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olldbobbi Before you make your decision regarding the pavers, try this. Cut an orange in half and rub the cut half over the grout. Let it sit for a minute, then scrub lightly with a nylon scrub brush. You may find out the grout isn't really gray. I know this because the same thing happened to me. It may also be possible to regrout with black, if you think you'd like that better.

I happen to love the pavers and it is in keeping with the style of your home, but not necessarily with the style of your furniture. If you do decide to keep them I think an area rug (a large area rug) would be the way to go.

pcmom1 Sorry about the termites! Eek!

Love, love, love your pavers! Keep them, and buy a pair of Ugg boots (the fleece lined ones!) for walking on those cold floors.

Paint the walls a soft gray to tie into the grout color.

dcer Great tip, Bobbi! I also agree that pale warm grey walls would look great, and an area rug would really help warm up the space. Cute dogs! :)

susandawn What kind of rugs are you all proposing?(Style, pattern? I'd like to pick up something from HomeGoods or similar. I don't have the budget for a rug that will cost thousands.

olldbobbi Do you have your fabric picked out for recovering the dining room chairs? You will want the rug to coordinate, but not match. Also, do you plan to keep or change the wall cover? On my monitor it is reading a pale yellow.

greengirl Love the pavers. I would like to see the grout in a dark brown. Also like the furniture with it. Recover in a fab print. Would love to see the walls ochre. And I would add a print rug under the piano.

It's just that also, a rug under dining is such a pain to vacuum. And these pavers are done so well. Maybe live with them awhile. Let us know what you decide.

pcmom1 For rugs, have you checked out Home Decorators catalog? Also, a carpet company can make up an area rug for you.

susandawn @oldbob--No, we don't have the fabric picked out. I've been waiting to figure out what to do w/ walls, flooring and then determine chairs.

@greengirl--Can you help me get an idea of what you mean by ochre? Is there a certain paint color (from a certain brand) I should look up?

@anyone--Does anyone know what is involved with changing the color of grout?

susandawn @pcmom--I just went on the Home Decorators website. I'm kind of scared to buy something without seeing it first. I bought an outdoor rug from Ballard Design (love!), but sadly, it just was not was I was picturing once I got it. Can you think of other actual stores to check out reasonable rugs? I bought some nice rugs from The Great Indoors before (the store is not around anymore).

Also, regarding the Uggs. I had to laugh. My daughter wears them and my husband teases her about how they're named Ugg because they are Ugg-ly. I think they're too young/trendy for me. I could just imagine my husband's response if I went strolling by in Uggs! LOL!

olldbobbi For the rug, check out Home Depot, they keep area rugs in stock. When I needed to change the color of my grout I used a Magnum Sharpie. Don't laugh, it worked and it's still good almost two years now.

Aja Mazin Fantastic pavers!

olldbobbi Susan, UGG's beat Crocs! My opinion.

Aja, I think you and I have similar tastes, I've noticed that on quite a few posts :)

Aja Mazin olldbob,

Magnum Sharpie gave me chills!!

olldbobbi Aja, I know, but it worked. And I have no small amount of tile. If it makes you feel better, feeny hates it too!

Aja Mazin Ochre as in [on] Florida Sandhill Cranes that stroll across my lawn.

Aja Mazin olldbob,

I meant that I have also used markers!

olldbobbi Shades of ochre: [houzz=Tea Paint]
[houzz=Spicy Hue SW6342 Paint]
[houzz=Rookwood Terra Cotta SW2803 Paint]
[houzz=Red Cent Paint]

And my all-time favorite: [houzz=Sleepy Hollow Residence]

pcmom1 One thing you can do to alleviate the worry of buying a large rug online is to order the smallest version of it they have (around 2 by 3 ft say). That way you can see the color, texture, quality before committing to the $$ size! The small one can always find a home in a small bath room or by a door.

olldbobbi Aja, that's great! I love it!

