SUSTAINABLE RECYCLED MATERIALS SHOWING UP IN THE RETAIL MARKET EVERYWHERE!
As I was sitting at the counter of a Whole Foods in San Francisco last week, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful and brightly colored counter used to decorate the cafe section of the store. Made up of recycled glass and other materials, this counter is just one example of how you can see these surfaces being used all over retail establishments.

Matching Existing Brick: Not Always Necessary

This older kitchen interior had only a small wall section where the stove was and brick dominated the background. One section had been painted white by the previous owner, and I wanted to warm the corner up by making the white go away.

Can you tell which is actual old brick and mortar and which wall section is fully painted? You should because I deliberately wanted the two to appear just different enough because the existing brick wall was just a little too light for my liking. The other reason: the homeowners cook A LOT & needed the wall to be washable. I finished off the painting by adding a top coat of clear gloss (water based) varnish so that repeated wiping was possible without destroying the finish (soft sponge w/dish soap clean up).

PREPARATION CAN INVOLVE DETECTIVE WORK

I recently accepted the job of selecting a new color and repainting a master bathroom that had been poorly prepared and painted with a flat paint originally. The skylights had always remained shut which aided to the moisture created by the shower and bath to seep into the flat paint and develop long dripping stains down the walls. Then, there was this issue with the shower and the drain: the drain was so clogged up that whenever the homeowner showered, the water flooded up and created kind of a mess all around the edge of the tiles. The shower water itself would hit the side of the curtain and escape onto the wall and deteriorated the wooden baseboard and wall section. So, the work of preparing the bath walls became an issue of helping to alleviate an on-going problem in the piling up of water and it's distribution to various spots where it could do further damage in the future.


The photo above is what I pulled out by using a $10 tool I purchased at a Bed, Bath & Beyond store. It is a long, vinyl-coated flexible wire that has a piece of Velcro at the end, and one can shove it into a pipe and twist and pull out a disgusting blob like you see here! The reason such a blob even existed in the drain is largely due to a drain cover that has very large holes for water to flow down. This means that long hair can go right down the drain and collect and clog things up. So, some other type of drain protection needed to happen. The remedy is below in the two shots...

First, a new drain cover that replicates the one meant to fit was purchased and replaced the rusted old existing one. Then, a simple plastic drain cup-cover was purchased to sit on top of that metal one to catch all the hair...

Now when they shower, the hair can be caught and thrown away properly to avoid another clog in the drain, which can be an expensive visit from the plumber. It does present an issue though when showering now: the person standing in the shower has to take care not to knock it away or squish it by stepping on it and ruining it's functionality. Perhaps there is still a better remedy out there....


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The issue mentioned regarding the shower water adversely affecting the adjoining wall and baseboard is handled by purchasing a SPLASH GUARD of some sort. There are basically two sizes on the market, and although I could not locate the longer version that I wanted to place along this particular shower tile section, we'll see how this one does to help protect things for a while...

(BEFORE a Splash Guard was installed):

I had to scrape away any mildew, broken paint surfaces and, old curled up and withered caulking material....

HOMES & ODORS: MY WEIRDO SENSE OF SMELL

I went to do a consultation at a newly purchased home for a very nice young couple. They told me ahead that they were in the midst of a remodel so I urged them to just have me recommend two off-white colors for now. I suggested to get everything in the home settled, then live with the simple clarity that the off-whites would provide until they could relax into choosing some bold accents that would really make the home special for them.
As I entered the old house, my nose detected the trace of rodent urine and feces somewhere, and then a smell that I could not distinguish at all. I take pride in the fact that my nose has discovered awful things like mildew deep in the walls that curse the lungs of small children in a home, and this new odor was bothersome because it was so unfamiliar to me.
When I told the homeowner that rodent smell was there, she admitted that they had learned of that problem and were dealing with it. But the other smell...she said, "Come take a look in the master bedroom"....
As I was turning the hallway corner to go into the room, the strange smell of old honey and rotten wood kind of mixed together revealed a nasty BEEHIVE that had existed up in the ceiling! The previous owners had put a new roof on top of the old roof, and bees had nestled in between the surfaces and created a new home for themselves. The thing became so massive and productive that the honey dripped into the wall and onto the hardwood floor seeping into everything and ruining the surfaces. This was a venture that took a LONG time to create, and the previous owners must not have heard the buzzing!
So...if you EVER HEAR YOUR WALLS OR CEILINGS HUMMING, you may want to get an expert to come & take a look, because the damage can be quite extensive AND expensive to repair.

EXTERIOR COLOR CHOICES

WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING FOR JUST THE RIGHT COMBINATION OF COLORS FOR THE EXTERIOR OF YOUR HOME, KEEP IN MIND THE FOLLOWING GOOD PRACTICE TIPS:

1) CHOOSE YOUR BODY COLOR FIRST
2) DON'T CHOOSE A COLOR THAT EXISTS ON ANY OF YOUR NEIGHBORS HOMES
3) SELECT THE TRIM COLOR(S) NEXT, THEN THE ACCENT FEATURES (PORCH & STEPS, FRONT DOOR, POSTS, MAILBOX, etc).


IF YOU CHOOSE SOME FRESH COLORS THAT ARE NOT 'COPY CAT' COLORS OF YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOU'LL INCREASE THE VALUE OF THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD.

IN THIS PHOTO, THIS HOUSE HAD THE ROOF TILE COLOR SELECTED AFTER THE BODY COLOR WAS PICKED. IN THIS WAY YOU AN HELP CONTROL THE OVERALL EFFECT THAT HELPS MAINTAIN A FLOW RATHER THAN ANY 'JOLTING' LOOK OR A DISCONNECT IN FEELING THAT CAN OCCUR.

REMEMBER: EXTERIOR COLORS ARE NORMALLY ON THE HOME FOR AROUND 10 to 15 YEARS - INTERIOR COLORS TEND TO CHANGE MORE OFTEN.

AFTER COMPLETING COLORS FOR AN EXTERIOR, A NEIGHBOR LEFT A POSTCARD FOR MY CLIENT...

If Only I Could Have Been There When They Opened THAT Door!

From the writer of an article posted online in APARTMENT THERAPY:

"My romantic imagination is runnng away with the recent news about a Paris apartment that sat untouched for 70 years. In 1940, the apartment's owner moved to the South of France and never returned, though she continued to diligently pay to maintain the Paris home. When she died last year, the apartment was opened for the first time so auctioneers could inventory her possessions."

CLICK ON THE LINK EMBEDDED IN THE TITLE TO READ FULL ARTICLE & SEE OTHER PHOTOS!!