GOOD RIDDENS TO 2009- THE COMEBACK OF DESIGN!

If I had to find one word to describe this year, it would have to be "survival". Not survival of the fittest, but survival of the smartest; and that's not always a good thing. This year I saw many large home improvement businesses vanish. Contractors went out of business, many design firms closed around me, furniture stores shut down and far too many went bankrupt and lost homes and assets. Some saw this coming and prepared by downsizing their companies quickly, to avoid total financial chaos. Most though, still kept on their normal business course, and before you knew it, the clients were gone and so was the income. We never thought the bottom would ever fall out of the high end market, but it sunk like a stone. Through the ashes of the companies that couldn't survive grew newly formed companies run by unskilled laborers trying to make a quick buck on unsuspecting customers looking to remodel their homes for cheap...and this is now where we are.

Where have I been? I abandoned my blogs and much of my normal life while I attempted to figure out my next move. When the going gets tough, sometimes the tough have to meditate! Although I am still standing, this year has brought many trials and losses. I probably should have been here talking through them, but you know what mommy says, " If you can't say nothing nice..".

Personally, I am in a better, more positive place, ready to take on the nay-sayers who feel that they no longer need an Interior Designer in their lives because they can get discounts, or shop at wholesale stores and watch enough DIY to figure it all out. Truth is, you can't. Sure you may be able to get the job done, but most often times for more money than you would have paid me to help you, or with mistakes that will make the job sub-standard at best. Designers were put on this Earth for a reason. We have a valuable skill that you can't absorb by watching endless episodes of "Divine Design". There is far too much that goes into designing a room. It's not just picking pretty colors for paint and fabrics that match; and SHAME ON YOU so-called "designers" who are merely bad decorators acting like you know what you're doing and working on projects beyond your scope of understanding and experience. You are cheapening what we do and making it harder for clients to see the value of our worth. Where product selection might mean the difference in their property value, a safety issue or even housing codes, a blind woman should not give directions! I have seen enough tacky interiors this year to last a lifetime! And because the design bucket is currently filled with so many bad apples, this design diva has had to take a second job. Good designers are like actors in Hollywood now, most are waiting tables or getting by on whatever can consistently pay the bills. I am designing kitchens for a second company that allows me the freedom to still run my firm part time. Thank God for his blessings and for the patience it has taken to get through this year.

I am back WORLD, better and stronger than I was. And if you think I had a lot to say before, wait till you see me now!

Problems In The Industry...but I'm not too busy for you!

OK, OK... it appears I have been too busy for you lately. Not on purpose, I have been revamping a lot of what I do to try to make the reading experience better for my audience, with a content that's richer in photos and examples. I've never really been happy with this background because the format limits what I wish to post. My problem is that I am not tech savvy what-so-ever!!! I can post, I can talk- OH BOY CAN I TALK, but figure out how to reconfigure anything on this big laptop of mine- NO WAY!

This blog started out as a place to bring the client, the homeowner that might not afford to be a client, the person out there searching for witty repartee and fellow designers into the life of interior design. I must say, over the last few months the struggles of the economy hit home. Many of my high-end clientele flew the coup and smaller jobs led to job cancellations. In this day and age, many designers and contractors are doing what one of my general contracting friends refer to as " over-practicing" their craft. We are spending countless hours for which we are normally paid to plan a home, bidding the home for free because clients are looking to compare nine quotes to "make sure they have picked the right person for the job". What most fail to realize is, by doing this- you are not selecting the best, but the cheapest person for the job. This bidding war seems like a good thing to the consumer, because contractors and designers are out trying to slit the competitor's throat by beating the last price to win the job. Instead this is doing two things:

It is forcing contractors and designers to accept less than what they are worth or possibly to charge less than their operating expenses just for the sake of still working.

It is cheapening what we do- and why would anyone want to do that. A good Interior Designer, Architect or Contractor is a skilled, seasoned professional. They have spent many years learning what they know, some spending many tens of thousands of dollars to earn their degree and someone swooping down from who knows where and offering a client a bid of half of what it would normally cost to do a job well is like 10 homes going into foreclosure in your neighborhood and your half a million dollar home is now worth $200K.

The sad result of this combination of circumstances is that the consumer that chooses the cheapest bid is getting a bad experience 70% of the time- and I have seen this first hand. Contractors are bidding low and then adding incidentals driving the final cost up too high for a client to afford and many are walking away with their deposits. Most of what my company is seeing is inferior quality of work that must be repaired by a second contractor. In the design world, I am seeing many decorators attempting to fill a designer's shoes but then choke when it comes to any work involving heavy measurements or structure. If you need to hire a second person to do some of what should be your job- it will always cost more!

Th funniest thing that I have seen lately (and the saddest!!!) is that wealthy clients are looking for the most absurd bargains I have ever seen, and just because! They have the money and know how to spend it. They know the name brands and spend obscene amounts of money for them, but then want a design deal. They want me to help them design their home or business for far less than my fee- or for free! They are dreaming up unrealistic budgets for what they want to have done and trying to find the person to take the bait. The same clients that I am having trouble reaching for a consultation because they are on vacation every weekend are trying to negotiate on their projects or EVEN WORSE- compare us to the Big Box Store! Gasp... why are they even scouting prices there? You don't spend $2,000 on a luxury black chandelier and get your floor at Home Depot...talk about tacky and cheap! The wealthy have a higher standard of presence and stature- to most that I know, they liken decorating their home from a box store to shopping for clothes at K-Mart! It's just not done.

OK, OK... I guess that's my vent for the day! I am off to a business lunch and then to work on another design bid for a whole home, which the client will probably tell me they want to do for $3,000...let's hope not!

Wallpaper- The New World Order

I cannot tell you how many times I see a client wince when I mention the word wallpaper as a design concept in AZ! I can't believe how distant everyone has become from the possibility of enhancing their home's interior with such a luxurious product that has proven, over the ages, to be a sturdy and long lasting material. Perhaps, it's because the product of yesteryear WAS such a sturdy and long-lasting product that took 2,000 years to peel off of a living room they once had. Or maybe it's because it reminds them of the hideous selection of wallpapers from the 1980s or avacado green prints of the 1970's? Whatever the reason, there is so much to learn about the many ways that wallpaper can become a stunning part of your home remodel. Long after Wallpaper 101, our initial experience with wallpaper, here is Wallpaper 102- A Reintroduction To Wallpaper...

