Dulcibella's Profile

Agree with everyone above who says white sheers hung high and wide.

I also think you could use some pattern or texture in the room. White gauzy curtains with a fairly coarse linen-y to burlapy texture would be nice. Or maybe you could find some sheers with a white background and a pattern in some color that complements the other colors in the room. The picture I have in my head is gauzy white background with blue (wall color) and or green (sofa color) outlines of circles or squares or some other mid-century geometric print.

We compost with #2 through #6 and rarely have gable top containers, but the #1 sounds useful, though in a slightly different way.

Planting a sunflower seed in the middle of a short cardboard tube would make it easy to tell which sprouting green things were weeds and which were baby sunflowers. This solves our ongoing problem of what to pull up when weeding or hoeing.

Thanks for the idea.

That bath is really beautiful. The sink is beautiful, too, but it looks too shallow to be useful. It seems as if you'd get water all over.

You could always add a clear plastic splash back behind the sink to deal with splashes, if you were worried.

I am a longtime fan of big prints in powder rooms. There's something so cozy about it.

I love these. A word of warning, though. Some years ago (inspired by something Martha Stewart did) I framed a bunch of beautiful leaves. They looked great at first, but when they dried, they turned golden brown. Duh! I don't know why I didn't expect that, but I didn't. They still look nice and I enjoy the graphic quality, but I liked them better green.

So if I do it again, I might use the copier method.

What a great post. I've loved reading these comments.

My list:
My grandma's house had a back staircase that was never used. It led all the way from the back door to the attic, a wonderful dusty space with lots of old books and trunks with clothes in them. Hidden staircases are the best.

A girl I knew had her own bedroom, professionally decorated and with a window seat. Her bathroom had swan wallpaper, which I loved. I've added 3 window seats in my own house because I loved it so, but my opinion of swan wallpaper has changed.

My best friend was an only child (I'm one of 5) and they had a cleaning lady 3 times a week. Her house was always clean and tidy. I loved it.

Another friend had a father who was a psychologist specializing in sex. We spent a lot of time looking at his books (when her parents weren't home) in a wonderful, quiet, book-lined study with amazing filtered light. I learned a lot from the books, but what I really vividly remember is the study, which is pretty much still my ideal.

Critical comments that are constructive or offer a piece of information or a new way of looking at things are useful.For example, in the Banquette post today, someone said that banquettes are difficult to clean. That is good information for people who love the look. Criticism that offers specific feedback about specific things (like the banquette comment) is helpful to those reading and advances the conversation. Reading a whole range of opinions about something often leads to an integration that really helpful and informative. This is especially true in the design area, where function and beauty go hand in hand. It would be possible to build a banquette that is easier to clean, if you know that's an issue before designing it.

A constant stream of only positive comments is not useful for anyone.

On the other hand, comments like 'Not my style, I hate it' or 'Why is there so much MCM on AT' really annoy me. They add nothing to the conversation.

And, of course, courtesy is essential.

Once the cupboards are white, and the blackboard wall is lighter (white?) everything will look better. The white appliances will blend in, the yellow counter and backsplash might even look kind of cutely retro. If not, you could find a big remnant or old piece of marble and just set it on the counter. And those little bits of counter on either side of the stove - could they be covered with 12 x 24" marble tile? That' way you could get your marble. In fact, you could just tile over the yellow tile, too.

The fan is something you could take with you, if you save the existing one. The sink and faucet might be a bigger installation that you want to tackle - I think it would mean taking out the counter and backsplash to replace the plumbing. But the existing ones are kind of nice.

I, too, have those handles and I, too, hate them. The little bit that sticks up is just the height of my pockets and I've ripped them so many times.

I love your inspiration kitchen, btw.

I love these. My last house was built in 1938 and all the bathrooms had these wonderful floors. My current house was also built in 1938 and has hideous linoleum floors in the bathrooms. I can't wait to change them.

Funnily enough I already have several of the above pictures bookmarked.

What were they? Is it a project someone started and didn't finish? Is it an original feature that is partly torn out? Are they plywood or made from nice hardwood?

If they are not original, made of plywood, and your landlord would allow, I'd tear it out, but, possibly turn it into a bench/banquette that could be used for extra seating, as it's the dining room, and for storage underneath.

For a cheaper, easier, quick fix, paint it white or whatever color you like, add shelves, and hang curtain panels using tension rods just to cover the front.