The 6th OY VEY!! Q&A Answers!!!!!

Since I'm back in Massachusetts, I'll start this post

 with a picture of my living room. 

No one will sit in this room because...

 the slip covers are white. 

I tell them...

"Don't worry,

 that's the reason they're white slip covers, 

they can be washed and bleached!!!!"

Still....

no one sits in this room but me.

It makes it easier for me to handle having company.....

They all hang out in the family room while I stay in the living room....

(I just noticed that I had moved the green bowl into the room,

 it doesn't belong on that table, so just ignore it!!!)

NOW

on to the answer part of OY VEY!!Q&A!! Tuesday!!

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The first question is from a woman who has been hounding me for several  months, I am finally taking pity on her, although I was feeling it would be fun to make her suffer for a little longer.....

She loved the kitchen I did for some clients in Vermont, and has been after me to show the rest of it. 

But I don't plan on doing that till later in the summer.

Here's the shot that she tore out of a magazine as an inspiration.....

Valerie wrote:

I need help choosing pendant lights for over my 9'x4' island.  Here are some quick things about the project.

Adding a 7' extension on our 1950 Cape

Kitchen is 16x16 and DR will be attached (one big room).  So we will eat at the island or in the Dining Area.

Perimeter: Lower cabs in Benjamin Moore Hawthorne Yellow HC-4 with Imperial Danby Marble countertops.  Upper Cabinets in Mascarpone White.  Some glass cabs.  

Island:  White with Walnut Butcher Block countertop.

Chrome faucets and cup pulls.  Glass knobs pulls for some uppers.

In the glass cabs we are deciding between using some of our Joel Dewberry Aviary 2 fabrics in the back or using a simple beadboard, OR wallpaper as in the inspiration photo.  The fabrics I'll show will also be used for placemats, potholders, coasters, and probably the 6' kitchen window treatment.  In the connected dining area the fabric will be used on the window seat cushion and window treatment and also placemats, etc.

The concern is that it may be too much with the fabrics although everything won't be smashed together like in the photo of fabrics above. 

Another thought was to have the drum pendant done in one of my Joel Dewberry fabrics.

Can you help me with the fabrics/light?  Do the patterns take me away too much from your kitchen which is more subdued?

I'm thinking it comes down to making the right choice for what is in the cabs and where the fabrics will be used. If I can get the drum pendants done with one of my coordinating fabrics I think that might be good.  

If I use the drum as is (what is that pattern called? damask?) then MAYBE still use the fabrics as window treatments/cabinet backing OR use a simple beadboard for the back of the cabinets.  (Would you do the beadboard in the back of cabs in white or yellow?)  I like that your wallpaper brings the yellow to the upper part of the kitchen.

OK, this was a lot and my head is spinning too.  thanks!

My answer is.....

I would do a white beadboard backsplash and beadboard in the back of the glass cabinets. Then I would do wallpaper on all the walls, and the pendent lights with the yellow medallion pattern shades.

(I think the yellow medallion is prettier as a shade than the other fabrics)

This should give you the cottage feel you want, and not be too much pattern.

I would go for the bird wallpaper with the yellow background for the walls, and then do a solid white fabric on the windows, if you want, add some yellow trim to the edge for an accent. 

Since the upper cabinets are white, this would create a unified look.

This is different than what I did in your "inspiration photo", but every space is different and speaks to me in different ways. 

I AM THE ROOM WHISPERER!!!!!!!

In the connecting dining area, continue the same wallpaper, and then I would use the blossom pattern for the window seat, and again have a solid white window treatment. The white should match the upper cabinets.

Now, stop hounding me, already!!!

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Hi Betsy,

I have a very small house and my living room flows into the kitchen.  I just finished redoing the room but I feel that something is missing.  There is a large window behind the sofa and my rug cannot be any bigger because the hearth from the stove would cut into the rug.

Any suggestions?

Thank you for your time.

Charlottie Eoppolo

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And my answer is....
OPEN THE @#$ CURTAINS!!!!!

The pictures are hung too high.....
A good rule of thumb for hanging stuff on a wall, is 2/3's should be below your eye line, and 1/3 above.....
Maybe the ceiling is really low, and that's what you did.
At least you made room for your dog bed.....
(I hope that's for the dog.....)


All kidding aside....
The fabric on the windows and the style of upholstered furniture don't really work together.
I would do one of two things, 
either change the feel of the chairs and sofa by slipcovering them in something that has a lighter cottagey feel, like this:


Choose a fabric that pulls out the color of the walls, and relates to the window treatment fabric.....
I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE RUG AND THE WINDOW FABRIC.
If you keep the window fabric, maybe a rug like this would work better....


