arroyo's Profile

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

It’s easy to laugh at these, but this is exactly what I’m thinking when I come to your house and see a 16 x 20 wedding photo in your living room.

Photos of your dead grandmother or your nude baby don’t make me uncomfortable. But they usually do make me cringe. Not because of the sentiment, but because the images are so…
---awful
---abundant
---horribly displayed

I know it is your house. I know you love your family. But just remember that NO ONE wants to come over and watch the 3-hour slide show of your trip to Burma. And no one wants to peruse albums of your adorable child, grandchild… or pets, for that matter. And please… don’t launch a visual assault by displaying your family members in one of those horrible “collage” frames from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

A few WELL CHOSEN family photos – great! Save the rest for yourself.

I dream of going 100% paperless. But I’m wondering if you have to maintain original documentation (paper) for things like mortgage paperwork, divorce records, etc. And are scanned receipts considered “original” documentation?

As you get more established (ahem, older), so-called critical paperwork seems to increase exponentially. I feel like we are drowning in it.

The title of this post suggests it might be a series. And I’d love to see that.

More properly, you’d refer to this as a screenprint, rather than a print. That may seem nitpicky, but the term ‘print’ is so generic as to be useless. There is a world of difference between a giclee print and a hand-pulled etching, monoprint, linocut, screenprint, etc. There are a ton of people selling reproductions of original art (prints) on Etsy, and I think many buyers don’t grasp the difference.

You may love gray, but sometimes too much of a good thing is… too much. Gray carpet, gray fireplace tile, gray furniture… and now gray walls? This room already has a serious case of the blahs, introducing more gray will only increase that feeling.

And there is another major issue to address: The existing grays do not work together. On my monitor, it looks like you have a pink/red undertones in the carpet and fireplace tile, and green undertones in the new gray sofa. And obviously the kitchen cabinets are in the yellow range. No wonder you are having problems… no wall color is going to pull all of these elements together.

I recommend Maria Killam’s blog: http://www.mariakillam.com./

I've been reading her blog for about 6 months -- it's really good. She has worked out a system that will help you understand and choose color. (She has a book out about choosing paint colors, and I think that would really help you. I have not seen it but I am going to buy it. And I have zero affiliation with her, fyi.)

This is a joke, right?

Beautiful. It is great to see a real working kitchen, rather than a showroom. The slag glass cabinet doors and the floor really make it for me. Makes me want to paint my kitchen.

FYI: We have a Bosch dishwasher and love it. Super quiet and awesome cleaning. I pre-wash nothing.

Rather ironic, but light colors really only work in spaces that have good light. When you have a small space with limited light, you have a great opportunity to go DARK.

I suggest BLACK. It would look great with your tiles, grout and brick. And it would bring a lovely richness to the space.

It sounds like a cliché, but the house will tell you what it needs. Listen to the house and don’t try to impose your will on it. It is a great house… but you have to work with it, not against it.

Paint and Color
---The house has a serious case of the drabs. Everything is grey, beige, and oh so boring. Grey is trendy now. But your craftsman house needs something warm. Get rid of the grey, and choose something warmer that works with the stained glass. It doesn’t have to match, but it does need to work together. (Remember, don’t fight the house.)
---Get rid of the accent wall colors. You have actual architectural interest… you don’t need to manufacture it. Paint both rooms the same color.

Furniture
---Too much and too large. And the matched set… yikes. Once you get some appropriately scaled furniture, you’ll have better options for arrangement.

Art / Accessories
---Your teeny tiny wall decor is not working. It looks cluttered and lacks focus. Go with less stuff, but choose things with more impact. For example, instead of 5 little paintings, choose 1 larger painting. Instead of a shelf full of photos and tchotchkes, hang 1 beautiful mirror.
---Identify or create a focal point. This could be something already in the house (like a fireplace or BIG WINDOW WITH STAINED GLASS). And note that this movie only needs 1 star (focal point); it won’t work without supporting roles.

Windows
---Your flimsy fussy window coverings are a serious decorating crime! Think about how much privacy and light control you need, then choose something that meets those needs in a minimal manner. And if privacy and light are not an issue, save yourself some money and forgo window coverings altogether.
---Craftsman architecture is all about simple lines; be true to that. Don’t try to fight the house by dressing them up with swags, flounces, or fancy poufs.
---Some things that would work: Bistro or café curtains, fabric shades, bamboo blinds, or simple panels that can be opened wide enough to reveal the windows and frames.

Keep the walls white. Don’t get too hung up on making everything MATCH. The floor tiles are a great neutral, and work as an organic complement to the white walls. Just bring in a VERY few accessories to unite them… maybe a few simple line drawings on buff paper.

---Remove the shutters. They are the wrong size and detract from the appearance.
---Paint the door a deep blue-grey. You want something that is dark and reads “almost” black. It will have more depth and be a bit softer than black.
---Paint all windows (innermost casements only) a steely blue-grey. Choose a color that works with the door color, but is lighter. Something from the mid-tone range.
---Paint the rest of the window trim cream (the thin trim surrounding the casements, and the larger wood area below the window). Cream is softer than stark white, and will blend nicely with the blues and browns. All windows (1st and 2nd floor) should be the same. Paint your gutters cream, also.

Before you start… what is going on with the front door? It looks odd. Like it used to be a double door but one side was closed off. And the trim is broken… is it in good condition? The pseudo-Victorian etched glass is REALLY off. I’m not a fan of the door at all, so if there is anything going on now would be the time to replace it with a Colonial style more suitable to your house.