LorraineS's Profile

I will say that I love a clutter-free look. I find it calming and peaceful, and it really helps me to relax. It also allows my design elements, architectural details, and art to shine. My home feels warm, but it does not take clutter to do that. I actually have a couple of junk drawers, and even those get purged from time to time--so there's room for new junk.

Yikes! Their deals. I apologize for that typo (one of my pet peeves)!

What a change! You made a huge impact for the money spent. I love that the kitchen looks so fresh and clean. The new lighting and fixtures really make the space look modern. Going with white cabinets integrates your old white appliances, and now the look like they belong in the space. You definitely made the right choice by going with timeless features, like your granite and back splash colors/materials. You can always add "on-trend" accessories and change them up. Great job!

I think the appropriate shower curtain length has a lot to do with the height of your ceiling and also the height of your bathtub. I have a loft with 14' ceilings, a very deep soaking tub, and tile bath surround that goes about 7.5 or so feet up the wall. Because my shower curtain rod is near the top of the tile surround, I have to have an 84" shower curtain. Otherwise, the curtain would only come down a few inches past the top of my tub. I know that's a confusing description, so I apologize.

But I have seen many people with similar configurations as mine who have short shower curtains and it's a horrible look! I think people don't realize that they have to go the extra step to get extra-long shower curtains. It's a must.

Cercis did have some awesome furniture! I seriously contemplated taking home a chair that I have no use for!

Just wow! So beautiful and so much fun! Great use of unexpected elements, like the red chandelier over the stairway and the cool pops of color on the bathtubs (and so many others). The wide open space is amazing, yet it looks very warm and inviting. Very cool.

@pheebs79: Don't fret, there is a commercial solution to this problem for those of us who can't do the woodwork. Believe me, I tried. I had molding cut to size and painted it, but in the end, my effort looked homemade. But because my master bath mirror is 6'x4', replacing it with another long mirror or two big mirrors was too costly.

But MirrorMate (mirrormate.com) has wonderful solutions. They sell cut-to-order mirror frames in numerous styles and finishes. My mirror looks as if it was always framed--for about $200. It's the first thing people compliment me on when they see my bathroom. MirrorMate frames look high-end, and do not have those cheesy looking corner pieces that mirror frames sold at big box stores have. Very easy to install (no tools needed).

Skyline Furniture makes many upholstered headboards that are extremely affordable to boot. Check out this one, sold by CSN Stores (a fav of mine) that is nearly identical to the one in the photo: http://www.csnstores.com/Skyline-Furniture-740-Parchment-SKY1063.html

They have many others as well.

Hey fellow Chicagoan! Your home is beautiful. Love the art! I've been contemplating buying a canvas and giving it a shot lately, so it's great to see what you've accomplished. Great shower curtain too.

Gosh, it bugs me that people feel as if it's their duty to come on here and bash people's homes. What ever happened to "if you don't have something good to say..."? I love design and working on my home, and I would love to share photos on AT sometime, but the tenor of the comments really have a chilling affect. I'm a confident person, and I love what I've done with my place, but I still don't want to put myself out to be bashed. Feedback is good, but at least be constructive. Of course, the bashers have it easy...and they probably don't have much to share either.

@ Thorndale: There are lots of cool lamp shades up for grabs in your neighborhood, at Urbanrest. They are closing the store (going online), and stopped in last Friday to check it out. Shades of all kinds are just $10. Some very cool, and some even had a vintage feel (if paired with the right lamp).

Paul, your place looks great. Congrats on putting it together with so much style. My personal style is more warmed up/eclectic clean lines, but I definitely appreciate this style too. I like to mix bits of different styles together, and there are plenty of ideas in your home. Thanks for sharing!