HoganKaffee's Profile

Bravo! Nice post. I totally agree with keeping open spaces and not being married to a particular arrangement or design. I always tell people that whatever you think works for you right now may change in 3-4 months. The challenge is to create a space and have things that adapt easily and will grow with your family's needs.

Right now our front room is completely empty of most furniture. It's been used as for musical chairs, creating space for several artists drawing on oversize paper, a track/runway for ride-on toys, and impromptu activity space. I'm about to inherent a nice couch and I'm wondering if I gain less by accepting the couch, or wondering if there is some arrangement where I can keep the couch until our space "calls" for it.

I think the two pieces would complement each other. Both have a feeling of movement to them. The would look beautiful, but over time I feel that I would want a more peaceful and calm mood in the bedroom.

I'm a big fan of an enameled cast iron pot. I use mine all the time for the oven and for the stove and I find it's the most versatile item in my kitchen. And it's an absolute pleasure to cook with - never mind that's a festive red and a Le Creuset. That's just "gravy."

I know this was a post about the *1* item you would say to splurge on. Over the years I bought some of my "splurges" and love working in my kitchen. Looking around there are a few items that I use on a daily/weekly basis. With the most used item first....
1. Lodge cast iron skillet and griddle
2. Automatic soap dispenser
3. Rice cooker
4. Hot Water Pot - great for teas, adding water to boiling pots
5. Bread Maker
6. Crock Pot
7. Pressure Cooker
8. Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer
9. Hand Mixer
10. Emile Henry Ceramic Baking Dish
11. Airbake cookie sheets

I use these very often - but for some reason they came to me later
12. Good serrated knife
13. Good chef's knife
14. Nice kitchen towels

Things don't have to be expensive. I found a great cast iron pan at a thrift store for $6. Le Creuset on sale or other less expensive enameled cast iron are not that hard to find. I think it's a matter of figuring out what you want most and finding a way to make it affordable and attainable. Makes using it that much sweeter....

I start a pile and then set everything out before I start to pack. It helps me to see everything as a whole, and then I can edit/repurpose/discard as needed. Then I can see if it I can truly layer my clothes instead of taking the bulky sweater and jacket. Or maybe I forgot I was going to bring a different book/Kindle and trade out what was in the pile. And it's useful in actually placing items in your bag - evenly distribute the heavier items, put the immediate access items on top, choosing the the travel bag, etc..... I find that if I pack last minute I often have a lot of redundancy and carry heavier things because I don't have time to find/refill travel size toiletries or consolidate.

This room needs at least white-washed walls - something to brighten up the room and give a good backdrop for the furniture and decor. And I support ripping out the carpet. The carpet is an overwhelming color and clashes with the warmth of the wood. I would consider painting the walls a nice dark mahogany stain, white-wash or white paint on the walls with the ceiling left either as is, or white on the ceilings with the beams left alone. With a blank canvas, it would be easy to make the room as stylish/cozy/multi-purpose and you like. I feel that too much wood makes the room dark and the lack of contrast is very deadening.

Then your mom can either keep the existing furniture or replace. One idea I had was painting the beds in a fun bright color - the ever-present aqua/teal, sunny bright yellow, bright apple green, or the tried and true red. The color would really pop against a dark floor and lighter walls. Or keep everything white to act as a back drop for colorful family items - old quilts, paintings, pictures, old books.

Evolve - allow the room to evolve.

Great idea! I love the shelves under the bed. We were planning on doing something similar for my sons new room - where are the shelves under the bed from? Is it a platform bed or did you DIY and buy some shelves and put them sideways?

You can also use the cushions and pillows from your couch, or rugs. We used a number of rugs to protected our framed art/photos and they worked great. We used a lot of our large tupperware and pots and pans as boxes for breakables. Important documents and things that could not be lost went into extra suitcases. That way we knew anything in a suitcase was either staying with us, or contained something we might need.

I think it would be amazing to have a soaking bath at night and be able to see the night horizon. The stars are probably obscured by all the city lights so that won't be visible - but the feeling of the great expanse of sky above would be amazing.

I do think walking around your bathroom naked would be problematic in the long term however. Perhaps this is just a display bathroom and the real "workhorse" bathroom is below?

This is by far my favorite knit blanket. One day I will make one of my own. I hope that I can create a similarly striking palette.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30412618@N06/2848083108

My initial reaction to pain the ceiling white and get a white table and white chairs - something very sleek and clean - metal legs that are slim preferably. I would also go with a white sideboard or bookcase if you need them, and then add some color in the way of a multi-color table runner that has both white and red. Dishes/vases/pitchers could be a mix of white and red with some aqua or yellow thrown in for a n accent. I would stay away from dark colors - dark espresso browns or black. I like the idea of a grey - but that would likely keep the room very "dark and deep" instead of lightening up with room in both feel and "look."