Drift of mist

I’m amused how different everyone is. In 35 years of working in offices & also having a home office I ALWAYS had my desk facing a window, I could never face a wall. Same with kitchen sink, had a townhouse where kitchen sink faced a wall, moved out asap. Different strokes ….

^^ I prefer no windows if possible. My office cubicle doesn't have a window, and my remote home office is in a windowless basement. If I were located near a window I would daydream all day and not get anything done. No windows = focus on work. Goes to show how different people are :0)

“…I think if you work with the roof you’ll gain a more interesting overall look… garage will flow/but not stand out.”

Exactly and what I meant with ”balance.”

I like Emily's second example (the darker grey-brown) -- it manages to marry the mis-match between the grey roof and the warm brick. When you're due for a roof, go with shingles that go with the brick.

Neither. The rust is lost on the rug, not enough contrast, and there's something about the blue I just don't care for. What about a cream color, like the tablecloth you show?

The walls will be a dusty pink(thats the plan). As this is all in the hope and plan stage I’m open to suggestions. This is a pic of the rug from the website, its currently wrapped up in storage while painting and such gets going.

This is the room, angled ceiling over the bed makes it kind of funky to work with, but I love it. The pics with the bed are from the listing, not my stuff. I am taking out the shutters when we paint.

The room is a 12’x12’ square.

"I'm curious, what do you guys do with hot cookware after you've cooked and plated or whatever the food?"

Leave them on the stove for a few minutes then put them in the sink. If I need room on the stove for whatever reason, right into the sink but let them cool a couple minutes before adding water to soak or wash. (not a good idea to put water in screaming hot pans, over time it could cause them to warp).

freedomplace1, we are looking for quiet countertops to go with the Scandi vibe, not necessarily the marble look specifically. To me, quiet means less contrast and subtler patterns. We have not been successful finding a granite that is both quiet and is light to work with everything else. If you look at the River White here (and below), the third picture is quite loud -- both contrast and pattern. The fourth picture--especially the bottom 2/3--looks really nice and would be even better if the deep red dots weren't there. We haven't seen anything like that having walked four wholesalers and our trusted fabricator (who also stocks) multiple times.

I will have to look into the calacatta cava formica to see it in real life. Their larger size sheet should cover our island in one, which is good. We have a 25' run on the main outside kitchen, so I will have to learn more about how seaming works with formica. Also, assume we'd have to get a stainless steel fabricator for the 42" wide higher section under the hood, even with induction not gas in the cooktop.

Good Grief. You'd be better off with a PLAIN Dupont original Corian. A dozen or more whites from which to choose- its the original " Solid surface" You do have to use your head just a little bit, and no you don't set a 500 degree pot on it, but I routinely set something from the stove with no issue. It seams without notice, virtually invisibly , can be sanded out for a disaster. Mine has been in place for over twenty years, Cameo White and has no issues to now.

Your attempt to jam square peg habits into round holes? Plan to fail.: )

Or just get stainless steel counter tops.

Or give up a very light color for Soapstone......... virtually indestructible , impervious to heat, to bacteria. It was in your high school biology lab for a reason - the frog, and the Bunsen burner lol

It is also not for perfectionist seekers. It is for serious cooks and lovers of organic materials'

Key Physical Properties

• Non-Porous: The stone has zero liquid absorption, meaning it does not harbor bacteria and resists stains from acids like wine, lemon, or vinegar. [1, 2, 3]
• Heat Resistance: It is exceptionally heat-resistant and will not burn or scorch, allowing you to place hot pots directly on the surface. [1, 2]
• Softness and Scratchability: Soapstone contains talc, rating low on the hardness scale (around 2.5 to 3.5 on the Mohs scale), which means it scratches and dics easily. [1, 2, 3]
• Repairability: Scratches can be easily buffed out using fine-grit sandpaper and treated with mineral oil. [1, 2]
• Chemical Inertness: Acids and common kitchen chemicals do not etch or damage the material. [1, 2]

Appearance and Maintenance

• Natural Patina: The stone darkens and develops a rich patina over time, especially when treated with mineral oil or wax.
• No Sealing Required: Because it is completely non-porous, it never needs chemical sealers applied.
• Color Range: Available naturally in soft shades of light gray, charcoal, and green with subtle veining. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

My faith in Jesus.

tj

I mean 4-6 sheets of a single color. Designers and architects who have accounts at Ben Moore get them free of charge. I have a huge library of their colors. That's the benefit of using a design professional for color selection.

"Designers and architects who have accounts at Ben Moore get them free of charge."

Ah, well that makes a difference :0)

I like it.

This is the only time you are going to see the kitchen empty with only the cabinets, tile and countertop without something else in view. You chose it for a reason, go with your gut.

