Old Town Home

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Spring Cleaning: The Straight and Narrow

Posted by Wendy

Comments 9

Before we delve into today's post, I want to mention something that is surely weighing on a lot of people's minds. After the horrible events in Boston that occurred yesterday, we'd like to extend our heartfelt sympathy and thoughts to the the marathon runners and spectators, especially those that were injured. We'd also like to express our gratitude to the first responders and officials that are working tirelessly to provide support and safety. I feel saddened and sickened by yesterday's events, but am so grateful my uncle, who was participating in the race, and my aunt, who was cheering him on, are safe and sound.

It's hard to concentrate on other things right now, so we hope our blog post might provide a moment or two of a departure from the events in Boston.

Man oh man, do we have a crazy long to do list in front of us this week. If you read yesterday's post about our recent curb appeal efforts, you know that we realized we had signed up to host a neighborhood party this month. With little time to spare, we took stock of what we needed to accomplish this week before 40 or so people descend on the house.

So where are we, exactly, in our to do list? Here's a quick recap of where we stand. Before Friday's event, we need to:

Trim the topiaries and plant flowers in the front urns
Plant flowers in the front bed, and mulch the area
Clean the front steps and vestibule
Rake up the sticks and debris along the side of the house
Clean out the beds in the back yard
Plants herbs
Plant the vegetable garden
Clean and oil the outdoor furniture
Clean the house
Oil the kitchen counters
Replace the Christmas carol artwork in the sun porch with something less seasonal
Purchase wine, cups, and other party items
Set up an outdoor buffet for the party

Tonight we decided to tackle item number four on the list. Although not a top priority, the area on either side of our alley wall was in desperate need of a little TLC. On the alley side, general debris had collected over the last several months, to include sticks, leaves, trash, and a few indications that we have inconsiderate pet owners that walk our alley. (I'll spare you photographic evidence of the last item.) Here's a look at what we were starting with.

Sure, it wasn't horrible, but it needed a bit of a spruce up. I got to work, quickly raking the base of the wall, pulling old leaves and general junk from the roots of the ivy. I raked the debris into several small piles, and Alex got to work bagging.

Meanwhile I spent a few minutes pulling up clumps of weeds that were growing alongside the front of our house.

After only 20 or so minutes, the area was substantially improved. It's a subtle difference in the photos, but in person it seems more apparent that our home is inhabited by people who weren't raised by wolves.

On a bit of a side note, what we have now is 1,000 times better than what we had when we moved in. Years of neglect left the ivy struggling to survive. Now that we've worked on it for 10 years, trimming and training the ivy along the way, the old images are both shocking and a distant memory.

The next step involved the narrow alley on the inside of our wall. This tight and rather dysfunctional space unfortunately serves as a catch all for yard tools, broken pots, the sky pencils that used to reside in our front urns, half used bags of soil, and other miscellaneous junk. It's a total eyesore, and unfortunately we've yet to crack how to properly organize this narrow space. (Perhaps a little shed build-out is in Alex's future?)

Nevertheless, a cleanup was in order, so I first got to work trimming back the long strands of ivy.

Meanwhile Alex began identifying items for the trash, as well as organizing the items that were staying. Is hiding junk behind the air conditioner really a solution, especially when it's in plain view from the dining room window? Definitely not, but it will have to do for now.

Even Lulu looked at us disapprovingly for that move.

Once we had the majority of the junk cleaned up neatly tucked behind the air conditioner, we swept up the yard waste and neatly wound up the long garden hose.

All in all, the area isn't "organized" by any stretch of the imagination, but it's greatly improved from the hot mess that it was just a few hours ago.

It's all part of a good spring cleaning, and I'm still grateful for the self imposed deadline that's forcing us to tackle the yard work in a timely manner this year.

Do you have areas of your home that you tend to ignore? Maybe a space that seems totally unusable? Do you have any ideas on how we can better organize this area? We'd love to hear your ideas.

