Sante Fe in need of updating
Just purchased 3000sq foot Sante Fe. Limited budget. Outside is fine but inside is dated. Don't judge a book by its cover the is house has a wonderful feel and setting. Floor seems to be the largest issue. Our thought was to raise the sunken living area to make the house all one level. Either travertine tile throughout the whole 3000 square feet or an engineered wood floor throughout. We could have some cost savings if we use carpet in the 3 bedrooms. We were considering a rougher looking travertine. The floor alone will change the look dramatically. The wall colour is an ivory and was recently painted. We are ok with the colour. I have posted some photos but the whole photo display can be seen here. Password: Sante Fe http://jickmagger.smugmug.com/Other/9683-E-HIDDEN-GREEN-DR-Active/26649752_rgp8Hm/
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If you're into hosting parties frequently, I would keep that sunken level. It adds a LOT of very cool seating, like right around the fireplace.
Personally that entire floor tile has to go, those little mosaic tiles are really (in my opinion) dated and cheesy. If you're looking to save a few dollars, I would go with the laminate wood flooring in a dark colour.
The house is in some desperate need of fresh, non-beige paint everywhere. It has awesome walls and features but they all get lost in the drab colours. Even painting some rooms a bright, crisp white would do wonders. The kitchen seems a bit dated, but maybe the beige on brown is what's making it appear that way. It looks like the upstairs tile is in good shape if you were to keep that, but personally I prefer carpet. (or maybe large rugs would solve that problem)
Even a few minor changes like vanities and backsplashes would really update the look and feel of the house.
My .02 worth.
Thanks for your comments. I think there will be two camps with regards to the sunken room versus raising it all to one level. The sunken could be a "cool" factor as you say. We will definitely be changing the floor. I don't think I made myself clear and have edited my initial post. Thanks, Brian
The kitchen is a good candidate for painting, and could sport anything from white to black, including medium grays. Would it be possible to do Calcutta Gold (White marble) tops instead. I think that would add some sophistication, and I would go with a medium gray on the cabinets with Polished Chrome Hardware..
I work with corian , and I find it annoying for the price that it is it is way overpriced and not very practical.
I think as a color scheme you could do subtle grays with blues and greens.. and some darker Navy or almost black, up to you.
Appliances can stay black or changes to Stainless, Backsplash can be same Calcutta Gold..
[houzz=Dayton Door | Painted Harbor Finish | nish | CliCliqStudios.com Kitchen Cabinets]
[houzz=Calacatta Oro]
[houzz=Belcastel Centers Forged Look Flat Bottom Pull, Polished Nickel]
[houzz=Natural Ash Wood Flooring]
!) I would raise the floor!
2)Then get rid of all the half walls and raise up to make full walls.
3)Then get rid of the built in bench.
All this leads to simplify, simplify, simplify.
You have a nice sized home and it doesn't need to show too much at once.
Tone down the walls with a softer color, a more southwest color.
The purpose is to make the home inviting ...this home is too busy before you put anything into it.
I hope I haven't spoken to frankly but there is too much to look at in a distracting way.
Went to Lowes site....Bedrosian, Noce, travertine 12"x12" tiles in a medium brown throughout would help to calm down in the southwest style...
I'd get a designer for sure.
The wood cabinets have a nice grain and sleek appearance as they are. If they look a bit too gold, that will be toned down with new countertops. You can also check that the light bulbs are not some extra-orange fluorescents- they look pretty orange in the photos.
http://anatoliatile.com/scabos_travertine.html
or something a little bit more carmel Picasso
http://anatoliatile.com/picasso_fandh.html
I would use an enginered wood for easy maintanence. Find one that compliments the wood trim and doors a mid tone brown, dark floors show all the dust.
In the living room consider redoing the Fireplace. At least paint. The current color does not relate to anything around it.
I wouldn't advise spending $ on the kitchen until you can redo the whole thing. You may rethink the layout after you have lived in it a while.
Don't try to do everything at once on a limited budget. Do the best you can one space at a time. You will be much happier in the long run.
Good Luck. Your house has great bones and fantastic outdoor space. Enjoy!
http://www.azmoves.com/property/details/1313822/MLS-4850374/9683-E-Hidden-Green-Drive-Scottsdale-AZ-85262.aspx?RegionID=0&StateID=4
It's not my home.
It seems jickmagger is having a bit of ''fun'' with Houzz.
Houzz will decide.
