vartenouche's Profile

Be honest, if you came across a lot of this stuff and it did not have the Missoni name on it, would you have bought it? Just because Missoni licensed their brand does not make it real Missoni. If you like Missoni (and I do), save up for the real thing.

A wonderfully warm and relaxed home filled with personal touches.

Your couch is too far away from the fireplace. The space is reading as a passageway instead of a room. Move the couch much closer, or try rotating it 90 degrees. It's ok to walk around a furniture grouping to get to the doors.

Put a console table, or that shelf you have, against the big wall and hang some much larger art. Use the ottoman as a coffee table, and put some colorful pillows on the couch.

Don't worry too much about future buyers. Who's to say they wouldn't like your paint choice? Those cabinets are dated. In any case, new hardware, faucet, and light fixture will help immensely. So would stainless steel appliances, new floor tile, contemporary furniture and great artwork. And of course you won't keep the corny valance and rug. Have fun!

A couple of last comments on the raw diet for those interested. Raw doesn't necessarily mean pre-made frozen patties. Although I do use those to some extent, they are very expensive, and using them exclusively is not really ideal for the dog. I also make my own balanced dog food and, most importantly, feed my dogs raw meaty bones. That means she eats the bones, too: chicken (backs, necks, wings), turkey, whole fish, etc. It provides calcium and phosphorus, and her mouth and teeth are beautifully clean.

In nature, meat-eating animals eat bones. There are some good pet food companies, but most have marketed (brainwashed) consumers away from more natural feeding methods. There is obviously a movement back in that direction, though. FYI, I feed her the meat/bones outside to avoid any mess in the house.

Just remember, never feed cooked bones.

I know this may not be an option everyone would consider, but here goes: I feed my dog a biologically appropriate raw diet, as in, NO KIBBLE. I won't go into what all that includes (you can research it) but the effect is very noticeable. Because there is no 'filler' in their food, dogs fed this way have much lower poop volume, it has much less odor, and if you don't always manage to clean it all up, it just dries up, crumbles and disintegrates. It's not like there's no cleanup, it's just much easier to deal with, not to mention that the diet is extremely healthy for the dog.

I gave each of my sons a spherical clear glass vase for their stubs. It looks clean, doesn't take up too much space, and they can see and add to the collection easily. You could also use a jar, fishbowl, or any other glass container that works with your style.

I think you could paint the bases white, or blacken the brass. (you might have to remove a clear coat first.)
Here's a link about that: http://www.modelboatyard.com/blackening.html

Wait until you're finished with the brass part before you decide what kind of glass would look best in the inserts or what to do with the shade.

Ditto Kate Hunka's comment. Flip flops for stone work?? Never! Try work boots.