The kids are almost done with school and we’re all getting excited about summer vacation. As a result, I’m going to be taking a summer hiatus from The Waffler.  But don’t worry — I won’t be taking a break from waffling.  I’ll store up all of my waffles and share them with you this upcoming school year.

Have a wonderful summer!

Molly

Here’s my photo of the Celine tote I purchased. As you know, I had been debating this purchase for a while and thanks to assurances from your readers, I took the plunge while Barney’s NY was running a promotion. I’m still in awe and will be admiring its newness for sometime before breaking it out. Thanks for all your help with my waffle!

A few weeks ago Chessie and her husband Robert were having a difficult time choosing an exterior paint color for their house.

Chessie’s House

They were deciding between yellow, green and blue (see the bottom three colors in the picture below).

60% of voters encouraged Chessie and Robert to go for the blue, while 20% liked the yellow and 20% chose green. Although Chessie likes the color blue, she couldn’t get past the idea that blue is a bit tacky for a house color. Instead, they are going for the Louisburg Green. Painting starts at the end of this week — good luck, guys!

Oh, and in case you’re interested in whether Chessie and Robert are going to add panels to the front of their house, here’s what Chessie had to say on the topic:

We aren’t going with the panels per se but we are boxing the front to give it some definition…I will definitely send a picture!

Have a great weekend!

Based on the feedback she received, Stacey has decided that the Surya is indeed too expensive.  Now she has found a West Elm rug that she thinks might do the trick. Here she is to explain:

Thanks for all your input on the Surya Harlequin rug. I have found another rug that I like –  the Lourdes Sanchez Swirl Rug –  but I am not familiar with West Elm or the quality of their products. It is $679 for a 9×12 as compared to $2000 for the Surya one. It’s clearly more casual, which I’m okay with, but do y’all recommend West Elm rugs? Is the quality good even though the price is great? Thanks!

Here are some pics of the Swirl Rug:

West Elm

West Elm

So what do you think, Waffler readers? Can anyone speak to the quality of West Elm rugs? And what do you think of the style?

Do you have an idea for a no-waffle, fantasy waffle or just a regular old waffle? Click here to find out more about waffles or on the button below to contact me and get started.

I snapped these pictures of carriage houses a few months back on a trip to Cambridge, MA.  As their name implies, carriage houses were the structures — some quite beautiful — used to house horse drawn carriages.  Modernized and renovated, many carriage houses are now the place where people call home.

Here’s one of my favorites.

The house to the right is where the family who owned the carriage house lived.

I love the arched wood door.

This one has been given quite the modern exterior.

I wonder how many carriages could fit in this one…

Have you ever been inside a converted carriage house? Would you like to live in one of the ones above?

PS — If you want to pin any of the above images to your Pinterest boards go ahead — you have my permission.

Do you have an idea for a no-waffle, fantasy waffle or just a regular old waffle? Click here to find out more about waffles or on the button below to contact me and get started.

This brown couch has been in my parent’s living room for as long as I can remember. And for as long as I can remember, my mother has been waffling about what color fabric to reupholster it in.  Rarely have I been home for a visit when there wasn’t a fabric swatch or two lying on the couch just waiting to be analyzed.  I’ve tried to help her decide, but it’s kind of a case of the blind leading the blind, or the waffler leading the waffler, so to speak.

I’ll let my mother explain her dilemma:

My grandmother’s couch was last upholstered about 1958. It has been much loved but really needs refreshing. It will sit next to a red velvet Victorian lady’s slipper chair and across from an easy chair upholstered in a gold weave, all on a multicolored kilim rug. I’m most attracted to the “earth” velvet but the color is fairly similar to what’s on it now. Should I go for something completely different or stick with what I know works with the room?

Here’s the color “Earth” fabric that is most similar to what is currently on the couch:

Trend

She’s also considering the darker “Molasses” color:

Trend

Mom is willing to consider something completely different, like this “Garden” color:

Trend

Or something in a dark tone, like “Steel”:

Trend

Or even darker, like “Graphite”:

Trend

So what do you think — should my mom choose a fabric similar to what is currently on the couch or go for something different?

What have you been waffling about lately? Click on the button below to get help.

Surya – Harlequin

There are a lot of area rugs available for sale on the web.  I mean a lot of area rugs.  I know this because a few years ago I spent so much time searching on-line for the perfect rug that I thought my eyes would start bleeding.  So I’m really feeling for Stacey. She’s finally found a great area rug — see the pic above — but it’s pricey.