It was only listed on the 15th of this month,
Interesting perspective on the "level change" as opposed to viewing as sunken. I must admit we are more open to leaving the levels as is than we were at first. We originally thought when we viewed this place was to raise the floor.I expect that is because of our contemporary background. At the end of the day we are okay with the rounded and half walls and would like to build around the style that is already there but with an more modern take on the space. I am still hoping we can find an up and coming interior decorator in Scottsdale that is affordable with some ideas that we can hire for some consulting. So far no luck on that front. Appreciate your comments.
Appreciate your input. Hope your doing well in what appears to be a healthier market.
Also I see you have been taking kitchen suggestions. I have a few as well. The kitchen is quite small. It would be nice to increase counters pace by taking out the wall oven, and putting an upper and lower in it's place. Run the new countertops across. Then replace the cooktop with a great cooktop/stove. The best Houzz kitchens seem to have Wolf ranges. And a matching stainless steel fridge is in order. The cabinets look quite fine with nice grain, but they are sort of orangey. Short of painting or staining, it seems like the style (are they shaker?) would support a grasscloth wallpaper insert. That is, on the flat part in between the stiles. A lighter neutral color would be nice, and add a lot of texture. You could also add a pair of glass doors somewhere where you plan to put stemware, and put a couple of puck lights in there to back light it . And voila!
Good luck with this beautiful, well designed home.
Limited Budget, Paint...
Strip and stain the Kitchen Cabs. And it looks like other wood trim matches, to do the same to all other trim to match again.
Backsplash tiles change out to horizontal lines tiles, maybe those glass tiles that look so nice.
Floors, lose the diamonds in the tiles, probably means pull all the tile. Use the wood flooring that creates linear patterns to draw you into a space. I like the neutral variegated wood floor above, by Aggie Designs.
It seems like you need neutral colors, some darks, and then a bit of punchy color, which could be your furnishings or art. Single walls of colored paint or texture would really liven up the space too. The house is a beautiful canvas, have FUN! But paint definitely is the cheapest exercise, and can easily be redone if you don't like your explorations...
I would definately keep the "sunken" floor. It adds so much definition to the space and I would be concerned about what it does for the windows--they may look out of proportion, and of course the ceiling will be not as high and airy. Who knows what can of worms you might be opening up, and expense, to fill it in. What if the layers don't bond well and it cracks eventually? What about the extra weight to the slab and footings?
When picking a new floor, consider slip resistance as well as cleanability. That is one reason I hate white tile--not good on either count. Unglazed porcelian tile is good for both and can have some nice color variation. Of course marble is very pretty, but is expensive and requires special care for cleaning.
for some insight about flooring transitions and wall colors.
I also like the colors they worked with in the kitchen area in the link I posted for you.
Also helpful would be to purchase an area rug to cover up the fireplace room floor so that it is easy to see the transition, while you and family figure out if it's fine just the way is is...
If you decide to keep the sunken floor, the transition is key. Make it a deliberate floor change here (as the originals are), and you can even light the stairs with LED for minimal cost.
Or.....Raise the floor and settle for less expensive flooring. Safer while you are living there and entertaining. Reasoning: this house may end up being your forever home, or the one you always come back to for it's great feel.
one more option: change your traffic flow. Continue the round wall from the entry way (foyer) having a open window see through to the back, but not for foot traffic.
Unless you are moving into the home immediately, take your time. There are thousands of pictures on houzz that are helpful. Look at them together and decide on favorites. Sounds as though you are willing to be a little flexible on the "fun house".
Enjoy your process!
links to flooring:
http://www.mosaictilestone.com/12-x12-Coliseum-Travertine-H-F-p/144.htm
http://www.mosaictilestone.com/Chocolate-Porcelain-12x24-Matte-p/por-choc-12x24.htm
If you are still within your inspection time period and the title is not yet in your name, you have an accepted offer pending release of contingencies, whatever they may be on the contract. Being in escrow is not the same thing as being the new owner. I guess this is Aja's point.
Don't raise the floor, it works well with the architecture of the house.
Don't get the granite countertops, but live with corian for now, until at a later time, you can upgrade the whole kitchen.
Paint kitchen cabinets.
Paint walls, woodwork.
Travertine will be stunning.
I think in order to live with the cabinets the way they are (orange), you would have to pull some kind of color trick on the walls and backsplash, like a deep dark sapphire...
I don't blame you re: corian. I hope corian people don't see this (I work with corian because it is often specified, but it's terrible as a countertop, the only great thing about corian is seamless sink and no seams).
I think it would be possible to brush on a darker finish for the cabinets.
The Walnut Travertine is beautiful and is more like the exterior house that is already great.