Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Desert Reveal! The Tile Issue and Solution

The Big tile problem!  When you purchase a home that is 7 years old the chances of finding more of the already installed tile is slim and none!  A real design challenge!  To simplify our lives and to reduce allergens in the house all of the carpet had to go.  Unfortunately, in two rooms the carpet was used as an inlay and was surrounded on all sides by tile. Yikes!  The option to REMOVE all of the existing tile and start over did not exist. Just not possible according to the HUBS!  So, in one afternoon of tile power shopping in a beautiful tile and stone showroom here in desert we arrived at a great solution. The final outcome (in part due to an incredible tile installer) is featured in the photos below!  I am also posting one photo of the paint colors from yesterday where the colors all comes together.

The ceiling and far right wall are Cappuccino
The wall to the left is Flax
The bump out is Slate

The Great Room Floor
The already existing tile surrounds the new tile border and inset tile.  We used the 2" x 2" tile border in three strips to transition the old and new tile.  I chose to install the new tile in 13" x 13" on a diagonal to contrast with the 20" x 20" existing tile installed at 90 degrees.
The Hub's Office Floor
New 20" x 20" tile in the Master and Guest Bedrooms
2" x 2" tile used as a transition between the new Master Bedroom tile and the existing Travertine in the Master Bath

As you have read in previous blogs, selecting paint colors can be very challenging for both Diana and I!  Diana paints tons of color samples from every paint company in Portland on her walls and continues to tweak them until she is satisfied and for the most part happy or at least content.  (I think that she would repaint the walls in her family room and kitchen today if it wasn't such a huge mess!)  On the other hand, I marched myself down to Restoration Hardware and selected a very narrow palette of paint colors from their beautiful paint collections.  Before we went to the desert to confirm our choices I painted artist canvas boards with the shades that I was interested in.  Painting the boards allowed me to move the paint samples from room to room during different times of the day and night to see which paint hues really called my name.  I limited my final selection of paint colors to three to help define a cohesive look throughout the house.

There was one significant design criteria that the paint needed to help me solve.  We had existing tile in 3/4 of the house (discontinued and no longer available), and a new tile selection to install in the remaining areas of the house. The tile needed to be tied together!  For me, the paint colors became pivotal in unifying the tile and provide us with the monochromatic color scheme that both my husband (who REALLY does have opinions when he says "whatever you decide is fine with me"!)  and I were looking for.

Here are the winners!

THE SLATE COLLECTION
SLATE:  THE CEILING SOFFITS AND BUMP OUTS
THE FLAX COLLECTION

CAPPUCCINO: THE WALLS, CEILING AND TRIM
FLAX:  ACCENT WALLS 


The Hubs and I have been hard at work getting our desert home moved in and comfortable.  The first layer of furniture is now in place and a second layer arrives on Thursday!  So, today I will give you a peak at the first layer. Enjoy! Hugs from the Sunshine State   Donna
















3 comments:

trash talk said...

It's going to look fabulous. Your paint choices are perfect for the style of furniture you have. BTW...love the shelving unit!
Debbie

Laurie said...

The tile looks perfect. You managed to tie it all together and it looks like it was planned that way all along. If you haven't seen it yet, go to my blog and read the post on gray paint. You and Diana were a pivotal part of my now 'slate' dining room!

Can't wait to see the rest, have fun...
Laurie

Alana Geikie said...

Your idea of installing the tiles diagonally made all the difference! It made the floor look absolutely lovely – like those floors they use in Greece during the ancient times! I love the texture and the design, especially how the differing shades of the tiles create that sort of weathered and old look. I love the cabinets too! It looks so nice along that wall, looking all aged and used.

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