Categories

Projects

Cleaning Organizing

Comments 9

Monday, April 15, 2013

Lighting the Fire: Topiary Hair Cuts, New Flowers, and a Mad Dash

Posted by Wendy

Comments 12

What's one way to pull yourself out of a house project funk? Plan a party! Nothing gets our motivation more supercharged than the notion that we have droves of guests arriving to our home in a short amount of time. After all, the last time we worked our way (albeit frantically) through a project checklist was when we were counting down to the day our home was featured on the Scottish Christmas Walk Designer Tour of Homes. I guess a deadline is sufficient motivation for us to get our butts in gear.

After arriving home last week from an international business trip, I had the cruel realization that Alex and I had volunteered to throw the April neighborhood party. These "TGIF" parties are held by neighbors in and around our block every other month on a Friday. They're a great way to meet new neighbors, and of course we love them because we enjoy the glimpse inside other old homes in our area. Knowing we already have a commitment on the last Friday of April, a quick glance at the calendar indicated that we had less than ten days to create invitations, shop for party essentials, and get our house into shape. Yikes!

With Spring's late arrival, I want to play off the nice weather and host a "garden party," thus encouraging us to enjoy the onset of the warmer weather in the outdoor space (with Mother Nature's cooperation). The problem? Our back yard is a post-winter wasteland, complete with dead plants, shriveled flowers, rotten pumpkins, dog droppings, dry leaves, and various debris. The area doesn't exactly scream "welcome to our home."

This weekend we got to work, and completed a marathon shopping trip on Saturday to pick up the supplies we needed.

After three hours and three stops, we had a car full of loot and we were well on our way. It's shopping trips like these that make us really appreciate owning our SUV, especially after over a decade with a Mustang.

Armed with flowers, mulch, potting soil, a new welcome mat, and a few other odds and ends, we put together a game plan. Before Friday's event, we need to:

Trim the topiaries and plant flowers in the front urns
Plant flowers in the front bed, and mulch the area
Clean the front steps and vestibule
Rake up the sticks and debris along the side of the house
Clean out the beds in the back yard
Plants herbs
Plant the vegetable garden
Clean and oil the outdoor furniture
Clean the house
Oil the kitchen counters
Replace the Christmas carol artwork in the sun porch with something less seasonal
Purchase wine, cups, and other party items
Set up an outdoor buffet for the party

Whew, what a list. Trying not to get too overwhelmed, I decided the first order of business would be to tackle the gardening out front. Luckily we had gotten a jumpstart on the front a few weeks back, when we cut back the grasses, and cleaned out the front beds.

Despite our previous cleanup efforts, what we were starting with looked pretty bleak.

Trying not to get discouraged, I determined this weekend's order of business would be to first focus on items one and two on our list: trim the topiaries and plant flowers in the front urns, as well as plant a few new perennials in the front bed and lay mulch the area.

Since planting our new trees in November, our cute spiral topiaries have been on the move, and had taken on a bit of an unkempt appearance.

I got to work with a sharp pair of scissors, and I was able to whip these guys into shape. I simply followed the spiral lines from bottom to top, snipping off the new growth, otherwise dubbed "crazy guys" in our household.

All it took was ten minutes to restore a crisp, neat appearance, which immediately helped the urns start looking a bit better.

Next up I determined the planting order for the urns' flowers. I arranged the sweet potato vines, purple aster, magenta brachyscome, and white gulliver bacopa, and once I realized I was happy with the order, I planted them in the urns.

To ensure proper coverage I also added in more soil, in this case Miracle Grow's moisture retention potting mix, which helps give the plants a bit of an edge during our long, hot DC summers. After a bit more finessing, I took a step back to admire. I was quite happy with the results.

After giving myself a second to smile at my newly planted urns, I turned my attention to the area around the tree. As I mentioned previously, we had done a bit of work to clean up the bed, so I could jump right in. After a bit of inspection, it appears that most of the plants are returning for another season. However, the jury is still out on the grass plants. I don't see any new growth, but I figured I'd keep them in the ground for a few more weeks just to be sure, and if they don't come back, we'll replant the area with something new.

