Yes, I am still alive. I know it may seem like I fell off the face of earth, but that’s only because you don’t follow me on pinterest. Ahhhh, pinterest. Is there any place easier to access with my left hand whilst the right shoves a boob in the baby‘s mouth at 5 am? Nay, I say there is not. And what pinterest is bringing me these days is tile envy. Major major tile envy.
Tile in the kitchen…
Tile in the bathroom…
Tile, tile, tile.
I could go on, but I’m getting sad. Just before Christmas I helped the in laws redo their guest bathroom, and seeing all that fresh new marble go in reminded me that our bathrooms look like this:
I feel that I should defend the cleanliness of our grout — it really is cleaner than it looks in the picture! I promise! Maybe it’s wet or something??? — but seriously, what’s the point? That is 10 pounds of shit packed into a five pound bag. Completely indefensible.
I would kill for those $1 black and white checkerboard tiles (set in a diamond pattern, please), and even the cheapo white square ceramic tiles behind the tub. I don’t need fancy — I need NEUTRAL. For heaven’s sake, who thought greenish khaki (basically bile colored) tiles were flattering in a bathroom?
Oh, and let’s not forget the kitchen.
What. The. What.
So this is how things break down: since we moved in I have either been sick and pregnant, on bedrest, or the caretaker of a newborn and a sassy three year old (they’re still here — just older). I did my best to transform the things I could with paint, curtains, fabric, etc., but there is some fundamental horribleness lurking in this house that must be demolished. The tile must die. The cabinets must be painted. A bowling ball might accidentally be dropped on the granite counters.
I need to win the lottery.
And/or maybe learn how to set tile.
In the meantime, I’m going to return periodically to take you on a tour of the cute rooms I have “finished,” and probably you will be so wowed by my magnificent decorating and photography skills that you will hire me to help you do one of those things.
Won’t someone think of the tile? For only the price of a cup of coffee a day it could be saved.
As long as that cup of coffee is a grande starbucks somethingccino with 24k gold sprinkles on top, but who’s counting.
It’s good to be back.
Happy New Year!
Related posts:
Where do builders find these finishes?
I would love to tile every inch of my bathroom, but I don’t plan on being in this place too much longer, so that seems like a waste. I am, however, in full support of you creating my dream bathroom so I can live vicariously.
Welcome back!
clappy clap clap!! So great to see you here my Dear. I was just thinking I wanted to email you this morning and see if you made any decisions for kitchen cabinet colors.
Very excited to see some rooms. Ike and Luke’s?
Oh, also thanks for featuring my bath. so flattered! PS- floor tile $11 at lowes and subway can be had for like $2.50/SF… just sayin.
I have a scary lot of floor… don’t think I can spring for the $11 marble tile, although it looks damn good in your bathroom (and the in laws’ bathroom, too).
Still hemming and hawing over the kitchen. I keep thinking I’m just going to paint. Then I decide to rip out the soffit. Then I consider retiling the backsplash. Then I wonder whether I should just rob a bank and redo the whole thing already.
So glad you are back. I almost emailed you like a sad hanger-on from HS. And yes, pinterest gave me faith that you and your kin had not met some horrible tragedy.
I think you could learn to tile…it is the waterproofing sub-surface in the bathrooms that makes me want a professional. Nothing quite like the sound of water pouring from one floor of your house to another.
Yesssss, you’re back! I get your dilemma. I hate my bathroom situation, as well. After 12 years it ain’t looking so pretty. But, I know you’ll find a great solution and I’ll be content to live vicariously.
Happy, happy New Year, Erin to you and your mens!
xo-n.
maybe telling you my entire living area/kitchen/bathroom is all tiled in a cream colored cheap tile will make you feel better? no?? so happy you’re back and willing to show us some of your genius decor skills!
I was convinced that I was going to KWID the shit out of my place and marble pattern like a real housewife of bel-air. I’ve since done a feasibility study and am looking at…gasp…linoleum. FML. You’re not alone in your frustrating bathroom dillemas. I can send you photos of my shitty bathroom if it’ll make you feel better. Maybe you can do an entire post dedicated to readers’ decorating headaches. A pity party of sorts.
There’s nothing wrong with the granite counter tops (not much right either, joking, it just kind of worked there so I said it. but that’s alot of cash being obscured by some crazy knotty pine action), they just need the right kitchen. Nothing some paint and a crowbar can’t fix. Get some friends over, make a potent punch and most of the demolition can be done in a cocktail hour.
By the way. Happy new year and welcome back. I follow you on pinterest, but have missed you there too.
OK, you’ve included three shots with Q-bert-esque trippy-ass floor tile that I suspect has captured your heart. Am I right? I hope I am, because I LOVE IT.
Y’all sure know how to make a girl feel good! Thanks.
As for the acid trip floors, oh yes. I want. Can I afford? Doubtful. Seriously though, I would take almost ANYTHING besides what I have.
I know the feeling. Big tan tiles EVERYWHERE. Sad, sad tile.
Welcome back, Erin!
Yay, your back!
Hope those babes aren’t giving you too many gray hairs….mine sure are!
Builder ‘basic’ sucks! Especially in the tile department!! At least you don’t have a salmon colored tub, mauve cabinets AND counter tops and plasticy 50′s tile halfway up on the walls. So hideous! I shut my eyes real tight when I have to pee.
You get the ski masks and I’ll be your get away driver!
