MetaChat - this is a whining, annoying, funny, weather, ask-mecha, decorating thread...

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11 February 2007

this is a whining, annoying, funny, weather, ask-mecha, decorating thread... add all your whining, annoying, funny, weather, ask-mecha, decorating questions and comments here! →[More:]

Whining: so... yeah, I came down to Athens because mr. taz was supposed to be wrapping up and we would have one full week together to do whatever, before going back together to end forever our long separation. Instead they've changed the schedule, he's only had two days free, shooting has been extended by another week... and I'll be going back alone. Again. Why did I ever imagine that the original schedule would hold?

So Annoying: What is it with the Greeks never wanting to reveal prices?!!! It's so illogical! Small shops almost never put prices on things. Why? Do they think that me having to ask for the price of everything is somehow a great marketing idea? It isn't. I don't ask, and don't buy. Seventy-five percent of all "for-rent" apartment ads don't say what the rent is. Why? Do the owners really want a million calls from people for whom the price is way too high or way too low? I don't call, I don't ask, I don't rent from them. I've just been to three Athens furniture sites... and of course, no prices. Do they think I want to schlep all around town to ask a salesperson the price of each and every item? I don't; I'll just go to Ikea. Grrrrr.

Funny: my husband was just telling me about tragedies of close-enough English titling for some past Greek products. My favorite? The nail polish remover labeled "Fingernail Remover". *snort*

Weather: raining, raining, more raining, grey, uglyuglyugly. I wanted to go walk around my (soon-to-be) new neighborhood and find the local groceries, cafes, watering spots or whatever, but it's way too sucky. Unless you're a duck. Boo.

Ask-mecha: Does anyone have any experience with sisal/coconut fibre/seagrass, etc. flooring in kitchen or bathroom? I have a friend with, I think, a coconut fibre floor in her kitchen, and it looks great, but 1) we've been known to be messy, and 2) we will have a door from the kitchen leading directly outside, so this won't be a stocking-feet kitchen. Do you have any interesting ideas for kitchen floor coverings that might work well under these conditions?

Decorating: Favorite sites for ideas? DIY stuff, inspirational photos, that kind of thing?

post by: taz at: 06:59 | 15 comments

Don't think of buying sisal/seagrass flooring if you intend to have a cat. It'll think it's a 'scratching floor' installed just for it.

Also, with the 1) and 2) you describe, it'll get very dirty very quickly and will be hard to clean because of the crevassy nature of the fibre.

posted by essexjan 11 February | 07:14

I was suspecting this... kind of a shame. I think my kitchen and bathroom floors are beyond the pale, though I won't know for sure until I really get them cleaned and maybe try polishing or enamelling (clear coat) or whatever. They are mosaic floors, which can be nice, and great for exactly what I describe... but I don't think these will turn out well.

posted by taz 11 February | 07:34

Wouldn't the woven flooring be good because it would get stuff before being tracked in, and then she could just beat them outside with the door right there to clean them out?

And isn't haggling a big thing there?

i always think it seems cheaper and better to get wood and whack up some cool, funky, functional shelves rather than buy them, then they could be a feature, or if you can paint the place to do some cool blown up graphic on the wall. But then i also like hanging straight fabric on dowels from little cup hooks (sometimes with simples designs on them) or these little prayer flag types things i made which were simple illustrations of octopi and ghosties and such on pieces of fabric to separate spaces or entrance ways.
Mirrors and glass are nice for opening space, and since it's all new and empty, you could even try some feng shui type thing.

i am sitting here eating carrots.

posted by ethylene 11 February | 07:48

One of my favorite websites for decorating ideas is Apartment Therapy (their annual Coolest Smallest Space contest is always great fun), and in the comments on this recent post I found an interesting floor covering option -- the Flor tiles, described in more detail here. Lots of different color and pattern options, and probably not too expensive if you're looking at a small space.

And oh my god, the whining I could whine about the weather, except I ought to be happy, because this morning (to my shock) it's all the way up to 13F/-11C, which is the warmest it's been in a week and a half (an interlude spent mostly below zero F). But then my misery is paltry compared to those folks in upstate NY who've had ten feet of snow in the past week, so ...

posted by kat allison 11 February | 08:38

It'd be a shame to lose that green tile pattern thing you have going on, though.

