Girl on Vacation

So it's been a bit since my last post because I was in Kiawah Island, SC

(I know rough life I have) 

I've never been to South Carolina, and honestly had to Google map Kiawah to see the closest airport.

Any-who.

One of my best college friends, Foster, was getting married.  

So pretty...

Her real name is Jen, but I nicknamed her Foster in college because I thought she looked just like Jodie Foster.  Can you see the resemblance?

I thought so too, hence the nickname.

Now this little chickadee and her super cool husband did what I have been telling brides-to-be to do for YEARS, rent a house somewhere wonderful for a week and invite your closest friend and family.  You get a vacation, you get an extended party, and sure you'll spend the same money (but you could save) and either way you get a week vaca not just a 1 day celebration.  S-M-A-R-T

The whole weekend was so fun.

The house they rented was Capital A - Awesome.  It was remodeled just a few years ago as one of the first LEED-Certified remodels on Kiawah (LEED is designer code for "environmentally conscience").  The architect and designer turned an old Georgian traditional home into a relaxed coastal cottage beach retreat.

Now don't be fooled by the term "cottage".  It's about 7,500 sq. ft., 8 bedrooms and 9 baths.  Of course I  usually critique every home I'm in (it an instinctual thing) but, this house was perfect.  (Maybe the cool ocean breeze or the chili-guava margarita's influenced my decision, but hey I guess I can be bought)

You can decide for yourself.

Do you like?  

Well you could have bought it for a cool $10 million, but someone beat you too it and it is also now off the rental market, but maybe there's another property on Kiawah for you (wink, wink).

The house was inviting and casual, yet it had all the amenities needed to entertain (i.e. large deck, 2 dishwasher, etc.).  Just what every beach house should be.  

Ahh! til next time Kiawah.

Ah...but which wood floor?

Ah, Christina so I'm still not sure which floor to choose???  

I know. Relax.  There's a lot more to think about.

Ok now that you know the type of wood floor you need (probably engineered), now it’s’ the fun part – selecting the “look” for the floor.  Really here I’m talking about the species of wood, the finish or “stain” and the treatment, i.e. hand scraped, etc.

First, let’s talk durability.  There is a test called the Janka Hardness Test that rates the hardness of wood, blah, blah, blah...

 Seriously, it’s wood.  

 And all these floors have a thousand coats of various sealers and finishes that really make them a million times more durable than the plain wood so just pick the wood you like don’t worry about the species.

There are several floor finishes, but the 2 main finishes I’m going to recommend are:

Polyurethane (or “lacquered”) or Hard-wax oiled finished wood.

My favorite is the Hard-Wax Oiled.

There are some really amazing wood floors on the market with this finish and oiled wood floors have lots of benefits:

• Hard wax oil penetrates wood fibers and protects from within
• Environmentally friendly, natural ingredients
• Hard-wax oil integrates with the wood instead of sitting on top of it
• Scratches and spots can be minimized with buffing and application of more hard-wax oil.

What I L-O-V-E about hard-waxed oiled floors is that they look amazing!  They have a more matte natural look instead of a glossy shiny finish because the oil “soaks” into the wood.  I’m in love with hard-wax oiled wood from this company Duchateau. They have some beautiful "white washed" finishes and natural finishes, check it out.

Do you want them in your house?

  

What's In a Wood Floor?

I get a lot of questions about wood floors.  People are really unsure about what type, species and style to choose.  Honestly there are a lot of options out there and it can be confusing.  Everyone seems to have a preconceived notion about wood floors. 

Scratch

Hard to clean

Easy to clean

Soft

Show dirt

Hard to install

Easy to install

Beautiful

A lot of maintenance

Low maintenance

You get my point. 

But what do we really like about wood floors?  The LOOK!!  the aesthetic…They look pretty, they look rich and they have been in style FOREVER (except bamboo, yikes sorry that’s O-U-T).  Otherwise, light, dark, knotted, smooth, gray, white you name it; almost every kind of wood flooring is fashionable now.

I’m going to try to decode the basics of choosing a wood floor (everyone’s situation will be different, so as always I would recommend consulting a design professional.)  I’m just touching on the type of wood floor.  I’ll talk about style or species of woods in another post.

Before I get into which type of wood floor I want to touch upon laminate wood flooring.

I hate it.

Laminate flooring is a sub layer of compressed fiberboard with a photographic image of wood grain over the fiberboard.  So it’s a photo of wood.  Laminate photos are getting better and better, but still come on people!  They never look completely real, they usually don’t wear well, and they aren't always cheaper!!!  Unless you are looking for a really temporary floor, like a kid’s playroom or have another special circumstance, I don’t recommend laminate flooring.

Choose your own wood floor adventure...

Two more things to note:

1.  Engineered wood floors can be nailed down or glued down.
2. Solid wood floors must be nailed down.  So that means you must have something to nail into.  If you don’t have a wood subfloor, you can’t nail into it. (this is a general rule, as with most rules there are a few exceptions)

I usually recommend engineered 90% of the time.  In a later post I’ll talk about the style or species of wood and all the cool trends in wood flooring.

Do you have wood floors?  What do you think of them?

Favorite Places: Villagio Tile

I love tile.
   

Maybe it’s because of my Italian roots or, maybe it’s because my first internship out of school was with a Tile Design Specialist and I learned all the amazing things that can be done with tile and stone.    Either way it is probably my second favorite material next to wallpaper. 

