I Just Discovered This ‘Grout Effect’ Sealant, and It's Changing the Game |

This blog post details the transformation of a new, five-bedroom, 5,200-square-foot Toll Brothers colonial home in the North Star Chase subdivision, showcasing how a plain vanilla property was elevated to a sumptuous space through strategic design choices. The owner, Linda Mulvihill, a mother of three, took on the formidable task of personalizing the new construction. Her first significant decision was to halt the builders from installing standard wooden spindles on her two-story staircase, insisting on wrought iron instead. This preference for wrought iron not only redefined the interior staircase but was also extended to the exterior, distinguishing the home from others in the neighborhood. Wrought-iron gates now encircle a garden of roses and wildflowers, leading a curved path to the columned portico entrance. The integration of this element from the garden into the foyer’s staircase creates a cohesive visual flow upon entering the home. Mulvihill's design aspiration was to blend Asian and Italian influences to achieve a casually elegant atmosphere. To realize this vision, she enlisted Joyce Keeney, senior designer and founder of Interior Concepts in Hockessin. Together, they meticulously integrated these diverse cultural aesthetics through thoughtful selections of color and texture. Mulvihill's fondness for red was incorporated by Keeney, who harmonized strong hues with more subdued colors found in carpets, throw pillows, and drapes. The majority of the furniture was sourced from EJ Victor Upholstery in North Carolina, while lighting fixtures predominantly came from Fine Art Lamps in Florida, ensuring a consistent design language throughout the home. Mulvihill noted her tendency to create formal spaces, and Keeney's expertise helped her strike a balance between formality and comfort. The living room immediately captures attention with a jeweled chandelier suspended above a black Yamaha grand player piano, establishing a formal yet inviting space suitable for both entertaining and casual family moments. An all-wool, custom-colored Oriental carpet anchors the room, reflecting the hues of Oriental tables, hutches, and an olive silk sofa. Rich embroidered silk draperies from Kravet Couture, in green, gracefully puddle on the floor, while family photos and paintings are encased in antique gold frames. A notable piece is a 24-karat gold leaf coffee table, representing chinoiserie—an 18th-century Western European and English decorative fashion that incorporates Chinese ornamentation and structural elements. Keeney highlighted the versatility of chinoiserie, explaining its compatibility with various furniture styles, making it ideal for Mulvihill's desired blend of Italian and Asian influences. The formal dining room features a mahogany table with a burled piano finish and a china cabinet from EJ Victor’s Newport Mansion collection, filled with Lenox dishes. An Italian crystal chandelier with antique gold accents serves as a central focal point, complemented by custom-finished antique gold sconces. The room is distinctively wallpapered with Scalamandre silk paper, a sophisticated choice that, despite its challenging installation process, provides a luxurious, textured paint-like appearance. Dark wood floors and Oriental runners guide the transition from the dining room to the family room, where columns similar to those at the portico entrance mark the space. A striking 11-foot Maitland Smith console table with a stone top, weighing 1,000 pounds, dominates the family room, above which hangs a large painting of Venice framed in antique bronze. The walls, faux-finished by local artist Gary Paiement to resemble Tuscan plaster, feature a soft neutral sage with copper undertones, creating a serene yet invigorating ambiance. In the family room, black-and-white family photos offer a visual contrast to the rich greens, reds, golds, and rusts of the oversized sofas, throw pillows, and heavy velour drapes. Thick walnut curtain rods frame a floor-to-ceiling fireplace and walnut mantel. French doors open to an expansive double deck, leading to a pool and fire pit, offering breathtaking views of the Pike Creek Valley. The gourmet kitchen, which adjoins the family room, includes builder upgrades and is further enhanced by furnishings such as a Guy Chaddock table and chairs beside a second fireplace, creating a cozy area for family meals and homework. The kitchen is illuminated by chandeliers: a large crystal and gold fixture above the table and several smaller, dark bronze chandeliers above the granite island. An original landscape oil painting and embroidered drapery panels by Beacon Hill incorporate Tuscan colors. The office, however, diverges from the main Italian and Oriental motif, dedicated instead to Dr. Mulvihill’s golf hobby. Delaware artist Tracy Berger created a wall-length mural of Pebble Beach, the doctor’s favorite golf course, as a birthday gift from Linda. The room is sparingly furnished with a mahogany desk, a black wall unit, and chairs, allowing the large bay window with its valley view to take prominence. Linda Mulvihill acknowledges that decorating is an ongoing process, continually adding pieces and relying on Keeney's guidance to refine her home's aesthetic, a testament to her keen taste and clear vision for her living space. #HomeDesign #InteriorDecorating #WroughtIron #AsianItalianFusion #LuxuryInteriors #CustomDesign #HomeRenovation #DesignConsultant #DecorativeElements