Looking through the links, it's nice to see pretty things even if you can't have them (i'm talking of you, fine fabric upholstered chairs)--
so can you apint the walls and are you getting a kitty?

Kitty!

posted by ethylene 11 February | 09:10

heh... I'm not going to do anything with the mosaic in the halls... they're fine - but the bathroom and kitchen have these drab grey mosaic floors that look mostly like rough concrete right now. Maybe I'll find they look good after working on 'em for a bit, but I'm not terribly optimistic. We'll see. I found something called "Plynyl" that seems great - something like "bamboo" would have that sort of natural fibre look I like, but easily cleaned, maintained, etc. But, too expensive! We're going to have to buy a lot of things that don't make sense to move since they are dying - washing machine, fridge, tv, and our couch is too big, so we'll probably need to buy another one... and things like curtains and plants... and pay for moving our stuff, plus all the rent plus deposits, blah, blah. Ugh. All that money. eek.

posted by taz 11 February | 09:58

oh... kitty thing. kitty! Maybe. :) Our upstairs neighbors have two, though, that are free to roam, so I'm a bit worried.

posted by taz 11 February | 09:59

Well, I do feel qualified to respond to the So Annoying part: yes, my dear, innocent American. That's right. Nobody reveals prices because they want to HAGGLE! Home owners, they want to meet you before they will give you a price for their rental because they want to see whether they can price it up a little if you look like a pretty American who knows little about Athens. Heh! They sincerely expect you to haggle back. I hate it too.

But the thing is that this happens to mostly downtown (touristic) places. I would strongly suggest you try some of the suburbs for home shopping. Nea Ionia for instance is a good place for furniture and home decorating stuff (sorry, I only know about the northern suburbs). My brother in law is an architect and he could help you out with a lot of stuff (email me) specific to flooring and treatment of mosaics.

posted by carmina 11 February | 10:57

taz, I vote for high-quality sheet vinyl if you want to replace your floors. It can be very stylish and inexpensive, and it's a dream to clean. I have Congoleum in my kitchen and I love it. You never have to worry about dirty grout, and vinyl is pretty and shiny. Armstrong also has a great selection. When we built our house I wanted tile. Husband wanted linoleum because he doesn't like the feeling of cold tiles. We flipped for it, he won the coin toss, and I'm so glad he did. I have tile in my bathroom that is pretty, but it's hard to clean and keep clean.

It's a little voyeuristic, but I have been known to look at homes at Homexchange.com for ideas and inspiration. Just look at this gorgeous home in Umbria. Homes in Greece.

The decorating books I always recommend are the by Lauri Ward. There are great tips on how to arrange rooms, how to arrange art, etc. You can keep your style, but arrange rooms that are pleasing. Use What You Have Decorating, Trade Secrets..., and Home Therapy. If you're looking for inspirational photos these aren't the books to buy -- a lot of black and white photos, especially in the first book -- but they offer indispensable advice for putting a room together. It's good for the budget because "use what you have", plus she tells you what to buy or what to or get rid of to make a room pleasing.

posted by LoriFLA 11 February | 11:19

oh, carmina, I love you so much. When are you going to come keep me company in Mets? Honey... it's so quiet... almost surreally, unreally, really, really quiet. We were at the apartment saturday afternoon to measure everything, and it was so quiet I noticed we were whispering, sort of - inside the house! Heh. I told Vangelis, "it's great and all... but whoah, what happens when we start clanging those pots and pans, and playing music and laughing out loud a whole lot, like we usually do on Saturdays?" - he just laughed at me. But, wow... I may not ever have lived anywhere so quiet... like, ever. Or maybe everyone comes home finally in the evening, and it becomes like a normal neighborhood. (Except without all the car noise and exhaust fumes and screaming car alarms and squealing unmufflered motorbikes, and like that.)

posted by taz 11 February | 11:19

I have tile in my bathroom that is pretty, but it's hard to clean and keep clean.

omg, lorifla! It's the one thing I won't miss from my current place! I have WHITE ceramic bathroom tiles that, as soon as they are cleaned, start showing dirt five seconds later, literally. For such a tiny, tiny space, it's a miserable aspect of my current apartment. I'd actually happily and willingly to go with the bleh grey dingy thing in the new place rather than the lovely, gleaming white ceramic tile (on the floor, at least) I now have, given the magical choice. I'm a big fan of terra cotta tile, and would have it in my bathroom and kitchen anywhere I lived... but I'm not willing to install it as a renter.

posted by taz 11 February | 11:33

ooh, I love terra cotta tiles too. My favorite is Travertine, but a little on the pricey side, maybe one day...

