The Thurman - Installed

The Thurmans are here, and Martin has already installed them. Here they are turned on, with all 300 Watts of Fresh Glow: And Off:Oh but wait, what is that on the stove?? Could it be....why yes it is....fresh homemade Chicken Pot Pie! I think that deserves a closeup. Yum.

The Thurman

A small field trip to Rejuvenation revealed that the Jefferson light fixture, which I thought I coveted, is in fact Ginormous. My kitchen is not equally Ginormous, so I'm afraid I am going to have to reconsider and choose something which is an appropriate scale for my kitchen. Rejuvenation has an interesting room scale view feature where you can select a room size and show the proportions of the light in the room, but rather irritatingly they don't have this for every light fixture (in fact, they don't have this for ANY fixture I am considering), and my kitchen is smaller than any dimensions they have listed. Given that Rejuvenation is oriented towards Period Correct Lighting, how have they missed the fact that Period Kitchens are Tiny??

This schoolhouse-style fixture seems like the right thing to have, and other vendors seem to have smaller versions, like this one from Restoration Hardware, but sadly, the right-sized 9" model only supports a piddly 75 watts. This is not enough for our lighting needs in our dark, grey Seattle winters.

The great thing about the Big Honkin' Rejuvenation model is that it supports a generous 150 watts per fixture. Need it.

I am compromising on the Thurman, which at 9" wide, 7" long is about the right size, supports that required 150 watts, and is cheaper too. The only thing not to like is the 3 week lead time.

How many Engineers does it take to Change a Light Bulb?

We're not really sure of the answer yet, as the simple task of replacing the light bulb rapidly devolved into exposed ceiling wires due to the Age and Decay of the Original Charming Kitchen Ceiling Light. What just an hour ago was a reasonable-looking light fixture with a working bulb has degenerated into this:
Here's the larger picture to grasp the chaos this has inflicted upon my kitchen:

It seems that purchasing a light fixture is now required.

This is a Job for the Jefferson Light Fixture from Restoration Hardware. But should I get it in Chrome, to match the faucet and stainless appliances, or Oil-Rubbed Bronze to match the cabinet knobs?

More Bath Tile Ideas

Waterworks has a store over on 1st Avenue where they sell a lovely array of exorbitantly expensive tile. I didn't even ask what it would cost to use this subway tile in Cararra Marble for my bath

I rather liked this sample subway tile installation they had at the store; too bad it violates the #1 principle in Seattle interior design - never, ever use grey.

Now this tub surround, from a neighbor's open house, is one I really like. It's quite authentic in art deco colors, would be inexpensive to replicate, and just plain looks good. But I want tile wainscotting on all the walls, not just the tub surround, so I think this look would be excessive throughout that much of the bathroom. Just as well, Martin hates it.

A more productive tiling field trip

A few weeks ago, while mindlessly surfing the web, I happened to discover that a company called Tilehaus sells 1" unglazed hex tile. Ok, that's not earth-shattering news as oodles of places sell hex tile, but what I found most intriguing is that it appeared to be completely FLAT hex tile, not like that stuff sold by Dal Tile and others which has bevelled edges.

I ordered a sheet, which arrived yesterday, and it in fact it is completely flat! And while it isn't a 100% color match to my existing bath floor tile, it is Close Enough!

This means I won't have to pry up the toilet, chip out some existing hex tile from underneath, and hope it doesn't break or inflict more chaos on the floor!

I was seriously excited, that is, until today when I took a trip over to Seattle Tile Company (that great tile store about a mile from our house), where I discovered a half sheet of the Very Same Stuff on the sale rack for about $4. Sigh. Anyway, it turns out it's unglazed 1" hex tile from American Universal. And the great thing is, they ALSO have precut edge pieces so you don't have to risk fingers cutting 1" tiles with a wet saw.

Authentic Subway Tile

Of course, for an Authentic Subway Tile experience, it's necessary to visit an Authentic Subway. And what better subway to visit than the Paris Metropolitan? With the new direct SEA<-> CDG service from Air France, it took a mere 9.5 hours to pop over to France for a good Foie Gras de Canard. And with my Stockpile of Frequent Flier Miles and Hotel Points, we went for about the cost of Meals - not a small sum with the current state of the North American Peso.

From our "Field Trip" to the Courcelles station:

Now that we can See...

Now that we have adequate lighting in the bathroom, my first thought is that it's time to start wearing foundation. My second thought involves Tile.

The floor tile is hex tile, which I like in general, though this particular installation seems to be missing some Symmetry in spots. Despite this, I find it adequate for my bathroom flooring needs, other than a couple of missing tiles for which I need replacements. Since these are the original tiles, which don't have bevelled edges like hex tiles available today, I'm either going to have to scout out my favorite building material salvage stores like The Re-Store or Second Use, or lift up the toilet and pilfer some of the tiles from under the Loo.

For the wall tile, I need a Game Plan. Clearly, the Original Charming Plastic Wall Tile has to Go.

I know I want white subway tile with an accent, probably black. Although I liked the clean white look of the subway tile in the Ballardia bath, it looks a bit too Craftsman for my Art Deco era house.

Some thoughts from my Idea File:

Traditional white and black options:

Here's an option with glass tile from DIYNetwork, and lastly, a Modern twist with subway tile going the wrong way and little glass mosaics. I'm not actually considering that option, just threw it in because it looked Fun.