Um, your GC isn't going to live in your house. Maybe he can't figure out exactly HOW to put the two stained glass pieces in, but that's his job, to figure it out. If you love them, DO IT! I also love slate. Quit second guessing youself, it will be all rigtht.

I doubt I would ever listen to a contractor when it came to matters of taste. If you like the stained glass windows, install them.

The contractors I use for my own work are a notch above average, and do great work, but I have not been overly impressed by the design aspect of the design/build arm of their firm. How about the contractor's wife's taste? Do you trust that? Grey/lavender is not purple, so who knows what your contractor is communicating.

Not carrying vanities back down some steps is the worst excuse I've heard for keeping something, but there is a deeper question here: How could you hate something today that you bought last week? Both aspects of that situation need to be sorted: your husband living with something you hate forever to avoid a heavy trip down the stairs And the fact that you bought something and did a complete 180 on it in a matter of days.

Generally, I think you need to slow down. There is no reason that the house has to be fully painted in the final colors at this moment. Get it primed and painted in Navaho white or something and go back to it.

You are obviously burned out. I've been there and my situation was nowhere near as daunting as yours. First, I think your GC is WAY out of line. Have you seen a house HE has designed? Or is he foisting his personal taste on you?

IMO, it would be better to spend the money on a few hours" consultation with a designer who is experienced in restoration /renovation work. He or she will be able to help you work out a color palette and the basic styles
of fixtures, etc. You tell him or her what your budget is and he will stay
within it for each item. This is what they do for a living---- and could
probably fond a compromise tile thar would suit both you and your Dh. It's
scary when costs overrun so much, and spending more on hiring a
decorator probably sounds like madness, but you can actually save the
cost of his or her fee by not making costly mistakes at this crucial point in the Reno.

I feel for your exhaustion and worry.... Don't be bullied by your GC ....

thanks. you guys are right. My GC lives in a beige house. He restored it himself and choose a different shade of beige for every single room, even the bathrooms! He is also a realtor so he believes tan sells. Your right, of course anything wih color, he is not going to like. And your right, his wife is also very nuetral. She likes white, beige and will sometimes go brave with some crazy accents of red or bright green. And then she regrets it. Because she is afraid to go all the way with it, so it looks a bit out of place. I love color and I still have a week before they start painting. I will find the perfect grey/lavender and they will all be very surprised by how good it looks.

And the vanities- that was just a dark hour for me. I had heard about the upcoming sale and had been waiting for it for 2 weeks. When I walked into the store and saw the disapointing selection..I just bought the 2 best of what was offered because I felt like I didnt have a choice. A day later I realized I still have time. I didnt have to get that vanity. But now my husband has kind of put his foot down about returning the vanities. So I'll have to make them work- or swap them out next weekend while he's away on a trip and tell him the new ones were the same price as the old ones.

I can't comment on coordinating colors (I have my own stories of choosing the wrong ones!), but I do have a suggestion about the stained glass windows, the slate for your bath and the vanities. Put in clear/regular diamond shaped windows large enough to accommodate inside mounting your stained glass. You can hang or remove at will and if everything is sized right, it won't look like an afterthought.

For the slate, if I couldn't find a contractor who had experience in it, I would either change contractors or change my tile choice.

For the vanities, take the old ones back (get a friend to help you move them!) if you are doubting your choice. I think it means you settled. Look on CL for used dressers (not necessarily antiques) or used buffets/sideboards.

Hope you can de-stress and work your way through these challenges. It's a lot to get through!

Java

You sound exhausted and burned out, which is totally understandable. If you love it (whether it's windows or colors), do it, and don't listen to a GC. I agree that maybe a couple of hours' time with a decorator could be helpful, if you can find one you like who will work on a per-hour basis. (This is what I do part time, so I know there are others!)

I like slate. Lots of people like slate. I have it in my kitchen backsplash and on my bathroom floor. Love it. I have had more compliments on my kitchen backsplash than on any other element in my home!

If you haven't already looked at these colors, check out SW Blonde for a nice gold color, and BM Piano Concerto (and nearby colors) for a good lavender. Or for more grayness (I think -- don't have the paint deck nearby) check out Wet Concrete and its neighbors.

We painted our entire house shades of white because I couldn't make a decision about color when there was nothing there to "fill in" the rooms.

I tried not to settle on anything permanent and scoured the internet for items that I couldn't find locally. Typically, that worked well.

I like slate too. Your husband will hate installing the HD slate because it is going to chip like crazy. It's very shale-y. I couldn't find enough decent tiles to do my courtyard so I ended up using brick reclaimed from our fireplace that we removed.

