My pins over the year...

Hi! I'm back with a short update :-)

It's probably been more than a year since I joined Pinterest, and I was looking at my pins back then to see how my preference for decor has changed over the year. You know how when you keep a diary and read back to the days when you were younger, and thought, "really? I wrote that?"

Well, in this case, it would be, "really? I pinned that?"

Okay, my pins from last year were not bad at all. Let's take a look at a few of them, shall we?

Source here

I'm still into neutrals and blues and browns like in the photo above. This room is still pretty - clean and modern.

Elle Decor

I like the herringbone floor and again - clean and modern.

Rue

At the time, I was sourcing for inspiration to decorate my sister's bedroom. I like the image of this room. I particularly love the patterns on the bed sheet and the texture from the grey-blue velvet pillow.

Houzz

This is a nice dining room - and I've always loved lanterns. Loved and still love white upholstered dining chairs, too.

Source here

Another handsome living room made of greys, blues and browns - my favourite colours.

Though all photos above are beautiful in their own ways, I now find myself gravitating towards rooms that look less than perfect, lived-in and maybe a little under decorated?

Let me share with you some of my recent pins to show you what I mean.

Source here

This is what I call an effortlessly beautiful room. It just doesn't look decorated - the rumpled bedsheets, the aged wood of the side tables, the 'real' reading books in the niches and a cute personal photo of a baby. This could be anybody's room - and it just happens to be beautiful.

Source unknown

I love the relaxed look of this area. The patina on the frames of the two identical mirrors makes a beautiful contrast to the reflection of a more modern chandelier.

Taken from here

Another undecorated room - wouldn't you just love sitting here, doing mundane daily stuff, but it wouldn't be so mundane because everything around you is so pretty. The bookshelves are messy - but that's what brings character to the whole room. It looks like a real room.

Barefoot Contessa

The use of natural materials - the rug, the basket under the desk, the wooden stool and painted desk, brings the warmth into this little hallway. It looks so inviting, doesn't it?

From here

And this kitchen, although the cabinets are modern with no handles and a clean, streamlined look, the use of wooden countertops, antique trays and aged wooden beam just brings the kitchen back down to earth that I love.

So as you can see, after a year of collecting images on the internet, my preferences have changed from that clean, modern look to a more lived-in, undecorated look.

Have you found that your preferences have changed over the years? 

an update and a beautiful entryway

This post is still going to be about my countertop dilemma that I talked about the other day.

So I asked my contractor to quote for carrara marble. Which I hope will be affordable - so wish me luck! I'm expecting the quotation to be ready for this Thursday.

My contractor also suggested Ipoh white marble which is less costly than the Carrara, but I was not convinced. It is white with a certain pinkish tinge to it. It seems to be a local, Malaysian marble so if you're not from here, you probably would never have heard of it. I couldn't find a picture of it to show you. 

From what I read on the internet, it is more porous than other marbles - I'm not sure if this is true, though.

Nevertheless, I am not making any decision until I see my final quotation. Which is getting more and more expensive each time we make changes. Sigh!

Anyway, I saw this photo of an entryway that is simply beautiful.

Atlanta Homes mag

I love the use of rich colours and textures - like the red brick herringbone floor, the turquoise blue velvet sofa, the green from the moss, the white birch logs under the pretty console. Oh, I love the lamp and the hanging pendant lamp, too.

Have a wonderful day!

Granite or marble countertops?

Help! I can't decide whether to go for granite countertops or marble countertops for my kitchen!

I wrote a post about this a while ago, and now, when it comes to making the final decision with my contractor, I can't make up my mind!

My dream kitchens have always featured white marble countertops with a simple square edge.

traditional kitchen design by burlington architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

 I love that the white marble backsplash matches the countertop. It's so simple and beautiful. The white trim above the backsplash is such an elegant detail.

Loi Thai's kitchen

I am absolutely in love with this kitchen of Loi Thai, my new blogger and Pinterest friend! Notice that the backsplash is also similar to the photo above - the same marble of the countertops.

Another view of the beautiful kitchen.

Brooke Giannetti's kitchen

This kitchen which belongs to another one of my favourite bloggers, Brooke Giannetti, also has white marble for the countertops that I fell in love with. The marble is less thicker than usual countertops which I find elegant.

House Beautiful

The kitchen in the photo above is more modern, but the white marble complements it beautifully.  I adore this kitchen and its sleek and simple lines. 

But, I also love the look of black granite countertops like these, and the cost is lower than marble.

i Gigi

Belgian Pearls

Notice that there's no backsplash in this kitchen, too? Just a trim of the black granite. Simple and elegant.

Katrin Cargill

The island has beautiful granite countertop. I love the pairing of the polished countertop with the aged wood from the console table beside the window. It's a perfect complement perfect and patina.

House Beautiful

Another kitchen with beautiful black countertops.

Timeless Living

This modern and simple kitchen is similar to the other modern kitchen I posted above, but this time with black countertops. Which one do you like better? I can't decide.

Or maybe a mix of both materials in one kitchen like this?

Cote de Texas

In terms of practicality, marble dulls and is more prone to stains. Black granite will not show stains and is stronger than marble against dents and scratches.

But at the same time, I adore the intricate grain of marble and I actually don't mind scratches and stains (okay, maybe a little bit). But I've learned to appreciate the beauty of patina.

If cost was not an issue, I would have chosen marble in the blink of an eye. So now I am weighing down the pros and cons of both of these stones.

What would your personal choice be? I really can't decide now. Help!