khuckabee I have saltillo tile in my den, kitchen, breakfast area and sunroom and I have an area rug in every room. I feel like ALL tile leaves a room looking unfinished. The area rug completes and complements your decor. I really would not recommend darkening your grout it will only bring MORE attention to it. Ignore it. Focus on the warmth of the tile, I think it's beautiful and you are lucky to have it. Love the suggestion of ochre. I have paired gray/green, ochre sofa for a more contemporary look.

greengirl Ok, I guess my thought of ochre was off. I was thinking more of an orangey yellow. What's that called?
The reason I suggest darker grout is to bring even more attention to the floors. Maybe it's the angle of the picture.
Now I have to figure out how to do those houzz links.

michigammemom Your saltillo tile is beautiful and so appropriate for the style of your house. Instead of covering up your dining room floors, consider playing up the Mediterranean/Spanish features of your room with a a more neutral beige wall color and the addition of aged ceiling beams. Here's a great inspiration room to get you started.

Brenda First let me say that I LOVE your floors. If it were me, I'd go all out Spanish.

My lesson learned -- I live in a Mid Century Modern House. For the first 10 years that we lived here, I tried to make it what I thought I liked, rather than what it really was. We've finally embraced the 'modern' side of our house, and it truly has never looked or felt better.

If I were you, I would look to all of the Spanish Houses in Palm Springs CA for inspiration. Either treat yourself to a trip there, or go to a vacation home rental sight (like 'HomeAway") where they will show you tons of interior photos.

You may not see it now through all those '70's "touches" and decidedly bland architecture, but that room can be stunning and those floors will be the star of the show!

Casa1220 KEEP the Saltillo tiles!! Get a cool ikat rug that has the grays and browns to tie it all together and paint the walls a soft beige , gray, or cream to tie it all together. Embrace the style of your home. Wood floors and Saltillo work well together in my opinion. I'm currently remodeling a 1938 Spanish Ranch style home that has Spanish and art deco details. Half the floor has Saltillo tile and it gives so much character not to mention its not dated :-)

susandawn @michigammemom--Thank you for that picture. I LOVE that room. We actually put some beams up in our kitchen and have been toying with what to do in the dining room. I couldn't decide if you do beams, do you skip molding. That picture gives me a clear picture of how we could do it.
@Brenda--I like the idea of treating myself to a trip. I will check out that website you mentioned. Thank you!

susandawn @Casa1220--do you have suggestions on where to look for ikat rugs?

Casa1220 Yes, I found a great one at overstock.com that was similar to one I was eyeing at Potterybarn. Google ikat rugs and you will be surprised how many stores have a few patterns.
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Handmade-Luna-Ikat-Brown-Rug-5-x-8/6827818/product.html

Darzy Love the tiles as well! Let us know what your designer says! BTW, Rugsdirect.com is good about returning the rug is you don't like. But, I ordered a small one first, it was a small animal print which was perfect. Soooo, I ordered the 8 x 10 one and the print was NOT small. It look like a picture of the small one, blown up 10 times! But, they are super about returns.

lizoregon I like the pavers. We have hardwood, and I can't go barefoot, so I wear cushy flip flops. :-) I'd skip a rug in the dining room. You'll have to get a pretty big one to allow for room for the chairs to be pushed back from the table. And cleaning is harder.

Spend your money on one you love for the family room. You will spend hundreds, not thousands if you're patient and keep looking. Keep an eye on craigslist. Home Depot has a good selection and I'm pretty sure you can return them to the store, even if you've ordered it online. Safavieh brand rugs are nice and you can get good deals on Amazon and Overstock. Darzy is right. The small rugs have smaller designs. :-) And I agree that Rugsdirect.com is good about returns. I know it's hard ordering online because the colors are not usually what you see on your monitor. Even reading a ton of reviews and doing chats with 4 different websites, I got a rug I had to return! I'm holding my breath on the runner I just ordered, but there is no selection where I live, so I'm stuck taking the chance.

I'm sure your designer will have some good ideas too. Let us know.

greenthumb2 Hi Susandawn, you can negotiate a return of a rug with a reputable store. If you found a company with people you like, and you like their selection, perhaps they would be inclined to keep you as a client, esp in this economy.