This article explores the growing trend of using cement tiles to create a "statement shower" in home bathrooms, moving beyond traditional neutral aesthetics. It highlights a specific example in Molly Alexander's en suite bathroom in Magnolia, where K&L Interiors, led by cofounder Kelly Lyons, installed dark, moody blue cement tiles. The tiles' color, though difficult to precisely name (described as having deep green undertones rather than pure cobalt or teal, eventually listed as "midnight" by the manufacturer), provides a bold contrast to the bathroom's otherwise neutral palette and cloud-patterned wallpaper. The article discusses the design philosophy behind this choice, noting that Pacific Northwest homeowners often opt for safe, neutral designs. Alexander, however, was open to more daring ideas, which is not a common client preference, according to Lyons. While picking bathroom tile is a small component of a larger renovation, it offers extensive options in color, material, shape, and size, making it a more complex decision than selecting paint colors, with more permanent consequences if a regrettable choice is made. Ceramic tile, such as the classic subway tile, remains a standard for bathroom walls, but the article focuses on cement as an alternative. Cement tiles have gained popularity over the past decade, often seen in high-design environments like hotels or restaurants, or in homes where owners are willing to make a significant design commitment. Historically, these tiles frequently featured black-and-white or bold patterns. However, the current approach, as exemplified in Alexander's home, involves using solid-color cement tiles in a new fashion. The material's natural porosity gives it subtle shadings and visible texture, and like marble, it is expected to develop a patina and show wear over time. Lyons appreciates this characteristic, stating, "It's going to show that you lived in it. I like the beauty of that." Alexander and her husband readily accepted the choice of cement tiles from Los Angeles-based Zia Tile. A key difference with cement tiles compared to ceramic or porcelain is their maintenance requirements. Alexander's shower has been in daily use for two years, and she is now due to apply the recommended biennial sealer to maintain the porous material. The article also touches upon the broader context of the design, noting that the saturated blue hue gains meaning from the bedroom's view of Elliott Bay, suggesting that blues and greens can act as neutrals in this region, provided the correct shade is chosen. Alexander considers the bathroom one of her favorite rooms and often showcases it to visitors after pointing out the water view. The article concludes with a practical tip from designer Kelly Lyons for evaluating broad color applications: taking samples outdoors to observe them in natural sunlight. This practice helps to understand how the color will appear in a larger space, even if the actual room receives less light. The discussion also highlights three Northwest resources for tile: Ann Sacks (Denny Triangle) for classic styles, Statements (Tukwila) for design-forward options, and United Tile (Georgetown) for a wide selection and expert assistance. #HomeDesign #Bathrooms #HomeInteriors #HomeRemodel #CementTile #StatementShower #InteriorDesign #TileSelection

L&M Construction Chemicals, a family-owned business established in 1961 and based in Omaha, Nebraska, specializes in manufacturing concrete chemicals and treatments for both general concrete construction and the polished concrete industry. The company's initial product was DEBOND Form Coating, a form release agent. Over the years, L&M has expanded its product range to include topical sealers, chemical hardeners, and densifiers, all manufactured for various applications in concrete construction. Greg Schwietz, the second-generation President, who joined in 1974, highlights the importance of their product lines, especially those tailored for polished concrete. L&M manufactures a 'family' of polishing products, including densifiers, topical sealers, repellents, and color dyes, all designed to work synergistically based on a contractor's specific needs. Densifiers are crucial for the polished concrete process, particularly because mechanical polishing can remove some of the hard-troweled surface, thereby weakening the concrete. Applying a densifier helps restore lost durability and enhance the concrete's strength, especially with a second coat. Schwietz emphasizes the importance of applying one coat of chemical densifier towards the end of the polishing process to improve floor hardness, with a second coat further enhancing the surface. Topical sealers and repellents offer additional protection to polished concrete floors, with topical sealers typically providing chemical resistance or color enhancement, and repellents addressing more specialized requirements. The company also offers the FGS system of products for polished concrete, ensuring that contractors have the appropriate products for each stage of the process. L&M Construction Chemicals has been an active member of the Concrete Polishing Association of America (CPAA) since 2009. Schwietz strongly advocates for the benefits of CPAA membership, noting that the organization provides essential training for contractors to achieve proper polished concrete installation. He believes that polished concrete will remain a popular choice for property owners and stresses that even the most effective chemicals cannot compensate for a lack of understanding of the polishing process. L&M encourages its contractor customers to pursue CPAA training, and currently, six of its employees hold CPAA Craftsman accreditation. This commitment to accreditation ensures that L&M employees have a deeper understanding of the entire process beyond just the chemical components. Schwietz underscores the collective responsibility within the polished concrete industry to support one another and eradicate substandard work, a goal he believes the CPAA's mission and dedication can help achieve. #ConstructionChemicals #ConcretePolishing #Densifiers #TopicalSealers #ConcreteProtection #CPAAAccreditation #ConstructionIndustry #DecorativeConcrete #BuildingMaterials