Artistic Designs for Living, Tineke Triggs we made it

ds design studio Blue Ocean Studio, I hear what you are saying, as I grew up in the Sunset District of SF, where the summers were foggy... So, when I specify taupe, I try to select one that has some warmth in it so it doesn't feel drab.

Blue Ocean Studio Yes, me too ! I just found Revere Pewter, which seems to be a designer staple by BM I see. It has that nice warmth to it, but in certain light it can go much grayer, too. This is the 2nd house I've bought with window film on the windows. (California sun is really damaging). I took it all off because the former homeowner bought the darkest gray color for maximum protection. You wouldn't believe the difference in my wall color now. I had the clear film installed instead, which is the most expensive, and a lot of people would never bother doing this except for fussy artsists like me who see everything in technicolor! But the difference is amazing. It's so much nicer. It's things like this that people don't realize when they paint. Yellow green tree foliage is another one. Overhangs painted taupe on the underside is another one. We are now painting the underside of our taupe overhangs along the length of the living room. The color must have red in it and I have a pink tone to the walls. We will be using Dove Wing by BM which is the off white color of our french doors. This is going to also make a huge difference in the color of the light being cast into the windows and french doors under the overhang. And then there is halogen lighting vs low voltage lighting. Halogen in my estimation wins hands down, even though low voltage seems to be the darling of the electricians. I have a studio with large Par 30 halogen track lighting. I have a home with low voltage recessed lights. The studio is so much more beautiful with the lights on, including the floors and walls, not to mention ME ! I don't look nearly as good under those bright beams of cool low voltage lights. There is a lot to think about when it comes to color and lighting. I read again and again comments from people under duress because their paint color just does not look like the ones they see in the magazines and on the internet photos. They paint again and again and some get so disappointed. These are all things to consider when your paint color is not what you thought it was going to be.

ds design studio Pepermintpatty, you can certainly mix the two marbles as long as the tones work well together. I would ask a sales associate at a tile and stone showroom to show you some options.

Donna Honovic Thank You for this info you are such a great teacher just put in a Carrera vanity top Love it!

mrsecm i passed the quiz.. yeah!! : ) I now know the difference between calacatta and carrara marble. I think calacatta for the kitchen and carrara for the bathroom is the way we'll go. thank you for this informative piece.

ds design studio It is Oceanside Geologie 1"x 2" Offset in High Desert http://www.glasstile.com/geologie_palette.aspx For best results, ask your tile installer to use white glass tile mortar. I like Mapei Adesilex P10.

ds design studio shopmaven, I usually use Crossville Tile's floor pattern info and percentages: http://www.crossvilleinc.com/residential/design_tools/floor_patterns

Here is a tile calculator I just found: http://metrosurfaces.com/Pinwheel.html

aecanuck I have rectangle ceramic tile to be put in the master bathroom floor.
Does anyone have suggestions on how I should choose the orientation/pattern, things to consider to help with the decision-making?
Thanks for your help.

shopmavenva We used the rectangle upright but in a staggered brick pattern (I'm not a fan of row-over-row of straight lines -- looks like train tracks to me.) Came out very nice. The contractor called it a "modified" subway pattern.

ds design studio It is great to see how many of you have creatively addressed this issue. Thanks so much for sharing and keep them coming!

ewe3 We took out a wall 3 years ago between our kitchen and living room because the kitchen is at the back of the house and the view, a small private lake, is out the front.

Dave Conrad, our kitchen is 11' 5". Depending on what's on the other side of the wall you're taking out, maybe you could get an island in there. The photo from Gast Architects above has an extra wide island; I would bet that both that one and the one by Studio Z are 11' wide kitchens.

Studio NOO Design Opening on dining room and on the outside gives such a great big space to live in.

Fiorella Design It's a mid century find that I got in an estate sale. I thought it was really cool.

Randi Crawford It's one of my favorite colors; I'm drawn to the acid-yellow tones. I got a Valspar sample jar of their chartreuse paint and painted a small display shelf, now I'm looking for other things I can paint with it!

ds design studio Now...two years later, it is one of my favorite accent colors!

Cheryl Holz thanks for the info. I do think it would make sense to seal in the kitchen, but thought it'd be glossy. do you have a name for the product? thanks again!

ds design studio Aqua Mix Sealer's Choice Gold is one that has a natural finish.