Senator13 apologized and explained that s/he didn't understand the process.

I posted a proposal on the other thread to yank that thread, add upcyling/salvage to the master list, and re-enter the discussion for #12. We can always choose upcycling by consensus, but we'll start fresh without all the negative posts, which I think ultimately damage these threads.

pal, I hear you. However, in my entire life, online and off, I cannot think of one instance where somebody whining about "cliques" could ever be appeased.

There are some longitudinal studies that indicate a massive increase in the incidence of narcissistic personalities in the U.S. The numbers are now huge. You could call them the Carly Simons, in your terms. They think the entire purpose of the rest of the human race is to pet them, praise them, and pay attention to them. Any deviation is "hurtful," and any hurt they feel proves they are right, good helpless victims. So they can lash out any way they want, because they are the victims. They bash, bully, insult, whatever, but they're always the victims. You're wrong because you failed at your most important job, making them feel good. They especially resent any attention at all paid to other people instead of them and become envious and angry, so they have to denigrate and insult anybody they think is stealing their thunder. It's hard to avoid getting lumped into this group of interlopers, because to them, the only ones who deserve any attention at all is themselves.

Anyway, as I have said, I have never seen any success in appeasing them.

So I guess the next thread should start off with "rules" about how to start threads? Interesting, because a couple threads ago we had complaining about "too many rules"--from someone who never contributed anything to any of the threads.

I am up for pretty much any topic on our list. Although I think we should aim for fun rather than super-difficult, because I think the pink challenge was hard due to lack of materials.

I'm up for almost anything too. I'd especially like to do French (lets keep it open, i.e. French country/French modern/ etc.) I would also really like to do something rustic. I had suggested Modern Rustic some time ago - perhaps it could just be rustic and we can interpret however we like.

Can I add another possible topic (I know, we already have so many, but):

- Swedish (or just Scandi maybe) (I rec'd two Swedish design books for Christmas, so I'm learning about Gustavian and of course Swedish modern)

Today (first day of my of holidays) I used a gift card I rec'd in December and picked up a book entitled "Interiors: The Home Since 1700" by Steven Parissien. Hopefully I'll learn a little about all the different periods and times often referenced in these threads. If any of you have any other books to recommend, please let me know. No doubt I'll have all sorts of other ideas for threads as I get through the book. :)

I wouldn't throw a fit over French--I've actually suggested it in other threads--and I hate to disappoint lavender who has been a great participant. I'm wondering if it's too similar to some of the recent challenges? But I'll go either way.

I'm still active and interested in pink! Just sidelined by vacation in the past 2 weeks + family holiday responsibilities, as I imagine many other participants may be.

I'm going to suggest to Senator13 that we turn herthread into an existing kitchens, i.e., examples of upcycling thread, and share some pix of mine. Thus we can save her great idea (I do like the idea very much) for use as a future DAT.

I'd be inclined to save French for #13 or #14. I thought a 1960s home might be fun, what with Mad Men being so popular and all. I think Hollywood Regency would also be fun and not too difficult to find things.

The last two were a home style (Tudor) and a theme (Pink). French is another theme. We could do a material this time. Or a budget or supply chain restriction. Those lists are short, though compared to house style, so I have no problem going back to a house style.

Updated list, with Scandinavian and architectural salvage:

Materials
Knotty pine
Metal cabinetry
Interesting tile (we can do this one over and over)
Vetrazzo
Marmoleum graphic series
Back-painted glass
Commercial Kitchens/Restaurant Supply

Defining the Home
Minimal traditional house from the '40s through the '70s
Tract house (specify decade? or any tract house?)
Spanish Colonial Revival
Craftsman
Prarie School
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
Pimp this kitchen (choose home/kitchen from real estate listing)
Beach House
Mash-up house (what do you do with a house that is already a mash-up of styles, like a Mission-style Queen Anne)

Theme/Decorating Styles
French Country
Steampunk
Eclectic
Starting from clothing fashions as your inspiration pic, design a kitchen that suits the era/mood/style
Rustic Modern Cottage
Hollywood Regency
Scandinavian

Budget/Supply restrictions
$10K budget
Ikea kitchen (all Ikea?)
Mail order kitchen
Home Depot kitchen
Architectural salvage/upcycle/recycle

Define the People
Mid-life crisis bachelor (or cougar) pad
Rabid sports fan wants to decorate in team colors