The good thing about bathrooms is that you can throw down a pretty bath mat and cover most of the floor.

posted by LoriFLA 11 February | 11:42

Anyone out there have the font "Hot L Baltimore NF" laying around? I could really use it.

posted by me3dia 11 February | 14:29

Brian: How much? Quick!
Harry: What?
Brian: It's for the wife.
Harry: Oh. Twenty shekels.
Brian: Right.
Harry: What?
Brian: (putting down 20 shekels) There you are.
Harry: Wait a moment.
Brian: What?
Harry: We're supposed to haggle.
Brian: No, no, I've got to ...
Harry: What do you mean, no?
Brian: I haven't time, I've got to get ...
Harry: Give it back then.
Brian: No, no, I paid you.
Harry: Burt!
(Burt appears. He is very big.)
Burt: Yeah?
Harry: This bloke won't haggle.
Burt: (looking around) Where are the guards?
Brian: Oh, all right ... I mean do we have to ...
Harry: Now I want twenty for that ...
Brian: I gave you twenty.
Harry: Now are you telling me that's not worth twenty shekels?
Brian: No.
Harry: Feel the quality, that's none of yer goat.
Brian: Oh ... I'll give you nineteen then.
Harry: No, no. Do it properly.
Brian: What?
Harry: Haggle properly. This isn't worth nineteen.
Brian: You just said it was worth twenty.
Harry: Burt!!
Brian: I'll give you ten.
Harry: That's more like it.
(outraged) Ten!? Are you trying to insult me? Me? With a poor dying
grandmother...Ten!?!
Brian: Eleven.
Harry: Now you're getting it. Eleven!?! Did I hear you right? Eleven? This
cost me twelve. You want to ruin me?
Brian: Seventeen.
Harry: Seventeen!
Brian: Eighteen?
Harry: No, no, no. You go to fourteen now.
Brian: Fourteen.
Harry: Fourteen, are you joking?
Brian: That's what you told me to say.
(Harry registers total despair.)
Tell me what to say. Please.
Harry: Offer me fourteen.
Brian: I'll give you fourteen.
Harry: (to onlookers) He's offering me fourteen for this!
Brian: Fifteen.
Harry: Seventeen. My last word. I won't take a penny less, or strike me
dead.
Brian: Sixteen.
Harry: Done. (He grasps Brian's hand and shakes it.) Nice to do business
with you. Tell you what, I'll throw in this as well. (He gives
Brian a gourd.)
Brian: I don't want it, but thanks.

posted by arse_hat 11 February | 14:47

whining: OMG, I missed your apartment thread! Now it's too late to go in there and comment, so I'll never get to tell you how happy I am that you've found such a beautiful, cool place in a neighbourhood that you love, and you'll never know that I actually sat here clapping my hands with joy when I saw the photos. *sigh*

annoying: I sooooo sympathize re: moving expenses. Why is it that moving from one place to another makes you hemorrhage money like a chupacabra's buffet? And once you're there and you think you've bought everything you'll need, oh look! There's a laundry list of little things your old place had that your new one doesn't, none of which cost a lot on their own but when put together force you to consider cancelling xmas into your next lifetime. Gaaaaaaaaah! *rends her hair on taz's behalf* On the other hand, you'll be living in Athens, which I think is so incredibly cool. Also, you can take your time picking out all the little things, poking around in groovy little shops until you find that one perfect doodad that serves the purpose *and* is so beautiful it just leaps off the shelf into your hands crying, "Pick me, taz! I've been waiting here for you and now you've found me! Let me come back with you to your amazing apartment and make it that much prettier!"

posted by elizard 11 February | 16:43

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