Homework

Carpet or hardwood floors?
Blinds or curtains?
Tiles or sheet linoleum?
Paint or wallpaper?

Which are your preferences? What do you actually have?

Our new house has one kind of carpet in all carpeted rooms -- three bedrooms, dining room, living room, and study (sunroom). It's not like anything I've ever seen before, and I suspect it's actually a commercial carpet, and not residential. Very low and dense. It might be berber, but I've never seen a berber like this. It has a number of flaws in it, including a small burned spot by the living room fireplace. And I have to say I was happy to have it. With two dogs and a cat, it's really a relief not having to worry about what they might do to the carpet.

The foyer and hall have a wood parquet floor, and the kitchen has a black and white tile of some sort (I'm not sure if tile is the right word -- it's kind of soft, actually).

Overall, I prefer carpeting to hardwood floors, but I insist on tile or even vinyl in kitchens and baths.

For "window treatment," as they say, every window has vertical blinds (fairly good ones), which we're leaving up even though they're not my first choice. The master bedroom and the dining room have panel curtains that I don't like at all. I think I'm going to try to put up valances, I guess on every window in the dining room and living room.

Generally I don't like wallpaper. There aren't too many patterns I like and it's an awful lot of trouble. Paint is much easier to put on, easier to change your mind about, and more versatile to decorate with. A lot of pattern on the walls is difficult for me to relax in, I think.

We have a pretty nice antique gold in the living room and master bedroom. The kitchen is almond to match the countertop, and that color is also in the front bath. The guest rooms are a pretty nice taupe.