Thank God you are back. Missing my favorite posts and need some of your creativity. Please show as much as you can!
m
I’m so happy you are here! You made my day you sneaky thing you!
woop! missed you, girl. can we share that winning lotto ticket? i have a couple of bathrooms that could use some love, too…..
On the bright side: no asbestos. I mention that apropos of nothing.
I found real, actual-stone 12×12 slate tile at HD for $2-3/SF. I thought that price was awesome (although the backerboard and attendant crap nearly doubled it – and I gather you cannot use the original backerboard if you rip out the old tile, ’cause it gets destroyed too), and I love slate. Clearly, that is not the sort of look you are going for, but what I am saying is, nice flooring can be had for reasonable prices if you resist the siren-call of calacatta and onyx basketweave with inlaid gold and whatever people [not me] are doing these days.
As to your kitchen – I don’t like granite either (including your granite – it’s not any worse than any other granite, it’s not even bad, it’s just granite), but if I had bought the house with that kitchen and NOT won the lottery (the whole jackpot), I would not rip it out. It’s in perfect condition, it will last forever, it’s a valuable material, and you could make that color work. So I want to help your kitchen, and I am 95% redoing my own WHOLE KITCHEN with just the labor of my two (now very sore and possibly prematurely arthritic – single-handed floor demolition is not a joke) hands (OK, and occasional really serious help from my husband, but I honestly did all the “skilled” labor, if you can call my labor skilled), and yet I realize I have nothing to offer you. And I feel pretty stupid about that, ’cause I thought I learned so much. But one does want to extend your cabinets up to the ceiling, which is tricky because one does not know what is in the soffits, and because a large kitchen’s worth of new semi-custom cabinetry is a small fortune. And because your cabinets are new and in great condition and even though oak kitchen cabinetry is far from trendy right now, oak is a seriously good material for actual usefulness. (I have a bunch of antique oak.)
So my crazy long-winded comment (that doesn’t seem so long if you consider that I haven’t commented since you last posted and you could sort of average it out over time) resolves with little that could be helpful, and in the face of such anguish, I wish I could be helpful. I have stray thoughts: Do you know what’s in the soffits? Actually…are those really soffits? What is going on with that ceiling? Could it possibly become coffered? What about tin tile and some sort of fresco for the recessed part, like some nineteenth-century theater? With a crazy chandelier. (And therefore necessarily, velvet seating. Too much?) Do you actually need more storage in the kitchen? If not, maybe forget the soffit/strange ceiling effect issue and leave it alone. What about painting the upper cabinets white and staining the lowers almost-black (but stain, not paint)? I can also see gray on the bottom, but I really do like oak (just look at it up close. Pretty grain!) and keeping some (a restrained amount) of its natural qualities visible could be good. But I think it’s inescapable that the backsplash and floor have to go. On a [insert appropriate number] hand, I have faith in your ability to do that work yourself. For serious. (Somehow I got out of any serious tile work in my kitchen, but I was totally game for it and am planning some for my porch soon. It doesn’t sound impossible – just methodical and thorough.)
You will prevail.
here’s what I mention apropos of something…have you bought a lottery ticket?
bc that is where i fail every time at winning the lottery.
i am happy you are back.
xo
Its a happy day to have you pop up in my RSS feed. just sayin!
Ive just moved house & my new bathroom has the ugliest tiles that look like lino. hideous.
But in other news, Ive just painted a clients kitchen not to dissimilar style to yours & it now looks totally fabulous.
Yay!! Welcome back! I can’t wait to be wowed by your photog skills.
oh wow, the twisted floor tile on #9, I love it!
We have beige tile in the kitchen (and in the bathroom – floor to ceiling, ugh!) that is NOT going to be removed because it’s new and there are priorities. Like a bed. Or wardrobe. Or completely new kitchen cabinets. So the cabinets will have to make the beige look cool. How exactly do I do that?
Thanks for coming back!
Oh, I’m so glad to see you back on the blog. I catch glimpses of you on Pinterest, but I haven’t been on there much myself lately. I understand your angst, especially re: your bathroom. Ours are all deplorable. But bathrooms and kitchens are spensive! So, I continue to look at my beige abominations. Since your bathroom is relatively small it might not be as much of an investment. How about in your kitchen doing open shelving up top so you could tear out your bulkheads without having the expense of putting in new, taller cabinets. I see dark cabinets below (either dark gray, navy or black whichever looks best with your counters), white subway above and open and airy. What do you think? I know you’ll work wonders. Can’t wait to see!
Oh I’ve missed you. That’s all.
I agree with other posters about not losing the granite, because, come on. Check this out: http://thedesignfiles.net/2012/02/melbourne-home-barbara-hyman-and-family/. Scroll down. That granite is very similar to yours, no? And it looks so pretty in a different context. And YHL has a great primer on how to paint oak cabinets really well so that almost no grain shows. Not hard or expensive, just time consuming. And, for the back splash, you can tile over tile!! Oh yes. There are lots of how-to’s online. That just leaves the floor, which you must replace. Sorry, I’m not a magician!!
what is your handle on Pinterest? I’m not seeing it on your website but maybe i’m blind…
http://pinterest.com/sterin/pins/
All you need is a tax I.D. and license for resale and you can go get all that stuff at cost. just start your own design biz…
but if you don’t want to do that there is always re-store. have you ever been there? https://austinhabitat.org/restore/www/
My boss got some gorgeous vintage forest green marble there ($1 a sq. foot) – she is mixing it with more modern neutrals and it looks fab.
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I love the mat in the bathroom.