Decorating & Renovating

Ideas for bathroom vanity storage

JMB10022011 — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:46:12 GMT

Hi Ladies!

I'm relatively new to the Nest, and new to this board. I was hoping you all may have some ideas for me.

We recently purchased a new home, it is only 4.5 years old and we are absolutely thrilled with everything about it except for the master bathroom. I'm trying to figure out some storage solutions for our vanities. The master bath has two single sink vanities. They are both identical, wood cabinets with two doors. There are no drawers, no shelves, nothing. We do have a small linen closet in the master bath, but no medicine cabinet at all. Needless to say, this makes storing things like makeup, medicines, toiletries, hair dryers, etc incredibly difficult.

Any ideas for under the vanity storage? I saw some mesh slide out drawers from the Container Store that are a possibility.

We would really like to try to keep the cost down if possible. The entire bathroom layout is not at all what we want, so we are planning a gut and remodel within the next 3-5 years, but need a solution in the meantime so we don't go crazy trying to get ready for work in the mornings with things everywhere. :)

Thanks so much for any ideas and input!

quarterfoil mirror above my fireplace..but concern it is too high above mantel

Sky08 — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:52:58 GMT

Hi,

I just bought a quarterfoil mirror for above my mantel. I put it up last night and it is about 15 inches my mantel. As I am sitting and looking towards the fireplace, I am just feeling like it is too high. I don't want to make another hole in the wall, so I need some suggestions of how to keep it from being disconnected from the decor on the mantel...tying it altogether. I thought about putting a wall quote under the mirror, but wasn't sure if it would look well and actually tie it together. Thank you for any suggestions and advice.

~Just to give you a picture in mind, the fireplace is in the dining room and the dining table sits in front of the fireplace just a few feet away.

Input

Nest Cayla — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:24:11 GMT

We're putting together a couple of focus groups of of favorite Nesties (that's you!) to help us make TheNest.com even better!

Not only will you get to tell us what you want from TheNest.com, you'll get to tour our offices. Oh, and we'll also throw in $50 just for participating!

Dates: There will be 2 focus groups, Wednesday, May 29 and Thursday, May 30

Times: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Location: Our Downtown NYC Offices

Email us at focusgroup@xogrp.com with your date of choice to reserve your spot!

Redoing the bathroom- tile?

changingnames — Sun, 12 May 2013 06:40:30 GMT

We are doing a fairly compete reno of the guest bathroom which our two little boys use. It gets heavy use from the kids of course. We are trying to keep it budget but since there isn't a ton of sq footage the tile choice isn't going to make a huge difference. I am so confused by what type of tile to use.

I am after a contemporary vintage feel with a color scheme of grey/black/white/ and paint/accessories in yellow (probably). I love the look of basketweave mosaic or hex tile (with a black border) but our contractor (and others) have encouraged me repeatedly to use large format porcelain or ceramic tile for the sake of cleaning and durability. I think I could live with rectified large format tiles on the diagonal if I must (but am not sure if our contractor does rectified installs). Then I see posts about porcelain being a nightmare.

I think we can handle the mosaic/extra grout (in a light grey)- we have mosaic in our master shower and our housekeeper cleans it once a week which seems to be sufficient. I was thinking I would look for a light grey porcelain hex to get the feel I am after but avoid the extra work of carrera or dirtiness of all white tiles (do white tiles look dirty?). I haven't seen basketweave without marble in it- have you?

Are white tiles a nightmare? Will I regret hex or basketweave in a high use bathroom? Is marble fussy or isn't it? We don't wear shoes in the house (usually) but for some reason there is still dirt in the bathroom- maybe from their playground socks or something. The boys are slobs so I have to try to choose things that will hide that, lol. Your help is appreciated.

custom blinds

MoutainMomma — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:13:28 GMT

Good morning! Just bought a new home and the windows are an odd size. I want to mount blinds on the insides because I want to expose the nice trim around them and hang panels as well. Any suggestions on where to purchase blinds?

who's purchased a generator for a home that's all electric..what did you need to do?

NAJ — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:31:49 GMT

-->

My house is all electric even the heating which is electric baseboard. I was told that I would need to purchase a propane tank or have has connected to my home to run a Generic generator which is the one that starts when your power shuts off. Can you tell me your experience if you bought one

Also what would I need to do and have

and cost?

What to do with 2nd kitchen (((PIP)))?

3Girls3xsTheFun — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:57:10 GMT

We are buying an old farm house and while most of it hasn't been updated, they did add a very nice new kitchen in what was the "keeping room." However, the house still has the original (?) kitchen in the rear - the door in the picture leads to the back yard. We aren't sure what to do with it. It functions, but I wouldn't use it since there's a newer kitchen. Any idea what to do with the space? Here's a pic from the listing:

Ikea sofa?

rsheril — Sun, 19 May 2013 22:26:22 GMT

redecorating playroom (4 YO and 7 YO). Love the color and style of sofa (see link below) but not sure about the ikea quality. Any feedback from current owners or suggestion on a similar style from higher quality vendor would be appreciated. Thanks!

