My girlfriend Sara Eisen actually sent me this picture ages ago. I always meant to get to it – but never did. Until today.

Sara hates the “balatot” (terrazzo) tiles in her front entryway, but getting the area re-tiled isn’t currently an option. So she asked me about cutting out an area of the tiles and putting in decorative tiles instead.

Here’s one option for you. Cutting out the corners of the tile and place in decorative tile in a pattern through the space. A skilled tile person can do this without a problem and it shouldn’t be that expensive either.

Another option would be to cut a BIG section of the tile out and lay down a carpet pattern.

Like this – only new and in much better shape…

Actually, this is much more like it.

Carpet would work as well, although it does mean extra work when cleaning…

What do you think?

Remember Tammy with her maroon terrazzo tiles and dark yellow knotty pine ceiling that Patti and I hated and Judy liked?

Well we got a letter from Nancy showing us how she dealt with her pine ceiling and asking us for some help:

Hi Shira!–

When we bought our new home it also had a pine ceiling that I couldn’t stand!!
Before we moved in we put white “Geves” (plaster) boards between the beams. It was a challenge because in some places the ceiling is nearly 3 stories high.
I love the way ceiling looks now! (I’ve attached pictures)

I thought I needed to see more before giving an opinion – so I wrote back asking for more photos.

This is the front of the house – and the two side sliding glass doors are where the living room is located. As such there’s a definitive traffic way via the living room because people would automatically go through the sliding glass doors over the front door – mainly because the front door has stairs.

As you saw from the picture above the floors are high gloss.

I don’t know your budget so I don’t know whether you can afford to change the furniture or not. I think the space is begging for different furniture. But the first thing, if you can’t get new furniture, would be to move the shelves so that they are centered on the wall between the window and the wall. I can see that you want them to balance the other chair on the other side, but it makes the space look off.

The rug is too small for the space. The furniture is not cozy at all. You might want to consider a new sofa set and get rid of the black completely. The rug should be about 6 inches (which is close to 12 cm) under the legs of the chairs and sofa. This isn’t for every case – but since the space can handle a large rug, this is the size you should be looking for.

Dark denim is supposedly the new trend in the US (read about it on Twitter) – and it happens to be a favorite style of mine – but if that isn’t your style then a dark burnt orange tweed would look good as well. I don’t recommend Ultrasuede. It doesn’t have any of the attributes they claim it does in my opinion and typically looks horrible in no time.

The coffee table is too small for the space as well. And side tables would be good, as would floor lamps.

If you love the paintings on the wall then use them as your color story. Create a theme board and choose colors that you think work from the paintings. Work out the space from there.

To create some interest in the dead space by the patio, add some greenery in the right corner by the sliding glass doors and drapes. The close grouping of the chairs encourages conversation – if you get a new set keep a similar setup.

Another long rug could be added in the open space by the patio doors for the winter time.

It’s a great house though – mazal tov.

These counters are far too spare for my taste… but that’s just me. I like to see, well everything in my kitchen if I can.

We have some seriously opinionated readers on Tchochkes – what do YOU think this space needs?

Brick red terrazzo floor. Not the easiest thing to live with unless you love brick red. Especially difficult to live with mixed with actual dark red brick walls and a yellow pine ceiling. Did I mention the yellow pine  stair banister – oh – and the fact that you hate the floor? This is the unfortunate situation of today’s reader who sent me this email:

The offending floor in question

And of course, pictures of the house:

And some more pictures:

And now my response.

I am going to shock some people with this, because it’s not an attitude taken today, so please sit down while reading this.

I hate naked pine. There, I said it.

Pine was never meant to be shown. It’s a soft nobby wood which was originally used as baseboards under real hardwood floors and cheap painted Scandinavian furniture (in other words – hidden). Pine is an abundant source for wood, so it’s easy to get and easy to use – but just because it’s wood does not make it beautiful.

Maple is beautiful, oak is beautiful and cherry is stunning. Pine – bleh.

As such it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when I say you should paint the lot of it. Paint the high sloped ceiling a nice eggshell white, the beams a shade or two darker and the walls a shade lighter than the ceiling.