I don't like it. It's not the right grey for the cabinets, and it's bland. You can do better. I suggest a soft color, but if you don't want color then a mid-tone grey that bridges the countertop and the cabinets.

Excellent post @porkchop_z5b_MI 👍.

(I have RBSShoes on my to buy list for 2027)

It's not rude. The reality is that the vast majority of the people on this Forum are from the US or Canada and speak primarily (if not solely) English. Google or similar online translators don't always translate correctly, so it's best if the poster describes what they need in English so there's no misunderstandings.

If the poster doesn't speak English, then maybe we're stuck using translators, but we don't know if that's the case for this poster.

"If the poster doesn't speak English, then maybe we're stuck using translators..."

If we can use online translators so can they.

You need to figure out what you're going to do with all that stuff. And plants. And how to train people not to leave their shoes lying around haphazardly. That is all the hardest part. Decide what to toss and what to keep, where to keep it, and go from there.

The first step is to figure out what an 11x11 room can accommodate and without doing a to scale floor plan seating will be difficult to decide on/chairs’ dimensions are key - I don’t think 4 comfortable chairs will fit/be that practical, but you’ll know when you plan out the room and define your priorities. I think good lighting for reading and small side tables will be important.

I think you would comfortably have room for two chairs and a small coffee table. A set-up like Maureen posted above would be nice. You want more comfortable chairs if you plan on reading in the room, along with some lighting. Your floors and walls appear to be gray. Your plants are a cool green. You may want to bring some warmer colors into the space-rust, yellow, orange, etc. What colors do you have as accents in the rest of the house? What colors are you drawn to?

Base cabinets flush with opening.

Do you need upper cabinets? I don't think upper cabinets when I think of a dry bar. Open shelving yes, upper cabinets no.

You all have been wonderful!

Thank you all for bringing up issues I never thought about. i checked my cabinet suppliers catalog and I do not believe I can get a 27” h cabinet with glass. I am also concerned about the 18” needed for small appliances. I did find a 24” h cabinet x 30” w. would it look okay to put 2 together as uppers? This would allow me the clearance needed in between the counter and bottom of uppers. It also would give me storage.

And just to clarify, I should build a false wall in the current closet so that the lower cabinets would sit flush with the ajoining walls? should the countertop overhang also be flush or breach past the wall? And I assume the upper cabinets sit against the false back wall as they are only 12” deep?

Since I am not going the glass fronts I will go for under cabinet lighting.

i know I am trying to go against the norm but trying to save this project and get a functional and nice beverage area.

i will contact my cabinet supplier first thing Monday to check on options.

It appears are best option is to place 24” w X 24” h cabinets as uppers on the back wall with 2 3” thick shelves in between and leave the base 24” wine cooler- 12” cab cabine- 24” microwave cabinet. now my husband is thinking he wants to do the beverage area in honey maple to break things up. i thinka all,off white cabinets will keep it cohesive and not draw attention to the height diffence. Thoughts?

"I saw a recipe recently for a Caramelized Corn and Tomato Tart"

Ooh, yes! Do you have a link to teh recipe?

porkchop, I had to go look. It’s actually a tarte tatin.

Caramelized Corn and Tomato Tarte Tatin

I see her website also had this galette. I often make crostatas/galettes and always with all-butter crusts. Any crust that appeals would work.

Heirloom Caramelized Corn and Tomato Galette

No corn in this one but I bet it’s good.

Anna’s Tomato Tart

I love eggs, one of my favorite foods. I eat 2 eggs most days of the week for breakfast, sometimes another one or two later in the day. Usually hard boiled for breakfast because they're packable and I eat my breakfast at work but also love them scrambled and omelettes, and let's not forget Scotch eggs! Endless ways to use them as in ingredient. I don't like soft-boiled or cooked with runny yolks in any way, though.

My happy hens give me lots of eggs so we eat them in all kinds of ways. My favorite, though, has to be creme brulee.

Other than that it's an over easy egg with good bread and some butter, which my cardiologist frowns very sternly about. He tells me one egg per day will make a difference in my cholesterol that is "statistically insignificant", so eat them but give up the butter. (sigh) Turns out I don't really like bread all that much, I mostly like the butter, LOL.

Annie

You need some color in there somewhere. I'm not a fan of slab backsplashes {ducks for cover...} so instead I'd choose an interesting backsplash in a color -- soft or bold, depending on what you're going for. If you don't want to do that, then soft furnishings like kitchen towels rugs, etc and colorful fruit bowl, vases, etc for counter. And yes, take the cabinets to the ceiling if it's not too late for that.