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S09840535/#/S29840520

Ceramic Tile vs. Laminate/Pergo

SoSweet06 — Sun, 19 May 2013 16:07:11 GMT

I'll lead with this...tile is not typically used for living areas in our part of the country. Yet. (We're in OH)

We are in the process of buying a small house that needs a lot of updates. It was owned by an older couple, and we're getting an amazing deal because they are friends-of-friends who just want out of caring for the huge amount of land the house is on. So, we have a little bit of money to play with to make it "ours."

We'll be tearing our all of the cabinets, bathroom fixtures, awful real wood pine panelling, etc. The most immediate need is flooring, which I would like to have done before we move all of our furniture in...

We have a child with special needs (and will have another soon), and we have large dogs, etc. So, we're HARD on flooring. My parents have nice laminate flooring, and my dogs have already scratched it on visits. So, I'm thinking about ceramic tile (with dark grout) with radiant heat and lots of throw rugs--and possibly laminate or carpet in the bedrooms.

I personally love the look, I love ease of cleaning, I love that it won't hold allergens and I love that damaged pieces can easily be replaced. But, this is a very small house, and we won't be here forever.

Is going with a not-the-norm flooring that will look better when we are ready for re-sale a better choice than the more common laminate floor that might be a little banged up by the time we're ready to sell? Thoughts?

Inexpensive nice furniture?

LEStoler — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:10:57 GMT

My husband and I bought a new house and are closing on the 27th of June. We are moving into a house with more rooms than our current house has, and we don't have nearly enough furniture! We also don't have a ton of money to be spending on the furniture...

Do you all have any suggestions on places (they can be online places) to find nice, but not too expensive furniture? Link me if you can think of any! :)

Thread Count

Kim7356 — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:41:26 GMT

Hello fellow Nesters! I've been looking to buy new sheets for my bed and have always been confused about thread count. I always assumed that the higher the thread count, the better quality the sheets. Boy, was I wrong! I came across this thread count article that really helped me understand thread count.

Anyone else ever been confused about thread count? In your opinion, what's the best thread count?

How to decide on wall colors?

marissa422 — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:27:47 GMT

How do you decide on wall color?! We know we like browns, tans, greys but deciding what to put where is tough...

100% Polypropylene rug for bathroom?

MommyLiberty5013 — Wed, 01 May 2013 20:14:44 GMT

Two Questions:

1. Would you ever place an indoor/outdoor 100% polypropylene rug in your bathroom (tile floor) as a rug for in front of the sinks and as a rug for stepping out of the shower?

2. Have you ever bought an indoor/outdoor rug from Ballard Designs? If yes, what was your experience with quality, the rug laying flat, and also colors being true to description?

Feel free to answer #1 even if you cannot answer #2! Thanks!

Hardwood under carpet...PIP

marissa422 — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:28:32 GMT

So the carpet in the house we just got is hideous blue (in really good condition though!) However, there is hardwood already underneath the carpet! Upstairs, one of the bedrooms carpet has been taken out already so we got a little preview of what the hardwood was like. Wondering what it would take to make these floors nice (if we did every room, we'd be looking at, entry way, living room, dining room, master br, stairway, 2 bedrooms + hallways)...how long would it take to accomplish something like this? how much would it cost est.?

Heres a picture of what were working with...

How to down play a large garage

jestallings01 — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:31:17 GMT

Hi All,

My hubby and I are getting ready to purchase our first home. One of my LEAST favorite things that seems to be very common in new homes these days.....The house that is completely overshadowed by the garage. I love the house on the inside but it really bothers me that when you pull up/face it head on all you really see is GARAGE! Any tips would be very appreciated. Thanks!

Color paint for living room - slate blue couches ?

Ryerson81 — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:26:18 GMT

We want to paint our living room in our new home something that will match. The couch set is a slate blue leather with rivets and it must say (sentimental reasons).

We'd like something neutral on the walls... maybe a greige? Any suggestions?

Wrought iron bed frame

krzcoupon — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:15:17 GMT

Hello everyone! I just got two brass lamps from hubby's g-mother's estate. They were headed to the trash but MIL knows Im crafty so pulled them aside for me. Anyways, the things are hideous and all scratched up, fine by me because I won't feel bad spray painting them but here is my question...