Presentation Strategies that Can Be Combined with Other Choices
This/Not That (Good taste/bad taste, works/doesn't work)
High/Low (same look, different budgets)

What we have done so far:
1) Apple Jasper
2) Colonial Revived
3) 1920's Kitchens and All That Jazz
4) Formica Patterns are Cooool!
5) Neo-Tuscan/TuscAmerican
6) I'm Dreaming of a White Kitchen, But...
7) Victorian/Queen Anne
8) Animal "Prints"
9) Keeping the Golden Oak
10) Tarting Up a Tudor (posted as #9)
11) Pink for the Present Day

Maybe tract house? I've noticed a lot of people on the forum, trying to figure out how to open up their tract houses...whether it's to make a bigger kitchen/eating area or a great room sitation.

I'd be fine with doing french in a week or two, but thanks for the kind words, Marcolo. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you have, as far as French kitchen ideas :)

Tract house was suggested but I think that it was subsumed into minimal traditional, which is more descriptive of the style. Is that right, design-savvy folks? I had never heard the term minimal traditional before these threads, but it seems to describe homes with minimal trims/built-ins/surface detail, that are fundamentally traditional homes. They were common in tract housing in the post-war period, but emerged earlier during the Depression, possibly to cut construction costs.

Anyway, I think that minimal traditional gets at the same issue people are talking about when they talk about designing for tract houses. But maybe one of the other design folks can pipe up if they think we should have both in.

Perhaps a compromise is a 1960s tract house? Many of those are perforce minimal traditional, so the ideas would apply to homes of other eras as well. I'm thinking not of full-on midcentury modern homes, which were not really all that common, but of more basic styles that toned down both traditional and modern elements into something more bland. This way, participants would be free to do MCM, traditional, transitional or whatever; in fact, that's the beauty of that housing style.

I would suggest that whoever starts the thread show some pictures of these types of houses, so people know what we're talking about.

Again, I'll go along happily with other ideas as well.

OK...I've given a pink kitchen a try. Didn't get as far as I'd like, and I'll tell you after trying, I am in total awe of those of you who do this regularly. I can't imagine houw you have the time and energy! I just gave up trying to actually find a picture of cabinets I would want or photoshopping anything to look the way it really should!

Plain slab cabinets in dark stained oak.
Rustic table as island, topped with a slab of pink granite Round stainless steel prep sink
Wall color...BM a la mode.
Cambria Torquay perimeter countertops
Rose red mosaic stone backsplash.
Carbonized bamboo flooring
Shoji screen door

The picture of the cherry blossoms with the Jefferson Memorial hangs in my DC office...it was the inspiration.

Thank you to each of you DAT designers...I have enjoyed every one of the Design Around projects. It is so much fun to see the way you pinpoint a theme...zero in... and then nail it! Very impressive. Will be looking forward to whichever one you all pick for the next one.

I've fallen behind on my comments.

Pal #8 menswear: You really nailed the menswear look. I can practically smell old money when I look at this. I especially like the pink tone-on-tone wall covering. As I mentioned, this was what got me thinking "argyle," because to me preppy and argyle go hand in hand. Not that I think yours would be improved with argyle, just that that's where my brain went.

Mudhouse Tudor: I really love the floor. The whole thingk works together well. It would have been great on the Tudor thread as well.

Schmeltz mauve/China Rose: That marble is really pretty. In terms of color, for me this one strays across the blurry boundary into purple, but I like it anyway. You used an interesting mix of traditional and contemporary elements.

Schmeltz pigs: This was inspired. I love the pig mosaic. The whole kitchen is really fun.

Sochi: I don't think the fabric in you first post matches the muted colors of the inspiration pics, which is why I suggested the dandilion fabric (it has a gray background). I think combining pink with rustic is a challenge.

Pal #9, Pink Minimalist: I really like this one. It is surprisingly mellow and comfortable, more so than a white minimalist kitchen would be.

Lavender Lass: I didn't realize how not-pink yours was until you made that comment. Part of it is presentation: the image sizes aren't proportional to the role of the material in the kitchen. In any case, there's plenty of pink there, and the whole look is very romantic. I had that lamp saved to my pink file too.

Marcolo pink/blue: This one is very fun and youthful. I'm not normally a fan of pink and blue together (makes me think of baby showers), but this works well.