FInd the carpet material which suits your family, and bare feet. :=) then start looking for people who are true business professionals in rug sales, if area rug is your choice. The pavers could be hiding an uneven floor underneath.

Depends on your level of endurance, both financial and other. A colleague started a remodel with a home and when contractors pulled their floor up to lay ceramic tile (the wood look), the floor was uneven. Had to be cut up and jack hammered to level it out for new installation. Their budget was substantially increased. Best of luck with your decisions.

It's actually refreshing, and more true to life (imo), to have rooms a bit different as long as there is a design element co-existing. Floors do not have to be the same if the transition is rather smooth. For allergies -- avoid most carpet wall-to wall if possible. Your dogs are wonderful! do their toe nails on the tile drive you crazy? if not, keep it. The tile is so earthy. Re-grouting is doable but will be somewhat disruptive and dirty job getting the existing out first. After the old grout is removed, the tile setter will vacuum, clean wipe, let dry, apply new grout, wipe, wipe again. Let dry. Not sure curing times anymore.

Brenda Check out your nearest "HomeGoods" for a rug ... it can be hit or miss on selection, but you will not beat their prices anywhere else. 10 x 13 is about as big as you'll ever find there though.

Also, having a piece of wall-to-wall carpet bound into an area rug is not as expensive as you might think. I love the big nubby jute carpet that they have now (you frequently see them in beach houses, but I think it translates well into Spanish), and I think that natural fiber would look great with the floors.

susandawn So we began demo. The pavers are staying thanks to all of your insightful advice. The engineered wood we already have on the other half of the house will go in the blank area you see (which is where the piano was in the previous post) and the kitchen and our family room (which you can't see pictured).

We got rid of the pony wall and I love how open the whole area is. If money were no object, we'd lower the whole kitchen and dining room areas, but we have to be practical.

We plan to put up rustic beam type "fencing" along where the pony wall was and a couple of steps to connect the kitchen/kitchenette area to our other family room (I don't know what to call it--the one w/ the TV. Perhaps in a few years we would take that out and install beautiful custom wrought iron--not in the budget right now.

So, my husband wants to know if we're really going to just put up drywall along the now very low wall. He wanted to put up decorative tile or make cubbies. I said I would only do tile if it's the same as the pavers otherwise it's too many tiles together. "Really?!?! You'd put Spanish pavers on a wall?"

"Well, I don't think what tile is going to look okay next to the hardwood and pavers? I know! I'll put it on Houzz!"

I don't like the cubbies idea because I think our dogs would get into stuff. Wood paneling (sounds very 70s)? Now that I look at the 2nd picture (in my original post)--the side wall by the wrought iron looks weird w/ the drywall and partial pavers on the side).

Help!!! This is all happening during this Thanksgiving week while I'm off work.

Thank you!

P.S. Husband wants to know what you all think about putting up beams along the wall opening to the kitchen. Along the sides and top.

greengirl Would you consider making that wall (going into kitchen) arched? They do have forms for that now that you just put into corners. I think beams as moulding would look great too.

nevadan I don't think these are pavers. Maybe quarry tile? Very pretty but you have too much of it. it loks odd on the dining room stairs. Remove some and leave some intact. A little bit goes a loooong way!!

nevadan I don't think these are pavers. Maybe quarry tile? Very pretty but you have too much of it. it loks odd on the dining room stairs. Remove some and leave some intact. A little bit goes a loooong way!!

susandawn @olldbob--We are going to go with your suggestion regarding "ochre!" I found a pretty color called Cedar Grove (Dunn Edwards). It's very close to Spicy Hue. I will admit when I opened the sample and looked inside I thought, "Orange! I don't even like orange!" But on the wall it looks warm and rich and I think it's a great suggestion. Definitely out of my comfort zone, but I think it's going to be awesome! Thank you.

susandawn @nevadan--What would you put in place of the randomly removed stair tiles?

olldbobbi Yay! Somebody else loves my red ochre !!! Great choice, I hope you post after pics !!