Well, not that one, it's just an image I stole from google, but something with that feel.
A tried and true, economical design choice that's practical and stylish, is a natural fiber rug, out of sisal or seagrass or jute.

If you chose this one from Pottery Barn, the round shape would help you cover more of the floor, working with the placement of the wood burning stove.


The rug you have works with the chairs and sofa the way they are now, but is fighting the curtain fabric, and I don't know who's winning!!!!


Or change the draperies to something along the lines of this:

Choose a blue that matches the chairs.
Then bring some pillows onto the sofa in a fabric like this
making sure the reds and blues work with the rug....

 and keep the red pillows you already have.
OR
Use a fabric like this for the windows and some pillows....

OK, that's the best I could come up with, hope it helps!!!!
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Janet writes:

Hi Betsy,

Here’s something for your super Tuesday OY! VEY!! Q&A class.  We are going to replace the carpet in our great room with wood flooring because our puppies have ruined it over the past few years and I’ve always wanted wood floors anyway.  Since we live in the Pacific Northwest where it rains much too often, and have radiant heat, we have to use engineered flooring instead of solid wood.   

I like the 3” strips vs. anything wider.  The wider stuff is just too trendy and seems to be too informal to me.  Well, come to find out, our choices are few because most of the manufacturers don’t make 3” engineered flooring.  ANYhoo, we’ve found some flooring by Armstrong that does make 3” strips.  So, that part of the problem is solved.

Now, we get to the bigger problem.  Dark (Walnut) or Light (Pecan)?  Of course, my husband likes one and I like the other.  I even sent the attached photos in an e-mail out to 20 family and friends and get this – the results came back even…half liked one and the other half liked the other, with the exception of the 2 that said they liked the middle one?  What’s up with that?  The same two samples are in each photo.  I guess I should have sent it out to an odd number of people so I wouldn’t have ended up with the voting problem.

What do you think?  Along with a shot of the cherry-stained hickory trim, I’ve included two pieces of furniture in the photos.  Most of our furniture is studio made in the good ‘ole USA, primarily cherry with a bit of light mahogany.  Any upholstery (thus far) is a dark expresso leather.  The walls are white, and will be painted after the floor is installed.

I don’t have a blog, so I’m sending this via e-mail.  I  signed up for your blog some time ago and check it regularly because you make me LAUGH!  Thank you so much for all of the time you put into your blog.  I am learning lots.  My husband and I are still laughing about the photos of the birds pointing one way and the other way!  It’s a relief that I no longer have to wonder who the heck has buying all of those paint-by-numbers on eBay.  Just sayin’!!

Thank you,

Janet

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JUST A LITTLE OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE, MAYBE?????

If I were one of your family or friends, 

I WOULD CHANGE MY EMAIL ADDRESS!!!!!

But.....to answer your question, and take pity on you poor mortals....

I'm leaning towards the one on the left. It looks like it goes the best with the woodwork in your house. It's more important to match the house than to match your furniture.

BUT WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM WITH WIDER BOARDS???!!!

PERSONALLY.....

I LIKE THEM WIDER!!!!!

I'm talking about boards, y'all!!!!

This next question is from my oldest BFF!!!!!

Oldest in how long I've known her, 

and oldest in that she's older than Methuselah!!!!!

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Hi,

 Larry sent some pictures along of the table that replaced the piano.  I am working on the table top and will change out the fresh flowers for a plant I think.  Don't think I gave you enough long range view.  The picture is too low and I plan to raise it.  We also will paint the cold air return.  Was hidden behind the piano before.  I'm off to the beach today and will return on Friday. 

  June

(editor's note: Since I can change anything I want that is written to me, I could have actually ended this note from June with it reading.....

Thank you so much, Betsy, for being the wonderful, helpful, glorious friend that you are. I will love you forever and like you better than my husband, even though I won't admit this to your face....)

(But being the honest person that I am.....I didn't)

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I don't think the painting is hung too low. 

I THINK THERE'S NOT ENOUGH STUFF ON THE WALL!!!!!

You need to add more small pictures, some plates, a couple of brackets with vases on them!!!!!

By the way....

Whoever has been helping you with this room is a truly talented designer!!!!

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If I didn't get to your question this month, I will answer it next month.

(I'm talking to you, Gregory from Philly)

That's it for today, folks.

Answering these takes a lot of time and thought, as hard as that is to believe, so I'll see you on Thursday.....

Help me come up with a Massachusetts salutation, 

Florida's is: Later Gator, 

but I should have something different for the Northern state of Massachusetts
What say you guys?????