random house style questions

[alice]

your wisdom is called for

floor tiles - brick or square pattern?

cooker - range or built-in?

radiators - grey or white?

fireplace - cast iron or open with mantle?

sink - stainless steel or white?

worktop - white or wood?

lighting - fancy chandeliers or plain?

[Jeremy]

Most of this is personal taste. BUT

- IMO wood worktops look great at first, but always a bit ropey a few years down the line - especially around the sink. White Corian will stain really badly. Some kind of granite or composite quartz would be my choice.

- Built-in, raised cookers are much more practical if you have young kids around the place. Also nice not having to bend down to get stuff in and out. And because you have a separate hob/oven, cheaper to replace if something goes wrong.

[ruffers]

floor tiles - square

cooker - built-in

radiators - white

fireplace - no opinion - cast iron or open with mantle?

sink - definitely white

worktop - white or wood. Neither, but especially not wood. Go mad and get granite if you can.

lighting - plain in general, possibly one sooper dooper feature light though

[Sue]

Surely this is absolutely all down to taste, as Jeremy says.

It might be more practical to have certain things, but if you prefer the look of something else, then you have to weigh up the pros and cons.

I have wood worktops. I know they're likely to be impractical in the longer (or medium) term but I like the look of natural wood. Oak. Nice long lengths not little blocks stuck together. It's not that big a deal to look after them!

And I know built-in ovens blah blah would be more practical for various reasons, but I like my new range cooker, even if I have to bend down to put things in the oven/s.

Unless there are really mega practical reasons to go for something you don't really love, listen to your heart (old hippy speaking :) ) You've got to live with it day in day out. Do you really want to have something that makes your heart sink a bit in the morning?

Put your two choices side by side and see which is "the biggest yes." Then go with that and just forget about the other one.

[goosey-goosey]

When I saw the subject line, I thought we were in for a great discussion about typesetting, page layouts, and semi-colon usage in the book publishing industry. Saddened, I make only one observation in a new category:

Cupboards - coloured and glossy, not wood

[Sue]

Glossy are likely to date quickly and only fit in with certain styles.

Taste again though ... If you love them, get them. I think wooden painted cupboards are good because you can change the colour and finish if/when you fancy a change.

But then But if you want something very modern looking, that might not work for you ....

[alice]

thanks Jeremy, ruffers and sue - sorry to disappoint gg. more opinions please

[intexasatthe moment]

Alice - are you asking for advice to help you choose items for doing up your own home or are you putting your place on the market and wanting advice on how to make a property more saleable ?

Because the former would be down to your own personal taste and we can't really help .Whereas the latter is more a question of what's in vogue ...

[alice]

ah intexasatthe moment yes yes its def the latter - I want to know the wow and the yuk - like

stair carpet or painted stairs

decking /patio or shingle

white walls or farrow and ball

and what would be a dealbreaker

you are the future

[Sue]

Is this a joke?

Thanks for wasting our time when we were trying to help.

Just look in house style mags if you are doing up a house to sell it. Or ask an estate agent.

:(

[intexasatthe moment]

Sue that doesn't sound like your normal helpful self .

Is it only ok to ask for advice if you're doing up a place you've moved into in and wrong to ask for advice if you're trying to sell ?

[Sue]

It was the "you are the future" line that made me think it must be a joke.

It was beginning to sound like a wind-up. White walls or Farrow & Ball etc..

If it isn't, then profuse apologies.

But why consider putting chandeliers in a house you're selling? Or a range cooker? Sorry, I'm not convinced.

ETA: Alice said "ah intexasatthe moment yes yes its def the latter - I want to know the wow and the yuk - like

stair carpet or painted stairs

decking /patio or shingle

white walls or farrow and ball

and what would be a dealbreaker

you are the future"

In any case, what appeals to one person is going to turn someone else off.

[red devil]

Sue, you actually gave good advice about speaking to an estate agent. Any wannabe 'fixer-upper' needs to determine their market first, and EA's are useful in this respect. They might even say that there's no financial gain to be had in spending money on the property, and leave it to any potential buyer to put their own stamp on it. It's hard for anyone else to give practical advice at the moment as the OP has been so vague. What type of property is it, where is it, house or flat, period or modern, how many beds, any outside space etc etc. Until all that's known any other advice is pointless really...

[intexasatthe moment]

I know what you mean Sue . I kind of thought that there might be an element of Friday night demob happy hour about the post . Alice doesn't normally post using such terms !

But what do I know .

[alice]

thanks all for trying to help - you did. may be the tone was easily misunderstood but the request was genuine. that's it