Mudhouse Industrial: I like this one and can totally see where you are going--and empathize with your frustration in not finding the materials you want. As it is, it is almost-pink, but enough so that I can see that it would totally work.

Melissastar: If this is your first design, congratulations! (and if it's not, I apologize for not having a better memory). I like the Japanese elements. I don't think the cabinet color quite works with the floor color, but that's a minor tweak (warmer stain on the cabs would be better, I think.)

I'll second Marcolo's 60s tract home suggestion. Or, if nobody really has a strong opinion, we could go with architectural salvage.

wow I am "tickled Pink" by these boards!!! Cawaps I like all of your entries but I love your brown and pink board best! Mudhouse I Like both of yours aswell but the industrial is something I would love to see in real life.
Pal, your brooks bros. is my fav!
Schmetz what a hard first challenge and what great designs you submitted! I am very impressed.

I was abroad on holiday so I could not play. But I tried my hand at pink and although not my best work it is sentimental in that years ago in my home town there was a penny candy shop with a tin ceiling and lots of pink accents. It was a warm and happy space and I was unable to get that image out of my head when trying for a pink kitchen design. So here is my homage to that shop.

As a placeholder to keep up the participation, I'll repost my "Flamingo Pink Loft" kitchen from the laminate thread. It's was pretty emphatically pink!

I'm still working on a salmon pink kitchen to contribute, but I can't quite beat it into submission.

(Ikea grey cabinets, flamingo photo wall mural, Wilsonart rose laminate white terazzo floors, hot pink spiral staircase, yada,yada.)

I was thinking knotty pine or mid life crisis for the next. One would be hard and one would be wild. After the bit of donneybrook, maybe one that is way out there, far reaching, and welcoming to newbies wacky ideas would be good? Who couldn't love something done like an In Like Flynt's bachelor pad? (Or Austin Powers for the younger generation.)

Roarah - that is a really nice backsplash. What is the name of it? I like your stools, too. Pretty design overall.

LWO, I've thought of that kitchen often throughout this thread. I still find it too far over the top to say anything useful about it, but, wow, it's exhuberant. The one concrete observation I had was that I think the scale of the rose laminate would have a camouflaging effect--essentially, I think you would put down a spoon and not be able to find it again (I exaggerate a bit, but I really think it would have that effect--a friend of mine had Vetrazzo and said he would lose his keys on the counter--the roses would be worse, I think.) That particular pattern better as a backsplash, I think.

Roarah, very sweet. It makes me nostalgic, and I don't have a candy shop in my past.

I'd be okay with mid-life crisis, too.

I really like--and want to point out--the varied directions people have explored in free-associating the "meaning" of the pink. A revered candy shop. Brooks Brothers. Cherry blossoms (cool!). The seashore. Even pal's digression into that 1980s NJ Playboy Club aesthetic. This is a really great example of brainstorming.

Whiteriversooner, the tile is pink marble sticks. Here is the link to the supplier.

I am up for whatever is next but I really do like the idea of a reused green kitchen in the future, after the drama has faded a bit.

Here is a link that might be useful: pink marble sticks

I posted this to the other thread, but wanted to post it here because I imagine (and sort of hope) that thread will be deleted. Anyhow! :-)
I haven't participated in the DAT threads yet, but would like to and even checked out Olioboard yesterday. Maybe one of you could make a "DAT - FYI" thread? Include the purpose/history, what mediums to use (Olioboard, Photoshop, etc,), useful tips, and guidelines? Then maybe each new thread could link to it and anyone new to the site will have a point of reference. Just a thought... Some things could be technical, but if you know that one company in particular has a great selection of cabinets to grab pictures of, maybe that could even be included to help the newbies along? I'd be happy to help organize the info too.

roarah - that candy store is wonderful! What a great job you've done.

And thank you - you've brought back wonderful memories for me too. Your candy store reminds me of a wonderful fruit/caviar/sweets store in St. Petersburg (Russia). See the picture below - you can't really see the pink in this photo, but it is there. It is an amazing, wonderful space. The next picture is the outside of the bldg.

Now I know what I should have tried for this thread - a pink apartment in St. Petersburgh. There are loads of WONDERFUL pink (salmon?) buildings in Petersburgh, check this one out, always my favourite:

Hmmm, maybe I should try an imperial Russian pink kvartira (apartment), something to go with the exterior of the salmon building??