With slate, just make sure you see it wet/sealed to make sure you like the enhanced look. I'd think you might have to seal it in a wet area like a shower.

While I do agree with the other posters that you are burned out and should not listen to the GC I also think you need to consider your DH's position. He's worried about the bottom line. The two of you should sit down and have a honest talk about how much you can afford to spend on the interior of the house. Are there things you can put off for a year or maybe two till the bank accounts recover some? Do you need to finish both baths right now? He's frustrated over the whole project and he's not communicating his feelings very well. Instead he's taking potshots at you and your choices.
It's hard for husbands sometimes to say no to wives they love. You need to sit down and talk before the remodel becomes the elephant in the rooms for the next 20 yrs.

I purchased an antique stained glass piece to go up the upper-so-high-you-could-not-reach it window in the stairwell of our last home. It made me smile every time I started down the steps. Installtion was a PITA (just ask DH) but we got it done! He built a wood frame around the window I purchased and slipped it into place behind a solid, clear glass window pane. His thinking was the solid glass pane shielded the older, more delicate stained glass from the elements and we could remove if/when we moved. We ended up leaving it, since it would have been a PITA to remove and we just ran out of time.

I was stealing a few minutes to peek in the boards and started reading your posts. I'm supposed to be getting ready for an appointment but I stopped reading the minute I saw you say you can't find a decent gold for your hallway.

Try BM HC-12 (Concord Ivory) - it's a historical color, beautifully complex and I've seen it in at least three homes (one of them mine.) I'll link you to a blog post where you can see the color (and apologies to others because I'm pretty sure I've linked this same post before.)

You'll have to scroll down to see the paint - and if you look past the kitchen into the hall - it's the same color in the hall too.

Here is a link that might be useful: link to my kitchen walls redo

Here are pages of violets ......

not sure if these will help but this website might have some examples to try out ....

Here is a link that might be useful: Examples of violet paints -- my perfect color

I also *swear* I just saw a spread in a shelter mag where the wall color was "gravender"...an oddly neutral reading greyish purple. But, then googling for you, I realized the term was from a thread from here:

http://www.thathomesite.com/forums/load/decor/msg0709160718579.html

Lots of suggestions from grey---->lavender, some refreshingly neutral, I think.

Sounds like you're doing too much at once. Take it one room at a time. You're jumping from one thing to another, to another, to another.

Whenever I buy something I don't like (or think I don't like), I live with it for a week. If after that time I still hate it, then I go on to Plan B, which for me is either finding a way to make it work, or convince DH that it needs to be returned. After living with it for a few days, I usually wind up keeping the item b/c it never is as bad as my first reaction.

I have SW Blonde in one of the bedrooms and I really like it. I think we are going to use the same color for our basement. Another similar color is SW Restrained Gold.

If you like slate in the bathroom then go for it. We have a slate-looking porcelain floor in the master bath and I love it. We stayed at a resort this summer where the whole bathtub wall was slate. It was a very rustic look.

I know how you feel with wanting to redecorate and get everything done. We've lived in our house 8 1/2 years and have not done anything to the kitchen except paint. I so want to change out the countertops and backsplash and DH doesn't want to b/c he doesn't think there's anything wrong with them. Most men don't understand the redecorating bug. Since I have never done anything to the kitchen, it's just not "me".

So take a deep breath and relax. Stop doubting yourself.

I really feel for you. Sounds like you're under a lot of pressure. I'd slow down on whatever I could.

Hire a couple of guys from Craigslist to move the unwanted vanities back down the stairs and into the truck. Don't forget CL when looking for a vanity, or an antique that can be turned into a vanity. CL also often has building supplies, left over tile, hardwood, lumber, carpet at great prices, rugs, etc. You can save a LOT of money there.

Pour yourself a nice glass or wind or cup of tea and browse through our Gallery threads for inspiration. There are hundreds of beautiful photos in there. It's always easier if you start out seeing how the completed color scheme will look. Be sure to visit the Show Me Your Cottage Decor thread too. There are modern pics in all the threads, but there are also a lot of antique type homes and decorations.

First find what you love so you have a solid direction. Then set about saving money where you can.

Wait... maybe first a bubble bath and a nice sleep?

Here is a link that might be useful: Gallery

One thought about showers -- the tile reflects on your skin. I would use a warm colored tile like peach, rosey, tan, or brown. I think blue/green/black might make you look embalmed in the shower... and it's not just if you shower in tandem, either. I did a shower stall in stark white tile and I hated looking down at my own skin in that shower.

Same for wall colors throughout the house -- they reflect on your skin. Paint your walls colors that you look beautiful wearing, and then you'll always look pretty in your own home.