Lizzy C's Profile

There are those who believe designer lamps are akin to great design works of art. And indeed it does take a certain amount of money to bring good design and well made products to market so everyone can profit. #Respect. However, in my limited budget world I would rather spend $900 on things such as paying my mortgage down faster, or a plane ticket to Paris along with a nice dinner there.

This lamp is not my style, but hats off to anyone who makes things rather than just consuming them. The act of making things itself is a form of art.

And the Apple/Samsung example is moot. No law has been broken for making a craft for personal use. This site nor the person above are advocating, nor making similar lamps to sell. I'd like to see the patent po-po come after that silliness.

Pantry moths thrive here in Portland, with some years thriving more than others. This seems to be a banner year for the moths. I am in a war here. I had them about 8 years ago and was able to get rid of them. Here's how. Throw out all food ...or despite a couple of comments here, scientifically, you can freeze food and the moths and larvae will die. Freeze all food in bags, boxes, pouches, spices, sugar, bulk foods for 10 days, take out for 5 days, then freeze again for another 10 days. Get rid of all fruits and veggies on the counters. You need a sterile kitchen. While the food is freezing you must pretend you have ADD or are on the Meths and OBSESSIVELY DETAIL clean everything in your pantry and kitchen. Wash all walls, ceiling, woodwork, nooks, appliances, crannies and crevasses with hot soapy water followed by a mild bleach water rinse. All utensils, all pots and pans. You need to get rid of any moth larvae, crumbs, dust, anything. Wash all jars, bottles, cans with hot soapy water and bleach rinse. Then while everything is still freezing buy moth traps. These are either a cylinder w/ glue strips (my preferred ones - available on the internet) or little cardboard paper triangles with glue strips. Both have a powerful moth pheromone that attracts moths into a fluttery glue trap death. They work and they are non-toxic. Keep them out of the pantry to keep moths from laying larvae back in your panty. I place mine next to the closed cupboards (which also serves as my pantry) and above the stove on a shelf. Warning, you may need to do the cleaning/freezing thing a couple of times. Or just have a nervous breakdown and call a pest control company.

There's primer and paint for almost any surface. Go to a good paint store and they will hook you up with the right materials. I agree with it being light. One trick I've learned when you want to add some extra "light" to painted surfaces is add some mica powder or gold dust powder. It gives the same very slight metallic effect as you might see on a newly poured sidewalk. You can even choose what gloss level you might like in paint.

I totally agree with paint, then maybe a stencil border or other effect.

It will be your cheapest and easiest option over tile, carpet, or other flooring options.

Who said anything about an ALL white Canvas? Use white as a unifying feature. For example, a pale blue striped sofa w/ white and blue accent pillows, maybe a couple of red pillows in there too to make it pop. Pale oak side tables with white lamps, a flotiki white rug with a rustic light pine coffee table would be one example. Or, a white sofa w/ a colored throw and some colored pillows alongside glass and chrome side tables and a coffee table. A colorful chinese lamp with white coolie shade and light green oriental rug. Add a light pine dining table, with 4 white and chrome eames chairs. or a white Marble saarinen table with 4 pine colored bistro chairs. Put a big bouquet of flowers in an antique silver urn on that table and it's the opposite of "stark" or "dreary".

White can really open up a room tremendously, and using colored accents such as pillows, art, a rug can makes a room open, light, yet still interesting and harmonious. this is basic decor 101 stuff.

The dressing room/office: it's difficult to offer suggestions since the photo is cropped & doesn't show the whole room (what's on the wall opposite the desk & clothing? What's on the wall opposite the closet?). However, here's immediate suggestions: get rid of that bulky mirror behind the clothing racks. Put mirrors on the clost doors instead. Move the desk to one of the opposite walls or floating in the middle of the room. Then, get some white Ikea type Pax wardrobes to place all along that wall (leaving 2 feet or so to get to the closet). If there's room for the desk on one of the walls put an ottoman in the middle of the room for some Hollywood glamor.

I'm both a long term landlord, and once again after 15 years a renter again myself. Here's my list of things to look out for:
1. Loosey Goosey leases. If it's just a standard couple of page template from legal.com or something there's an awful lot of things left off there that clearly outline existing conditions of the space and what the landlords and tenants responsibilities are. I have an actual checklist both parties sign (yes, checked out by my lawyer) during a walk through inspection that notes existing conditions room by room and outside. This protects the tenants and it protects me. Honestly, I'm surprised most landlords don't do this.

2. Beware if a landlord does not provide you with a copy of the federally mandated lead disclosure pamphlet and give you the waiver to sign (if the space was built before 1970) stating the landlord and tenant have no knowledge of existing lead paint hazards in the place and that the tenant understand the risks of living in older buildings. This is federal law. If they don't provide this, What other laws are they skirting?

3. Carpeted bathrooms and kitchens - seriously in my college town (that had really lax property upkeep and laws), landlords would cover over holes, mold and other severe damage with carpet. It could be deadly: some students actually fell through a floor and injured themselves because a landlord simply put some thin plywood and carpet over a rotting floor. tsk-tsk.