This isn't pink but I wanted to post the kitchen from Green Demolitions that Senator13 mentioned specifically. I thought it was interesting and I didn't want it to get lost in the sociological shuffle.

It was featured on the cover of a book, and now lay disassembled in a warehouse in CT. As with many things of this nature I was surprised at how forlorn it looked in the warehouse, by comparison. Some of the more ordinary kitchens manage to hold their identity and dignity in the warehouse (Maybe because we see them at Home Depot that way), but the fancy ones just look "cast adrift".

I notice this at a used furniture place up the street. There is some really Good furniture that ends up there as third hand from Med students who got it from their rather upper middle houses as second hand. It always looks much worse on the sidewalk in it's disheveled custom has-been-ness than the used IKEA does. Displacement seems to affect some things more than others.
{{gwi:1995570}}

Thanks, Chris11895. I think an "About" thread for Design Around This is a brilliant idea. It would give us a forum for instructions, guidelines (rules? informal culture?), testimonials, etc. I think some of the lurkers have this wacky idea that they aren't "talented" enough to do a board, when most of us had never tried such a thing before these threads and have been getting better and better through sheer practice.

I'd be happy to start the thread and cover the history of DAT, some of the formal and informal rules and processes, tell how I got started and post how I use Microsoft Word to do boards. Unless someone else wants to start it?

I haven't used Olioboard enough to post about it, and I've never used Photoshop. I'm not even sure what other options there are. So I'd need some other folks to step up with follow-ups.

I think it would be useful to include a short, boilerplate how-to FAQ at the end of every DAT OP. I can guarantee if you do an actual, separate FAQ someone will demand to know who you think you are to set rules. People actually complain about buehl's FAQ this way.

Wow, tragic about that Green Demolitions kitchen. It's not something I would choose to do myself, but if I bought that house I'd work with it. Such a waste! Glad it's being recycled.

pal, your comments remind me of "Empire of the Sun." There's a scene where all the dispossessed English aristocrats pass their former heirloom belongings scattered across a field. Surreal.

I think one of the issues with this kitchen is that it was built in a showroom, and possibly as a set-piece for the book and it was never a "real" kitchen. I may be wrong. However, they only have parts of it for sale, so I wonder of some of the cabinets were simply doors over nothing.

I think another analogy is how much worse DUI mugshots of celebrities look than our neighbor's mugshots. Maybe deep down, celebrities are uglier than the average person, but just have more support staff. But when they aren't on call...watch out.

Marcolo- I think it's a great idea to do a 1960's tract house, as the next DAT. Then, we could do a 'Mad Men' kitchen, a tract house being remodeled into more open spaces...or both, open with a little retro. This is going to be fun! :)

People complain about Buehl's FAQ? Wow. Really?

I just think we can be more comprehensive with a separate thread. Unlike Buehl's, we wouldn't need to bump to keep it on page 1, just link to it from each new thread. We could still summarize, but we'd be able to be more detailed.

Just had to comment....Marcolo, you are just about the only other person that I've met who's seen Empire of the Sun. I watched it because I'll watch anything with John Malkovitch in it, even borderline dreck. And what a discovery Christian Bale was!

Still working on pink...........

I tried pink. Really, I did. I looked for inspiration in things that were naturally pink (Cadillacs,flamingos, pigs). I am glad others had better luck finding inspiration. I just dove, headlong from inspiration into kitsch. I couldn't avoid it. I don't think it was all Pink's fault. I, personally, have a harder time with the really open ended challenges. I have a harder time finding a place to start from if there is so much room to move around in the challenge. My shortcoming. No one else's.

I do like these threads and checked the pink one often even though I didn't have any success making a Cadillac inspired kitchen that didn't look like a 90's era chain restaurant. ;) Like Marcolo said, pink was hard to find. Materials were not abundant.

I do like the architectural salvage/upcycle idea. I also like the idea of the snazzy doorway posted as a possible launching pad. I'll try most anything...even pink...I just may, or may not, succeed.

As for comments in the "other" thread. I commented that I had not liked the recent use of this type of title as bait for someone wanting quick help with their kitchen. I want to be CLEAR that I was not commenting on the option to pimp out Lavender's space. I was referring to the other thread where someone tried to "trick" us to view the thread by using the title. I'd love to take a crack at Lavender's kitchen. Isn't it the one with the bunny and chickadee backsplash? Am I mistaken? If so, sorry.