Ignore the floor until you can afford to replace it. Cover it with cheap rugs from Ikea or Dalyat El Carmel.

Paint the brick as well in my opinion. Not because I don’t like brick, because I do – but because your home looks rather dark with things as they are.

Here I would either move up the mirror so that it was at picture height (top of the mirror on the same horizontal as the top of the door) or take the stuff off of the dresser.

The dishes are lovely. I would change the flowers to just one color. The set of white, then pink (are those real?) then colorful roses is too much for the eyes and contrasts with the patterned dishware. Either all the same flowers three times or only one bouquet in the middle.

I would paint the brick because the brick is contrasting too much with the painted white doors IMHO.

You need some type of carpet to tie this space together. The lamp is too small for the table, the scale is off and it looks odd. I like the lamp and I like the table – just not together – move the lamp. The style of the sofa and chairs go well – but not with the coffee table. If you can’t afford to replace it then go to Souk Ha PishPishim in Yaffa or Dalyat (again) and buy some fabulous embroidered cloth and cover it. The candle holders on top of the bookshelf look lonely. I would put them on the shelf above the window with a lot more tchochkes or move them entirely.

Wow – that brick really does not match the floor. It’s kind of shocking that someone would put the two together. Paint the brick the same color as the beams in the ceiling (the future paint color that is). And if that wall is artex then that should be sorted as well. A mask and a sander should be all you need for that.

If you love the brick then keep it as is. Eventually you will replace the floor and it’s a lot easier to live with the clashing than it is to sandblast the brick to get the original color back after painting.

Yeah. That’s bad.

Your style is obviously ‘shabby chic’ or ‘country cottage’ – so painting the ceiling and the trim should actually fit with what you like really nicely. And paint costs a lot less than a new floor (although painting a ceiling…)

And just to give you some proof that a painted ceiling can look good, here’s one from Completely Coastal
.

Readers – what do you think?

Dear Tchochkes,

     When we moved in, I was in such a rush to make our place look like home that I had all our art put up without painting over the white.  Now I am itching to paint in warmer tones, but don’t want to start having to take out all the screws etc… I also put up some really nice wall decals that I bought over the Internet and they are not reusable… I would love some help with the colors too.

                                                                                             ~ Thanks

Questions:

* I wonder if it would be weird to leave the wall with the decals white?

* Can I paint over the screws in the walls?

* What colors should I paint?

This reader has a few good questions and a husband that is happy with the white walls.  Here are photos of her home as it looks today.  Not only are the walls all white but most of the big pieces of furniture are painted white as well. 

I wonder if it would be weird to leave the wall with decals white?

That souns like a “sore thumb” approach to painting.  The white wall will  look out of place and dirty next to freshly painted walls.  As for the decal, masking it out and painting the walls a nice neutral will give it a fresh edge along with creating a decorative path to the rooms down the hall.  Sorry, but I do not have a good example of this to show on your actual decal.

Can I paint over the screws in the wall?

Absolutely, I have done it a bunch of times with no consequences.

What colors should I paint?

Here is an inspirational visual that I made for this color quest. In choosing the colors I took a cue from the already present lime green used as an accent throughout this home.  I suggest adding a few new accent colors and some warm neutrals to complete the look.

Suggested color choices (all colors are TAMBOUR paints)

Kitchen:

You can go tonal by adding a soft green tint or warm and cozy with a soft peach.  I would also add some orange pottery (coachlight 5034T) to the collection on the wall unit.

Fern Tip 1045P

or

Sunstraw 5041P

Living Room:

I offer 3 choices.  I would also add a few colorful purple / lavendar pillows to the couch (purple heather 5184T, Ruling Royalty 5183D) .

Cotton Canvas 3025P

or Ramie 4041P

or

Contemporary Truffle CU 224P

Niche Color (flanking the windows):

Nice Day 3191P (it is a light blue)

Other Rooms:

* I chose a warm white to blend the color in the other rooms. 

* If the stone wall in the entrance is painted white (it looks like it is) then I would also paint this the same color as the walls and move the cabinet to the right side wall if there is room.

