Thank you, Fori. I don't know why I can't seem to get a picture that doesn't make it look like more of a contrast than it really is.. Looks like a black floor with a huge bright orange center. Like a Butterfinger bar cross-section, lol! Columbusguy, I've said before... Those staples lay eggs, I swear they do! You get them all pulled, then a week or so later they hatch & new ones pop up. You KNOW that one wasn't there yesterday! My first mistake was when pulling up carpet pad, wasted so much time wrangling the left-behind pieces from under the staples. I eventually quit doing that, when I realized it actually protected the floor from the flat screwdriver I used to raise the staple enough to grip with pliers. (& makes staples easy to find, lol). For the ones without padding pieces - my first use of the credit card on this project. Well not really... First use was new washer/dryer to replace old one that caused all this, new bathroom subfloor, bamboo flooring (it was a compromise - DH got what he wanted in bathroom & I got to do what I wanted in this room. Refer to 1st pic - he was less than enthusiastic about my plan!). Anyhow, I found that if you can wedge the corner of plastic card under the staple, then - w/a very thin head screwdriver, you can dig & pry the staple up. Cutting an old card helped, made it possible to get it further under staple. Also helps, if you can, to pry from the other side of staple toward the "bulk" of plastic - in case you slip! (& you will @ least once if you're anything like me, lol). So... I know it sounds like a silly idea, a lot of work, & slow - but it worked great for me. After a couple of the little buggers are up, you find a rhythm, & it goes really fast. I kept pliers & magnetic bowl with me, & left the card in place to yank the staple out. "Card in left hand, pry from right, grab & yank, next! Not having to be as careful about scratching finish made it easy to go quickly!

I have the same set up that you are planning. My kitchenette/wet bar is 15 foot in length . The area in front of it is tiled and the adjacent living area is carpeted. I had a hard time deciding how much to carpet and how much to tile in the lower level. I didn't want to use too much carpet because our floors are heated and I thought the tile floors would be more efficient. The only reason I have carpet in the living area is because our grand kids hang out down there and I thought carpet would be quieter and more comfortable.

Lamp Shade Grey! What are you decorating, a bordello? I told you ... just call me Hef. ;-) I like the frisky Strong White with Wimborne! Me too. I love it in the winter when the Strong White walls look like natural cashmere and make you feel comfortably warm indoors just being in those rooms. And I love it in the summer when they are just that slight touch of cool grey to relax the eyes from the bright intense hot summer sun. RococoG has been my colour conscience lo these many years. :-) Rocs, that's a gorgeous look. I didn't know you ended up with LRG in there afterall. I thought you were leaning towards Mahogany or DownPipe or something. Well, LRG is splendid though. Anyhow, back to MtnRd's pool room kitchen. Looks splendid.

Yes, I'm glad I held back. It feels like the right decision. Now I am thinking that if I ever decide to do curtains, it should be one big long rod, and sheers hung in between each panel (that could actually slide over, if I so desired). But still I don't even know if that's the right decision or leaving empty. It still feels "unfinished" to me in a way. I'm not sure if small artwork would help alleviate that feeling in me? If I decide to try the sheer route, I can tape sheers up in between the panels and see how I like it. Sigh. These decisions are so big because if you don't like it, too bad! A big custom rod at 25 feet is probably at least $1,000, and then add curtains on top of that, so it's no easy decision! I do really appreciate all the feedback though, and am glad to put this project on the back burner for now!