"The view is the star and we can’t see it’s"

^^ This. We're just commenting on the one AI pic you showed. If you show us the view, the advice will be more tailored to your situation. Maybe bland is better or you need earthy tones not color because the view is so spectacular but none of us can see what you see without a pic.

I mean or don’t reply to each comment. People mostly said the same thing. Post back with updates and further questions. Don’t start a new thread.

You are designing a new house so really think about the hard finishes - real wood floors or high quality engineered vs plastic floors? Real stone counters vs plastic counters? Cabinetry style and detailing, getting colors well coordinated? All of this after a rock solid floor plan that functions. Your AI image is ‘fine’ and would improve with contrasting counter stools but that is cart before the horse stuff. Think big picture then work down to the details. Posting your floor plan and showing real samples of hard finishes you are considering will get you the best advice.

We got rain here, too! Not a whole lot, but at least it's something. A bit overnight, and then heavy showers this morning. It's clearing out now but forecasted for later today, too...we'll see...

I really wish I would have slit open the 4 big peat bales I bought but honestly I didn't think it would actually rain -- much more often than not the forecast is wrong lately. So now I will be spending all afternoon wetting peat in a big wheelbarrow, or at least until my wrists give out. Opening up the bales to the rain would have helped somewhat, at least. Oh well.

"The only reason I put more trees to the south end of my yard is for screening purporses."

Yep, same here for me except it's down by the road. I live on a dirt road, but it's a main county road so there's more traffic than I expected when I moved here, even moreso the last couple years because they opened up some recreational trails not too far away.

Autumn is LOVELY here, it never wants to end. No frost till November

Not great. Mostly triple digit highs and about 0.25" of rain all month. Hills are brown. Grass is brown and even my established trees in my valley are dropping a lot of leaves. Looks like another fall color bust around here. I CAN'T WAIT for a real fall cold front to push through. Looks like that won't be until September. Highs in the upper 90's to triple digits for the next week and a half.

I don't mind the membership cards that give a discount, but the cell phone garbage makes shopping like a homework assigment. I don't want to play this stupid game.

Awww that’s too bad. Maybe try selling lemonade along side it lol. Cute little stand, did you make it?

I don't have the time nor energy to do something like this, though I suppose yea it would be nice to have the extra cash. I'll just give stuff away if I know someone wants it. I make mental notes of who likes what in my garden and if/when it comes time to divide or destroy I'll either pot it up or, if it's a larger item like a shrub, stuff it into a big garbage bag for them. I sent someone home from my 4th July party with a nice carful of stuff :0)

Thank you! I have seen rift sawn red oak floors and they look great - which is why I’m considering it since it is budget friendly!

This space is begging for some color, or at least some contrast. Color doesn't have to be "bold". A soft blue or soft green would be lovely. If you're color-shy, a mid-tone grey will provide some contrast. No white. You've got more than enough already, and trying to match the counter + the cabinets with a white backsplash might not turn out well.

White shaker cabinets and white/gray counter tops with veining--there are literally thousands of photos of this exact kitchen, especially with white backsplash tiles. Do a Houzz or Google search for ideas.

I’d want a color in there and I like the second and third pics that porkchop posted.

I’d take some a straight on picture of each wall with the lights on during the day and upload those to a site that has a visualizer. (Tilebar is one, and there are many others.). Play around with colors, shapes and layouts to see what you like, then order samples. (A few samples for each color.)

You might fall in love with a color, pattern, or shape (like star and cross, or picket, or whatever) or you might decide that your current samples are what you love after all.

But a visualizer is a good starting point, especially if your tile has a lot of variation that isn’t seen when you just have one tile.

I also use boards to let bugs "try" to hide under. Works good. This year I put out 3x as many japanese beetle traps as every before and hnad killed more then in the last 15 years combined. I also check everything twice a day. I still had 10x the jap beetles then any other year. Tis year almost to SVB but tons of cuc beetles. It goes in cycles.

^^ There sure were a LOT of Japanese beetles this year, weren't there. I still have some here and there but the seasonal onslaught finally ended.

Here I thought this was going to be a post on actual ham.

There are usually two new posts using Chinese characters every day in the "Other" forum, Whack-a-mole.

I just flagged three of them.

I'm with LoneJack -- I do mine myself, one-story house. Super-fast inside and out once you've got a good technique down and have the right tools. It would take me longer to fiddle with a machine than just do it manually.

I just call my window washer people. Plus, I don't have to store the robot in between uses.

That AI summary didn't mention apartment buildings, where I think there's a potential market for these things........most buildings never wash windows as often as they should. And they're far cheaper than window washing people (except yourself) - though they're obviously not right for every home and window configuration.

No skylights in bedroom.

