My Date With Sanders

I went to visit Sanders yesterday so he could pick the perfect paint color for me, and when I told him I had a north facing, shady room with high ceilings, this is what he chose to go with my flooring sample:

It's called Pashmina, and it's a medium gray/brown. Pretty, but not exactly the white I was hoping for.

Here it is in another room I ran on the color analyzer thingamajig doohickeywopper.

It's nice, right? But maybe too dark? Maybe not?

When I told Sanders I wanted white, he shook his head in the wrong direction... he did give me a few lighter samples, but they all looked like dingy shitballs when I held them up to the walls at New House. Here is the best of the light samples he gave me:

It's called Deep in Thought, and I am deeply thinking it looks better in these rooms than it will in mine.

What do you think? Whiteish or medium greige?

I'm going back to visit Sanders again today, but I'll tell you now that he's pretty much always right.

Big Booty Wood

Apologies for not giving y'all the attention you so richly deserve, especially since I truly appreciate all the feedback and comments you've offered on our quest for the perfect floors. Let me just say that I'm so busy I can barely remember my name anymore. Having our house on the market has been INSANE. Like, we don't live here anymore insane. I barely have internet access, we are surviving on salt and grease laden take out -- despite which I have lost several pounds from stress -- and Ike isn't sure where to call home. Still we've managed to decide on flooring. Drum roll please...

It's engineered white oak in a 6" strip with a natural, matte finish. I'm hoping it will look like this floor:

Because that floor is sex on a stick.

I was (ok, and still am) more than a little worried about the wide plank, but it was the best quality material I could afford and that's the only size it came in. Luckily a kind commenter directed me to these floors, which have renewed my lust for big booty planks:

Freaking orgasmic, I tell you. Dinesen makes some of the most fabulous flooring I've ever seen, but I'm betting the farm that it's waaaay more pricey than what I bought.

Those boards are ridiculously long, and look at how little variation there is... gajillion dollar floors for sure.

I'm still a little nervous that I might tire of the bigger is better look, but these photos are going a long way towards convincing me otherwise.

What do you think? Fat or skinny?

Woodn't You Like to help Me?

I have spent hours poring over flooring. My eyes have turned to tired squinty slits and my brain can no longer discriminate between oak and stained hickory. My plans to install solid white oak and have it site finished have been dashed by a dastardly concrete floor... and our pocketbook. I'm starting to think wood should be traded on the NYSE.

I'm suffering from wood overload.

I need someone to tell me what to buy: white oak, red oak, stained hickory, brazilian walnut, etc etc. Dark, light, in between. Gloss, semi gloss or low sheen. Thin strip or wide plank.

Help.

I'm drowning in a sea of trees.