In order to give the existing plants a bit more time to grow, I played it safe at the store and purchased only three new additions for this area. I laid out the three plants, which I hope will lend a pop of color to the space. Once I was happy with the placement I got to work planting them.

To increase their odds of survival, I dug a larger hole than needed, and filled it in with a few scoops of the potting mix to improve the quality of the dirt.

Alex turned over much of the top layer of soil and removed any garbage or old mulch that had been left hanging around, leaving the front bed ready for the final step of its beautification, new mulch. It's amazing how much a new bag or two of mulch helps the flower bed look like it's ready for spring!

We spread the mulch evenly over the whole bed, allowing our little flowers and new plantings to pop through. We also went ahead and covered the water meter cover, which had been so recklessly disturbed a few weeks back. Now that all of their reading is done wirelessly, this really shouldn't cause an issue, and it looks WAY better.

While we still kick around the idea of getting a black metal fence to surround the area, I've actually come to like it in its more simplistic setup. Granted, it will surely look better once these small plants start to actually grow and fill in, but I look at the current state of the bed and see all of its mid-summer potential.

Between the bed and our new plantings in the urns, the front of our home is once again becoming "respectable." In just a few weeks time the sweet potato vines should be gently cascading towards the ground, and the pops of color throughout the cast iron bases will hopefully be providing a dramatic base for the spirals.

While its full potential is still weeks away, the front of our home has what it takes to eventually become the quaint Old Town row house that we love.

The front of our home is now welcoming enough to greet visitors as they arrive for our garden party. Though we still have a lot of work to do in the back yard, this is definitely a step in the right direction.

Did you do any gardening this weekend? I know the weather has been hit or miss depending on the section of the globe you happen to occupy, but I can say for sure, I'm quite happy spring appears to have arrived in our neck of the woods.

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Projects

Garden

Comments 12

Friday, April 12, 2013

Repointing Part 3: Practice Makes Perfect, or at Least Better

Posted by Alex

Comments 8

Repointing is easy! Yes, that's right, easy peasy!

I know, I said it was an exercise in futility, doubted the beauty of our initial attempts, and potentially even swore under my breath a few times when I was somewhat frustrated during my initial batch of mortar, but I think I've got the hang of it. The secret seems to be in using the right tools for the job, and in having some experience under my belt to get the hang of things. Go figure.

After my first go-round of chiseling and repointing, I identified some things that helped me be far more effective in the second phase of my project. These were simple adjustments that resulted in a far better end result.

The first thing I decided was no more start and stop. I had wanted to try my hand at the actual repointing part of the project so badly that I only cleared away a small amount of mortar before moving forward with the first mix batch. (How incredibly lame does that sentence make me sound? Good thing I'm not single. "Hey ladies, I can't wait to try my hand at mortaring a brick joint.")

As I learned, this is a bad move. For this second phase of mortar chiseling, I decided I needed to just power through and chip away all of the mortar that needed to be removed from the area in which I planned to work. This took far longer (several hours longer) but it would allow me to clean my space properly before the next phase, as well as removing the need to worry about where to stop while applying the mortar or how much mortar to mix for the area I had cleared.

The second thing I realized was just how much the loose dust left from chiseling got in my way. I had previously brushed the dust away, but that only worked so well. This time I used our Shop-Vac to suck away all of the loose sand and dust from the waiting joints. This helped the new mortar to go into the joints and stick, rather than just slide away on a bed of crumbling sand.

With these two realizations/decisions I was able to move forward with the project. Oh, I also went ahead and resolved my "right tools for the job" issue by ordering the two tuck pointing trowels I mentioned in our last repointing post. Like I've said before, Amazon Prime, I <3 thee.

I worked my way down the chimney chiseling away the loose mortar. Some areas fell away with ease, while other areas needed more encouragement, but ultimately it all gave way to my brick hammer and plugging chisel.