60's tract house. There are a TON of those around here. We have to be careful though. Most of them around here have the dreaded golden oak. Marcolo...shield your eyes. At least we don't post "before" pictures.

Doggonegardener- Yes, I have the backsplash with the bunnies and chickadees! LOL I'd be only too happy if you'd like to take a crack at my kitchen...I can use all the help I can get :)

My goodness, take a brief break, and all sorts of things happen! I have a family member in the hospital currently so I may be AWOL some of the time, but you can bet I'll be popping in as I can.

Cawaps, I have thought about starting some kind of thread with info on building boards, working with photos, etc. If one is started, I'll be happy to contribute too, as I can. I think it could be a pretty long-lived thread that folks could contribute to, as they have time, and that others could post specific questions to. I am not a computer whiz, but I know there are some kitchen forum members that are very knowledgeable, and maybe some of those would join in too (even if they have not been particpants in these Design threads.) My guess is, there are lots of folks who would like to participate, but just need some help getting over the hurdle of manipulating images.

Omigosh, Sochi, that pink building in Petersburgh is just wonderful. I have a feeling you could take that idea and run with it, if you are so inclined!

LiveWireOak, thanks for posting that kitchen again. I was not paying a lot of attention to these Design threads at that time (I have no idea what was wrong with me) and I missed seeing it. In fact, I kinda wondered why nobody was pulling a flamingo motif into the mix, in this thread. Glad to see it!

Thanks for the encouragement on my "industrial pink" pile of materials...I think I have it about half done and will definately complete it, at some point. That one is the one that is most "me" and I will enjoy working on it when I have more time.

I nominate pal to post the #12 60s tract home, since he'll know how to post examples without manhandling people into MCM if they don't want it.

cawaps, you're probably right about the FAQ. However, I 100% reserve the right to do the toldja-so dance if given the opportunity.

I googled "1960's tract home" and the images that came up were very varied. Some were what I was thinking of from my own area and other were decidedly not. Can you post some exterior photos of suitable sample homes that can serve to guide us? It'd be much appreciated!

Ne

Design muse for this kitchen is a backsplash in pinkish 3" square brick-look copper quartzite tiles that ranged from blue-ish to pinks to greens I saw at Tile shop this week, but I can't find it online so this quartzite at Home Depot will do. Kraftmaid square recessed panel "canvas" (I can't find cabinets that have more gray, but that's what I really want, a dusty gray-white, perhaps painted. I don't care what the cabinet door style is. choose whatever you like just paint them gray-white/driftwood or this mellowed cream and if you like glazing, go with a grayish glaze.) Ceiling fixture has recycled aluminum curls--let's do four to six of these recycled Varaluz 26 x 26 pinwheel babies around the perimeter of the work area like ceiling-hugging hedghogs. Add undercab lighting for the balance of the lighting. "Cabernet" stone countertops keep us from feeling too much at least, but starchy pink roman shade with a dark brown or warm gray velvet ribbon trim will add a little discipline (Quality Roman Shades). Sink is Kohler Cursive™ Design on Alcott™ tile-in sink in "translucent cashmere." Choose any silvery-like faucet you like and any stainless steel appliances you love and can afford. (I wouldn't want a faucet that looks like it belongs in a commercial kitchen, though.) Add Ikea stainless Grundtal shelving all over the place. Floor is cork Durocork Ulysse Oyster Cork. These "pewter" stools are from Overstock. Encore Editions puts out this Geo. Bellows painting of "The Pink Scarf" so cheap that a new flashy aluminum frame will look plenty tony.

On a very different note....
Need a very pink but never old-fashioned fabric to work with? Try Marimekko's Lumimarja sateen fabric in its "Fuschia" colorway. Currently on sale in tablecloth lengths at Crate and Barrel. (I'm using a very different colorway in my own kitchen.)

Nothing old fashioned about this print--the branch runs right down the center and the edges are solid black. Anyone find a muse here?

Here is a link that might be useful: Marimekko tablecloth on sale

As for a new "Design Around" challenge, why not take that awful brick and laminate and colored appliance home for sale that we've been discussing and require that the designer work with it -- requirement being that it's a budget re-do and at least one existing "feature" needs to be retained?

Goal is to make the house sellable.

Florantha, OMG what a great idea! "Designed to Sell" on the super cheap with Dianalo's world's awfulest kitchen that makes your eyes bleed.

