PlumbTile

2015 was a big year for us. We built a house and got married all in the same year. We built our house from the ground up and every detail was done especially for this home. Now a little over a year later and our wedding complete, I’m thinking about our tile and fixtures. We didn’t have a lot of our fixtures put in when we had our house built because we knew we would choose ones our builder couldn’t provide. That’s where PlumbTile comes to the rescue! Have you heard of them?  They’ve got everything!

Since 1978, PlumbTile has provided products that reflect elegance, luxury, quality and functionality. They focus on Bath, Kitchen Fixtures, Designer Hardware, Tile & Stone and Lighting. If you are looking to do your bath and kitchen tile they have everything you could possible want in designs. They also offer Zucchetti faucets which are some of the coolest, designer faucets you could have in your home. They aren’t just faucets their designer features that people compliment and ask where you got them. I mean just look at them…

Those two are just the tip of the iceberg on what Zucchetti and PlumbTile have to offer. And before you ask it’s a low price guarantee. They also offer free shipping and no sales tax outside of California. You have nothing to worry about with PlumbTile because they are an authorized retailer.  

We have been really thinking of redoing our floors. The tile that we chose for our downstairs was an upgrade but we aren’t in love with it. We have been thinking of doing a hardwood tile. PlumbTile has the perfect Porcelanosa tile it’s exactly what we have been looking for and it would look great in our home.

This is the Porcelanosa- Tavola Mogano Fno 8 inch x 47 inch tile. I just love the color! But I’m a little torn between it and the Porcelanosa- Little Oxford Acero 7 inch x 26 inch tile.

Which would you choose?

Before you start your next home project think of PlumbTile. They offer so many different products in different styles you won’t even need to leave your home to order.  It’s all just a few clicks or a phone call away!

5 Must Haves In A Fabulous Closet

1. A Shoe Wall

You've got to make space to show off all your fabulous shoes. You can see where they all are, what you've got and must importantly what you need! You can arrange them in colors or styles it's all up to you! It's your closet.

2. Good Lighting

 

These chandeliers will give you more than enough lighting to check out your outfit before you leave for the day.

3. Handbag Display

Purses are meant to be looked at! When you aren't using them make sure to cover it with it's dust bag! Keep those expensive bags looking their best.

4. Full Length Mirror

You can make one whole wall a mirror, have a 3 way mirror or a giant floor mirror. No option is a wrong option.

5. Clothing

You've got to have your clothing organized. Pants on the bottom, shirts on the top, sweaters in drawers etc. You can organize by season or color and don't forget you need drawers for accessories and all of that fabulous jewelry!

Graceland: The Grounds

Now that you've seen the inside of Elvis' home, let's take a look at the extensive Graceland grounds. The grounds not only hold the mansion and the racquetball court but also a detached office, horse stables, pool and the meditation garden. There is also a large carport and detached trailers on the property. After Elvis' death the church was bought next door to the property and it is now the Chapel in the Woods where couples can be married.

Let's start at the pool. Located right in front of the Meditation Garden and connected to the house, the Graceland pool is enclosed in black wrought iron fencing with stamped concrete. Elvis loved to be in the pool and work on his tan. This was also a favorite area of Lisa Marie and Priscilla.

The Meditation Garden was built in 1964-1965 by Elvis. He considered this area of his property a place to go for contemplation. He would go to this area to think and spent time. This area has a large fountain, stained glass windows and benches. It is also the resting place of Elvis and other members of his family. An eternal flame is also at his grave.

Elvis & Priscilla in the Meditation Garden

 

 

 

Across from the meditation garden you can see the vast grounds.

 

On the far side and near the front of Graceland you will find the Chapel hidden in the woods.

 

You can get married in the chapel and then take your wedding photos in front of Graceland. As you can see, the grounds are extensive and Elvis really built on to the original house once he bought it. He made this house into a home and the grounds fit his needs. If you ever get the opportunity to visit Graceland, I highly recommend it.

Graceland: Racquetball and Records

In 1975, Elvis had a racquetball court built on the Graceland grounds. Sitting right beside the house and with a covered walkway. Elvis enjoyed playing racquetball in his leisure time. In addition to the court, he also built a sitting area with leather couches, a bar and a piano. There was also a few gym pieces in that area. The racquetball area is also where Elvis spent his last few hours before his death and the location of where he played the piano and sang for the last time.

