bathroom
The Accidental Before & After: Bathroom Disaster Edition
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a problem here at the borrowed abode.
Without our permission, a Before & After has taken place, and not for the better.
Remember our bathroom?
It’s pretty nice, right? I’m starting to feel that maybe it’s a little too nice for a rental home.
The lovely counter you see before you is most likely marble. It’s gorgeous, but it’s a pain in the a** to take care of and protect.
The reason I put the bottles of soap and lotion on a little tray is because within a day of buying them and putting them on the counter, they had left marks where they sat. Read the rest of this entry »
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Quick Bathroom Update
When I shared our Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt, did you see the two empty glass vases on the bathroom wall?
Those vases have been hanging on that wall ever since the failed attempt to use them in the kitchen last September. And can you believe it, they hung on this bathroom wall for the last 6 months with never a flower in them??Empty no more, and it’s about damn time. I popped some colorful and generous stems of Alstromeria into them before Friday’s dinner party.
I love the simple teardrop shape of these CB2 Teardrop vases, and their small size makes it easy to add them to an otherwise useless wall. And isn’t it great how a simple handful of stems adds so much color and life to a previously boring wall? Even better, I get to change this “art” up every few weeks. If I grab greenery from my yard, it doesn’t have to cost a thing!
And finally, it’s like a two-for-one deal . . . or should I say 4-for-2 . . . because the vases and their contents are reflected in the mirror above the sink.
Hooray for the finishing of long-overdue projects!
And in other news, can you believe it’s already March? Geez, I don’t know where the time goes.
Small Space Solution: Hooked
When Ryan and I did the walk-through before moving into our newly renovated rental home, we noticed that there were no towel bars in the first-floor full bath. When asked I requested that our landlord have the contractor install towel hooks rather than towel bars. Here’s why:
Simply put, hooks make it possible for you to hang way more towels comfortably in a small bathroom – while still allowing them to dry out after each use. Think about how much space a towel bar consumes. Installing a bar on the bathroom wall would have provided space for only one towel. Yeah, you could fold two towels to allow them to hang on a bar together, but then they’d have trouble drying out. And I do NOT like to use a musty towel.
Secondly, I think towels look more inviting when hanging casually from a hook, rather than straightened out on a bar.
Nowadays there are so many fantastic options for every style. You’re no longer relegated to this good old back-of-door standby that you probably remember from childhood:
You can’t beat the chic simplicity and affordability of these Ikea hooks:
You could double up and use fewer hooks with this Archer Robe Hook from Kohler:
Or, if you’d rather not put any holes in the wall, this over-the-door model from Crate and Barrel is sleek and streamlined:
Of course, if your money grows on trees, you can throw down $45 bucks for the Pegasus Baron Double Robe Hook:
Personally, I don’t think it would ever be worth it. There’s much more affordable and elegant options online and at your local hardware store.
I really love the Crestfield Double Robe Hooks
New Abode, Part 6: Guest Bath
Yesterday I shared my guest bedroom, but I didn’t share the full bath that my guests can call their own. As mentioned before, the guest room is on one side of the basement rec room. On the other side is a laundry area and full bathroom. Here’s a view into the bath from the hallway:
Oddly enough, there’s a drawer on the bottom of the vanity. Have you ever seen such a thing? I sure hadn’t.
As you can see, the same tiles used in the guest room are carried into the bathroom, making it anything but a dingy and grungy old basement bathroom as found in so many older homes. Just as you saw in our upstairs bathroom, this shower/tub combo is enclosed by glass doors. And guess what? It’s not just any tub. . . it’s a jetted jacuzzi tub.
I’m going to carry over the beachy theme from the bathroom at my last apartment, as that decor was a gift from a good friend. But when last-minute guests were arriving and I had no time to decorate, I snagged a few more fresh flowers, popped them in an old glass jar, and tied a ribbon around it.
A thrifted little white ramekin came in handy for corralling some guest toiletries. (The other toiletries, such as shampoo, conditioner, etc, were all arranged neatly on a shower shelf.)
The way I see it, by giving my guests the basement room and their own full bath, I’m giving them some privacy and some space to spread out. So far I’ve had no complaints! Plus, a jacuzzi tub? The basement guest quarters aren’t looking so bad now, huh?
Click here for Part 6: Studio & Dressing Room
New Abode, Part 3: Master Bath
Whoops! Where did Monday go? I think I saw them streaking by my window at warp speed. Oh wait, those were the baby foxes that live behind our yard. And now it’s late on Tuesday night, so I guess there will be no Tuesday post either.
I’ve been crazy busy since last Friday, between a whirlwind weekend at my parents’ house, a busy start to the workweek, the towing of my car which won’t start and practicing making the wedding cake for my bff. You can peek at my weekend excitement here: we threw an afternoon tea for family and friends to meet my new niece.
But on to the other good stuff: Today I’m sharing a quick little peek at the main bathroom. Like the rest of our abode, this space does not feels nothing like a rental home bathroom. Someone please pinch me. I must be dreaming.
Here’s what you see when you enter from the hall. Note that the lower portion of the window is frosted/bubbly glass for privacy. Great – and useful – detail!
After having a bathroom sinks with nonexistent counters for the last 4 years, I just love having a real vanity counter in this bath. Not to mention the cavernous storage space below. One reason why? I always wanted enough counter space to use cute decorative containers to store my q-tips and cotton puffs at hands reach. Now I have it!
As far as projects go, I’d like to do something to camouflage Ryan’s beloved flip-lid trash can. He likes the ease of use, I don’t like the looks. I’m sure a compromise can be reached.
Another thing I love: Glass doors on the shower. No more shower curtains that need to be changed out or washed. And the shower feels so much more open. The only downside? Soap scum leaves a film on the glass, so I need to find an eco-friendly way to clean it off regularly. I’ve also been considering getting a squeegee. Thoughts?
Let’s take a closer look inside this shower. We always love a good sneaky storage solution, and I always like keeping most ugly bathroom toiletries out of sight in the shower. See that little round shelf hidden in the corner above the shower door? There’s one on either end of the shower. Awesome!
There’s also a separate light inside the shower. The night of the move, as I stepped into the shower, with that separate little light illuminating it, I momentarily forgot it was my home and not a hotel.
I’m also loving the detailed tile work, and the turned metal washcloth bar provides some elegant detailing in the shower as well.
And finally, a shot taken from outside the window – just for perspective. The paint is actually a neutral tan, but it’s got a lot of yellow to it. We havent’ decided if we want to work with the yellow, and accentuate it, or repaint it a lighter, brown-er neutral to accentuate the creamy tones of the tile and the rich mocha of the wood.
The thing is, with a bathroom this nicely renovated, there’s no rush to decorate. It’s quite lovely – not to mention an improvement – just the way it is.
Click here for Part 4: Master Bedroom
