Heart Rocks

Heart rock collection - California

I am attempting to take photos of all the rooms in my house and today, I will post some pics of my red powder room.  I am getting tired of the red and will probably soon change it but is has served well as a great backdrop for Christmas decorations, Valentines Day doo-dads and even Fourth of July kitsch. The thing I love most about this room is the little 2 inch ledge on the cap of the wainscoting.  I have collected heart shaped rocks for a number of years and love to display them in the bathroom. My son, Sam, took the photo of rocks in his hand while we were walking along the shore of Lake Superior one summer day. The  room is full of wonderful memories of trips to Costa Rica, Florida, Texas, California, and my cabin near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

I’m thinking about Valentines Day… and about giving a special heart shaped stone to someone I love to let them know how much they “rock” ! -Peg

A farmhouse bathroom

In anticipation of Thanksgiving and the onslaught of weekend guests, I feverishly worked to finish the guest bathroom remodel that I began last summer. I accomplished my goal of learning to use our power tools. The first few cuts with the table saw scared me so much that I had to sit down to calm my shaking hands. But the more I use it, the more confident I become. I now know how to make mitered cuts with the chop saw, curved cuts with the jig saw and finished edges with the router. I can say that I have been on one long power trip since last summer. I am very very slow but I still have all my fingers and a new bathroom. I sing a little mantra to myself every time I approach an electric saw “eyes, ears, fingers are they all okay?” I wear  earplugs and safety glasses  without fail. I really really respect those tools.

Here are some photos of the bathroom before the remodel:

I knocked down the plaster wall behind the pedestal sink and toilet and discovered a brick wall! I wish that the brick was in better shape so that I could have exposed it but in the end I covered it back up with drywall.

Here is the cabinet that I bought on craigslist for $25

I refinished it and added some trim on the bottom and sides to make it look more like a piece of furniture.

Here is the finished bathroom!

The entire remodel cost about $1700. About half that amount was for the marble counter top. I did not re-do any tile…I did that about 8 years ago. I did add bead board wainscoting new lighting, a new vanity and sink and built in shelves for towels. We hired a plumber to move the plumbing over about 18 inches but I connected the faucet and sink. I have a few tweaks to make before I am satisfied but overall, I can say that I’m very happy! I’ve been living in this bathroom for many weeks and I’m ready to get out of the house and on with my life…Peg

Weekend Updates: Windows and Succulents

It was a nice weekend this past weekend. Brentan and I got some projects nearly finished, and started some new ones, and ran a 12k through San Francisco!

First off, Brentan put a nice frame around our bathroom window. It’s not painted, but it’s already looking much better.

I worked on finishing a shade for this window, but of course it’s not up because the frame still needs to be painted. So you’ll just have to wait and see.

As we were walking Daphne on Saturday, we came across a garage sale in the neighborhood. Usually garage sales in our area suck, but this guy was selling a bunch of succulents he propogated for $1 each. I bought a bunch and have plans for these babies! I got all of the below succulents for only $12! That was a nice day, and a nice feeling.

What were you up to this weekend?

-Liz

Sunburst in My Bathroom!

Remember when I was contemplating re-doing the bathroom? Well, after a few (small) tweaks, I’m perfectly happy with the way it is!

Isn’t it funny, how adding just one or two things can make a space feel so much happier? I love having flowers in here, and my mom got me a mini orchid when she and my dad were staying with me a month ago. It’s expiring fast, but still makes me smile when I walk in. I hope to keep one in there always! I added a nice new glass soap pump (buh-bye plastic containers), too.

But my favorite new thing is the sunburst mirror (from Target, $24.99, apparently not online, but similar to these sunburst mirrors here, and here). A little mid-modern touch to my mostly classic bathroom.

So, what’s the need to add more lights and frame out the ceiling and re-tile the shower? Well, I’d still love a marble vanity countertop…

-Liz

Setting Priorities

Photo by Mark Olson, via House of Turquiose. Look at that awesome dental molding!

It looks like the bathroom remodel will have to wait. At least until this spring. Which is bad for you, because you’ll have to wait a bit for updates about it on the blog, but good for me!

Brentan and I decided that we’re going to take a few trips this winter and early spring, which means less cash to redo the bathroom. It will get done, I just want to make sure that we have the money saved up to do it. So anticipate more pretty inspiration and planning posts, and a little less DIY…

-Liz

Bathroom Ideas

Like I said in a previous post, I’m planning on renovating my bathroom a bit from this:

to something like this:

From House Beautiful

 

From Cottage Living

 

From Sunset

I’m thinking that the main elements of the bathroom are, many from the pictures above:

• Subway tile
• Glass subway tile (like that gorgeous shower above)
• White and gray marble counter for the vanity
• Mirror along the whole wall
• Long shelf below the mirror
• Light aqua or green walls
• Wall mount sink fixture
• Tile along the bathtub

There will be a few new construction elements–namely a drop ceiling above the bath to allow for a fan and light, and a header above the sink and toilet with can lights. The floors will stay the same since they were recently redone, and I still like them a lot! Oh yeah, and I think my budget is around$2500–but I haven’t priced it all out yet.

Possible challenges:

• Where do I find a mirror that can cover my 69″ wall? Is a custom mirror going to be too expensive?
• Will all the white subway tile look dirty in a little while? How can I keep it all clean?
• Do I stay with the cute blue accent tiles on the floor or go for an accent of glass subway tiles, which I love love love!
• What to make the wall-length shelf out of?
• The design is very streamlined. Do I need to add in some texture or coziness?

So wish me luck–I’ll be sure to keep you posted on my decisions as the happen!

-Liz

 

Pink Bathrooms

Happy New Year! I hope this year proves to be happy and productive!

Photo by john curley

One of my new projects for the new year is to renovate the bathroom. I have only one in my house, alas, so any work will eliminate bathroom use. I already did a bit of work when I moved in, but want it to look a bit more spa-like. But more on that later.

Bathroom Before and After

So in doing some research on bathrooms, I came across a movement in bathrooms that is the opposite of spa-like: embracing pink, retro bathrooms. One of my favorite blogs homes, The Brick House, has the problem that apparently many people face: a bathroom in good shape, but PINK! and no money to pay for a total overhaul.

The New York Times wrote an article a few days ago about how people are taking back the retro pink bathroom. I just love it!

There’s even a website devoted to saving pink retro bathrooms: http://savethepinkbathrooms.com/

If I had a retro bathroom, I think I might embrace it. My old apartment in Boston had mint green retro tile, and it was so fun!

-Liz