Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

My worst DIY project involved removing wallpaper.

Our neighbors have beautiful vintage wallpaper in their dining room. It is very formal. That is the style I would consider for one or two rooms in the house but given the price and then expense of putting it up...no way!

[DCJenn]

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

No.

IF I purchased a massive Victorian that had it's original custom painted wallpaper or very good knock off wall paper, I'd consider it. However, we had Cabbage Roses in Nikolai's bathroom and the price to use the bathroom was that you had to come out bearing a piece of the paper. Finally, the fix-it guys removed it when I had his room painted.

My ex-husband and I attempted wallpaper once. kind of like this husband and I attempting IKEA furniture. Some things couples shouldn't do together.

Jenn

[Vishenka69]

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

Ok, so I scratched the wallpaper idea and will be making my contractor painting the stripes instead. He's not crazy about the idea, but it'll be easier to change down the line, so he might be thankful in the end. After meeting with the color specialist from SW, I've realized that I'm leaning toward almost the same color scheme I had back in the Bronx. I really liked it but now feel kind of weary of going with the same colors. Mostly because I feel that I should be doing something different.

The other dilemma is to do tone-on-tone stripes (flat vs semi-gloss) or pick two colors that are next to each other on the strip? And make them skinny, wide, alternating widths?

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

What colors are you thinking of doing for the stripes?

I will confess that when we moved to our first Portland house, I painted the LR and DR the same color as the previous house. Wait, one of the colors was the same. I still love Benjamin Moore Cork. I think it is a great color. Some colors just work for you.

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

There is some wallpaper I really like but it is REALLY expensive. Oh, I bet that anthropologie stuff is cool!

[Vishenka69]

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

GAAAAA! You can't do this to me. I just saw some really neat wallpaper at Restoration Hardware outlet yesterday and didn't get any. I really don't want to drive back. The wallpaper I liked at the store was all German. I'm sure I'll love the ones at Anthropologie too.

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

I like that cream Grand Jubilee. That wallpaper is very reasonably priced, IMO. I love it but would probably only put it up in one room -- above the chair rail of the dining room. I think I said above something about my neighbor's cool vintage wallpaper. I like it but it dictates what she does with the room. Like Lily said, I think paint offers more flexibility. Maybe go with paint for now to make your life easier and think about doing wallpaper later?

[Vishenka69]

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

For the record because of the beams, I would only wallpaper bathrooms and only the top half as there's wood molding that comes up to just above the sinks. There's a really neat print on sale at anthropologie that I think might be perfect for a guest bath, what do you think?

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/cat ... &color=mul

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

I scoff at their easy-peel removal in the description.

I think for one room like that, it would be great. Also, it is a small enough space that if you don't like it, it is easy to change. Go for it!

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

Now you tell us! What other product placement confessions do you have?

It is cool stuff. I like it. I see what you mean -- I would rather have the fabric over the wallpaper. Wallpaper is fun to look at unless it was the insanely tacky "Oregon Trail" stuff we discovered in our last house.

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

I have just been skimming through this thread...you have a lot going on!! As an designer I thought I would put my two cents in.

No wallpaper- no matter how adorable, it is a very seasonal item...do you still like last spring's fashions?
The less colors the better- you can always use accents of colors in a room or in the art
Granite and cabinets should not match, different values. For example white cabinets, black absolute granite
Don't buy anything because it "matches"- only buy it if you love it, you will figure out how to make it work
As for shower doors, my personal experience is that I love glass, a little cleaning...but really wouldn't you be cleaning or replacing a curtain too? They also really make the whole space bigger.
Getting a couple quotes for contrators is a great idea. My best advice with contractors is to look over the work they have done each day with them, and call out any mistakes or work that does not match your expectaions immmediately. This gives them a chance to fix it and know that you will not tolerate sloppy work.

Best of luck! I am sure you will enjoy your new space!

[Vishenka69]

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

I took Lily's recommendation and looked for white ceiling fans and found some I liked for about $200. Thank you so much for that suggestion. The more I think about it, the more I like the whole blending effect. Now I'm trying to figure out how to get various family members to chip in for things as housewarming presents.

I'd love other tips and tricks that you guys have discovered over the years. I've been thinking lots about what other colors I can paint moldings and trim and just can't come up with anything other than white that would flow well through the entire house. Now that Domino is shutting down, I'll need to find a new inspiration.

[Vishenka69]

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

Has anyone seriously remodeled their shower? It turns out that the shower in the bathroom we're making master isn't up to code, plus we want to add things. This means lots of new plumbing thingys (valves, etc.). My contractor keeps saying he can do whatever we wants, but doesn't seem to be very knowledgeable in plumbing. A couple of plumbing supply stores we went to only confused us even more because they had conflicting advice. I started reading all kinds of forums online and got even more confused (hence my FB status). At this point neither of us even wants a shower and is willing to live with a gaping hole.

DH asked at work and nobody had a plumber they liked and wanted to recommend. I'm so confused. I was thinking of getting Plumbing for Dummies or something like that but if the books are anything like the forums, I'm not sure they'll help.

Any advice?

[MrsK]

Re: Clueless New Homeowner - Combined Thread (lot of questions)

I had a tub and shower replaced in my condo. And our landlord had to replace our shower here too. I'd guess that your contractor would hire a subcontractor that is knowledgable about plumbing.