Suzanne in Mexico's Profile

Totally agree with Bo. this is an easy fix for a faux finisher, used to playing with wood fillers/papier mache/veneer and stain/paint. Unless you're intending to slice a larger strip of the veneer away and find an exact match, make sure you, or whoever does the repair, rip the veneer patches with your fingers (as opposed to cutting with a craft knife) and use a very light sandpaper, to blend the jagged edges together, before correcting the colour .. which (in my experience) is better done with a tiny dab of shoe polish than with wood stain (which soaks into porous surfaces, like particle board, in a way that's impossible to correct if you get it too dark !) You need an artist, rather than a carpenter, I think .... So you're, at least, living in the right neighbourhood !

Mel-Bel, I have to agree. I think someone saw the potential for profit ... not in developing the site, but in pretending that was their intention. I seriously doubt it's even possible to buy a FLW house and not be aware of the fact, particularly one that had remained in his family until quite recently.

Runemistress, the biggest advantage, in my opinion,is that a duvet cover is so much easier to switch out and wash than a comforter. You can use your comforter in the same way as a duvet and make different covers for it, using the 'tie tips' above to hold it in place. With regular duvets, I find that the knack to keeping the duvet in place is to take the bottom two corners (gripping both cover and duvet tightly) and give it a couple of shakes toward the head of the bed. You'll find that the duvet rearranges itself nicely inside the cover ... in much the same way it magically slipped downwards during the night ! The trick is to make sure your homemade cover is snug, not too big for the duvet you're using. The idea for the ties in the corners has been used for a hundred years or so in Europe and works very well indeed.

@shirleyzb ... Why give up 'initiating' ? It sounds as though you put on some really good 'Do's', that other people enjoyed (and, presumably you did too) and that your main peeve is that others aren't as good as you are, when it comes to arranging 'get-togethers'. Maybe these people just know they can't compete when it comes to being a great hostess and don't mean to be 'insincere' at all.

@Transote, Sorry not to have got back to you sooner .. I've been busy selling my house and so haven't visited in a while !

I'm lucky to be living in Mexico, where natural mineral paints (powders) are available in all sort of colours and in just about every little hardware store in town ! Simply mix with water .. and your off ! I wasn't sure of name brands available in the States, but did do a quick search, and came up with this link, which looks pretty promising :

http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_paints.htm

I'm sure there's a lot more info out there and hope you've already managed to locate the paint you wanted .. or if not, that the above link will help !

If you buy your paint in powder form, be warned that the tiniest amounts make a huge difference in the colour you're creating ! After a bit of practice, it becomes great fun and very satisfying too, knowing that you're not going to be left with any sticky mess after finishing a project. Extra paint can be stored in screw-top jars (I have a nice collection !) and used for the base colour, or part of the colour mix, for your next project !

I have found that anything, once the surface is prepared properly, will take and retain this paint ... when topped with several coats of water-based urethane. ... My concrete floor is still going strong and gets constant wear, being the floor at the back of the house, where the the traffic is all from the garden and patio areas. My wooden tables also take a lot of abuse and are similarly resistant to it all. ... Let me know how you get on !

Transote, I agree with you with regard to latex paint .. it can and does peel. Also, like you, I can't stand the fumes from oil based products.

Many years ago, I started using water-based products only, and have found that one of the the most durable finishes (and the easiest to apply) is a combination of flat paint and water based polyurethane (also suggested by PrettyHandyGirl).

For wooden furniture (if previously glossy) after some sanding by hand, I use a liquid sander and then the flat paint (no latex) which dries very rapidly and can be sanded between coats. Once I have a nice smooth finish, I apply several coats of clear polyurethane ... which you can get in a variety of finishes, matt to full gloss, depending on the look you want.

I do a lot of 'custom' and 'distressed' finishes, and find that working with matt paint allows me much more flexibility when I'm looking to make paint look old or 'worn', since you can easily add flecks of slightly different colours, or tones of the same colour, without any fear that you're going to end up with a streaky, gummy mess or that you'll have brush marks showing (this problem is avoided altogether when using matt paint, in my experience.)

I recently painted a concrete floor using the same products and techniques and have found it to be a way better finish than that achieved by using paints specifically designed for concrete .. which I've been unhappy with in the past.

For me, it's all about the 'controllability' of the project ! Water-based products allow you the luxury of stopping and starting to your hearts content, since a quick rinse of the brushes (and yourself) with plain water is all that's needed (for short breaks, you need only pop your paint laden brush into a plastic bag and it will be fine for a good 24 hours.)

Good luck with the chairs !

Absolutely disagree with the idea of resting "at least the front two legs of a sofa or chair" on the area rug. A rug that looks like a "bath mat" will look that way because it's too small for the space and/ or not relating to the furniture placement in the room. The one in the picture looks good because it defines the coffee table space and allows a nice border of wooden floor in front of the sectional. ... Were that sofa sitting right on the edge of a rug, it would look hideously badly placed. Actually, I'm not sure why this particular photo was chosen to accompany the article, since it doesn't illustrate any of the points therein !

Fabulous ! All of it !

Beautiful! But how sad that it has been broken into several times. That would spoil it all for me.

Love this room. Contrary to what a few people have said, I find the space really inviting and totally livable ! It could be because my own decorating style is very similar, but I don't find anything contrived about the empty picture frame or the vignettes of nick-nacks and collectibles. This is the way many flea market fans and thrift store shoppers actually live. To me, it's more Elle Decor than HGTV and definitely the room with the most personality. I don't think that it matters that a designer staged the place, since the occupant of the space obviously provided the 'atmosphere' , agreeing with the colour choices and making the 'look' possible with all the items already in his possession.