I previously referenced two odd areas I had to deal with on this project, and i'd be lying if I said they didn't cause me some emotional strife at the onset. This room was the house's second bedroom in the past, and like the other two bedrooms of the original home, there was a stove (probably coal burning) that provided the room's heat during cold winter nights. This stove had two connections to the wall, one about waist height and one a few inches off of the floor. When the previous owners decided there was no need for this stove they bricked up one hole with an odd looking patch of mismatched bricks and Portland cement...

...and filled the second with cement, but left it protruding from the wall by a good inch.

I needed to make this look a little better, if only because I felt like it was needed and would give me some good masonry patching practice.

I chiseled out the upper circle by chipping away the plaster that had been mashed in around it. I really don't understand why someone would have just caked it full of plaster, it seems less than ideal for a stove connection. After a few minutes of smacking the wall I had myself a dusty mess laying on the floor of the bathroom, but a successful removal at that.

Removal of the oddly patched lower area proved a bit more difficult. The Portland cement had really been caked on, not just placed I in the brick's joints. I had to chisel away the cement for quite some time.

As I did this is became increasingly clear why you don't want to use Portland cement in these applications, and how the brick actually becomes more fragile when it sits against the harder cement. After a little effort I had myself...well...a giant mess.

Removal of the lower bricks allowed a collection of black soot to pour out of the chimney. It seems it's collected in the void behind these smaller bricks for years, trapped between the clay tile and the bricks, just waiting to eventually be freed.

To patch the hole left by the patch removal I grabbed a few spare bricks from the basement. These bricks are original bricks to the house that were removed at some point from some wall by some owner. Not sure from where or why, but they constitute bricks we can use for projects like this. Who knows, maybe they're extra parts leftover like you see with IKEA furniture?

I didn't want to go overboard with this patch by removing bricks that were solidly in place. Since this will ultimately be covered, I just wanted to patch in the holes and call it a day. I got to work with the old bricks and cutting them down to size for the opening.

If you're not familiar with how to trim a brick to size, it's super easy! You start by determining the size of the brick and make a mark on the line where it needs to be cut. Then, using a brick chisel, you score the brick by giving the chisel a few smacks with the mason's hammer along the line.

Once you make the line all the way around, use the hammer to really whack the chisel. If you've scored the brick properly, it will break pretty cleanly along the score line. Pretty awesome if you ask me!

When I had all of the various pieces of brick necessary for the holes in the chimney I dry fit everything to make sure it would all fit together properly.

Once happy with the fit, I moved onto my mortar mixture. I mixed the mortar in a far looser manner with additional water. This works much better for the patch given that I need the mortar to ooze out once I place the bricks in the opening.

After I placed the patching bricks with their loose mortar I was feeling pretty good about my progress. I added a little more mortar to the mix to thicken it up a bit so I could move onto repointing. Now that I had my tuck pointing trowel in hand I was able to get the hang of repointing in a much neater manner.

Using a technique I learned from several online sources and a commenter I grabbed a bit of mortar on my trowel and treated it as my hawk.

I then used the tuck pointing trowel to push lines of mortar into the open joints until the joints were full of mortar.

Then, still using the tuck pointing trowel, I sort of packed the mortar into the joint and worked to raise the cream of the mortar and shave off any excess that was overfilled.

Working from the lower bed joints on up toward the top of the chimney I slowly packed the joints and smoothed them out, in a slow, methodical manner. Using the tuck pointing trowel left me with joints that were full, even, and neat. No longer did I have a sloppy joint left by a jointer, I had a collection of nicely filled joints.

I also worked to fill the remaining joints around the patches I had made. I kept working at this until I used up all of the mortar in the first bag we hard purchased. It was starting to look pretty great, if I must say so myself, especially for just my second attempt.