Fact: Wallpaper is much easier to remove than it use to be. It is not a permanent fixture on your walls. Don't let that fool you into believing, however, that it will fall apart over time. It is made to last on your wall untill you remove it, by pulling it down without

breaking a sweat- even if it is 10 years from now.

Papers come in hundreds of thousands of varieties from faux finishes to prints, stripes to jaquards, natural weaves to bricks and tiles. The sky is the limit with wallpaper. Although many take a steady eye and a bit of skill to put up, due to the pattern repeat that must be matched and the tight seams that look best when hidden, there are many ways to accomplish a simple do it yourself project with wallpaper. I have used my own living room as a show and tell example. Take a look!

So this is the wallpaper that I am in love with at the moment. I originally ordered it for my showroom, before I downsized due to the economy. I am a firm believer in recycling and I had the perfect room to use this paper in my new home, the problem is- I ordered enough to fit the original space, not my living room, which is significantly larger (yet still a tiny space to me!).
My plan for this space is a great concept for using a fabric or wallpaper in short demand, yet still is a stylish solution in a pre-planned interior. I first painted the side walls a light shade called Perfect Greige (Sherwin Williams- of course). Greige is a designer's term for a combination of the colors gray and beige. I envisioned the wallpaper in my center wall- my focal area. On this wall I used a darker paint- Sherwin Williams Garret Gray. This color is a gorgeous and rich brown- gray with a plum undertone. It is a versatile neutral and goes well with many coordinating accent colors. I painted the left and right sides of my center wall around 3' in on each side.

Now that the wall is painted on either side, I find the center of my wall and cut my first piece to fit on the wall. I have decided to highlight the

center of my darker wall with three width's wide of this damask print paper. I also thought I might add decorative molding to either side, as I have at a past cleint's home, to further accentuate this area. However, once I put up my paper, I really liked the look without any molding at all. To finish off this wall, I hung my Don Blanton signed print- one of my favorite paintings called The Roar Of Silence. The custom wooden mats on the print are in plums and deep lilacs, pulling out the colors in the print and they go well with the wallpaper and paint choice here.

All that you can do with wallpaper-

Don't just think of wallpaper as something that must cover the entire room. It can be used in smaller scale in many ways. Trimmed out in small squares or rectangles, a great paper can act as paneling in an upscale study or dining room.

A small printed or animal print paper can be used in combination with a paint to create a horizontal or vertical stripe in a kid's room.

Use a bold print on one wall of a powder room to add drama. The room is small enough to experiment with and requires a smaller amount of paper- cutting expense and risk!

Want to try a little accent of wallpaper? Hang a chair rail 3/4 of the way up on your wall and just paper that upper section all the way around your room to get your touch of print.

Or- for an even smaller area of paper, use it as the backdrop for your bookcase shelves or in a niche.

If you live somewhere where applying paper to the wall is not an option, such as an apartment- buy large canvases and apply your favorite wallpaper to the canvas and hang three as art on a large wall behind your sofa. It's a great way to add paper without christening your walls!

The fact of the matter is, regardless of where you live, wallpaper is back in a major way. It really never left, we just grew scared of it. If you think about it, you will realize that wallpaper is in every business from your dentist to your favorite restaurant and that model home that you loved has wallpaper in every corner. With proper planning and application, your home can have the same model feel!

more pictures of that Oak Kitchen Remodel...

What started as a bland, old fashioned natural oak kitchen, soon became a sleek, modern update of its former self. We refinished the cabinets to a dark, espresso stain, added a larger crwon molding, swapped the white appliances for stainless, traded the corian countertops for granite and added large corbels and faux travertine backsplash tile.

Beat Recession Depression Part 2- Update Your Kitchen

OK, you have oak kitchen cabinets... I'm sorry- it happens to good people all over America! Unfortunately, even in new builds of today, most stock cabinet companies still offer the oak kitchen cabinet as their standard or least expensive choice. When faced with so many other upgrades, the oak looks pretty good. Now they are in your home and you hate them. Oak cabinetry is quite outdated and any good designer will tell you this. This doesn't mean that you have to be stuck with them. There are tricks to removing the natural or ill stained oak look from your cabinetry and updating your kitchen, without the actual expense of a costly gut and remodel. However, I strongly advise that you seek a professional to do them, and I mean a REAL professional, not your neighbor down the street!

Espresso and milk chocolate are not just delicious... they are also HOT, HOT, HOT in the design world and are not just a trendy, but a timeless choice for a kitchen cabinet stain. In the pictures above, we took a natural oak cabinet and refinished the cabinet doors and frames in espresso- which is a dark brown. This option worked well for the husband- because he loves the wood grain, which is still slightly apparent; but masks the wild pattern and dull yellow and orange tones of a natural oak. This can also be done to any cabinet with a stain ( not just oak). The best part of this refreshing update, is it presents you with the best neutral backdrop for whatever colors you would like to add to your walls, counters and backsplash. Yes, your cabinets are still oak, but they are so updated that most buyers (if selling) will forgive the wood species for the overall look. if you are planning on staying in your space, this is a welcome look that you can enjoy and know you only spent a few thousand dollars to do it. The kitchen we show here was refinished for $3,200.00. That's a far cry from the $12,000 it would have cost to replace them. Not only that, but if costs are any issue- and when are they not lately, refinishing your cabinets can be done without ever removing your countertop, allowing you to save up for a new counter in the future yet still enjoy your cabinets now!

Happy with your cabinets but bored with their style? Update a few doors by replacing the centers with a funky glass. You don't even have to be able to see into the cabinet. There are many styles of glass like frosted or rippled that still obscure your wares but entirely change the look of your kitchen. Try a few today!

Now, what else can we do in our kitchen to improve our way of life and spend little dollars? How about...NO, I'm not going to say the obvious- update your hardware!- so overstated... look to the inside and reorganize your cabinets ergonomically for piece of mind! The first area you can tackle is the sink. get your sponges off the counter by installing tilt out sink trays in your false drawer front on your sink cabinet. Believe it or not, this is something you can do yourself and can purchase from the Big Box Store for little money- under $30.00. Simply pop off your drawer front and add these plastic bins and side rails to your drawer. Then move your sponges into this drawer to keep the clutter off your countertop.

How about that old faucet? Replace your standard faucet with two knobs and a sprayer with a single handle faucet with pull out sprayer and use the other two holes for a soap dispenser and lotion dispenser to keep your hands soft and subtle and get the soap bottle off of your countertop for a nice clean look!

