Friday Five: HGTV Edition

Will Smama says: Greetings all!

As some of you may know I am in the midst of my first home purchase. It is a new-build and so some of the fun was picking out upgrades and major decor items to my taste rather than walking into a previously owned home that needed to be upgraded room by room (pink and teal tiles in the bathroom, anyone?). As much as decorating is not my thing, I did try to embrace the moment because just how many times do you get to have a do-over on kitchen cabinets/floors/countertops?And so, my questions to you this fine Friday involve your home past, present or future...

1) If you could, what room in the place you are currently living would you redo first?
The master bathroom. I would tear out the tub and shower and put in a much larger shower stall with two shower heads, a place to sit, and, let's say, 13" blue/gray tile instead of the institutional-looking 6" white tile the builder installed. Then I'd replace the old tub with a whirlpool tub (the bathroom is already wired for one, but we couldn't afford such fancy options when we built this house). I'd probably have to give up some closet space for my great big shower stall, but it would be worth it.

2) What is the most hideous feature/color/decor item you have ever seen in a home?
We moved back to Texas from California in 1991, and began house hunting. Before we decided to build new in the 'burbs, we looked at lots of close-in homes from the 1950's and 1960's. Nothing in our price range had had many upgrades. The one that made the most lasting impression was the early '60's ranch house with the vivid royal blue shag carpet, and the fire-engine red kitchen cabinets...Then there was the house on which we actually made an offer (SO glad that didn't work out); the tile in one bathroom was bright pink, and in the other, lime green.

3) What feature do you most covet? Do you have it? If not, is it within reach?
We've been upgrading the kitchen little by little, and our Christmas present to each other was something I've wanted for years: a really nice gas range. The Scientist insisted that we get the model with the convection oven! I confess we haven't tried that out yet--but we will.

4) Your kitchen - love it or hate it? Why?
I love my kitchen. It's roomy, sunny, and there is a good flow from the work area to the breakfast area and the living room. As in every home, when we have a party, the kitchen is where people tend to gather, so I'm glad it's fairly large and open. We put in new tile and wallpaper about five years ago, added new window shades after that, and in the past few years have replaced all of the appliances except the refrigerator. This week we finished repairing the recent damage to the breakfast area, and were so thankful that we had JUST BARELY ENOUGH of the kitchen wallpaper that we still like! I wasn't looking forward to wallpapering the whole kitchen again!

5) Here is $10,000 and you HAVE to spend it on the place you are living now. What do you do?
Oh boy! See #1 above...or maybe I would finish the kitchen with solid granite countertops and real oak cabinets to replace the "oak" veneer cabinets that the builders installed.

BONUS: Why do you think there was such a surplus of ugly bathroom tile colors showcased in all homes built from the 1950's right through the early 80's?
Well, of course in those days, people didn't think bright pink, lime green, or turquoise were ugly colors for tile (or bathtubs and toilets!). They thought their tile was beautiful and very stylish. Even the earth tones from the 80's and 90's look kind of funny to us now. Wonder what people will think of our current decor in 20 years?