Cork or Wood Flooring?

Help! Now we've decided to go for it, the only thing holding up the kitchen renovation is the flooring choice. I've gone over it a bezillion times and I'm no nearer reaching a conclusion but the kitchen cabinets are about to be ordered so I need to make a decision right now.


Here are the issues: We have a sink, water dispenser in fridge. two dog bowls, cook top and wall ovens - that's a lot of potential spills. There are seven (7) doors/entryways to this room - it flows into the foyer, powder room, dining room, great room, mud room and basement and then there is the sliding kitchen door. The foyer and great room have waxed mahogany/walnut parquet floor, the dining room is presently carpeted and the mudroom, which is off at a 120 degree angle, should have the same floor as the kitchen. Oh, and did I mention the kitchen is a trapezoid?


I need the floor to be the same level as the parquet; I don't want anything as visually intrusive as a saddle nor do I want to trip over the transitions. So no slips no trips and as unified as possible. Also eco-friendly and able to stand up to two large dogs and four indoor/outdoor cats. Then there's the New York winter with its mud, snow, ice and ice melt trekking throughout the space and the Long Island summer - pool water and chlorine plus sand from the beach. Ceramic/Porcelain/Stone tiles are not an option here - too hard on the feet and too cold (we don't have room for radiant heating).


I had planned a cork floor for the kitchen - green, easy to install and soft underfoot. The tiles are square so will follow the same pattern as the existing vinyl that works for this space. They can either be waxed or polycoated to seal and are to a certain extent self-healing in the natural state. The flooring guy asked to quote for the job tells me it will be more expensive than wood floors and more easily damaged. I think he's balking because he's used to hardwood installation. His argument? Wood floors can be stained any color, sanded down if they get damaged and are better for resale (not that we're considering selling). Interestingly, Paul Anater of Kitchen and Residential Design had a post on cork floors last week that's worth reading.


So dear interwebs, weigh in with your thoughts. What would be the ideal flooring for The Cool House? Anyone who suggests indoor/outdoor carpeting will be growled at...

Kitchen Inspiration

The inspiration for the kitchen is simply the original kitchen here. If it weren't for the chewed up cabinet interiors I would have just replaced the couple of pieces of cracked laminate, installed new Corian/Caeserstone/Cambria/Silestone counters and replaced the floor with something more eco-friendly than stick down vinyl tiles. As it is the shelves are warped and the hinges have been re-screwed to the cabinet sides so many times it looks like a moonscape inside the high cabinets. So it's time to let go and start afresh.


We were also struck during our tour of the Racquet Estates in Palm Springs by the pairing of inexpensive laminate cabinets (mostly ikea, which I love) and high-end appliances and countertops. The laminate in our kitchen has stood up well to 40+ years of kids, dogs and cooking and today's finishes are even better so this is the way we'll go. I'm also very taken by this kitchen I found while trolling the interwebs - from TurningHouseIntoHome - that has similar window configuration to ours.


After the four month long master bathroom renovation, I want the kitchen to go much more smoothly. This is feasible because there will be no wall tiles or wall board to remove - it's simply a matter of unscrewing the countertops and cabinets, stripping a layer of marine board off the floor, re-flooring, installing the new cabinets and counters and wheeling in the wall ovens, cooktop and island hood. Wheeee! It'll be that easy! I've set a schedule that will be take no more than two months beginning as soon as the replacement window goes in - you know, the one that has the mock travertine formica interior sill that's higher than the outside window frame...

Primary Bathroom: The Reveal

From the first inspiration, through design challenges, back orders, missed deadlines and days of despair, the moment came at last - just before Spring, while others were outside frolicking in the unseasonably warm sun - when we were able to declare the master bathroom renovation finished and done. Well almost, there's still a saddle issue to be sorted but it's a fully-functioning bright, modern space with more room for towels and products; a wider, deeper tub and a super shower that feels twice as big as its grubby predecessor but is exactly the same size. We can primp and polish, shower and soak in our own bathroom for the first time in four long years. I can't comprehend why it took so long and required so much of our time and energy to get right but I'm going to let that go now and simply relax and enjoy the space. For posterity - and anyone out there in interwebs world who's interested - here's a list of the fixtures and fittings we used: Tiles: Floor Porcelanosa Ferroker; Wall: Eidos Grafito; Shower: Talis Antracita Tub: Kohler Archer; Tub Spout: Grohe Tenso; Tub Faucets: Grohe Atrio; Glass shelf: Atlas Lola Heated Towel Rail: Amba Jeeves model E WC: Toto Nexus with softclose seat in Maple; Toilet roll holder: Motiv Sine Shower: Base mti whirlpool; shower fixture: Grohe Freehander with Grohe Sena handheld; Steel shower basket: Smedbo Sideline; Frameless glass shower door manufactured locally. Vanities: Cabinetry: Kraftmaid Cherry, peppercorn fiinish; Handles: Atlas Centinel; Faucets: Grohe Tenso; Sinks: Duravit Vero Countertops, backsplashes, horizontal and vertical accents: Carrara Marble Medicine Cabinet and Sconces: Robern Candre in white glass Electrics: Broan ventilation light/nightlight/fan and 5 recessed ceiling lights. Paint: Benjamin Moore: Titanium (dressing room walls); Cloud White (closet and ceilings); Bittersweet Chocolate (doors and trim). Dressing Room: Hardware: Towel bar, robe hooks: Motiv Sine; Magnifying mirror: Smedbo Outline Lights: Ceiling: Artimede Illusa Square; Wall: Illusa Wedge sconces