@ lpasteur Sorry, did not get it right. I agree with Jan. Still not keen on skylights in bedroom.

I prefer the 2, if they are going to be thin. When they are closer together they can kind of rad as one larger pne, which is nice. Most important thing is light blocking, wasy to control coverings, and you're set. Very good idea from precious poster about putting up paper cutouts on ceiling to get more a=of a felling for how it will look with each option.

More goes into planning for outlets and switches than choice of one singular location. What is likely to be plugged in? What does code require? What else do you need on switches? What is the most convenient in terms of use?

I would separate the light switch from the power outlet in the location you show. You likely need light switch on that wall for when you enter the room, but not a power outlet. If you leave the set-up at the edge of the wall it would be hazardous to plug something on the counter into that outlet (too easy to snag the cord). If you move the set-up further in on the backsplash, it's too far of a reach for easy on/off of lights. So, put the light switch at the edge of the wall (next to the stool), and outlets along the counter according to code.

Consider something like these!

Take a pill If you had shared more info at the beginning then we could answer better from the beginning. I still think one plug and one switch are not enough even in the tiniest kitchen whereever youare .

#1 that gets under my skin: Use of the present tense when talking about past events. How or why this ever became the preferred tense in storytelling or relaying of past events leaves me scratching my head. I understand there are instances where this style of speaking or writing might be used invoke a sense of urgency or excitement, but it's seems as though it's become the norm, and I hate it.

Last November, Johnny flies into town. He clears Customs, and he walks across the baggage claim area to greet his mother. NO!!

Last November, Johnny flew into town. He cleared Customs, and he walked across the baggage claim area to greet his mother. Correct.

No wait, I take that back. #1 for me has to be use of a pleural pronoun when referring to a singular person. It can be verry confusing.

How about "I seen her yesterday". Nails on a chalkboard...

No dear, you SAW her yesterday.

KW, thank you. It was sad to think a dog so sweet could be treated so badly. I'm still with the same vet that took care of him. He was always so upset being in the little examining room, so Lisa (my vet) took him out into the waiting room and sat on the floor with him and did her exam. It was so kind of her. I saw his chart and saw it had 3 stars on it. I mentioned that I was impressed that he got a 3 star rating. She laughed and said that was not a good thing. He gave the staff a hard time when they would take him in the back for any procedure. Once she started treating him in the lobby, he was fine with anything they wanted to do. Poor baby.

I apologize. I'm still sick. And frustrated from being so sick. I would kill to be relatively normal, health-wise. I know I will never be a "normal" person. I shouldn't have said what I said. Truly. I thought of y'all today, when I was reading a statement that is going to be put out by the American Heart Association, and I was looking for things as proper and formal as possibly could be. Could be seen for decades, and maybe even generations? It was about cardiac biobanks, the world I live in. For my full-time job, that's not nearly as fun as my fun job.

That said, I love!!!!!!! ❤️ 😍

Incentive = reward, punishment = consequence.

Example: Not committing a crime is not an incentive not to go to jail. Nobody wants to go to jail. Rather, not committing a crime is avoidance of the consequence of going to jail.

" positive reinforcement - a very good training method for animals, especially dogs. It should also work for toddlers. "

It works very well for children too, long past the toddler stage. We used to joke that the dog training experiences we had before we had kids, made raising kids much easier.

I always thought that an element of Pavlov's demonstrations included his success in using positive reinforcement to communicate, not just to train. The thing about animals is that you can't tell them in words what you want them to do, or do only in certain circumstances, as you can with humans. Most learn eventually that a firm No means they did something wrong but that's different.

Rewarding a animal for a desired behavior, even if at first it's physically induced, gets the message across that that's what you want them to do.

^ except that in my area, the jail time may be so minimal that criminals are back out on the street commiting more crimes., so the consequence/punishment is no longer effective...

"Good job, you must've gotten a big, heavy root-ball."

Actually, not as big as I anticipated for being in the ground this many years. She just didn't like it there, apparantly. Will see how she does in her new spot.

Did you loosen the root ball. A compacted root ball may be the reason it was not growing.

"Did you loosen the root ball"

Yes. Roots with free range off the rootball.

Oh, she'll survive -- but she looks like cr*p.

The birds are useless in all this. Utterly useless. Sitting there up on the wire right above a tree covered in tasty treats, rose bushes nearby clothed in crunchy snacks, and they couldn't be bothered.

I ended up moving it here mid-August. The weather will start cooling down soon, it's a good time. I found a good spot for her about halfway between the house and the road, she's far enough away that I won't see the damage. Actually, it might end up to be a better spot in the long run, she'll offer more screening from passerby as she grows, already looks good from the window.