rma's Profile

I like the two country living spaces and the lonny space. I think the key is to accessorize/style so that the highlight of the room is not the stripes - it just makes a great backdrop. The two country living spaces use a feature with a bright, fun color as an attention grabber (turquoise chandelier and green sofa).

Some fun striped wallpaper: http://www.17thandriggs.com/Vertigo-Wallpaper.aspx

So true. I recently shared a quick pic with my phone of a scene from my apt (http://blog.17thandriggs.com/) and although I thought it was a horrible corner, after I saw the picture I found it slightly less so... I think the room was overwhelming me and making it difficult to see the individual bright spots. I think this is a wonderful exercise in looking for the interesting/positive around us.

Beautiful! Love the garden table/chairs. So inviting!!!

A very pretty kitchen, environmentally friendly redo and for under 6K! I'm filing this one away for inspiration...

LOVE this chair. Great find. There are many reiterations of this versatile look: http://www.17thandriggs.com/diningchairs.aspx

Definitely bold! Love these as they are so unexpected and unusual. Agree with the above poster who noted that 60s feel - which I know some people love.

What a great resource to have on hand. It has the same effect as limestone. That and it is less expensive and easier to work with? Sounds good to me. Francois & Co.'s reproductions are lovely!

Rebecca
http://blog.17thandRiggs.com

Love this house. Light and bright like a beach house plus sophisticated minimalist styling. Gorgeous. Are those rocking chairs as dining chairs? So unusual - but cool - just don't know if it would be relaxing or distracting to be able to have a dinner party of folks rocking...

I agree that the wood grain is beautiful, but you can update the look without losing the beauty of the natural grain by stripping and restaining - not painting - them a different color. Since the cabinets look to be only stained and not painted, it should be relatively easy to strip them to remove the old stain (it is not as difficult as having to remove goopy, heavy paint).

You could use two gray stains - one super light, almost chalky and one just slightly darker - using the darker on the bottom cabinets and the lighter on the top. Then you can add backsplash with some crisp white in it to bring some additional light into the room and emphasize the nice white sink.

I would use different window treatments - something more tailored looking or just remove them altogether. If you like a contemporary look I would consider something in gray and/or white with clean lines to match the cabinetry. I think continuing the colors in various shades throughout the room will look very modern and you can add all of the accent color you like decorative items.

If you use a gray stain the current hardware would probably work as sort of a nod to its mid-century modern aesthetic. Or you could replace with something more modern. The other thing I would consider replacing at some point is the faucet. It is fairly easy to do and would make a big difference.

We recently redid our kitchen: http://blog.17thandriggs.com/2010/02/our-kitchen-redo/ The stain is super dark but when you are in the room you can actually still see a small amount of wood grain. I had originally wanted to do a two color redo - white cabinets on the top and dark on the bottom - but am pretty happy with the results.
Good luck!

My favorites have to be the two prints from a local artist I got during a trip to Venezuela a few years ago. It was a memorably relaxed, bright and sunny day. Every time I look at them I automatically visualize the bright sunshine and the activity of the market. I am transported for a moment - which I suppose is the purpose of a memento or even the most tchotchke of souvenirs.

http://blog.17thandriggs.com/