The end result of this second go-round of repointing was much smoother than the first. I made a great deal of progress and got myself to a point where I was out of mortar but still have the majority of the face of the chimney left to finish up the job. I've ordered another bag from LimeWorks.us in a color that's closer matched to our original mortar, and I'm excited to give it a try.

So now's the moment of truth. What do you think of my second try at this initially difficult task that's starting to get a little bit easier? I should be wrapped up with it after the weekend, then I'll have a nice chimney and some peace of mind for when we get the chimney officially relined...whenever that happens to be.

Categories

Masonry

Comments 8

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Peak Bloom: A Different Cherry Blossom Experience

Posted by Alex

Comments 16

This.

This is what Peak Bloom looks like!

How beautiful it is!

Almost each and every year of the 12 springs we've lived in DC, I am completely floored by the wonders that are the Cherry Blossom blooms in and around the DC metro area.

I try to make time every year to venture down around the tidal basin, along the National Mall, and towards Haines Point to take in the spectacle and tradition of this wonderful gift from the Japanese some 100 plus years ago.

Last year I shared some of my favorite photos from my walk around the tidal basin, and this year I'd like to do the same, with a little twist.

The first many years of being a tourist in my own area I enjoyed what all of the tourists enjoy -- the cotton ball- and cotton candy-like blossoms that fill the area and announce the arrival of spring while framing some of our nation's best known monuments.

The lovely blossoms draw you in and are as interesting from afar...

...as they are up close.

But as I've ventured down year after year, I've been able to develop a different kind of appreciation for the blossoms and what they bring to our area. More specifically, I've been able to pick out those things that you don't notice as a first blush tourist. Items such as the annual return of my favorite warning sign.

One of my favorite aspects of the annual cherry blossom bloom period has actually become the people that are drawn to the area and the tremendous influx of tourists that arrive in the each spring, either from remote or local locations. We're talking everyone from just a few miles away to those that have travelled from as far as the other side of the globe, and they're all coming to catch a glimpse of these little pink petals and appreciate them in their own way.

More than a simple crush of tourists, one group of people these flowers draw are photographers from near and far, and all are primarily concerned with getting "the shot."

Apparently there's a rule of thumb with these blooms. If you see a beautiful sight, nicely framed shot, or postcard perfect view, turn around and you're bound to see a gaggle of photographers, many going to great lengths of laying down or standing on garbage cans, to get this same beautiful shot. This is one of the first things I saw as I reached the tidal basin across from the Jefferson Memorial.

How many photographers can you count in this photo? They all have their gear, their bags, and whatever else they need. This alone helps me realize what a wonderful thing I am seeing, if I somehow missed it on my own.

I realize I may sound hypocritical, since I was down there snapping photos along side of them, but I'm merely commenting as an observer that appreciates these dedicated tourists in search of that shot of something truly unique and inspiring. You'll find photographers of all ages, genders, and skill levels.

Each one clamoring for "the shot" they can either sell to a horticulture magazine, use to wow their friends and family back home, or proudly refer to in the future under "the trip we took to see the Cherry Blossoms."

After all, these trees are world famous, and they have the paparazzi to prove it.

In addition to the photographers you see throughout the area, you often see artists working on their much slower to develop interpretation of the impressive scenes. They attract their fair share of photographers looking to capture them capturing their scene, primarily because it's such an impressive endeavor in this age of instant gratification.

I wonder how many facebook pages, blogs, or emails this artist will apear on over the next several days? While I was taking my photos at least a dozen other people were snapping shots. Some with zoom lenses from many yards away, while others with iPhones who happened to be in near violation of the artists' personal space.

Visitors are often very friendly and feel free to point you to the best place for a photo of a specific tree or scene, while others will walk and gawk at what they are seeing. When the weather is nice, the blooms are at their peak, and nobody really wants to get into work on time, the whole area fills up by 8:00am with photogs, joggers, cyclists, local workers, and area tourists, all out to enjoy what this wonderful collection of national parks have to offer.

I've been visiting so long and so often that I've even been able to establish my "favorite trees." I have three that I always single out.