Something is Missing

When we were choosing fabrics for the Great Room sectional, way back in fall 2009, I pounced on a pale teal or seafoam color chenille and pronounced it perfect for the master bedroom. I had this idea that the I would paint the woodwork dark brown and the other colors would come from the Jamie Geller Dutra painting that I'd bought The Guy for his birthday a few years back.


I wasn't sure whether it would be used as drapes or pillows but eventually I asked the Awesome Designer if she'd make some "valance boxes" for the bllnds and cover them with the seafoam chenille. Being a great designer she found a blue/black trim to subtly enhance the color and suggested we make a third for the Pixel drapes that The Guy refused to replace. Now the beautiful cornices (as I have learnt to call them) have been installed and we couldn't be more pleased with the way the room turned out.


The Room and Board Grove oil-and-wax walnut credenza and bedside tables have a mid-century vibe that fits our style and complements the other furnishings in the house. Everyone (including all the electricians, plumbers and carpenters who traipse through here on the way to the master bath) loves the black glass lamps (also from Room and Board but this time the clearance section - score!) and the skinny navy and white Italian floor lamp. Even the Samsung television has gotten a thumbs up; when it's on the bezel lights up with a red accent, matching a corresponding red stroke in the painting!


There's only one thing we need to complete the room, one very important last final piece to finish our dream space. Can you see what's missing? What would, in effect, elevate this room to new heights? That would give this room the comfort level it needs? Something I need to have positioned before the rest of the art can go back on the walls? The piece of furniture that defines this room won't now be arriving until mid to late April and it can't arrive to soon for me. I'm too old to be camping out on the floor...

Marble Madness

The bids for the laundry room countertop came in - Carrara marble beat Group D Corian by over $300 which amazed me. It's the same stone we used in the master bath and fits in the overall color scheme of the house. But still, it really isn't what I envisioned for the laundry room. So for all the times I have ridiculed the overuse of marble and granite in home renovations, I APOLOGISE!


Obviously, we were trying to keep things simple. I could have gone completely crazy and picked one of these grey-toned beauties.


Or changed the color scheme to incorporate the red Porphyry or yellow Giallo Antico marbles.


At least we are stopping before the house looks like this!


All images from last month's visit to the Room of Colored Marbles in the Getty Villa where you can also find this very handy guide to the different marbles used in the room. Click to embiggen!

No More Dirty Laundry

There is one other reason why things have taken a little longer than we planned on the primary bath front. We decided to take advantage of the fact that the trades were in the house and finish a few projects that had been neglected over the past few years months, like the laundry room. This is how we left it on May 12 2008 - new appliances, lighting and upper cabinets. We were waiting for a revelation regarding the kitchen/mudroom floor before we installed the base cabs. If we decided to go with tile it made sense to do it all the same, including the laundry, yes? Well, grand procrastinators that we are, we failed to make any choice over the succeeding months except we came to realise we didn't want tile - stone or porcelain - in the kitchen. But I do think it's the most practical choice for a laundry floor. So as I was ordering bathroom tiles over the holidys I made a spur-of-the-moment impulse purchase at Porcelanosa. The conversation went something like this: Emily at Porcelanosa: "Did you want anything else"? Me: "Do you have anything in a 12 x 12 or smaller on sale? In a gray tone or a neutral"? Emily: "I have this" (page 108) Me: "I need enough for an 6' x 11' laundry room floor" Emily: "Would you like to take a sample home" Me: (knowing how that was likely to turn into another six-month long indecision fest) "No, just add it to the order" I know! Totally out of character for me, right? But just like that another renovation was underway. The base cabinets are in and after deciding against wood or laminate countertops I'm just waiting on quotes from the Corian Guy and the Marble Guy - and the electrician to move and add an extra light fixture so we can get the door on the high cabinet. Then we can wrap up another room.