Organize your pots and pans by purchasing a pull out rack that stores your lids on top and pots below. This can also be purchased at the Big Box Store for under $200.00 and while it's a pricier update, is probably the answer to one of the most frustrating problems cooks face in their kitchen cabinets. The other big frustration is the blind corner cabinet! You know, that cabinet that looks small but continues on and on into the abyss of your kitchen. What a waste of space; but there's a solution for this one too. Purchase a pullout rack that easily extends out from this cabinet for under $300.00 at... you guessed it, the Big Box Store!

I hope that these few ideas will help you to see the possibilities that exist beyond that old fashioned wood, that cluttered countertop, that unorganized drawer and gave you, yet another way to Beat Recession Depression... more to come soon!

Being An Intelligent Part Of Your Remodel!

OK, so I have to share my frustrations of the last few months with my potential clients that I DID NOT LAND! Times have changed, for sure and the jobs that us designers normally would think are "in the bag", turn out to be big, fat duds! While the client can walk away scratching their head as to why it all cost way much more than they imagined, we are left discouraged and exhausted for all of the time that we spent bidding this job that we now have nothing to show for! I say it time and time again...the general public has NO IDEA how much work and skill goes into what we do! I had a girlfriend who, like so many others, thought I had such a fun, glamorous job. I had to take her with me to the flooring store to show her just how time consuming and sometimes very hard, my job can be. Sure, it has it's glamorous moments- although not all that much lately, but it's mostly a combination of knowledge, skill, research- TONS, planning and hours and hours of time! I would swear that people think I just take the list of items that people want for their homes, grab my master catalog of everything in the world that you need for a house, and just scan pictures and type prices. How wrong they all are! And then, when you have spent 30 hours planning a job and lose the job because of price, it's like losing a race to a runner who was not even on the same track as you! This post is two fold, dedicated to both the interior designers losing this price battle and the potential clients who really don't understand that they too have a role in their remodel!

So, you want to redo your living room. You start out with your husband making a list of all of the things you'd like in that room... You want a sofa and some accent chairs and you know you want quality pieces. You hate your floor- it's old carpet- and know you want a wood, but are not sure what kind, just wide plank. You need window treatments and some accessories and would like crown molding. Ok, great- you have your list. You and your husband have never done this before and you start to devise a dollar figure in your head. So, that leatherette sofa he got before you were married cost him $599.00 and you're thinking, well, chairs must cost half that- since they are half the size! You've seen really nice curtains at JC Penney for like $50.00 a panel on sale and you need 6, so that's $300.00. Lumber Liquidators is always advertising flooring on TV for as low as $1.99 a square foot. So, you are trying to be all prepared and measure your flooring to get an idea of it all. Ooh, you have 300 square feet, that's only around $600.00 for the floor. You can do that right? How much can it possibly cost to install, a few hundred? Even if it's twice as much, that's under $2,000. No big deal! Great- your head says your remodel will cost around $10,000 at the most.

You go to your girlfriend's house and tell her about your remodel. She has walnut handscraped flooring and you love it! That would look great in your house. And if you are going to get a sofa, it's got to be 8 way hand tied for extra strength, like hers.

You go home and start flipping through your home and garden magazines and find a great chandelier to go in your space. Ooh, a window seat! Yep, that's what you want. It will fit perfectly.

Now you are ready to get your quotes. You call a home remodeling company, a contractor and an Interior Designer to give you quotes. After all, in this economy, it' s all about price. Normally designers go and meet you and establish a contract to work with you which requires a retainer. But most clients nowadays refuse to pay for something they are uncertain of. They want to know how much and then decide. Little do they realize that your designer can work with your budget (within reason) to find the right products to suit you. A contractor will just give you an allowance for each item that he has no idea how to pick. A remodeler will have the different vendors pick things that will fit your budget. They might not all work together; after all, each vendor hasn't been to your home. So, you tell them all your original idea for a budget and then give them your extra wish list little by little throughout the week. You are so excited about all of this and you have built yourself up to want all of these items. You have to have them! But did you ever stop to really research just how much all of these extra items cost? Most people don't understand the difference in quality and price from one item to another. But you do know that it looks better than the other thing you picked originally, don't you? Chances are it's because it costs more. It's made of better materials or has a special name brand and that can be the difference between your $600 sofa at Ashleys and the $3,000 8 way hand tied sofa at that showroom. There's a difference between the chandelier you kinda liked at Home Depot for $199.99 that you think almost looks the same as that Hinkley light you saw in Metropolitan Home, that costs $900.00. The cheap floor they advertised on the commercial was oak, 2" wide and it's leftovers from a company that went our of business. The floor you want is walnut- a much pricier wood and it's handscraped, which makes it more of a luxury than the normal plank that's merely run through a planer to even it out. The window seat is not a DIY project for a contractor. To do it well, you need a custom cabinet or millwork shop. And did I hear you say plantation shutters for your windows, AHHH!

Designers cannot bid a job like this AND WE SHOULDN'T! We should run away, as fast as we can; but something about us just wants to prove that we can do it (and we want to beat the pants off of that contractor!).

And homeowner- you must take ownership of your plans. Sure, this is all new to you, but you can be more proactive in getting what you want. Take a few days and scout around at flooring stores and furniture stores to see what you like and dislike. Don't base your pricing on items that you see at Lowes or Home Depot. A real contractor will not shop there. These are stores made for the homeowner who plans to do small projects on their own. They have just monopolized on the fact that you will go there, so they have made sure they have the ability to sub out the installation of any of their products to contractors who use their work to fill in holes in their schedules. Don't be fooled, those big box stores have such low prices on their products because they make a mint off of your install! You don't have to find exactly what you are looking for in these stores as you search. Just get an understanding of what you are looking at and the prices involved. You will be surprised how many times I hear "I really had no idea how much it was". No research was done. Knowing that a cheap floor costs $3.00 a square foot and the ones you like seem to average $6.00 a square will help you appreciate the process and the costs associated much better than picking a figure out of your head. If you are willing to sacrifice the quality of the items you feel you have to have, then proceed. If you absolutely can't live without these items, continue to save up for them and then approach your project at a later date with 20% more money than you now know you'll need. There are all sorts of figures that go into a remodel, and the largest one is labor.

