The house I purchased had a lot of personality, with lots of beautiful arched hallways, a round dome entryway, 11 ft ceilings and these beautiful cherry cabinets. But like every new home, you start from scratch with ultra bright white walls and a dirt filled backyard. Also with this home, the original purchaser went with standard carpeting and tile, which looked cheap and horrible. So for the past year, I spent painting the walls, tiling the floors and creating a backyard. My pocketbook has definitely lessened, but I can finally enjoy every room in my home.

Here's a brief overview at what's been done:

• New paint scheme. I used 3 colors: a light coffee brown, a bold burnt orange as an accent color and a beautiful celery green in the kitchen & living room, which comes off nicely with the cherry cabinets.
• New tile: I went with slate floors everywhere except the bedrooms. I live in the desert (AZ) and slate stays cool in those hot summer months, not that it matters with the a/c blaring all day. I used a Raja red color from India and tiled in a ladder pattern, which gave the effect of making my house look bigger then it was.
• Pool & Backyard: I plunked down and bought a pool. In AZ it's a necessity, not only because of the summer heat, but it also improves your property value. Since I lived in a corner house, I just went for it. I really didn't want a humongoid pool, because I have two dogs, Buffy & Oki, that love to play in the grass. I wanted enough yard left to add grass for the dogs to enjoy.

Hope you enjoy!