First, the little tree that could. This struggling little tree has been lopped off year after year and is beginning to look like the Sideshow Bob of the Cherry Blossom world, but he's still chugging along, popping out blooms from the most unlikely of places. I wasn't sure if he was going to flower after his latest round of amputations, but apparently the US Park Service's Cherry Blossom guys know what they're doing.

One of my absolute favorite trees around the basin is this gnarly old guy with his thick but splintered with age trunk. This is not nearly as much about the flowers as it is the character of the trunk itself, though the foliage is still breathtaking. Beaten and battered, perhaps, but nothing is going to stop this tree from putting on a show each year.

And my third favorite tree fits into a similar category to the previous. It's old and absolutely full of character in its hulking appearance and ability to provide a massive canopy for those beneath. I'm not sure why, but I'm particularly drawn to these older trees. The ones that could easily be great-great-grandfathers of the newer trees on the grounds, and they have all of the knots and bumps to prove it.

The final items I want to share from my trip are a few photos of a tidal basin regular. He's a basin fisherman that I see out there during my typical running months. The recent weather has been perfect for him, and he can often be spotted sitting on the southern bank of the tidal basin trying to reel in his next big catch.

He's a really nice guy who was happy to show off his catch of the day for all of us gawky onlookers (did you really think there were any fewer than four photographers taking his photo at any given time) to ooh and ahh at. Hey, it was an impressive catch for the tidal basin.

After showing one of my co-workers this photo he said, "It's days like today when I really wouldn't mind switching jobs with him."

All told, this year's experience was as good as all previous experiences. I was able to stroll my familiar loop and appreciate all the blooms and the people watching the blooms have to offer. It's a rare and special thing to live somewhere that is a dream or once-in-a-lifetime destination for many, so I will do my part to ensure I'm not one of those jaded locals that fails to soak in the various sights, sounds, and experiences the area has to offer. I hope you've enjoyed my virtual tour of the basin, and that the Cherry Blossoms through my eyes have made you smile.

Have you ever gone down to see the blooms during their peak? If not, is this on your bucket list? I know it is for many. If you're in the area, it's not too late. Today is another beautiful day and the blooms are still at their peak. It's hard to tell what tomorrow's storm will do as the petals are already beginning to fall with a stiff breeze. Hopefully they'll still be in good shape this weekend.

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Comments 16

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Clawfoot Tub: Sidelined by Color Choices

Posted by Wendy

Comments 42

I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. As much as I adore perusing endless photos of perfectly designed and staged spaces, it’s also a cruel reminder of the work that’s left to do in our home. My “Bathrooms We’re Drooling Over” board in particular delivers the stinging blow, reminding me that I haven’t taken a bath in our home in over four years. Yep, you read that right. Four. Long. Years.

Despite not actually starting the master bathroom renovation project four years ago, we slowly stopped using our 1980s monstrosity due to a faulty tub stop, leaking shower due to improper installation, and finicky toilet. It had come to serve as a large, ugly storage room, which doubles as a space to brush our teeth.

In the time since my last real bath, we’ve done so much while feeling as if we've achieved so little. In addition to actual progress we've researched, dreamed about, planned, and saved for the day that we could complete a transformation of the space into a room of my dreams. Heck, nearly ten years ago we started buying for this space when we saw a killer deal on eBay for a salvaged cast iron tub.

As we've mentioned previously, the tub has sat dormant in our subterranean nightmare, otherwise known as the basement, covered in mounds of junk, just waiting for its time to shine. If you look closely, you can catch a glimpse of his beautiful curvaceous sides at the bottom of the photo below.

Despite not being ready to relocate this several hundred pound hulking beast just yet, that doesn’t mean that I don’t often go downstairs to visit him (the tub, of course) and start to formulate my plan of attack. Heck, after the goose vs. telephone debate I pulled the trigger and purchased the hardware for my friend. I liken it plunking down the money for a gorgeous engagement ring only to keep it hidden away until the day I can profess my endless love (for the tub) and put a little bling on it for all to see.