And designers have to take back their craft. We are having the rugs pulled out from under us by these contractors and jack of all trade companies that are much cheaper than we are. We use to give them work, but now they are undercutting us. This means we have to go above and beyond to make the client recognize our worth and the value of allowing us to handle their project for our fee. We must regain the homeowner's trust. They have been wronged by the economy and the housing market, and whether we like it or not, we are representatives of that market. Save yourself a lot of time and effort by clearly defining the "AVERAGE" costs associated with a project of their scope. Let them know before hand that extra items equate to extra dollars! I pride myself on explaining every phase of the process and the quality of items to my clients, so they know the difference between all that's out there. And even still, I have been spinning my wheels over the last few months with clients that have very big dreams and very small money. I have to thank Melissa Galt from Prosper by Design for reminding me that I am an Interior Designer with over 15 years experience and I am worth my hourly fee. No one who regularly patrons a Morton's of Chicago Steakhouse ever questions why the filet mignon is $50.00 a la carte. Take credit for your achievements, your skill and your career. And homeowners, please respect us, understand your small role in your project and together we can make a beautiful home possible!

Beat Recession Depression Part 1- The Powder Room

The powder room is the crown jewel of the home. For those of you that are lucky enough to have them- they are just swell! They serve the purpose of giving visitors to your home a place to relieve themselves when they've shared too many maragitas to hold in. Then they get to wash their hands in your lovely little sink and vacate without having to see your many toiletries and the contents of your shower that you have in your main or master bathroom. Yes, the powder room, it's like the builder's little gift to us creatives and those of us too exhausted to clean the rest of our house. How dirty can a powder room get anyway?

As a designer, the powder room can be a decorative dream. Because it is the most viewed by client's friends, family and strangers, they typically like to make a big impression by going all out in this room. You can get a lot of bang for your buck in this room (although I have done a few powder rooms over $10,000 too). I will share some secrets with you on how to make the most of your powder room for little dollars, and will also share what I do for my clients.

Tip #1:

Trash that medicine cabinet or plate mirror and replace it with a framed mirror for dramatic impact. Some of the best places to find mirrors from traditional to contemporary for little dollars?- TJ Maxx and Marshalls (the same store), Ross (for the west coasters), Lowes, Home Depot and Bed Bath and Beyond. I have picked up some of my best mirrors from these stores. If you are going to BB and B, go when you get the coupon in the paper for 20% off. You can save a pretty penny and typically you can get a nice, new framed mirror for between $30 and $80. (SHH! designer secret!!!)

Tip #2:

The decorative towels that you display on the towel rod should not be used for guests to wipe their hands on; not only because it's not sanitary, but because it always messes up the special way you wrap the towels with that pretty ribbon and tassel! LOL. Seriously though, I realize that we are all trying to go green and I am the first to advocate green practices, ESPECIALLY in my own home. I do have to say, with all of the viruses going around lately, unless you can install a hand dryer in your lav- stay away from regular towels. Now, there's a sustainable solution for my method of madness. Buy recycled paper towels and a decorative vertical paper towel holder. Or, for even more elegance, buy a long decorative tray and use long decorative napkins inside (preferably recycled). You now see this done in many commercial bathrooms and it will work just as well in your powder room.

Tip #3:

Replace that germ filled bar of hand soap with a decorative soap dispenser. Now, there is really NO excuse for this one. I have seen some really cute ones in Target and have even seen stainless steel dispensers at Wal-Mart. Don't just buy one for your soap, buy a second for lotion and place that on your sink counter as well. Make it a great fragranced lotion and matching liquid soap from Bath and Bodyworks, if you can. CALLING ALL BACHELORS- us women love this stuff-try Moonlit Path! While you are at it, repeat this step in the kitchen. You hands will thank you!

Tip #4:

If you have not already, and if your space allows it, replace your round toilet with an elongated. Not only will the man in your life thank you, but the seat's longer curve feels far more comfy on the toushie than the short round style.This fix can cost you as little as $69.00 with a toilet in a box at the big box store. Many times you can even find one at a building supply reseller-a big place where people take their old fixtures rather than throw them away. You can get one for a song and save the planet while doing so. A lot of times the products are in perfect condition, one might have just removed it for a particular brand or model of toilet. Trust me, my clients do it all the time!

Tip #5:

In case you have not already done this... and this is FREE... get rid of that nasty germ infested toilet seat cover with the matching wrap around toilet rug and tank cover. UUGGHH! They have absolutely No place in the world of design... enough said here.

Tip #6:

If you have a nice vanity, consider replacing your sink top. I have been to many "Liquidator" places that sell granite counters pre-cut to specific smaller vanity sizes, with the single center hole cut out to fit a vessel sink. You can also go to a granite supplier's "Bone Yard" and have them or another granite installer cut you a piece to fit your vanity and a hole for your new vessel sink. I keep saying vessel sink because they are dandy and right on trend. I found a basic, yet classic white vitreous china sink at the Low Box Store for under $100. I then found a great 31" top at a store called Construction Lots, they all have names similar to this. lol. The faucet at $99.00 and the top at $200.00 gave me a brand new look to the powder room for $400.00. If you do not want to go that elaborate, you can find adorable solid surface 1 piece counters with bowl attached for under $300.00.

Tip #7:

Get rid of the dressing room bulbs overhead and replace them with an updated light fixture, again- the big box store will have some inexpensive options- but so do Target and Wal-Mart, where a client once scored a decent 3 light fixture for $40.00. What a bargain!

Tip #8:

Tile, tile, tile. So many powder rooms still have linoleum in them. Why? You can find such gorgeous tile nowadays for $3.00 a square foot. If your powder room is a standard 4'x8', including an added 10% for waste- you are looking at under $120.00 for a brand new floor! Floor tile in such a small space is not hard to do, and if you must call a contractor to install it- you can find an odd job guy for next to nothing. You can even get fancier in this room than you might in your other bathrooms, because of the cost. Add a border or listello (trim or deco tile strip) to the edges of your tiled floor. This will create a custom look for little dollars.

Tip #9:

Wallpaper is back baby! If you are afraid of wallpaper in a large space but find a great pattern, this is the room to do it- and it does not take many man hours to install. Once again, if you can't DIY this, please consult a pro- but this is another project that doesn't have to cost a fortune. You can even do just one wall and paint the remaining three. I would strongly suggest that you paper the wall behind the sink, no matter where the rest of the fixtures are. This gives the most drama when washing your hands and looks smashing behind that new framed mirror you just bought! Although it is on the sink wall, the paper of today is easily cleanable and far more durable. A splatter of water, which should be stopped by your backsplash anyway, will not stain or damage the paper. This is what most high end clients prefer in their homes. We call it a jewel box bathroom because it is packaged up all pretty in a decorative little box with rich colors and vibrant patterns! Even the most demure, calm and color-phobic client will generally allow me to go a little crazy in the powder room. It's a room they themselves don't often see, never use and are not worried about ruining with a bad choice. They always love the end result!!!