Tile can really transform a space, especially with all the amazing tiles out there.  Tile companies are always coming out with new and interesting tiles.

In Favorite Places (see the title) I'll be featuring a local vendor I love and use.  Listen, it’s not like I’m giving away my secrets, I'm happy to share my awesome vendors.  I’m a designer, therefore I design.  If you can design –select the proper materials, be certain they all “go together”, draw up a plan your installer can follow, be sure you have the right trim pieces, estimate and order the quantity needed, etc.- then you don’t need me.  But if you can’t do all that then I’d recommend a designer (wink, wink)

Anyway back to the local vendor…  I love everyone at Villagio Tile.

Christina, Christine and Lisa

  They are SO nice, so helpful and they carry a large variety of tiles in a variety of price ranges.  From traditional to contemporary, they have the whole gamut and their showroom is really touchy feel-y so you can move things around and see how different tiles work together.

This week, I’m working on a kitchen backsplash/fireplace project and I've pulled tiles from Status Ceramics.

So PRETTY!!  Status is a pretty cool company too. All their tiles are handcrafted here in America.  Yup America!  They are a little pricier than there China wannabes, but the glazes and finishes are B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L

What do you think about glazed tiles like these from Status?

A Sweet Master Suite

The Master Suite.  It sounds so fancy doesn't it?   I always want to say it with a fancy British accent like your butler is showing you… “and here is the master suite.”  It should be your retreat, your resting place.   But rarely does this happen.

Most of the time you've got a bed and a chair with 10 pairs of the husband’s pants hanging on it.  Oh and don’t forget the dresser with the TV and cable box on top.  Don’t even get me started on the bathroom.  Most likely it’s not functional; something like you have a giant bathtub and never take baths…

“oh but for resale” blah, blah, blah. 

And you most certainly don’t have enough storage.

It’s the last place you want to redo because “Nobody sees it”.

I know because it is the same for me.  It’s on the list of things to do, but we haven’t gotten to it yet.

BUT when a client hires me to do a master suite, it’s the best!  And all those “should be’s” are so true!  It should be a retreat, it should be a sanctuary, it should be functional for YOU, and it should have lots of storage (ok so that was a have, same thing)

I did this Master Suite for one awesome couple! They have a contemporary, rich, yet earthy style.  We had to work with some things they already had updated, like the flooring, and cabinets, but they really went ahead and completed the whole room to make it a warm and inviting retreat. 

The wallcovering in this room is amazing!  The pictures don’t do it justice so I’m attaching a close up of the product.   It’s a mica chip from Phillip Jefferies.

The night stands areone of my favorites too.  When I found them a Scala Luxury, I knew they were perfect for this room.

Behind that mirror is all storage, storage, storage.

 I love to incorporate plants; they always feel good in a space.  If you can’t keep real ones alive, there are some really great fake plants...ah-hem faux botanicals.  My good pal Brad from Plant Solutions put together the arrangements in this suite.  I’m really picky about my fake plants.  The ivy hanging from your mother’s oak kitchen cabinets is not Girl on Design approved.

What do you wish was in your Master Suite?

Friday’s Design: A Room for Him and Her

Happy Friday! 

I love Friday’s, sure I love my job, but we all need to balance work and play.  

A little rest and relaxation.

Sing it!.... Everybody’s work-ing for the week-end.

Really I like Fridays because they are a good days to get things done in the office.  I usually don’t have installs or job site visits or contractor meetings, etc. so I’m often working on drawings, creative concepts or other fun design-y (official term) things.  

This week, I’m putting together a schematic concept for a newlywed couple’s living room. Rooms are often masculine or feminine and I do feel bad for the husbands sometimes. The women pick the design and the men are left living in their feminine spaces.   I want this space to feel both masculine and feminine so neither inhabitant feels too left out.   While I often choose custom products, it makes more sense(budget and location reasons) for this client to purchase items from retail and online outlets.  I’ll still probably recommend custom window treatments.  I usually recommend custom window treatments and I’ll get into the why another day.

Let me know what you think!

Girl On Design Signing On

So here I am, blogging.  Joining the blog-o-sphere.  I must have thought and re-thought about this a million times, but it still seems like a pretty good idea.  I guess I feel like I can help a few people make a few better decisions and that will make the world just that much better

...Ok maybe that is a little deep.  I'm really just trying to may sure you don't totally mess up your house remodel! 

I love remodeling, lets be honest everyone does!  Don't we all love a good makeover? Aren't we all enamored by the "Extreme" before and after pictures? 

Well I hate to burst you bubble, but I'm here it tell you it’s not all the glitz and glam you see on TV.   Just as no one person is the same, no two homes are the same.  It is different EVERY... SINGLE... TIME.  Unique is a better way to think of it.   As a designer we have tools, knowledge, and capability though education and experience to make the process easier.  It’s like these photos on Pinterest. 

           

  

Have you seen them?  I crack up every time.  So funny!!   "NAILED IT!"  Bahahahaha!

You think ‘Hey I can tile my bathroom’ then you can’t even get the old tile off the floor!

Leave it to the professionals.  

But which professionals?  

And how do I know what tile to use?  

Where do I find this tile? 

How much do I need?  

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Just sit back relax and follow my blog for design tips, professional recommendations, projects, design ideas and all things for your home. 

Sincerely – Girl On Design