But before he (yes, the tub) can come upstairs and show off his bling, there’s quite a bit of work to do. After all, he’s currently covered in dirt and grime, which can only be partially attributed to the time spent in our lair. His outer sides are painted in varying ghastly shades, including green and yellow. And I’m not talking about a beautiful butter yellow, like the clawfoot tub Sarah Richardson used in the renovation of her Canadian farm house.

We’re talking more post late night drinking binge bile yellow. Sexy.

And what about my clawfoot’s feet? Once caked in layers of paint, now painstakingly cleaned and stripped by my better half a number of years ago. He was so ambitious in those early days. He was sure the installation of the tub *had* to be right around the corner.

This honest and no holds barred assessment of the tub leads us to what we have today, but the question I wrestle with is what his new look will be in the future, especially the color of his sides and feet. There are a lot of choices out there, and I’ve been carefully considering our options for many years through extensive online research.

Photo Credit: Advanced Refinishing LLC

The following are the various options we've been considering:

White Sides, White Feet

Although one might argue that this is a boring choice, I don’t see how this can go out of style. A white bathroom is often viewed as a classic, and my hope is that this simple and traditional choice will never cause a future homeowner to contemplate my color selection. (Ahem, see note above about current green and yellow paint job.)

Photo Credit: Lonny

White Sides, Silver Feet

Alex is a fan of this look, although I’m on the fence about it. Silver feet are a popular choice no doubt, but they might be a bit too much for my taste. If we were to go this route we'd actually need to find somewhere that does metallic plating Alex refuses to accept the option of spray paint. We'd send the feet out to have them plated in polished nickel to match the rest of the hardware, but that might end up running about $400-$600 for the whole thing, far more than the $150 we paid for the tub. Not my favorite approach.

Photo Credit: lushome.com

Black Sides, White Feet

Painting the sides of the tub in gloss black would definitely ground the room, but without the addition of black elsewhere in the space, i.e.the vanity or accents, the tub might stick out like a sore thumb. I really like this classic choice, but I’m not sold that this is the right choice for our bathroom.

Photo Credit: Salvage One

Crazy Colored Sides, Crazy Colored Feet

I could throw caution to the wind, and make a true statementin my choice. After all, it’s only paint we’re talking about here, not something more permanent and expensive to change out like tile.

Photo Credit: Design Sponge

We could get really crazy and do more than a solid color. Perhaps painting the feet like a tiger or eagle claw, or even painting the toenails.

Photo Credit: Sacremento's Hometown Tourist's Blog

I've even seen some people do multicolor stencils on their tub. Not sure I have the courage to try this look in our home, but it's a cool idea for the right space.

Photo Credit: Kammy's Korner

Gray Sides, Gray or White Feet

I’m nearly 100% certain that my floor tile of choice will be a 1” Carrara marble hexagon tile with dark gray grout, and the upper walls will be painted in a mid-tone gray. I’m toying with the idea of using a soft gray paint on the tub sides, and painting the feet white. The gray sides will be a more interesting choice, but it might be too much gray in the room. Hmm. Jury’s still out on this one.

Photo Credit: Country Living

Thought I’m probably favoring the plain Jane white on white option at this point, only time will tell. Perhaps once I see the new space in the flesh, the answer will be that much clearer. But until that day, I’ll lay in my dirt-encrusted clawfoot tub, in the dingy light of my Hoarders-esque basement, and dream of the day I can float in my clean tub like a beached whale, enveloped by hot water and lavender scented bubbles, with a celebrity magazine in my hand, a glass of wine at my ready, and the smooth sounds of Dave Matthews Band or +Live+ filling the space. As you can probably tell, I haven’t given much thought to this scenario at all.

What's your vote on the color scheme? Should we play it safe? Perhaps be more daring? Even drop some serious coin on this project? Maybe there’s an option I haven’t considered? I’d love to get your two cents on the matter.

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