Tip #10:

When all else fails, you cheapest option- outside from the soap dispensers and the FREE one- is paint. If your bathroom is small enough, 2 quarts of paint at Wal-Mart in their Color Space brand will cost you around $16.00. Don't make the mistake and think you only need one can because the room is so small. You will have to do two coats and that nearly always means 2 cans. If you have gotten good lighting for this room, meaning a fixture with several 60 watt or higher bulbs, you can even go dark with the color choice for this room. Paint the trim a nice crisp white and all is forgiven on the darkness front. If you are using warm colors, you can even paint the trim in a bright ecru, but don't go any darker.

Although there are many other more expensive ways to improve this room, I have stuck with the least expensive to provide some great options that you can use to add a little flair to one of the littlest rooms of the home and help you to BEAT RECESSION DEPRESSION!

An Interview With A Latin Spin...

Hi Everyone,

I am excited to share with you that I did an interview with Urban Latino Radio in New York City. The host of the show, Erik Rivera, is a stand-up comedian favorite in the NY comedy scene, including regular appearances at The Comedy Cellar, Caroline's on Broadway, Broadway Comedy Club and Comic Strip Live. He, together with a panel of comedians and lifestyle experts of Latin heritage, interview celebrities and talents in all aspects of fashion, home trends, music, politics, comedy, etc... I am proud to have had a great, although somewhat tongue-tied, interview with him and his panel on the radio. It will reach thousands in the Latin community and will besimultaneously broadcast on i-tunes. As soon as I know the date and time, I will fill you all in. Go Latino, Go!!!

Beat Recession Depression- And Tackle The Small Stuff (A New Series)

OK, so where have I been, right? I'm sure that's what you have all been wondering! I recently embarked on a move that I would swear was across country- and it was only 15 minutes away from my last home. I moved to Queen Creek, AZ from my home which was previously in Mesa, AZ. Queen Creek would be considered the super suburbs compared to the urban city of Mesa, which is a bit less urban than the extremes of culture in Phoenix. So, if you ask some, I've now moved to cow country! That's not true though, as I only moved 15 minutes into QC- I am only a good 10 minutes away from the highway, straight down one street to civilization. I have a cousin who really lives in Queen Creek and you have to plan a day trip just to get to her house! ( I love you Nikki!)

I did what many homeowners are doing right now, taking advantage of the deals... and homes are practically being given away here, though typically due to someone else's misfortune. ( I firmly believe that through all of this misfortune- a silver lining will arise and all of these crazy loans will be forgiven- if they were truly done accidentally..political sidebar ((lol)) So me, hubby and my four kids and two kittens moved into a larger home with a pool FINALLY, in a great neighborhood where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came... yes, I know you are humming the Cheers song now. It's a great home with good bones. (Don't non-designers hate when we say that- my hubby does!) But, it really does have some great possibilities with it. I have gained a living room from having a home with just one living area. Now I have a living room and family room. (we've discussed this area in a previous post: Please read "Your Formal Living Room is Too Dressed Up" Tuesday, May 12, 2009. This was important to me because, with 3 teenagers and a nearly 5 year old, we were all packed like sardines in our last house. I prefer a two-story to a single story home. Even as large as they can be, I never feel as though I can truly escape in a one story. Here, I can walk away to a whole new level, literally and metaphorically. What a great thing... well, now back to my post...

This recession has caused a whole new way of living for most of us affected by the economy. Whether you have been forced into a smaller space or downsized by choice, maybe you have been able to take advantage of the market and move to a larger home, or perhaps you are trying to sell what you have to free yourself of the burden- I have decided to ATTEMPT to create a series that will tackle one small space of your home at a time. Of course, the reoccurring theme of each piece, will be that you should hire a designer to help you do all of these things for your home- but I would never expect you to spend money on something that you CAN genuinely do on your own, either. I am a firm advocate for do-it-yourself projects (in moderation) that can truly increase the value of your home. AND- that is really the key to a well done DIY. So many channels boast these tacky projects that one can do on their own, that will significantly diminish the value of your property. Just because you can go buy a can of paint at the store all by yourself, does not mean you should be taking a paintbrush to your kitchen cabinets! There has to be a balance of quality and skill within your project.

Now, I joke about ATTEMPTING to do this series because over the last three weeks I have not been posting anything due to my constant problems with my Internet service provider... which should now be resolved!

Our first space to tackle will be the powder room...

More Recent Cabinetry Work

I was upset that my fine photographer could not get this cabinet on the left in one shot. There is so much beauty in that cabinet and it can not be taken in in each individual shot. The cabinet on the left is the adult desk unit on the North wall and the one on the right is their kid's desk unit which sits adjacent on the South wall. Unfortunately, after we completed the cabinetry, the clients asked us to make a floating shelf on the South wall for a 4 in 1 printer they bought for their sons, and not the original printer that I had measured to account for within the cabinetry I designed! Something always happens to throw off the balance of the universe!

A Recent Project Completed In Chandler

Hello All,
I just wanted to post pictures of a recently completed job I did in Chandler, Arizona. The cabinets are in a multi-million dollar home in a private community here and I loved working with these clients. They were a laid back, fun couple with two great boys.
I got to design a custom buffet piece to sit between two walls in a niche area of their dining room. I selected a warm brown stain with a hint of Bordeaux in it-(custom made stain)- to pull out the warmth in the floral and paisley Tuscan print on their dining chairs. I did not go with a stain that matched the wooden dining table and chairs, but instead chose one one tone darker. I do not believe in matchy matchy. It just doesn't look lived in, it looks planned. The marble that I selected for the top is a color called Rosso Fiorentino. It is a very high grade of marble, with a deep Bordeaux with some purplish areas and hints of green and white veining. It is fantastic. I will try to post a close up, as I know I have one somewhere... I wanted the bottom of the cabinet to sit on delicate legs with a grape leaf and for the center drawers to have a nice pattern. They are lined with felt for dinnerware. This cabinet is made of alder, with a multi- edged, raised panel door. It is simple, yet elegant and defines this space. It commands attention in this room, and that was just what I wanted. They love it and I am proud to see another vision in my head come to life. I am an interior designer who has the ability to design my own custom cabinetry. I draw and detail my own designs and work with my custom cabinet team to manufacture the pieces in house. My husband is a custom cabinetmaker and master finisher. We make a great team, as you can see!

I will post the office cabinetry tomorrow.

Your Formal Living Room is TOO Dressed Up!!!

