Lauren's New Home Part II

Today is a continuation of my last post- on Lauren's new home. Lauren wants to replace her counters and backsplash.

First of all- you have a challenge here- and that challenge is blending the floors with the cabinets. It is not your most expected combination. Generally, tile floors like yours would be paired with wood cabinets- or a darker painted cabinet. This is not to say that we can't make it work though- the fact that you are replacing your counters is a great opportunity. Think of your counters as a "marriage." We want to marry your floors and cabinets. We need a unifier. You didn't give me a close-up of the deco tile in your floors- but it looks to me like it is a classic hand painted saltillo- probably with blue and white in it. If you love blue and want to use it in your decorating- that is one way to go- or you could downplay the blue.

At the top of the post is a travertine that would look really great- it is "Siena Silver"- One of the things I really like about it is the white in it. The gray tones are a terrific compliment to the terra cotta. Travertine is not a good kitchen counter material- as it is fairly porous- but you could pair it with a coordinating Silestone- and use the travertine on the backsplash.

This tile above is a great combination of neutral colors. It is Zapala by Walker Zanger. In addition to herringbone- it comes in a lot of different patterns. I like the beauty and neutrality of it. It pulls out the terra cotta color without being too terra cotta.

If you like the tile and deco look- I found a few that did a good "marriage job"- as they brought the white together with the terracotta and blue.

I like the idea of using them with a white handmade tile like the one above- and go with a terra cotta colored granite on the counter.

What do you think? Do you have any ideas for Lauren?

Forecast for a Fresh and Fabulous Face Lift

Long time readers of my blog know that I like to forecast. I can tell what is coming, and I let you know. Stay with me and you can be ahead of the trends rather than lagging behind.

Today I want to discuss trends in tile and stone. Currently you are seeing a lot of glass and mosaics and tumbled marble and travertine.

What you are going to be seeing more of is hand painted tiles. The tiles will be real stone, and ceramic. Sure- these have always been there- but their popularity will be increasing in the next year or two. Mark my word- I am saying it now-this will be the hot new item that everyone is looking for. You will see lots of bright colorful Portuguese tiles, and aged subdued muted colors on terracotta tile and stone.

These are great not only in a back splash- but on your floors and fireplaces as well. So- look around your home- where could you use a fresh and fabulous face lift of hand painted tiles?

The tiles in this post are from Country Floors and Ken Mason Tile

- Which is your favorite?

Kelli's Kitchen.

I broke Kelli's questions up into a few different posts- Catch up with Kelli here and here. Today's post is for her kitchen. I will interject in olive green :)

Kitchen: Is my wall color too blah with cabinets? (Sherwin Williams Blonde) No- your cabinets are too blah with your wall :) Look at your art and accessories- it is not your paint color that is wrong- it is the cabinet color.Should I do a faux finish? Absolutely not. Paint your cabinets black- like the kitchen at the top of the post- (photo from Western Interiors)or even red and green- like the photo above. (photo from Metropolitan Home Jan/ Feb 1998) I might like that better with your black counters. Another good option would be to have your wall color on your cabinets- and paint your walls a khaki color. (Hey everyone- which do you prefer ?) A distressed black finish with a golden undertone would also be terrific. Your kitchen will look incredible. Keep your island if you want- or have it painted a distressed red.

What kind of tile or stone should I do with the fireplace surround? I would use a hand painted tile that incorporates your blond and black- like the tile above from Walker Zanger. Add a small mantle- I can tell that you do not have a lot of room- but I would still add a small one.Should I paint kitchen table black? No- but I would re-stain the top of it a dark walnut. Does it have to be on an angle? I would straighten it out. I need new appliances should I get black or stainless steel? Stainless steel- or even a red.

I would also add a soffit and a larger crown moulding while I was at it. :) I also would do a full length drape instead of just a valance. There you go! Good luck with your kitchen! It will look great!

- Christine

Flooring 101

Almost nothing is more important in a beautiful home than to start with beautiful flooring. This is a limiting factor in many cases. I will go to a client's home, and we can get new furniture, paint the walls, add great accessories, their house will look great- but unless their floors are beautiful- it will never look fantastic.

Rule #1- Go timeless. Flooring is expensive. That's WHY people have not-so-great flooring- so- when you do take the plunge- go timeless. Personally- my #1 picks are natural products, like hardwood and natural stone. (I am speaking specifically about all over flooring- for the living areas in the home.) These will not go out of style like ceramic or porcelain tile. They generally give you freedom to change your colors in the home also. I feel like the flooring should be a beautiful background. A pallet for you to decorate on. We all can picture ceramic tile from the 70's- hideous dark colors and ugly patterns. In the 80's they all had little peach flowers in the corners. In the 90's people looked at the previous two decades and decided plain white 12 x 12 tile is the way to go. But alas- we now think that is hideous also. Today, we can go to the tile store- and see so many beautiful tiles that sadly, will seem horrible to us in 15 years. Think about how long you need this investment to last- and make a selection that will still look good through that time. (A good classic hardwood floor should look good indefinitely.) Some people might not mind the inconvenience and expense of replacing flooring- others know they will only be in their home for a few years. In ceramic and porcelain tile- my personal pick is tile that looks A LOT like stone. There are some great faux travertines out there. Also- if your architecture will allow- saltilo tiles have made it into the timeless category.

Rule #2- Get the best flooring that you can afford. I remember a fellow interior designer, years ago, having carpet put on a wood staircase as a runner for a client. I was helping her figure her job out. It was custom cut and professionally installed with beautiful brass hardware. However- she selected average carpet. Carpet that, on a staircase, would probably be showing signs of wear in a year. I think of this as a key element to your home- the last one to scrimp on.

Rule #3- Don't chop it up. If your home is over 4000 square feet- I might give you different advice- but for the rest of you- have as few flooring changes as possible. Especially in the middle of a room. If you have a kitchen that is totally open to a family room- select one floor for the area. Cutting it in half, putting hard floor in the kitchen, and carpet in the family room, makes your room look smaller, and disturbs the "flow".

Thank you to Architectural Digest for the photo of Ryan Seacrest's Hollywood home