OPINIONS PLEASE!

I'm a little overwhelmed today!  Among the numerous projects I have right now, I have taken on one of the most stressful projects, and that is the task of selling my house.  No realtor, just me doing all the legwork, which made sense financially.  It's all about the Benjamin's, right? 

That brings me to the reason for this post.  I need your advice, dear readers!  Send me an email, comment on this post, post to my Facebook Fan Page, whatever is convenient.  Here's my query...

Currently, I have black granite on my kitchen island and black tile on the other 2 counters.  Would you spend the money and install granite in place of the tile?  Is it worth the upfront cost without a guaranteed return?  Would this be a turnoff for you if you were househunting and the kitchen had tile counters and only a granite island?  Please share your thoughts if you have a moment. Here are some shots of my kitchen below. 

Do I spend the money or sell as is?

My Weekend Finds

One of my numerous errands on Saturday was a trip to this cute little pet store to get dog food.  This "cute little pet store" is the only place in Charleston that carries the special food my dog has to eat because of her allergies.  Let's just say I forgo some nice dinners out so she can have nice dinners twice a day. 
With the fifteen pound bag of dog food on my hip, I decided to quickly pop into a shop a couple doors down that simply says "Antiques" above the storefront.  I ended up spending about an hour in there because I couldn't stop taking photos of all the amazing pieces I found.  Everytime I go into a shop like this it makes me want to go buy a piece of old furniture and fix it up.  These type shops are great inspiration to get creative, restore and reuse. 

They had a pair of Greyhound pillows!

Amazing headboards!!!

Who can resist a good barcart?

(Although I did hear another customer ridiculing it!  To each their own I guess!)

  Shopping these places is a great way to find unique pieces for your rooms, just beware of the junk!  If you have a room that is feeling too generic or looks like it came straight from a catalog, pieces similar to what I found are just what you need. 

BEST OF: Gray Paint

A reader contacted me after my post on the colors for 2012 asking for some suggestions on a good gray wall color.  Feeling overwhelmed by all the grays available, and rightfully so (there are so many), she has not been able to pick one out. 
I thought this was a great question, so I have put together some of my favorites for you.  I was pleasantly surprised to find installation images of all but one color.  

Benjamin Moore's River Reflections

Benjamin Moore's Titanium OC-49

Sherwin Williams' Analytical Gray (very warm)

Sherwin Williams' Tinsmith

Sherwin Williams' Thunder Gray

Sherwin Williams' Pussywillow

Sherwin Williams' Collonade Gray

Farrow & Ball's Charleston Gray

Farrow & Ball's Pavilion Gray

Hopefully, this little list of mine is helpful for those of you who are in the market for a good gray as well. 

   

Color Everywhere!

How was everyone's weekend?  Mine flew by.  So much going on right now! 

My parents made a last minute trip to Charleston yesterday, so I took a nice break from working and met them for brunch, then did a little impromptu shopping.  In my last post, I wrote about Tangerine Tango being Pantone's color of the year, and geez, that color is everywhere in the stores!
 
One shop of note that had some beautiful things, and was also having a nice sale, was Yves Delorme.  I have a weakness for anything from Paris, but even if they weren't French, these linens would still be hard to resist.  If you aren't familiar, Yves Delorme is a luxury linen company based in Paris.  Fact of the day: The company originated in Lille, France in 1845, and is one of the longest continually operating textile manufacturers in Europe. 

Yesterday, the small store was filled with wonderful bath linens in a rainbow of bright color choices.  I couldn't resist, so I bought myself a Fuchsia hand towel for my bathroom.  It's an unexpected splash of color in my bathroom for sure, and I love it! 

Fabulously soft bath mats in lots of colors!

Both of these blankets below were in the store and felt amazingly soft!

These whimsical pillows were scattered around the shop and are so fun!  Don't you just love them?

There's that Tangerine Tango again.

Very excited about my Fuchsia hand towel!  I may just have to break down and buy the whole set of towels in that color.  Which color would you choose?

WHAT'S IN: Colors For 2012

Color forecasts for the new year are always interesting.  It is typical for the colors to reflect what is going on around us.  For example, gray is huge right now and has been for awhile.  Seems pretty fitting, considering the uncertainty of our country and the economy the past couple years.  If you are wondering, gray is still prominent in the forecasts for 2012.  Although that may reflect some uncertainty still looming out there, I don't care because I think gray is a fabulous neutral, and I will use it whether or not it's forecasted.  Moving along to the point of this post, I'm feeling 2012's top colors! 

Pantone's 2012 Color of the Year, "Tangerine Tango" is very bold looking at it alone, but a pop of it in a space is perfect and is anything but gray and muted.  It's an energizing color and I love that! 

Completely opposite of Pantone's vivid orange, Benjamin Moore's color for 2012 is "Wythe Blue" HC-143.  It is clear, cool, soothing, and could not differ more from Pantone's choice. 

Although these colors for 2012 are on opposite ends of the spectrum, and color wheel for that matter, they could not compliment each other better.  I am really loving this color combination. 

Lonny

EJ Interiors

What do you think about the "hot" new colors for 2012?  Would you use them together?  It's also no coincidence that both colors are wonderful compliments to gray. 

This Past Weekend

A good friend who lives in New York, actually the one who just got engaged in Colorado, was in South Carolina this past weekend.  Returning from Washington DC, I made a quick overnight stop in Columbia before heading back to Charleston, so I could see her and do a little celebrating.  I met her and her wonderful husband-to-be at her Mom's house.  I've been over there numerous times before, but she had made some small changes to her living room and it was just beautiful. 
You might have picked up from some of my past posts that I love a cozy spot by the fire.  A key to good living room design: it should be warm, comfortable and inviting.  I think you will agree with me that this space has that perfect balance, and is a wonderful example that a comfortable living space can still be elegant. 

Good wine and some cheeses, a warm fire and good conversation made for a wonderful night!  Can you make out the two little birds in the center of the beautifully ornate fireplace screen below?  The gold screen and the black marble compliment eachother perfectly.

I just love this chair, ottoman, lamp combination below!  It is such a striking, yet simple arrangement.  I love its understated elegance. It can be tricky to find a nice floor lamp too, and I think this one is so chic. 

The mix of formal and casual elements in this space is wonderful. Don't be afraid to mix the two.

Somehow, not one of the 4 dogs got in these pictures.  They fully enjoy this space too, and don't think they stay off the furniture, because they are the ones that lounge on it the most. 

Cheers to good design and wonderful friends!