Recently I attended a function at a home that suffers from the same identity crisis I come across time and time again in Arizona. The homeowner had a nice sized house with a formal living room as you enter, followed by a formal dining room and then a family room. I find that so many don't understand the concept behind what some consider to be a two living room home. While they have two very different functions within the home, the formal living room (or just the living room, as it should be called) is not meant to be a stuffy space. It is merely what use to be referred to as a sitting room or parlor. It is a conversation area. It is meant to hold comfortable, yet well designed seating, tables befittingly small in scale, yet large enough to hold a coffee cup or other social beverage; furnishings are focused towards each other in a cozy, intimate fashion, as this area is meant for chats with neighbors or meetings with visitors.

The family room is the area where...well... your family hangs. Furnishings are more comfortable and area rugs are meant for high traffic. This is a more used and lived in space, a space for entertaining. Tables are larger, possibly slightly less ornamental, yet still decorative. Furnishings focus on the television or other source of entertainment and less on each other. This is the room that should contain your TV, audio components, video games or board games for family play (if you do not have a gameroom or home theater). This is your lounging area, your chill spot. It, along with your kitchen, should be the hub of your home.

Now, back to the reason that this post is about the formal living room. Despite these clear definitions for these spaces, most homeowners don't know how to interpret them and place furnishings in this room that do not fit the style of the rest of the home. People think, no matter what style of home they have: traditional, modern, contemporary or rustic, that their living room should resemble a mausoleum. They use fringes and lace, marble on tables, skirted chairs, french legs and heavy carved frames filled with landscape paintings. This is so wrong and only fitting if the rest of your home shares these characteristics. A modern home's formal living room should look just as modern. If you have children that are frequently sprawled out in the family room, perhaps they are not allowed to sit in the living room. You might have sleek pieces of furniture that have fabrics that require a bit more care- linens, silken blends or chenilles; where as your family room might have wearable cotton blends, kid friendly leathers or microsuedes. Your artwork and vases might be better suited for your formal room then your family room. This room is your fancy room, your show off room, but should still resemble the rest of your house. Consider your family room as you with your play clothes on and your living room as you dressed up a bit. One is formal, one is casual, but they are both still you. The same should be said for your home. Guests should not be looking for their ticket to the museum upon entering your home- unless you are planning on charging admission!

Need more help putting this look together in your home? Call me for a consultation on this space or any other room of your home today.

Loft Living... Where Did It Start?

Hi All,
I have to say that I have been excited for the last few weeks, as I have been working on a potential loft development in Tempe, AZ. Now... Lofts... they are my thing. I use to do them all day, every day when I lived back in the East Coast. Not only is Loft Living a way of life for those living in the typical factory conversion, but most inhabitants of the five boroughs of NY and the brownstones in MA also enjoy what minimalist style urban, contemporary living has to offer. When I left the city over there to live in the city over here I left weeks where I would crank out several lofts or Metropolitan style home designs to come here and do week after week of Tuscan or Traditional interiors with an occasional Transitional home thrown in for good measure. I noticed, after a year or so, that the lofts were coming! (I moved here in 04') Now they are here, and after several years of playing with the same thing over and over, I am refreshed to think of working on a loft space again. I giggle over the clean lines, I am enamored by the plastics, the exotic woods, the low profile sofas and bolder colors. My heart goes pitter pat over the stainless steel, the concrete block and counters, the glass... oh, the glass!

One of the funniest and saddest things that I have learned after doing my research in Arizona, is how ill-equipped the majority of the "Interior Designers" here are when it comes to designing or decorating a contemporary home in the Valley. There are rules that apply to a contemporary home. I laugh at the mish mash of "straight backed sofas" that they combine with an oriental rug ???, one piece of abstract art and their idea of the "modern" coffee table! I go into hysterics when I see their interpretations of an ultra-modern kitchen with a shaker style door and stainless steel appliances, or maybe they go as far as a drive to Ikea to get the truly "modern" stuff, ooh, ah! These effort are substandard when it comes to true Loft Style Design. Let me start from the beginning and show you the art of Loft Living...

In the 80's at the height of the conversion from old fashioned, massive machinery to more modern technology, huge factory buildings in the industrial sections of urban cities became abandoned. Selling for less than the average apartment building, some were bought by commercial property owners who figured they could make a small chunk of change renting these large open spaces to starving artists and other creative types who could use the apartments for both work and a home. With 10,000 square feet of barrier free space, renters had to get creative with furnishings to delineate spaces, separating one room from another. Furnishings were simple and sparse, as who could afford to stuff so much into a massive open room for one person. There was simply no need- the style necessary here was more utilitarian in nature. Thus, the birth of Loft Style took place.

Throughout the decades, owners became more intelligent and business savvy, breaking down one floor of a building into several loft spaces and investing in accoutrements to lure in those who might not otherwise choose to live in such a complicated space, not always in the best part of town. After the artsy sector moved into these neighborhoods, businesses began to notice how full they were and then they began to move in too. Jazz clubs and art galleries and cool boutiques soon followed. Before long, they became the center of town, attracting all to the convenience of living a walk away from everything.

Not everyone can live in a loft space. You have to be able simplify your life, your furnishings and adjust to the many deficiencies that others consider to be decorative accent- like exposed plumbing and chase pipes for electricity, concrete block walls or bricks in some areas. Cold hard surfaces are a staple for loft style homes and even those that are built in modern times boast them. On the one hand builders seek to replicate the wheel, not reinvent it and on the other hand, not having to bust through walls to lay plumbing and electricity saves lots of money in construction costs!

The largest problem that most loft owners have to contend with is understanding the proper style and placement of furnishings and accessories that fit in with the loft lifestyle. Those who are truly fans of this style understand it, but even still might not have the eye to select the right pieces for their space. The scale of each piece, as opposed to the space is imperative. If your sofa is too wide or too deep it can crowd even the most open of floor plans. It will steal space away from another "room" which is merely another section of the same space. Rooms are not cluttered by multiple vases and boxes and accent pieces of various sizes, staggered closely together in rows on shelves and cubbie holes and atop kitchen cabinets. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE NO, NO! Placement of accessories long and slender or short and chunky in bold colors are random and sporadic or based on function alone. A sideboard is not sitting in the hallway to hold a decorative plant or a vase, it is there for when you first enter your home for you to throw your keys and eyeglasses. In this style of home the rule is form follows function, not Arizona's traditional function follows form. Looks are sleek and purposeful and that's not easy to understand, but can look stunning if handled by the right designer.