3. The toilets. Janky plumbing is the worst. Test 'er out if you can before signing a lease.

4. rotting porches and balconies: not only unsafe, can be deadly

5. slippery, not to code stairs and steps. See above.

6. Thin walls. I'm currently suffering bigtime because of a landlord that decided to divide a unit into two in an old house with a shared air vent and no insulation between walls. I'm just going to buck it up and get it soundproofed myself, but that's going to be about $500 out of pocket.

Now, as a landlord I will also weigh in. I can not tell you the number of times tenants will not let me know of problems such as a small pipe leak, or broken outlet, etc. These things are small, but if I don't know about them I can't fix them, and I can't always magically detect them by osmosis - so they lead, as others have pointed out, to making the problem worse and more expensive.

However, I do have to point out a lease holder is a lease holder, not the title owner. There's a huge difference in rights and in responsibilities. If I have a problem tenant I can always boot their asses out as per breaking terms in the lease or other legal rights (have only had to do this once). However, a tenant is pretty much stuck with that landlord unless they want to move out or sue them for negligence, etc. That's why it's important to pick a good landlord if you can.

Well, the renovator did say "Bling" was their inspiration. They've more than achieved that. And a lot of thought, care and time (as well as money) went into this renovation. Hats off for vision, effort and execution. At the end of the day if they are happy, that's all that matters. It's their friggin' bathroom after all.

That said, from my own design perspective? ACK. It's a trend du jour bathroom with just about every newish bathroom design trend crammed on in there and too much of it at that - like a window display at the Kohler store. The vertical tiles in that specific hue, the elevated glass commode, the modern shower thingy, the wood color and hardware, the squarish toilet, the basin sink. It's all so late 2000s! Reminds me a lot of newish upscale yuppie restaurants' bathrooms. And it will look dated much sooner rather than later. The comments of upscale modern boutique hotel ring true. And not that it matters anymore in today's whack real estate market, but if they choose to sell this house, all that money is going to be for naught. It's going to take a very specific individual to appreciate and want to pay for that bathroom as part of their housing costs (Realtor spin: "recently remodeled bathroom"!) rather than rip half of that shit right out when they buy it. It reminds me of the bathroom of the place I'm currently staying: an 1800s New Orleans shotgun with get this, an early 1980s renovated bathroom featuring lavender wavy wall paper, mirrored ceiling, and silver painted trim. I'm sure it was way Phresh too back in 1981. Bling? Yeah, this bathroom has bling. It's also tacky as hell.

I like the black, white and pops of red and I think that's a good way to go. I'd just up the reds and get into deep oranges a bit, with a bit of blue. It's also very "solid" in there. The patterns you have are very subtle. I'd go a little more overt in that department.

Here's what I'd do.
1. Paint the walls an earthy pale color. Try a clay or warm light gray. I'd then do the wall behind the TV a deep terra cotta or sienna color. I really love the earthy colors found in the Devine Paints selection.

2. If you don't paint an accent wall reddish - I'd ditch the rug for sure- it's just too much black and white in that room. Add a patterned Kilim rug with reds and oranges, or a Bokkhara with reds, oranges and blues.

3. A mirror above the fireplace, slightly angled will make the room seem less low and boxy.

4. Get some stuff from other eras in there, preferably turn of the century if you can. An old antique dresser or sideboard, some Edison lamps (check out Restoration House Parts for old edison bulbs), things that add a bit of history and wood warmth to the mix.

4. Plants! A nice grouping by the fireplace of larger plants in terra cotta pots or vietnamese glazed pots will makes a huge difference in adding some "organic" elements into your modern Bauhaus mix.

5. I'd def. get some artwork on the walls. And not in black or white - because jeez, your living room is slick and nice but cold - it's like living in the interior of a Porche!

6. A couple of baskets filled with books or wool throw blankets will make things a little less stark and a little more wabi sabi and lived in. Maybe some large floor pillows too...

Anyway, have fun and don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone with decorating! That's the most important thing.

With the exception of a couple of rooms, all my rooms are painted using Benjamin Moore.

I love Ben Moore's paint because they offer so many options with colors and ideas, offer several different types and grades of paint, and their paint goes on and wears extremely well. Their semi-gloss acrylics (for bathrooms and kitchens) are outstanding. BM is my favorite paint brand (outside of Fine Paints of Europe which I can't afford right now, anyway).

That said, I'd be leery of getting Benjamin Moore at a general hardware store. I've found that over the years the best paint is not necessarily due to the brand, but due to the people behind the scenes mixing the colors and formulas at the paint store. Real pros have a lot of experience and training, and understand the complexities of paint - and paint is a lot more complicated than most people think. A pro can help steer one in the right direction, help prevent mistakes, and custom mix colors to perfection or do color corrections - stuff hardware stores often can't. I've also found a good specialty paint store will provide terrific advice and get you the best paint for your specific project, and budget. This might occur at some hardware stores, but the difference is really notable between a good paint store and a general hardware store.

Of all the costs of home improvement (such as floors, kitchens, appliances or furniture), paint is a relatively cheap investment in comparison (even for the high end paint) but can really be a make or break difference in the way a home looks and feels. In summary and my advice? Don't mess around - get the best paint you can afford at a shop that specializes in it.

More please!