reminds me of my childhood). The roses that I dug up were sad looking and not very pretty plus the fragrance was not that great. The funny thing is that I have NEVER been a flower person. My husband likes to do romantic gestures like buy flowers for me, but he won't buy roses on Valentine's Day because they cost much more than any other day of the year. So he likes to surprise me with flowers some other day. I am fine with that because we have a cat who tries to eat ANYTHING that looks like plant matter. I can't even have Easter grass in baskets because the dummy will eat it. So roses cannot be enjoyed because they have to spend so much time behind closed doors and I am not really one of "those" women who requires candy and flowers on Valentine's Day or birthdays, etc. I might give that Little John some consideration somewhere around the house because I adore watching the hummingbirds. :-)

That looks great! I was thinking what annkh said about the BR 4 closet: take out the rod/shelf on the back wall and you'll have full use of the rods on either side (no dead corners.) I'd put a big mirror on the back wall so when she gets dressed in there she can see how everything looks. Looks like a great set up for a teen! This is a small thing but I'd move the door to the BR4 closet to the right to be closer to the bathroom, and have it open toward the other side of the closet (the right side.) This will give you just a bit more space in that corner of the room; maybe put in a comfy chair and a hanging light for a nice little reading spot. Or, depending on how you all feel about accessing the closet from the bathroom, flip the orientation of the closet so the two rods run along the top and bottom, the door opens from the bathroom, and the back wall (where I'd put a big mirror) is to the left. It takes away wall space in the bathroom, but it gives you a long wall in the bedroom for furniture, and it means that she can go from closet to bathroom without passing in front of the bedroom door. (Mockup below.) You have tons of awesome storage already, but you could also add a closet under the higher stair landing, opening toward the ping pong table. This could have storage for paddles, balls, games, etc. Also, you could store your wrapping paper there; my mom always wrapped presents on their ping pong table because it was such a great place to spread out. Finally, what do you think about adding a small, apartment sized stackable washer and dryer? This would be great for pool towels, wet suits, and so your daughter and guests could do laundry without bringing it upstairs.(Same with sweaty exercise towels if you do have the workout room.) I know, I'm getting greedy here, but just thinking about making life easier. :) You have plumbing down there already, so adding one might not be too much of a stretch. (I have a second laundry in my basement and I love it when we have tons of laundry, like after a vacation. I also use it for cleaning rags, towels and sheets from the guest room, etc., so it gets a lot of use.)

Hi Dmaull and ptaylor, Unfortuantely we never got around to whitewashing our house, but, I did an enormous amount research on the subject and discovered that you do NOT want to paint brick. Why? Because the paint doesn't allow the natural breathing to occur with brick. Brick is partially pourous and paint changes the game... Instead if you are going for that aged look then you want to use a product that simulates lime washing. Lime washing is the actual technique used in the 1700 and 1800s to protect buildings (including brick). Some still practice this today, but it is messy and potentially dangerous (your working with slaked limeor calcium hydroxide a natural chemical. The reason however you want this kind of finish is that it allows the brick to "breathe". Unfortunately the lime wash eventually wears off so you have to reapply ever few years. What I did find however was the ultimate solution I planned to use (until we deferred the project). It's a modern product that produces a finish identical to lime washing but is PERMANENT! It works at the molecular level and the minerals in the product permanently bind with the brick. What this means is that you do it one time and one time only! Additinoally the brick can literally be power washed later with NO ill effects on the white washed finish since it is permanent! Below are the notes I made to myself for later reference when I was ready to proceed. You'll want to contanc this firm and research the product yourself, but I am 100% confident that this is the BEST way to achieve a permanent, old world, white wash finish on your brick! Hope this helps! bradesp Jeff at Eco House 877-ECO-HOUSE Must apply in 46 degrees or warmer - needs four hours in 60 degree weather to fully dry-out Apply Primasil first as base "coat" Then apply one coat of Salizur. Will need to mix pigments to desired color and translucency. http://www.eco-house.com/silazur.htm Eco House can't ship if temperatures are going to freeze. Products can easily be sprayed. Will need to custom mix and keep mix "suspended" during spray.

Is there any way you can mock these up further, Jean? So you can get a feel for them? Cover the open shelves by the fireplace bumpout so the eye stops where doors would be? When I looked at your picture of the ex-fireplace wall, I thought partial-height built-ins could be very attractive and would create a nice display space above. Given your long, narrow room, though, would the horizontal line of the top shelf and filling in those two areas make it feel more so, or would the open depth above negate that? I can tell you from my own experience that shallow wall storage works very well, and you'd have a nice amount of it. Would building in partial height only to the left of the fireplace bump (and letting the remaining wall stay open) open give you enough storage, though? It sounds as if you're in an urban area, so perhaps don't need a great deal of food storage for day to day use. (You need enough food stored at home to carry the family at least 2 to 3 weeks if the power goes down, but would there be room elsewhere to tuck a few cases of canned goods?) I'm not crazy about the idea of a corner cabinet on the right side of the door if it meant a gap on that wall before the bump-out. Would it somehow be extended down the wall to meet the bump? If not, I think I'd only do one to the left and use the other wall for art. Aside from that, from this side of the screen putting a pair of freestanders or built-ins on each side of the doorway would make sense in terms of the room's proportions. Why does your designer recommend curved fronts? There must be a reason, and I imagine a good one. Would they echo kitchen cabinetry, carrying that look down the wall, or be handsome furniture meant to add ambiance to the dining side? With the bay at the other end, it would seem nice to copy those angles, but your designer is not recommending that. ?? As for built-in or freestanding, not a critical issue in itself, right? What are the recommendations and costs involved? Freestanding could look like pieces of nice furniture and be used to advance the feeling of a dining room, and they could move out if you decided you didn't want them any more, unlikely as that might be, given their intended purpose. Built-ins would never have to be cleaned behind or under. :) Any way I look at it, there seem to be nothing but pleasant possibilities, and a little irregularity can add interest, instead of just another iteration of the usual. Hope we get to see pictures of whatever you decide to go with.