If you are considering moving into a loft space or want to learn more about them, please don't hesitate to call me! I'd love to help you design your space. I look forward to once again filling my portfolio with the many loft projects I take on. if you are not ready yet... stay tuned for my next blog post, where I will go into the style a bit more in depth. Lofts are here, love them or hate them. Maybe, through education and a good laugh, I can create a few fans!

Latin Interiors...the beginning!

A good friend of mine on Twitter gave me my thought process for the day which just might have created a whole can of worms. I am very proud to be a Puerto Rican Interior Designer, and the only one I currently know. My clientele ranges from the moderate income earner to the high-end home. I am even prouder to know that there are Latinas y Latinos out there who are making it big in this world, although I have yet to work on the home of another Hispanic- and that saddens me. I know they are out there, I just have to find them! But back to the subject at hand. Hispanic people, no matter where we are from, are some of the most vibrant, creative, passionate people on the face of the Earth. We live, love and play hard and it is reflected in our culture, our lifestyles and our homes.

Although we are the largest growing population in the world, we are the smallest represented group in media. Where do we, as a culture, go to find ideas for decorating, design, art and fashion? There are a small number of resources for these items, but you have to truly search for them. On the concept of good, classic interior design and decoration, there is virtually NOTHING that speaks to our people. I have found a few articles in magazines throughout the years that show "Mexican Style" of interior design as this multi-colored jumble of of what looks more like a circus than anything that I would ever want to call home. Has no one done their research? Go to a resort in Mexico and you will find colors more like the beaches, the sands and the tranquil sky than you will find what's in your local Mexican restaurant. The same can be said for a visit to Brazil or Puerto Rico. We have a taste for the refined and luxurious, just as much as the next nationality. I have made it my duty, to dedicate some of my life to give back to interior design within my culture and that of others of the Hispanic community. Starting with this blog post, Latin Interiors is now born...

check it out at www.LatinInteriors.blogspot.com

Stage Your Home... So It Stops Sitting On The Market!

So, you went against the grain, and for whatever reason decided to put your home on the market at the worst possible time. I'm sure that if you have put your home on the market at this time, outside of a small craziness factor, you have the serious need to relocate due to a job or family crisis or are facing foreclosure and hope to quickly sell your home before that happens and ruins your credit. Regardless of your reason, you are stuck in this rut that is our horrible housing market!
What's the good news about this market? Well, if you have a perfect credit score of 820, have never missed a day of work, have $100K to put down on a home, submit a DNA sample and promise your next born child, you can get a smokin deal on a house that was once purchased for $600K and is now selling for $120K. The bad news for you who is now selling your home is that these lucky people with the perfect credit scores going through this crazy song and dance with these crude lenders are looking for all of the bells and whistles that they can find in their new bargain home. Your home might not have them, but that doesn't mean that your home wouldn't be an appealing place for them to call their own. They just need help to see the forest for the trees. That's where someone like me comes in to save the day...dum, duh, duh, dah!...it's Staging Woman to the rescue!
Now, let's dispel a few myths.
The first is that a stager is an interior decorator who comes in and fluffs up your home like a model with top of the line stylish furnishings and the like. NOT TRUE! Not all, not even most interior designers and decorators can be stagers. Staging is an art, separate from design and decoration. When a designer comes into your home, they use their knowledge and craft to personalize your home with your style and taste, interpreted through their eyes. It is the art of home customization and personalization. It makes your house a home! Staging is completely the opposite. When a stager comes into your home, they are decluttering and staging the area with a purpose. They practice the art of de-personalization and work their magic to turn your home back into a house, a basic understood slate upon which the future owners can see their personal tastes and furnishings within your space. Far too many designers and decorators cannot separate the two, creating "staged" rooms that are so over the top decorated, that a client does not see the actual space, and therefore can't make a connection to it. When you hire a designer to stage your home, make sure this is a procedure that they truly practice. I happen to be a designer who has experience in home staging.
Leaving my home empty is the best way to show off it's size and assets, because they are not hidden behind furnishings and all my stuff. NOT TRUE! Even a home with large rooms and great character will throw off a potential buyer if they cannot see how it will all work for their lifestyle. A massive master bedroom might leave a buyer without a clue of how to place their bed and nightstands to maximize use of the space. A small family room with a fireplace and a great view might leave a buyer wondering where they would put their sofa and whether or not their television would work in that space. Buyers just don't understand what they are seeing sometimes. It is a stager's job to breathe just enough life into that space that they can see the potential with their own eyes. It is not buyer specific, meaning that it is not in any one particular style- like contemporary or rustic, it is just neutral.
Staging will cost so much money! I'd rather just take my chances on letting the home sit until it sells. SUPER HUGE BOO BOO HERE! In AZ, as well as most states in the USA, your home will suffer a price reduction for every 30 days that it sits on the market. The average amount of a price deduction on a moderately priced home is between 5 and 10%. The typical price reduction on a luxury home is 20- 25% and that's a big gulp to swallow every month your home goes without a sale. By comparison, staging a luxury home runs an average of 3% of a home's sale price. And staging a moderately priced home can be lower than that, as low as 1.5% in some situations (depending on how much inventory you have to work with- furnishings and accessories). A home listed for $600K would be well staged for an investment of around $18,000. A home of this caliber calls for this amount, because there is much expected of a home of this size and price tag. It will require wall treatments and some model-like effects, yet should still be simple and elegant enough to attract a buyer with any style. I've been following a few homes in this price range and have seen that once a month they have dropped by a good $30,000- $60,000. Wouldn't the staging cost have made more sense? It would have increased exposure to your home by attracting more buyers. Staged homes are usually noted as such in advertising, show exceptionally well in a virtual tour and work far better in an open house than visiting an empty shell. Although staging your home is not a guarantee to get it off the market, a home that is sitting on the market for four months before selling would sell in a month and a half if well staged. *(based on source 1)
If your large home has a perceived identity crisis for the buyer- such as they don't love tuscan style, but the home has a tuscan exterior, you need to show them that they can do more to the home than just decorate with tuscan furnishings. This now opens this home up to the contemporary or traditional or modern taste buyer, because you have staged the home in a neutral way that shows the potential for all to enjoy.
The many benefits of staging your home for sale, far outweigh the possibility of it sitting on the market, especially when facing a foreclosure situation. In many cities across the country good real estate agents and companies suggest and even reccommend stagers to their client. Some companies even offer incentive packages for home staging when working with new build homes, model homes for custom home builders and before listing luxury homes for their clients. My surprise is that more agents don't recommend or even work in conjunction with stagers to help increase their sales. If your agetn does not offer this service or recommend it to you, ask what the feedback is on your open houses. Chances are that you need better definition of your space, and it's never too early to get me in your home! You just might feel better doing it before your home's list price drops by $20,000. Yikes!

