That red carpet, under the right circumstances, could be pretty cool.

But it would be bugger-all tough to get it just right, and would take white furniture - not only a no-no but a super no-no with that precious little girl running around.

But it's looking nice! Congrats!

SC: The color itself is not all that bad but it's through the entire house. The original scheme is kind of off-white walls with white trim and then the burgundy carpet. I can see how it could possibly work, but it's not for us.

Heh, not to mention that the original owners wrecked it with their cats. It really HAS to go.

And I hear you on the white furniture. We don't own anything that doesn't have some sort of tell-tale kid mark on it.

Thanks!!

All in all, it looks like a really nice home, Tex.  You must be really thrilled to be able to go through and do what you like where you like without having to think about whether the landlord would mind.  I know I'm looking forward to that day.

The liitle girl looks very happy too.  What a cute kid

I too don't mind the red carpet.  It would go well with my furniture and decor (faux asian dark wood and white walls).  But if cats have got to it, I'd be replacing it too.

Nice house. I like that open design. Looks like your kids like it!

Maso: Thanks. It is awesome knowing we can do whatever we like!

We are hoping to put hardwood-like flooring in the kitchen/dining room, entrance, and loft (boys' playroom), and I love that it's all up to us. It was so satisfying picking out a chandelier. Adrian also put a ceiling fan (that we picked out, woohoo) in our bedroom. I love it!

Isabella is having tons of fun. I have some really cute pics of her that I haven't posted because my camera was having problems. I'll have to catch up. Cute pics of my crazy guys too.

The carpet, if it were in great condition, would probably not be so bad. I might not even take it out...I would try to just make it work with our stuff. I agree that it would go well with the faux asian dark wood. We were discussing what type of furniture would work with it and what the original owner might have had. Ha.

Ben: Thanks! I really like the flow of it, and I love having the boys up in the loft. They have their own space but I can still easily monitor them and just enjoy their company.

Looks great Tex.  Your couch is really snazzy.

Here is a simple rule of interior decorating that can really make a difference...you probably already know it...but if not, always good to share.

Hang wall decor at eye level.  Meaning if its in a passage way, eye level when standing, if its in the dining room or living room, eye level when sitting.  It takes a little getting used too, but its better than having everything too high.

Of course this doesn't apply for swags over doors, windows, and mirrors, heh.

Have you considered lowering the light in the dining room and centering it over the table?

You can get extra black chain, and a heavy duty plant hook (looks like a fat cup hook), screw it into the ceiling over your table paint it the same color as your ceiling, then drape the chain to the hook and down over the table...then you don't have to worry about moving the light fixture....

These ideas are take it or leave it, and of course everything looks great right now.

I love your house, even the red carpet!  But red is my fav color. 

Tova: Thanks!  As you know, your opinion means tons to me! 

We love our couch, but it is definitely looking like it belongs to a family of 5, haha.

I didn't know that about wall decor.  We don't have anything up in the living room and it has a really high ceiling.  Does that rule still apply?

I would also love to hear your ideas about window dressing (cheap!) for the window in the living room (front of the house).  I am not sure what to do with it.

I am not really satisfied with the positioning of the chandelier and it would never have occurred to me to move it the way you describe.  Thank you so much!  It came with a looooong chain (ridiculously long) so we could definitely do that.  I'll run it by Adrian and see if he is up to it.

That is such a great tip.  I am really helpless when it comes to all this stuff. 

I'm looking forward to seeing them.

I've got that book ready to go too. All I need is an address

Ok, here are some ideas. Please don't be offended, I think your house looks great all in its own, these are just tweaking ideas.



Yeah it does, unless its a huge piece of sculpture or artwork you are "Showcasing" on the wall.

At my house I hang things at my husband's eye level because I am 5'4," so its a little bit higher than my eye level.

Something you might want to consider. Your mirror in the dining room is kinda small for the wall. If this was mine this is what I'd do.

1. Lower light fixture as mentioned above (its easy and will cost you all of $.50 for the price of the hook. Bring it down to about 30 inches from top of table to bottom of fixture. If your ceiling is taller than 8ft, you can increase it a little, but 30 inches is a good rule of thumb.

2. Lower the mirror on the wall to eye level when sitting or low enough it will reflect the beautiful light fixture instead of your kitchen cabinets, heh.

To make the mirror "heavier" (read bigger) keep the swag above it, but add something to the sides of it to make it more of a set than a stand alone.

The wrought iron sconces you have on the stairway? They'd look fabulous in the dining room on each side of the mirror to give it more visual weight. They'd tie in to the black mirror, and the chandelier. (I can't tell size from the picture but you may want to try turning the mirror on its side and putting the scones with it. I think you will like the effect better.)

Another thing, when you have a grouping, like the mirror, two sconces and the swag....they don't have to be right on top of each other, but they shouldn't be further than your hands width away, fingers spread, from each other. For example, if you hang your mirror and put a sconce up, if you can put your hand between them, finger's spread, and have room left over they are too far apart. A hands width or less is best.

Don't worry about the chairs not matching, they actually DO match because they are all the same style, or appear to be from the pic. I think they're fine.

I love love love, the ribbons on Izzy's window. What a clever and beautiful window treatment.

You may not like this idea for the window...but this is what I'd do.

I love the soft look of sheers when the light is coming through them, and also the privacy of drapes on top of them, to keep the sun out, or lower the light in the room for tv.

You see the opening beside the window for the front door? How it is higher than your window?

I'd hang a double decorative rod (you can get a wrought iron one at Wal-Mart) ..for about $30 exactly level with the top of that opening all the way from the wall on the left to the front door foyer on the right. I'd buy some matching rings with the clips on them. (If the ugly pewter ones are on sale, get those and spray paint them black.) Or skip the rings for now, up to you. They will give you a couple inches more length though for curtains.

