Confessions of a Commitment-phobe

Here's the latest installment from our guest blogger Laura Ricks of
The Ricksalicious Life


I'll admit it, I'm afraid of commitment.


Too many years of dating and too many months of building our new house have left me a little gun shy. The crazy ex-boyfriends, well, those stories are too long to tell here, but the house issues, well, they have been just as trying. Our exterior paint didn't turn out quite as I imagined it would, and although I really like it now, when I first saw it I was desperately searching for a paper bag to keep me from hyperventilating. And then there was the big snafu with our bamboo floors that almost put me in the hospital. Turns out the showroom gave us the wrong sample which led to us ordering the wrong bamboo that now has to all be returned for the stuff we thought we were ordering in the first place. Building a house is so much fun!

So, choosing the tile was more than a little scary, but now that it has come down to decision time, I'm so glad for modwalls. Why, you may ask? Well, here's some reasons:


The sample program makes it so easy. I had so many choices and different shades of the same color, that I knew it would be easy to get it right. After my field trip to our space I really could tell how it was all going to look, and I started to see that I could do this. Yes, I could.

But that didn't end the anxiety. Just when I was freaking out, trying to make my final, final decisions, I got a fantastic follow-up email from modwalls associate Sarah Graves checking to see if I had questions on my samples. No one ever followed up with me from those big, fancy tile showrooms I visited, so it was great to have a little hand-holding to guide me through my options.

I love, love, love the modwalls portfolio on their website that gave me great ideas. In fact, I got the inspiration for the tile for my master bath from some of the photos sent in from some satisfied modwalls customers. Check it out:





So, what colors did I decide on?



For our master bath, I decided to do the Lush 3 x 6 tile in Vapor, straight set. It's going to completely pave the interior of our over sized shower and the front and half of the wall around our tub. I chose it because the color is calming but still has a lot of pop, and will perfectly create the spa-like atmosphere I'm trying to achieve. And to take it one step further I chose ModRocks in Denali for the floor of the shower, so at my personal spa not only can I get a nice, relaxing soak in the large jetted tub when I have the time, but I can also get an invigorating foot massage in the shower every morning before heading off for the day. I am truly in love, and after making this decision, I felt my commitment-phobia start to subside.

Then it was on to the powder-room. Since our house is set in a very green, outdoorsy area (our neighborhood is called "The Tree Streets" for a reason).




I decided to go with something a little earthy-urban and chose Lush 1/2 x 2 mosaic tile in Moss. It's got the great, clean lines that go with our modern house, but also the organic feel of our surroundings. It's like modwalls made it just for me.



Using ModDotz in the kid's bathroom was a no-brainer, but deciding on a color was another story. They were all so great, and I could see any of them looking fantastic. I liked Harbor, but I didn't want it to be too gender specific, I also loved Confetti, but thought a blend might be a little too busy for a small bathroom, I loved Clover because it felt so fresh, and I loved Sherbet because it felt so mod. Well, Sherbet won.

It was the perfect color of orange, and it also had a great retro vibe that fits the mid-century look of our house. But most of all, I thought it would be great for our kids now when they're young (6 and 4) but would also look groovy for them as they get older.

But the anxiety returned when it came down to our kitchen. I was at a loss. I knew I wanted to do an oblong tile after seeing it done in some other modern kitchens, but the ones I saw at the showrooms were close to $50 a square foot, and that's just not gonna happen on our budget. But then, miracle of miracles, modwalls came to the rescue. I read in their blog that they are adding a new tile to the Lush line, 1 x 4 mosaic tile in Cloud, Breeze, Wasabi, Dune. They haven't got them in yet, but to beat the rush I placed an order for when they arrive in May. I swear, modwalls can read my mind.

Since I was placing such a large order, I decided to call customer service vs. placing my order online, and guess what? Sarah Graves actually answered the phone instead of someone in a call center on the other side of the planet. And she was fantastic at figuring out exactly how much tile I needed for each room, how long it would take to get here (only 3 days!) and what their return policies are. Yes, that's right, return policies. If I had overages or changed my mind, I could return the tile to them. Sure, I would have to pay the shipping, but just try that with the tile you special order from a tile showroom. Not gonna happen.

So, my ordering experience with modwalls was as great as I expected, and I can't wait to see my tile. But that being said, I do have one confession to make. I had a few heart palpitations and sweaty palms while I placed my order, but with all the great support, modwalls certainly wasn't to blame.

Must have been all those crazy ex-boyfriends.