The racquetball building is a multi level building. When you first walk in you are greeted with his workout equipment, couches and bar. Once you go down a few steps, you see the piano and more couches, passing through the doorway you enter the racquetball court. The colors of the racquetball area were all done in tans, browns and white to make you feel like you were part of a Gentlemen's Club.

 

There is an upper floor to the building but it is off limits to the public. The stairs are located near the bar.

After Elvis' death, the Racquetball court was turned into a place that could house Elvis' records and feature several jumpsuits. The rest of the building remains unchanged and original back to the day that Elvis died. On the ipad tour you can see some photos of the upstairs.

If you think that there's a lot of records in the racquetball court location then you are in for a shock! Other areas of the main house have been turned into a place to store and show off Elvis' achievements. In 1957, Elvis did major renovations on Graceland to create a two tiered patio. Then in the 1960s Elvis had the upper area enclosed and made it into a recreation area. At the time he used the area to house a large electric slot car track. Now that area shows off more of Elvis' accomplishments. It shows his life through photos, awards and houses his Grammy.

The Graceland Mansion is preserved in its original state except for these two areas. It also lets the world see a large part of the accomplishments he achieved in his life.

Graceland: The Basement

I don't think anyone else has a basement like this one. As you descend the mirrored stairway down into Elvis' basement, you first enter the Television Room. Painted in bright yellow and navy blue Elvis would come here to watch television. He would have three TVs going on at the same time. He got the idea of having three tvs side by side after hearing that President Lyndon Johnson had tvs mounted together. Featuring mirrored ceilings, fireplace and his trademark TCB lightening bolt Elvis spent a good amount of time in this room. He even shot out one of the television sets when he got mad at what was on.

The room also has a full wet bar in the room with stools. Elvis would spend most Sunday's in this room watching football. There is also a pull down movie screen in the room.

Beside the television room is the pool table room. This room is my personal favorite.

This room really shows off Elvis' eclectic style. While the main focus of this room is the pool table, the real beauty of the room is the folded fabric that covers the entire room. The fabric is pleated and covers every inch of the walls and ceilings. There is over 350 yards of fabric covering the room. It took three men ten days to cut, pleat and hang the fabric in the room.

The light fixture is colorful, delicate and makes you feel like you are in a billiard hall instead of just in a room. It was custom made in Memphis for Elvis.

There was so much fabric left over, they covered the two couches in the room in the fabric. Elvis got the idea of using the fabric all over the room from a photo he had seen of a room from the 18th century.

Elvis was a very able pool player and enjoyed playing 8 ball and rotation. To this day there is a tear on the felt table. It was made when a friend was trying to make a trick shot on the table. Around the room is a bookcase and various art on the walls. The room is a little dark but with other lamps in the room I'm sure Elvis had more than enough light to play the game.  

Graceland

Graceland is the home of Elvis Presley located in Memphis, Tennessee.  

 

Graceland was purchased by Elvis on March 19, 1957 for the price of $102,500.00 He then spent around $500,000 dollars on renovations to the property. Graceland sits on 13.8 acres and is 17,552 sq. feet inside. The house features 23 rooms including 8 bedrooms and bathrooms, a full basement, pool, meditation garden and stables. It also has a separate building on the property which once housed an office, racquet ball court and a gym area. Since Elvis' death the property has been a museum and several areas repurposed to feature his memorabilia. What was the racquet ball court now houses several of his jump suits and gold records.

Since the Graceland estate is so extensive and a real gem to see in person, I will break the home down into segments. The photos that you see will be from it's original days when Elvis was alive to the current state of the house on the tour. The second floor is considered private because that's where the family bedrooms are located. Elvis rarely invited friends upstairs into his room. He would entertain downstairs. Once his death occurred, they closed access to the public off from the upstairs to preserve his memory. Here is the floor plans of  the first floor of Graceland.

Let's start with the first floor entrance, parents bedroom and living room.

 

Elvis' parents had a bedroom right behind the living room. They also had a personal bathroom.

Complete with poodle wall paper...

 

The entrance to Graceland is very grand with a large staircase and chandelier.

 

 

And of course the staircase leads upstairs to the private area of Graceland. His parents bedroom, bathroom and living room are all to the right side of the staircase. There is also a little hallway that leads down to their room. All inside the home is a very popular for the time mirrored glass with design. It makes taking photos in Graceland very hard because your reflection is there. You can see some of the glass in the above photos.

 

The next rooms on the Graceland tour will be the Dining Room and Kitchen. Stay tuned for those!