The Backsplash Not Traveled (or, building a tile consensus)

About this time last year, our kitchen still somewhat of a construction zone, my husband and I volunteered to host Thanksgiving dinner. For 25 people.

We went into overdrive, putting drawers in the new pantry cabinet, putting kitchen items back in their rightful places after weeks of living in shelves in the dining and rec rooms. At some point, we switched into "as long as it looks good" mode. For instance, the trim on the top of the cabinets was not attached. Nor did we bother to do the part of it you couldn't see from the breakfast bar. Same goes for toe kick, bit of baseboard here and there, under cabinet lighting...while everyone oohed and aahed on the big holiday reveal, there was a lot of smoke and mirrors.

Which was fine. We knew we'd get to it "one day." Flash foward about 365 "one days" later and we realized it was time to admit we needed to call in our favorite handyman to finish the job for us. Plus, it turns out some of the money we saved on building cabinets unfortunately was needed for back surgery on my husband this spring. His days of heavy lifting are in the past. We may have overdone the DIY.

Ok, so our guy is scheduled. And his prices are so reasonable we can afford to have him do the backsplash while he's at it. Awesome, right? Except now I'm back to what feel like MAJOR KITCHEN DECISIONS. We worked so hard--like, husband slipped a disc hard--to get the kitchen to where it is today, I want to pick just the right tile. Within budget. That will not turn off sellers a few years down the road. I'm kind of in love with Twilight in Fiji from Floor & Decor:

All shimmery glass and the glass stick tile you see EVERYWHERE these days. But, at $17.99/sheet, it's a little spendy for me. And, hubs doesn't love it. (Or, he's smart enough to pretend to not like the most expensive choice.) I'm also digging on marble, it makes me think of old NYC apartments:

But, again, no consensus there. At $10.99/sheet, it's the middle ground, price-wise.

 Looks like we may compromise on the white porcelain Arabesque Lantern:

Pros: CHEAP, $3.79/sheet. White is elegant and classic; it also looks fresh against the Lidingo gray and will match our farmhouse sink. I love the Morrocan-flavored shape; it's exotic, but the finish and color mean it should still have mass appeal.
Cons: I'd secretly always pictured marble or some pop of color. I worry it will be too plain. Glass is very on trend, and I don't want to hurt resale or just wish I had something "fancier."

I guess I do like it, and think with light gray grout, it may be beautiful. And when I see similiar examples online, I love them:

Decor Pad | Utah Valley Parade of Homes

Guess I'm just fixated on the glass- or marble-road not traveled. I know, first world problems. If we go with the cheapest option, I'll donate some of the savings to things that actually matter. Sigh.

For the Love of Couches, 3rd CL Find a Charm

I am taking the first step: I admit I have a couch problem. As I admired my mid-century modern style Craigslist find last night, it struck me that this is the third couch to occupy my living room. And we have lived here just shy of three years. Um...

Of course, for me, that's part of the allure of buying used furniture. I can afford to change it out on a whim. It's easy on the pocketbook and the environment. Plus, much like Tyler's "single serving friends" on "Fight Club," I almost always enjoy the people I briefly interact with through CL. Plus, I think this one's the keeper. No more couch hunting for awhile:

I'd planned to get a vintage MCM couch for this wall, wanting that sleek, long look. It was on my "eventually" list. However, while shopping for a couch for the family room, I stumbled on this Kady couch for $150 and couldn't resist. It sells new at Macy's for $899! (Yes, I am picking up a different couch for the family room tonight. No, they do not have 12-step groups for CL addiction. I already checked CL.)

Due to my husband's bum back, and a birthday party that tied up my son and his friends, I needed to hire somebody to help me get the couch in the car. CL to the rescue again, where I found Frank for $30. I knew I had a good find when every time the seller left the room, Frank would whisper, "This is so nice. You're getting a great deal!" I'm also impressed that I fit this full-size couch in our Ford Flex. The gate even closed. Look! (We'd started to pull it out a bit before I took the pic.)

Even though I'd triple checked my measurements, I was worried if the couch would actually make it. I'd Googled "moving furniture in a Flex," hoping to find somebody who'd done it. Hopefully this pic will help somebody else out down the road. The secret was removing the legs, taking the height from 35" to 29".

The Flex is a superstar, 3-row box of an SUV/station wagon hybrid, and it's interior dimensions vary throughout the car. But all that really matters, for the sake of, "Will that fit?" are the lowest and most narrow points--at it's lowest, it's 32" high. At it's most narrow, by the wheel well, is 42". Depth is 78" (Or a little more if you can scoot the chairs up.)

I'll save how we turned the Flex into a camper this past weekend for another post. Suffice to say, I'm a huge fan of this car. Maybe I'll buy another on Craigslist. But only if it comes with a couch.