Stop and fondle the art

Today is phase one of frameless glass shower door fitting. (Try saying that that three times fast).


One panel is fixed to the wall and has to sit for three days before the door is attached. So it willl be a while before I can faire la toilette in the master mistress bathroom.


There's also no sign yet of the marble countertops that were promised early this week, so instead I offer for your delectation this copy of a Canova Venus in the garden of the Getty Villa. A notice nearby encourages you to "Please Touch!". Very much appreciated because I love to stroke the marble. Something I hope to be doing in my own bathroom very, very soon!

Sneak Peek: Straight On

Because Why S asked for it, the straight on shot of the Atlas Centinel pulls. You can see the Porcelanosa Eidos Grafito porcelain mosaic tiles reflected in the shiny, sleek chrome. The cabinets are Kraftmaid vanity units in cherry with a peppercorn finish. As Nadine remarked they are masculine enough to appeal to The Guy and shiny enough for the girly-girl in me... or is it the other way round?

Sneak Peek: Cabinet Hardware*

Atlas Centinel 3" pulls on the bathroom vanity. I had no idea the carpenter had put thses on Friday afternoon because when I went upstairs to check on him he was helping The Guy put the big-ass but slimline TV on its stand. The Guy is in love with his TV while I want to LICK these handles they are so damn good-looking. Looks like we both got what we wanted...

* Yes, I know these weren't on the list when I asked for your opinion interwebs, but when I wanted to look at those in real life one was too shiny, one was too dark and one was unavailable. This pull fitted in the budget and in my hand and looks even better on these vanities than on the board in the store.

Waxed Walnut

I didn't get my way over the walnut bed (yet) but we did agree on a walnut dresser. Sneak peek of the furniture that arrived yesterday evening - solid walnut, oil and wax finish, made in America; magnificently, impressively awesome.

The square on the hypotenuse...

Right angles, triangles and rectangles in the dressing room courtesy of Andrew Geller and Ron Rezek for Artemide. I love Pythagoras!

Miracles do happen...

The painter called at 8:00 AM to ask if he could come and touch up his not-so-handiwork. He surveyed, sighed and said "I didn't know you wanted the surface prepped, some people just want to paint over the drips and gashes - they don't care". My reply was of course to wonder if he only worked for patrons of the Helen Keller Institute and to suppose he had no pride in his work. He did sort of passive-aggressively suggest he might have to charge me extra but I guess he thought better of that... So we have smooth walls, fewer drips and the entrance to the bath is taped, spackled and painted to a smooth finish that looks a lot better than the gap he suggested we ask the tiler to FILL WITH GROUT!


The electrician came early and installed all the light trims, sconces, medicine cabinet and heated towel rack. Toasty towels on a timer will make a huge difference to our old morning shower and shiver routine. The new ventilation fan is whisper quiet - you can actually hear the sound of running water - or you will be able to once the plumber turns it on. But that's for another day.
Tomorrow the countertop guy will take measurements and we will be one stop closer to a final finish date.

We are experiencing operating scheduling problems*

So... Day 62 of the master bath renovation. Sixty-two days spanning 4 months and two decades. Seems like an awfully long time, doesn't it? What with sickness, snow days and Palm Springs, a 10 day renovation (Ha! When has a bathroom remodel ever taken such a short time period? Apart from in my dreams and the promises of many a contractor?) has turned into a marathon of delays, do-overs and despair. But this week we have a date that must be met: the master bedroom furniture arrives Thursday (unless they are held up by snow...). So, working backwards: paint touch-up Wednesday; plumber Tuesday; electrician Monday; the carpenter will be here everyday until it's done. It must be done; it will be done. It must be done; it will be done... slowly we are chugging our way to the finish.

*see: Notation for Theoretic Scheduling

Moody

The cabinets went in yesterday. They will come out again tomorrow and be slid down the wall so the filler can go on the right (left) side; this way the door can open, the sink will fit and we can hang the sliding door. It's always better to catch these things before the countertop goes on - better yet before the marble guy comes to measure. Of course, it would be best if common sense prevailed and we did things right the first time. I swear I am not leaving the room while anyone else works on the bathroom - it's gonna get cramped in there....

We interrupt your moment of optimism to bring you this message

Damn you again snow gods! We called a snow day - it's snowed at the rate of an inch an hour overnight and it's still going so there will be no work on the bathroom today. Next big push is Monday, unless there's another catastrophic weather event...