Source 1 http://www.brokeriptv.com/staged-homes-sell-faster-than-competing-homes

Decorating for the Holidays- Don't Go Overboard!

In the spirit of Easter Sunday, today's post will be a fitting lilac, a great color for spring, renewed life and energy and, it just so happens, a very "in" color for homes in the coming season.

All of that ham and potato salad yesterday had me thinking about how I use to decorate for virtually every holiday in existence. I really got into the celebrations within my own home. Decorating for holidays can help give a fresh perspective to a home's tired decor. And I don't just mean placing big eggs and bunnies all over the front and inside of your home to celebrate Peter Cottontail. There is, of course, the literal interpretation of the holiday, and then there is the more figurative or abstract interpretation. And while many Irish would not mind throwing clovers all over their table linens and lving rooms- it might be a little strange throughout my household, being hispanic, and all! A more figurative interpretation of St. Patrick's day or even spring would be to infuse some subtle shades of green throughout your home's interior. This can be done in many ways:

If your living room furnishings are a neutral beige or brown, use printed, lime or light green throw pillows on your sofa. Freshen up with accessories like rattan baskets to hold a visitor's umbrella or interesting magazines or use beige and green vases on tables to further carry out the look.

If your home has a palette of darker colors, try adding the pastel of that same hue, in many different shades, to create a cohesive blending of a more upbeat space. For instance- if you have a room with navy furnishings, try adding beachy blues, light blues, teals, sky blues and even blue whites to give your space an updo! If your home has more of a rusty toned decor, add corals, pinks and coppers, even a pale peach to bring about the same look in your home. These looks are fresh for spring, current and can be swapped out just as easily for the next holidays to come.

Of course, there is the easiest way to add a touch of April Showers...bring May flowers. Grow or buy large headed flowers and place in interesting decorative containers throughout your space. They do not have to be in colorful vases, but spice them up with more than just the typical clear glass vase please! How about a great metal container or a deep wicker basket lined with a plastic, leakproof bag to contain water. Flowers are the best decorative item for a room and are the most temporary. You can create a different mood each week with a brand new bouquet- quirky this week with sunflowers, seductive the next with deep purple tulips. No matter what, have fun with this style of decorating.

Just a note_- Memorial Day and Independence Day are coming up. Please don't pull the red, white and blue into your home decor. Some holidays just carry no decorative elements to them. A small floral arrangement in memoriam of a fallen soldier or in appreciation of the spirit of the day is good enough! Do not break out the red white and blue plaid pillows- keep them in the drawer AT ALL TIMES!

Design Mistakes...the continued saga of the untrained!

Welcome to another episode of "Homeowner's Boo Boos and Blunders". This uncertain market continues to give me fuel for my blogging fire. Sadly enough many vendors with which designers keep wholesale accounts are now extending their lower prices to retail clients to pay their leases. While this is a "great thing" to the consumer, or so they think, this opens up a design mishap can of worms for their homes. Sure they now have access to products at a lower price, our small design mark-up, but they now have access to too much- too many options, too many style choices, that without good knowledge of these products, can cause issues when installed wrong or used improperly in a home application. Case in point, my latest source of posting material... read on.

My cabinet company is doing a kitchen for a client who claims to be an "investor". She has gone to many of the same companies that sell wholesale to me with my tax id, because I am actually a legitimate business. She is paying cash and that looks awfully pretty to them right now, so she now gets the same discount as me. Lovely. When we first met, I designed a beautiful bathroom in addition to her kitchen. The home is in the $400K range, so is deserving of higher end items. The bathroom that she gutted had specific proportions that had to be adhered to, as she was limited on space. I designed a great use for the space, allowing ample space for a corner tub and an expanded shower, per her request. After doing all of my hard work she then informed me that she would be doing this all herself, because she got her own wholesale account and didn't need my assistance. I asked her what her plans were and she informed me that she was putting in a 5' corner tub. I explained to her that it would not fit, as she only had exactly 5' of space to work with and since the tub was a drop in,that left no space for the build out (wooden 2 x 4's that frame the area to support the weight and anchor the tub). She insisted she knew what she was doing and couldn't find a smaller corner tub for her price range or from that store. I could, but she did not want to hire me, she wanted to go it alone.

We continued our work on the kitchen and she continued her interior design work in her home. She had a plumber install a 5' corner tub, with the frame for tile bringing her tub area to 66" on each side. Now she had to have a smaller shower, which in a home of this caliber, is not desirable. It was already only 36" wide to begin with. She did not understand enough to consider the reasons to expand that space and why they were necessary. A large man should be able to pivot freely in a shower without encroaching upon the walls. A woman should have enough space to bend over to shave her legs. It's part of good ergonomics, which is a design principle I live by and try to instill on my clients. It creates a desirable and most functional space. Now her shower measured 33" wide and that's before the tile. Oh gosh, the tile!

Client X found a great price on split faced travertine and decided- Hey, this is beautiful, let's put it in my shower! Ouch, I hope a loving couple doesn't want to ever shower together. They will come out bleeding after scraping each other up against the hard, uneven surface of the open, chattered stone. Split faced travertine is a natural stone with a chiseled, rough pattern stacked above each other like bricks on a 12" x 12" mesh backing. There is no grout in between each individual piece, so the water hitting this tile will run through to the wall behind. I hope they've used backer board! And even if they did, I'd imagine that continued exposure might create all sorts of new organisms in that bathroom. They might very well create a new species in there! Then there is the fact that a split faced stone is even more porous than a natural stone in a countertop. You can't seal those crevices, so every bit of grime and body filth that washes into that stone will remain there. Yuck! Natural stone that is appropriate for a shower situation should have the ability to be fully grouted for stability, as well as hygiene and have the ability to be sealed to prevent germs, mold and mildew regularly associated with a moist bathroom. This was completely the wrong choice for this room, but she didn't ask my advice. I'm sure she thought it would look great and very high end so it will work. I am guessing that her unlicensed installer thought the same. This, once again, is why hiring a designer is so so important. These are all such costly mistakes. Will they affect her resale value? Definitely! Will they affect her ability to sell her home? Most likely. Buyers are a bit smarter these days and so are real estate agents and appraisers. Personally I'd prefer to shower without reaching over and scraping a butt cheek, but that's just me!

Stay tuned, I'm sure the saga will continue...