Now you need sheers and curtains or just curtains.

For the curtains...

1. Buy some cheapo curtains..you will need at least four panels, (or you can get fabric and do it yourself). The curtains won't be long enough, so here is the trick. Take one to a fabric counter (can be Wal-Mart (they have discount fabrics for $1-$2 a yard) or Jo-Anns) and find a co-ordinating fabric (use the colors in your d/r carpet when picking material/curtains). Hang the curtains on your rod measure how much you lack to brush the top of the carpet. Say its 24"...cut the fabric and sew or use that iron tape adhesive stuff to attach to bottom of curtain panels. You are just sewing one rectangle (the fabric you picked) to the bigger rectangle the curtain.

2. For Sheers, same deal, but you can even use a different sheer fabric on the bottom.

Keep the curtains open (yes, covering the light switch is ok, heh) with the sheers softening the light (remove blinds) and shut the curtains for privacy.

MAKE SURE you buy enough of the "add-on" fabric to put on a few pillows for the couch and it all looks CUSTOM.

Since you have a lr/dining room combo, you can use the same exact curtains on the sliding glass doors. Take the rod to the top of the kitchen cabinets (height) and pull it back all the way to the right (the door that doesn't open).

It will soften the tall ceilings, and really help make things cozy and muffle sound!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

If this is too expensive, let me know, there is a cheaper way to do it, but it requires more hands on time.

Maso: I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to you on that. I will email you before I go to bed tonight. Thank you guys soooo much!

Tova: You are incredible! I wish you could just come to my house and direct me, haha.

I never would have thought of turning the mirror sideways, haha. I am so inside-the-box! It was actually a gold rimmed mirror (very cheap) and I painted it black because it looked crappy the original color. I am really having to use what I have as much as I can.

I am going to turn it over and add the sconces. I will post pics so everyone can see the difference. I didn't know about the hand's width thing either.

Thanks, re: Izzy's ribbon curtain. I saw that in a magazine and thought it would be really cute and easy to do. It ended up being a ton of ribbon for the wall and curtain, but I think when it's all said and done, it will be cute. I hope!

I really like the idea of having the curtains and throw pillows matching. My mom came to visit to sew curtains for me but I still wasn't sure what to do and so she went ahead and went to visit my brother. Haha.

I do want to keep it as cheap as possible, but I am going to try to use the curtains I have for most rooms (for now at least) and I feel like the curtains/throw pillows in the living room will make a big impact, so I am willing to spend a little (ha, very little!) more to do that.

I may get back with you via email or phone to make sure I understand the details, haha. I am kind of slow about things like that. I do have mom's sewing machine here but she would do a much a better job, so if she understands the task, then all's good.

I want to give you big thanks for your help. It's really not offensive to me. You aren't rude about my choices and you have a WEALTH of knowledge about these things. I am really happy to learn from you. The bottom line is that I want my home to be nice and comfortable for my family, and better ideas are always welcome.

Ok, thanks. I am hesitant sometimes to offer suggestions even when asked because in the past some people ask, when all they want to hear is how great it already looks. hahah.

This is one of my passions. I don't know why, growing up in a trailer heh. But I read tons of books and magazines about it. But of course I am not a professional, so some of my ideas are good, and some, heh, not so great.

My favorite type of decor is "Use what you have" decorating.

I think most of the time people already have things that appeal to them. It's just about putting them together.

I helped a friend of mine in Delaware make curtains out of bed sheets because we found some on sale. The rougher the fabric (meaning less thread count) the better for curtains..and less thread count means CHEAP flat sheets. heh.

Sheets can be a great fabric purchase because all the seams are already sewn! WOO HOO.

Growing up in an Army family, we learned a bunch of interesting things.  The sheets for curtains trick was a favorite. It's also an easy way to get curtains to match a theme.  And easy to take a flat sheet and turn into curtains.  Just rip out about ... 4" of stitching and Voila!  Curtains! 

My favorites of all times was the Star Wars sheet set that mimic'd the original movie poster.  Still have a set somewhere ... oh, yeah!  In the boys' room.  On the windows. 

Looks good, Tex!  Keep up the good work!

So Tex, I went to my drafting board this morning and whipped up a couple sketches, so you can get an idea. I am such a professional.





I know its hard to get past the awesomeness of my sketches...but once the shock at my total professionalism wears off I'd like to direct your attention to a few details.

In the first pic you may notice a hanging light above the door. When the budget allows, you may want to get a wrought iron hanging light that will hang down in front of your little arched window...so when it is on at night you can see it from outside...also it will tie in with the light in the d/r.

In the second picture, you will need a loong rod and they can be expensive. Generally the thicker the rod, the more they cost.

Here's a cheap way to get a big bang.

Go to Lowes. Go back by the spindles, legs and woodwork area. Buy a staircase handrail...they come up to 12' long. Make sure it's not bowed.

This will be your rod. Get finials, (or use ones you already have or wait until you can buy some) and the holding brackets (3), rings with clasps (or no rings just make sure curtains have a wide rod pocket), in the window treatment isle along with a can of black spray paint. Paint it up and it looks just like wrought iron.

One side of the handrail is flat, just face that toward the wall. Then you can hang a cheapo rod for the sheers up under it, just paint it black as well to match.

I will see if I can find a picture of when I did this last. Hubby is out of town and he took my digital.

I couldn't even find a pencil this morning during our crayola time....so you get what you get and you don't throw a fit as my 5 year old reminded me.

The colors I used were the only ones he was willing to share. heh.