The whole "what should I do, I'm putting my house on the market and will already lose gazillions" thread is seen on here a lot, so it's a very valid, if limiting, design thread and could be used with any number of kitchens. The "Keeping the Golden Oak" was semi in that vein, albeit with a bit more imaginary budget.

Is pal or cawaps gonna start the '60s thread?

Vlad was born and raised in St. Petersburg, a company man who raised through the ranks. His job keep he and his wife in Moscow for the most part, with frequent travel required. Vlad tries to spend as much time as he can in his beloved "Peter", so he acquired a former communal flat on Nevski Prospekt not too far from the Winter Palace and converted it into his pad. Vlad has a bit of a Tsar complex and a taste for luxury and he wanted to try to reproduce an imperial tsarist space, using mostly antiques. Like so many Petersburg buildings, his bldg is a salmon pink, a well loved imperial Russian colour. He opted to bring that colour into his flat.

Of course kitchens like this did not exist in early 20th Century Russia, so I've mostly created a living room. I had trouble finding appropriate cabinetry, but the feel of the desk used in my mood board is similar to the cabinets I was looking for. Appliances would be panelled, the salmon marble would be both counter and backsplash. Let's be honest - Vlad doesn't cook much, this is a show piece.

The chairs and table shown are actually from the Winter Palace, recently auctioned off for $560K. Most other items are from 1st Dibs and other auction sites. The painting depicts the wedding of Nicolas and Alexandra in Moscow (reproduction). The fabric in the upper left area of the board is wallpaper (from a Palace on Nevski actually), area rug below. The gray herring bone floors are quite typical.

Vlad wants to use the young Russian master named Oleg Cherkasov, who created this chest of drawers below, to do his kitchen cabinets.

Sochi, awesome! The swan faucet is the piece de resistance.

Marcolo, I wasn't planning on posting the 60s tract house, mostly because I don't know enough about architecture and kitchens of the period (and you had nominated Pal). But I'm willing to do the research and post, if y'all are willing to wait while I educate myself. And I don't want to cross post with Pal if he's already putting something together.

But if neither you nor Pal (or anyone else) wants to take it on, I'll do. Just let me know clearly that I'm taking the lead.

Has anyone come across this kitchen before? Quite something. There is some pink in there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to more pictures of this kitchen

Wah! Not fair. This thread isn't done yet. Don't start another one until pink becomes exhausted.

The old threads usually continue a bit after the new ones start. I just want to hear from pal before we give cawaps the go-ahead.

Those kitchens are amazing, sochi. They really are about bringing the old living room or salon into the kitchen. As pal has pointed out, the rest of the house really has to measure up to it.

Great colours florantha, that quartzite square tile backsplash is pretty cool. The scarf painting is fab.

LWO and florantha - ugh, that kitchen again. The only element you could possibly keep is the stove I think.

marcolo - that is exactly right re: bringing the salon into the kitchen. You need a special place to pull it off, agreed. Vlad's apartment could pull it off - crazy high ceilings, great floors, just dress it up. Here are some real photos of the interior of the pink building I posted earlier. Tsarist Russia REALLY embraced pink in all its forms.

I should try to do a more budget sensitive new world Russian emigre take on an Imperialist Russian salon/kitchen. But if budget is an issue I'd probably run into problems finding the photos.

Sochi- You have inspired me to give up the self-sufficient lifestyle I know and move to Russia. Wow, everything is gorgeous!

I have to admit, the more I see all of these pink kitchens, the more tempted I am to have a pink kitchen. Everyone has had such great ideas. Some I obviously couldn't do, but there are others that I could sneak parts of in, and I don't think anyone would walk in and say "wow, you have a pink kitchen".

If we do the black and brick budget kitchen keeping one existing item as a challenge someday, will it count if I keep the window? ;)

Ne

Before you pack your bags Schmeltz, here is a picture of a more typical Russian kitchen. Still pink though! Do visit though, St. Petersburg is quite incredible.

If I have time, I want to design a pink room around a "Tobacco Leaf" China trade plate. Hope to get the time. If someone else wants to start that one, please do.

Well that pink kitchen isn't nearly as breathtaking as the others, but when the kids are older I would love to go see Russia, Italy, the west coast, really anywhere but Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky :)

Ohh Sochi I am yearning now to go to St petersburg. Your pics are just lovely!