I’ll let Stacey fill you in on the details:

Here’s a photoshop mockup of my current living room.  The couch, loveseat and tables will be replaced by the Thomasville Highlife 3 seat sofa in navy, two chairs similar to the one photoshopped in there but maybe more yellow or a gray one, and there will be new tables.

The dilemma is the rug. I really like it but do y’all think $2300ish is too much to pay for a 9 x 12 area rug?

What do you think Waffler readers? Lots of people expect to invest a hunk of change in a couch…what about a rug?

Do you have an idea for a no-waffle, fantasy waffle or just a regular old waffle? Click here to find out more about waffles or on the button below to contact me and get started.

Remember Jenn from Jenn Dot Com?  She was waffling about whether to cut her hair short into an angled bob or grow it out in longer layers.  62% of voters encouraged Jenn to cut her hair short while 38% wanted her to grow it out.  Here’s what Jenn said when I asked her what she decided:

 I’d be happy to send an after photo for you.  Here’s hoping it doesn’t turn into a cut from hell

Jayson Home

Chessie’s House

As long term Waffler readers may remember, I had quite a difficult time picking out a paint color for my laundry room (you can see the before and after here).  Choosing a color for my little laundry room is one thing; choosing a color for the outside of my house might just make my head explode.

Chessie, however, is up to the task.  She just needs a little help narrowing down her choices.  Here she explains:

When we bought our two family in Somerville, MA three years ago, we gutted and updated a lot of the interior. We love the inside now–the outside, not so much. It’s a “classic” 1970s light green vinyl that I guess was considered  modern and low maintenance then but is just ugly now.

We can’t afford to re-side with wood or a modern siding like hardy plank right now, but we recently learned about vinyl safe paints that could work to update our exterior. We have narrowed down the color options to yellow, green, and blue. The front of our house is lacking in a lot of architectural detail so we are wary of painting a color that will overwhelm. What do people think?

Take a look at the bottom three color swatches in the picture below.  Do you think Chessie should paint her house yellow, green, or blue?

And while you’re thinking about exterior colors, Chessie would also like you to weigh in on whether you like the idea of adding panels to the front of the house to boost its architectural appeal. It might look something like this — though the interior blocks would be whatever color they decide to paint the house, not the green in the image.

What have you been waffling about lately? Let me know and readers can help you make that tricky decision.

After a recent visit to NYC, I’ve been dreaming about toting these two Celine handbags and am seriously considering investing in one.  I love both designs and they come in a wide assortment of color combinations.  Plus, they’re both good work bags and can fit paper files, etc.  Which would you choose, the “Trapeze” or “Luggage?”

Here is the Trapeze bag in various colors:

Celine

Celine

Celine

And here is the Luggage tote:

Fo hasn’t decided on the color of bag she wants yet, so lets just judge this one on design — which style bag do you like best?

Do you have an idea for a no-waffle, fantasy waffle or just a regular old waffle? Click here to find out more about waffles or on the button below to contact me and get started.

the2seasons

57% of readers thought Janette should paint it, while 43% encouraged her to keep it as is. And what did Janette decide to do? Here she with the answer:

Thanks to everyone who voted on my waffle. I am going to make the armoire the best of both worlds. I will leave the exterior unpainted, but I am going to add some additional shelves to the inside and paint it a soft gray with some hints of blue. It will keep its traditional look on the outside but have a pop of color to give a new and fresh look inside.

When Rayna’s husband purchased this chicken coop she was thrilled…about the fresh eggs, that is.  The chicken coop, not so much.

Rayna’s predicament prompted me to post a waffle asking voters to choose their favorite coop from a variety of different styles.  The clear winner was this cottage-y coop, which received 44% of the votes.

Heather Bullard

This modern, clean-lined coop (which even has a skylight) received 26%.

The Art of Doing Stuff

And Rayna’s favorite? This modern cube only received 12%. (It was my favorite, too, Rayna!)

Dwell

This last waffle was inspired by another friend. Marie was giving a dinner party and wondered whether or not to ask people to take off their shoes after entering the house.

47% of readers find the shoes-off request to be totally acceptable, while 28% find it a bit annoying, and 15% have never been asked. If you didn’t get a chance to weigh in, what are your feelings about being asked to take off your shoes?

Have a great weekend!