Design Dilemma

Hand Rails for a Special Needs Child

The other day, I received an email from a mother that read: “I love all of your blogs and creative ideas and I’m wondering what thoughts you would have for designing a room, specifically a bathroom for a special needs child. My daughter is 12 and she’s special needs (mild cerebralpalsy [sic]). She gets around good but does not have as much strength in her body as a child without special needs. ...

Read More

Bathroom Floors of River Rock

You may or may not have noticed in my last post a comment thread between me and a reader about her shower. She is updating her bathroom and had a few questions, so I wanted to show her some pictures to (hopefully) give her some ideas 🙂 Right now, I’m going to address the flooring, as she is contemplating river rock. When people hear river rock, sometimes an image is conjured up ...

Read More

All I Need Is 8 Fewer Eyes and 4 Head(er)s

My pilaster project is coming along nicely and all that is missing is the header. Our local home improvement store discontinued a whole line of molding that I really liked, which really put a damper on things! Oh, well. It just gives me more time to ponder the project. My process is to sit on the floor and stare at the space, the project at hand, current features (molding, architectural details, ...

Read More

Kitchen Islands with Legs: Hybrids of Farm Tables and Cabinets

A reader (Diane) has a quandary with her kitchen renovation, which she and I discussed in the comment section of a previous post, so I wanted to do a post on kitchen islands that will hopefully benefit her and others. Besides showing some inspiration, I also wanted to show how basic cabinets can be transformed with a larger countertop and legs. This shows the structure of the cabinets and a frame ...

Read More

What I Got on Craigslist

Nothing pleases me more than a bargain. Well, maybe that’s an overstatement because I am really happy when my house is clean and in order, but honestly that is a freak of nature thanks to the loves of my life, all two and four legged. Since that rarely (if ever) happens, I have to get my thrills from bargains. When I did my post on DIY Ideas for Kids’ Rooms, I talked about ...

Read More