Long Shots

Tomorrow there will be a big push to get this project finished - cabinets, lights, mirrors, hardware, touch-ups and the hunt for the location of the HVAC vent (don't even ask, we have a guy with a stud-finder and if that fails I'm calling the local fire department to come practice using their heat imager on the bathroom ceiling!)


Till then here are a couple of views from the dressing room to the bath


and the closet - don't look too closely, those paint cans will be well employed for the final paint repairs. I'm finally beginning to envision my first soak since 2009!

Coming in Last

The painting is done except for some trim touch-ups, the painter wants to come in after everyone else has finished in case there are any nicks or dings made in the final fittings of the vanities. The plumber likes to be last so no-one drops or drips anything on the shiny shower fixtures (and those faucets can't go in until the counter top is installed). The carpenter likes to be last because of potential paint spots on his cabinetry. The electrician has to be last because his finish plates fit over everything else.
I'm thinking of scheduling them all on the same day, shutting the pocket door and letting them fight it out in the 8' x 8' x 8' box that is the bathroom.... Life was so much simpler with The Handyman!

Image of the Greek god Triton controlling the waves of contractors seas.

Quick reno update

Before I left for Palm Springs we had a few house issues - tree in pool, missing tile and snow up to my armpits but as of today we have resolved most of those. Steady rain is taking carre of the snow; a man with a chainsaw and a truck came, happily declared "Let's make a mess", chopped down the tree and hauled away the debris. Bonus: more light at the back of the pool so the hollies I'm planning should do well; potential problem - more weeds.


The tile came in, the floor is finished and grouting has begun. We used half a bag of anthracite grout on the shower and floor tiles and two bags of grey (gris) grout on the mosaic walls. Quick pic above of the grout drying before they washed it off the tiles. Got a big thumbs up design-wise from the plumber who came to check it out before he returns tomorrow to attach the faucets, shower fixtures and WC. He wanted to know how we made it bigger! Shower door ordered and should be here in less than "tweaks"*.


Painters already have one coat on master bedroom walls, ceiling and trim and the closet. Today the bath and dressing room get their turn. We also ordered the new bed/furniture and the Awesome Designer is waiting patiently to install the upholstered window valances.

Still to do: Fit vanities (scheduled for Thursday); measure and install counters and re-fit saddle (marble guy will be here asap after vanities go in - turnaround is one week); plumber to fit basins, faucets; electricians to finish lighting and carpenter to attach all the pretty hardware to the wall. I'm still hopeful we can make it so The Guy can take his first shower in there on his birthday but at this stage I'm just happy we're making progress.
*The official supplier/contractor delivery estimator - supposed to equate to two weeks, rarely meets that timeframe.

Inspiration after the fact

Shower walls: 8 x 13 porcelain tiles
I think the hiatus on the master bathroom renovation while I went to Palm Springs Modernism Week reinvigorated everyone. By late afternoon yesterday the shower was covered in anthracite Talis in a running bond pattern (the iphone camera makes it look brown) and half the bath walls were tiled in mosaic Eidos Grafito (both by Porcelanosa); perfectly positioned against the vertical Carrera marble slabs.

Master bath walls: 8 x 13 ceramic mosaic tiles
To tell the truth I was a little worried about the marble edge but it seemed the most creative way to solve the dilemma of joining two tiles with differing patterns and thicknesses. I'd never seen it done before - not in real life, not in a modern setting - and I wanted to ensure it looked neither obnoxious nor like the entrance to a mausoleum. After lots of research on the vanity top option I had decided marble would be the best way to keep within the grey/black palette; it also repeats the counter in the powder room and the credenzas in the great room and dining room, and I want to maintain continuity throughout the house. Once I'd settled on that for the horizontal planes it seemed fussy to add another element - wood - for the vertical.

Second floor Women's Restrooms, Gettty Villa: black marble mosaic tile
It's funny how you can worry about the details - even though the tiler, the contractor, the carpenter, the painter and most importantly The Guy assured me it was the simplest solution. I really seconded guessed myself for days and several sleepless night in Palm Springs until I found tranquility and validation in the restrooms of the Getty villa in Los Angeles. Mosaic and marble - classic but uniquely modern.

Escape!

As nothing much is happening on the reno front - a 23" x 17" tile short of a finished floor snafu followed by snow days, sick tiler, and a wrong cabinet door setback - I'm tucking my head under my wing, embracing oblivion and swapping


this*


for this


and this*



for Palm Springs Modernism Week

Last year we stayed here for a conference; pretty pink flamingos, great sushi and Starbucks vouchers offered in exchange for hard sell to buy a timeshare - classy! Apparently these people had splashier time...

*
1. tree down!
2. floor tile, one piece short of perfection