Peaceful White OW 191P

***All ceilings WHITE (lavan)

I love Tchochkes readers. We just got a comment in an ancient post of mine “What not to do with an orange sofa” and it was too good of a question to leave in an old post:

I just ordered a sectional orange sofa that just looks like this one (it’s actually a sleeper sofa) along with brown wood coffee table from Macy’s

Well! i saw it in showroom and fell in love with it. Now, I am kind stuck with ideas how to put them together. I’m thinking to have the oak wood floor.  The living room i have is small with high ceiling. It has off white color right now. I’d like to do something cozy, warm and yet young and modern. What color should i go with my walls? and rug? and lamp? any good suggestion?

Thank in advance!
Tina

Shira’s suggestions:

First off, this sofa is lovely, enjoy it – and it’s more of a burnt sienna than orange. 

I would stick with the oak floor – you can carry it off since you have the high ceilings. The room will still feel big and it will help with the cozy feel you are after. However, you need to make sure that the wood colors don’t clash (the table with the floor). Again, since cozy is what you’re after I would do a kilim rug. Not in the colors of the example below, but you get the idea of what I would recommend (make sure that the colors are in the same hue family, but the burnt sienna of the sofa does not have to be in the carpet):

Wall color – keep it simple and make your walls more interesting with art. Keep it the closest ivory to white you can (not blue-white, that would be too harsh with the sofa and other warm tones in the room, but not too ivory.)

Keep the accessories with the ethnic theme. Handmade ceramics (maybe not in the dark color of these lovely vases from Natalie Colley – an ivory might be better) – need to see the space to tell you for certain. But something along these lines to keep the vertical and the cozy feel.

That’s my 2-cents. I’ve written to Patti and asked her to give her opinion – which she will add later today.

Patti’s suggestions:

Hi Tina,

I would go with a semi-mod look to go along with this sofa. I can see using pickled white oak floors and integrating colors such as brown, green, gray and white or off white. I agree with Shira that most of the walls should be neutral but I think it is important to “tie in” the orange by adding some more of it somewhere.

I suggest choosing a wall or niche (if you have one) and painting it in a shade that is one or two tones deeper than the sofa, or adding accents like woven (jacquard) pillows and (tapestry) art that have this color in them. You can even add a few colorful oversize floor cushions (greens, browns) which would give the room a relaxed feel. As far as rugs go, I would use more of a “gabbeh” or some sort of rug that has an abundance of solid color than pattern. In this semi-mod room, a kilim would push the look more towards “Ethnic eclectic” which is ok, but a bit of a style conflict if you consider the lines of the couch.

Lighting is a great way to “cozy up” a room. How about adding some cut out metal lanterns (especially with a Kilim as Shira suggests): www.bocagrandefurnishings.com or colored glass globes: try www.cxny.com/ for good examples. These types of lights shed a soft textured glow while adding ambiance and interest. You will need to make sure that you have adequate lighting in addition to the accent lighting, this is most important in achieving a comfortable and functional living room. That’s my 2-cents, 4-cents later you have two new room ideas to aspire to.

I’m looking in Jerusalem  or for that matter anywhere  for a good  LED  lighting source  for my whole apartment. Am also looking for a pro who does steam cleaning of exterior stone. The exterior  walls have been enclosed and now are part of my apartment.

I know these issues might not be run of the mill. They entail a big investment. But many newcomers do work on apartment projects that require “teaching” their Kablan a thing or two.
I don’t want someone just washing stone.

Thanks,
Ida

Ida,

As I don’t know Jerusalem very well I would recommend calling one of the local Jerusalem stone dealers and asking for a recommendation. Also you could send your question to Jaanglo, which has over 1000 members based in Jerusalem.

As for buying the LED lights I would recommend shopping around and negotiating on prices. You might be able to open an account at a local kablan/DIY shop and save an additional 15% (we had an account at Bendix in Zichron for awhile when we were shiputzing our house.) I would not recommend IKEA LED’s just from personal experience. They are expensive and didn’t last very long.

Good luck – and feel free to send us pics of the final shiputz!

Best,

Shira