Creating a flow in Mar Vista

______________________________________________________

Click to see the latest on Kathy's Remodeling Blog

______________________________________________________

You may not often see the words "slate" and "flow" in the same sentence. But it was by repeating the use of slate throughout her Mar Vista remodel that Janet Mitsui-Brown created a harmonious flow through her home.

Above you see the slate used on, clockwise from top left, the living room fireplace, gate posts, family room fireplace, garden deck and fountain, master bathroom floor and walls, and the chimneys.

When I toured the home, a calmness came over me as I experienced the same materials and colors repeated throughout the two-story home where Janet lives with her husband, daughter and mother. There was none of the herky-jerky feeling you can get when every room is different and you have to shift and adjust to each.

She also repeated the use of marble for the countertops in the kitchen, bathrooms, office and a smaller kitchen her mom uses at the back of the house.

And here's perhaps the best part: Janet saved a load of money buy purchasing the slate and marble in bulk, by the pallet, rather than buying a little here and there for each project.

Saving money is good, but the repetition part goes against my nature, which is to mix things up, try new textures and colors, get creative. But I do crave the harmony I feel in homes where there's a theme and repetition. So that’s my dilemma.

How about you? Do you prefer consistency or variety in your home?

(Photos: Top right, L.A. Times; all others, KPR)