Boring Beige or Daring Drama?

I know summer officially arrives next week, so I’m rather late to write about this, but spring is not about the birds and the bees. No, one sure sign of spring is when renovations appear to be in full swing.

My office is nearby a neighbourhood of multi-million-dollar homes, so the warm weather has made it more agreeable to go for walks out and about during the lunch hour. While on these walks, I’ve noticed that quite a few homes have those big trash bins parked outside with work crews occasionally loitering about during a break.

We’re about to start our own kitchen renovation, among other things. My mother first considered turning our home into a construction zone last fall. It was supposed to be my project but it’s taken this long for me to feel like we have any kind of momentum because my mother keeps changing her mind.

I used to think it might be fun to be an interior designer, but if I had to deal with clients that were as indecisive as my mother on a regular basis, I don’t think I could handle it. She drives me quite mad. I’ve seen Design, Inc. with Sarah Richardson and I don’t think I could ever be as diplomatic with clients…I’d probably bite my tongue right off.

My uncle is our contractor for the kitchen renovation and his workers could be in as early as Thursday to start demolition. We picked out tiles for the floor and backsplash tonight. As soon as I walked in, I saw what I wanted: a rich ebony/gray 14x14 granite tile with flecks of gold that matched our countertop exactly. The pattern it was laid out in included a 4x4 white tile set in the intersection of 4 of the dark tiles. It would have made for quite the dramatic kitchen with the white cabinets we had picked out. But my mother didn’t like the idea of a dark floor—she keeps gravitating towards boring beige and cream.

After looking at all the samples twice, and in some cases, thrice over, we decided on something we could both live with: a 13x13 porcelain tile for the floor that’s imitation marble with a vein of gold running through it that picks up the gold flecks in the granite countertop. It also has spots of white in it that echo the white of the cabinets. The backsplash is a sort-of beige 4x4 tile that has co-ordinating decorative tiles that will provide the drama and tie everything together. Until I saw the backsplash sample, I was pretty set on a darker floor, but I think the decorative tile will save the kitchen from being boring beige.

So, in the end, my mother gets her beige and I get my drama and everyone is happy. I’m excited and nervous at the same time, anxious to see the end result. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will come together as I envision it. The samples look like they’ll work, but until it’s a done deal it only exists in my imagination. I've never had to take responsibility for starting something from scratch like this before...and what if it goes horribly wrong?!

The upside is that this is practice for when I will have to choose the finishes for my own condo (hopefully) later this year. The downside is that if it turns out awful, my mother will have to live with the kitchen and I will have to feel guilty every time I come home for a visit. Not to mention what the the various aunties and uncles in my mother's extended circle of friends will think. I'm not usually one to care, but I know how some people are, and I am Chinese after all. I'm not immune to wanting to save "face"! Please please please let it turn out well!!!