What type of finish goes with wrought iron? obviously it has to be something I can spray paint. We have a robin's egg blue comforter and Im going to be pairing that with reds/corals/yellows. I was thinking about spray painting it with a brushed nickel look but I thought that would clash with the wrought iron bed frame. My second choice would be a white or off-white spray paint and a coat of gloss to make it like a shiny, ceramic lamp (not really my favorite but the only thing I could think of that wouldn't clash). I would then get a fun lamp shade to pair with it.

Anyone have any ideas?

Bathroom rug won't fit under door

MLStevens12 — Mon, 06 May 2013 01:30:51 GMT

So we bought our house about 3 months ago so I'm slowly decorating because I generally suck at it lol. But I have this black and white rug I bought before owning our home that I love. It pretty much was my inspiration so I was quite sad when I saw it doesn't fit under the door. I've been googling how to handle it and I came up with sanding it down. Figured I'd just do it from underneath but its not working about great. Any other ideas? Just not sure how long I need to sand and its tearing up the back of the door. Since it was a foreclosure they repainted but didn't do the best of jobs so I do need to touch up but I want this rug to fit! Its my favorite! Any other ideas?

Thanks!

Blending modern and vintage decor

jomr — Fri, 03 May 2013 21:25:01 GMT

My FH and I purchased a 1923 house and are on a limited budget due to our upcoming wedding. It is "cozy" (900 sq ft) so it is important that our furniture is not bulky or frivilous (nor do we have much space for decorative items). We both prefer basic items with clean lines and recently purchased the Sherwood collection from Room & Board for our bedroom. The minimalist style really opened the room up. The warmth of the cherry wood is nice and I have a soft textured duvet cover but the room still feels a bit stark. I want to start bringing in some vintage touches from the 1920s. Any ideas? Wall art, throw pillows, table lamps, etc?

The next room to be made-over will be the "bonus room" which used to be a sun porch off the dining area. I have a small craft table on one side of the room but want to create a nice sitting area on the other end. Any advise on bistro sized table and chairs would be greatly appreciated!

YHL: They're Moving Again.

Ms.Jade — Thu, 02 May 2013 05:33:26 GMT

I just saw their announcement and I came on here to see what you all think and there's no discussion so I'm starting it. Definitely having a WTF moment over here. What do you guys think?

FYI: Ceramic Pot Sale at JoAnn.

MommyLiberty5013 — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:34:55 GMT

We've been looking for nice, large outdoor ceramic planter pots for about 2 weeks now.

Yesterday I walked into my local JoAnn Fabrics, for something else, and they had a TON of them at 50% off. I found a 15% off coupon on their website, which could also be used on sale items.

I bought 5 pots, which would have been $430 regular price. With the sale and the coupon I spent less than $200! Just wanted to share! Not sure if this is antionwide though...

Color Combo...

SharpShooter85 — Wed, 01 May 2013 03:15:10 GMT

Okay, this may sound totally and completely nuts...but here it goes.

My boyfriend and I just moved in together (very awesome, very exciting) and in my old apartment, I had my bathroom in a grey and purple combo. I kept the shower curtain (which is grey), and the floor matts (which are purple) but all my towels suck, and so do his. So I sort of want to stay with the purple/grey thing, but I also want purple and grey to be my wedding colors. (yes bf and I talk wedding and marriage on a regular basis, we just aren't ready financially so I'm not totally insane) I'm thinking I may just change the bathroom to a grey/green combo (more manly?) but I feel like its second best to what I really want, which is the purple/grey combo. However, I don't want to get married and have either my bf or people say things like "this is the same colors as their/our bathroom". I know this sounds totally crazy, but what would you do? by the way, our bedroom is yellow and grey, so green or purple can go with that easily.

And sorry if this is just crazy and I'm worried about nothing. :)

Mirrors

Nest Cayla — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:08:35 GMT

I'm trying to find a gorgeous floor length mirror. I want the frame to be chic and detailed, no silver, I like gold or color (or even black), I'm hoping to find something that's super tall and can simply lean against the wall. The thing is, I'm on a tight budget and really don't want to spend over $175. This mirror is going to obviously be used every day but I also want to treat it as a piece of artwork / decor in my small apartment. WHERE ON EARTH CAN I FIND THIS MIRROR!?

Has anyone had any luck finding something like this? / or any thoughts on where I can be looking?

Help me pick house paint colors please.

shannm — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:28:28 GMT

We are giving the house a facelift. The new roof will go on next week and will be "Colonial Slate" that is a pretty medium gray with specks of red here and there. I think it will be pretty versatile in terms of picking paint colors.

We were thinking light gray stucco and siding with darker gray shutters and pilasters. Would the light gray be too much? Should we just do white? We were hoping to have enough money leftover for a new door with a darker wood color or a fun color like red or green.

WWYD? We will be putting it on the market in 2-5 years.

Any other sites like Young House Love?

Mrs.SMF — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:19:01 GMT

Thanks