jbess101's Profile

Nope. I'm sorry. I am never, EVER, fooled by vinyl plank flooring. I know your floor is plastic the second I set foot on it.

I'm not saying it's horrible or anything. Some of it looks quite nice. But I know what it is.

I would love, love love, to see them painted like those Chinese turquoise Foo Lions. Like this: http://tinyurl.com/978v6g8 If you did a regular turquoise, then wash over with a thinner mix of a slightly darker shade which you allow to settle in the detail and rub off the main areas- you could even make them look like they are really ceramic. But just plain turquoise would still look pretty cool.

IF your aesthetic is not quite ready for bold turquoise lions, a dark, slate gray would look quite stately.

If you follow trends, you may have noticed all the dark gray and yellow- if you painted the base they sit on a dark gray, and the lions a flat modern yellow, that could look kinda cool too.

Just don't listen to anyone on here who tells you to do a chevron or ombre, or chevron ombre.

How about those ornate curtains in the old series from the 80's? Anyone recall them? I would love to know if there's a term or name for that style of fabric pattern.

A wonderful alternative to painting the walls- pull up that carpet and paint the floor white! No matter what is under that carpet- it can be painted white. Find some colorful throw rugs, and voila! Your room is totally different and brighter and you left all that wood alone :)

It looks to me as though the brick is actually built up over the boards. So there's no simple pulling them down and replacing with cement board- without knocking out brick. I think if the wood has had some time to dry- poke it with a screwdriver. If it's still solid, seal it up and protect it with some kind of wood sealant. Then perhaps you could install cement board over it, seal the corners, and use as a planter- or devise a planter that fits inside but doesn't touch the back.

We built a raised bed for veggies the other year and it was clear from the start our many neighborhood kitties thought they had just been given a new, deluxe litterbox. One inexpensive pack of bamboo skewers solved the problem. They are sticking out all around the perimeters, sharp side up, and every few inches inside while veggies are still small- until lettuce, etc, gets big enough that they won't try to walk on it. No cats actually harm themselves- they are cautious creatures- they see that it would be uncomfortable to pick their way through the sharp spikes and they just move on to easier pastures.

Can you paint the walls? I think the cabinets could be do-able, but I would want to paint the walls white- and work some bright green and dark brown objects in... Another way to brighten up the space would require some basic carpentry skills- you could build a counter with a lip out of well sanded and white painted plywood, that would fit over that dark brown counter. I agree that carefully removing and storing the upper doors could be an option too. I would warn against contact paper or fabric.

I will give him fresh flowers in the spring.

Money. No matter how we try, even the most casual bbq winds up costing us a couple hundred. We always freak out at the last moment and buy more food/cheese/booze than we can afford.

Cleaning is a close second- although part of me loves the incentive to clean like a whirling dervish to get our house guest ready.

Roommate number 4 looks like a keeper :)