Saturday, May 3, 2008

Model

Here's an animated model of the Rice House.

Then & Now

Last week... (above)
July 2006, when we first started talking about the project...



Friday, May 2, 2008

Wall Colors


These are the basic house colors (left) and kids' room colors (right).
The wood floors throughout should be dark, without traces of red. Use Sherwin Williams stain color SW3124-P "Pecan" or SW3125-P "Ranch Oak" as a guide. The contractor will send me/you samples of the floor before ordering it, so that we make sure it's not too red. This will ensure that the existing hickory cabinets still look great. All baseboards shall be KM3993-1 "Cloud of Cream". All walls that don't have special callouts shall be KM-3537-1 "Iced Chai". All ceilings (except in the formal dining room) shall be OW228-1 "Pristine Linen". This will look homey and clean, but not so light as to show dust and scuffs right away.
In Yuji's room, KM3419-1 "Spring Farm" will go perfectly with the paintings. In Kyoka's room, choose from KM3906-1 "Fraser Lake", KM3866-1 "Colcannon", or, for a strong statement of blue, KM3106-1 "Blue Dawn".
In the kids' bath, use KM3537-1 "Iced Chai". Find plain 12x12 porcelain tiles for the floor, but be careful that the tiles aren't too white/blue. Laticrete grout color #44 or plain white will go well here.

Wall Colors

Use KM3852-2 "Constance" in the formal living room. It will be gorgeous! Sophisticated and elegant. The contrast with the white couches will look crisp, and this color will bring out the soft blues and greens in the area rug.
AC217-R "Terra Rosa" is for your formal dining room walls, and use KM3993-1 "Cloud of Cream" for the ceiling in this room. This rich but soft red will give an elegant and striking look for formal dinners and holiday celebrations. With dark furniture, crisp white linens, candles, and some cream-and-red striped window treatments, it will be the star of the house.
Use KM3948-2 "Meadow Brook" for the walls in the big basement room. A stronger color in there would be too inflexible. This is a good neutral that will warm up the space a little, and harmonize with the carpet. Let the toys and futons bring color into the space in this room.
Here's your bold orange! KM3640-5 "Persimmon" will look delicious and is a nice modern touch to the clean, traditional sink and cabinet. In this bathroom, use 3"x6" porcelain subway tiles in white with Laticrete grout color #44 or plain white. The floor should be 1" hex tiles in white with Laticrete grout color #34.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Parents' Bed & Bath

For the parents' bedroom, use KM4186-1 "Bohemian" on the walls. If that feels too neutral and you want a bit more color on the walls, try KM4162-1 "Natalia" (also nice, if a bit lavender-y).
The silvery nature of Bohemian will give the bedroom a calm feel, and will look beautiful against the dark woods of the furniture and floor. It will even pick up some of the color of the bathroom countertop limestone (LT/OTM/776 - Seagrass Honed) when seen through the doorway.
Creamy neutral and beige linens (KM3993-1 "Cloud of Cream" and KM3948-2 "Meadow Brook") will work best (1&2 on photo above). Accents, such as throw pillows, artwork and window treatments can be in darker mauves, brown, and even red would add a bit of liveliness (KM4163-1 "Mauve Star", KM3767-3 "Plum Island", KM4192-5 "Raw Earth", and AC217-R "Terra Rosa"). These are 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the photo above.
In the bath, use KM3537-1 "Iced Chai" on the walls. This will be crisp and clean against the soft colors in the natural stones and tile. Countertops and soaking tub surround: LT/OTM/776 "Seagrass Honed". Floor of sink/toilet area and shower walls: TT/OTM/02 "Ivory Polished" with Laticrete grout color #3. Shower floor: SA/OTM/CST2 "Chestnut 2" with Laticrete grout color #3.