When you are dealing with a small room such as a bathroom, the details are instrumental in creating the aesthetic of the room.  A pop of color, an interesting object, an unexpected piece can set the mood and bring style into a small space.  In the bathrooms below, we see several different methods of pulling a room together in the details.

Photo: Coastal Living

This room is filled to the brim with fabulous details.  From a bold wallpaper to an ornate mirror to bright splashes of yellow, this room is not boring in the least.  The details create a room that is cheerful, exciting, and youthful.

Photo: Martha Stewart Living

A small detail such as  a seashell soap dish set against whites and pastels creates an ethereal, ocean inspired look with minimal effort.

Photo: Martha Stewart Living

Instead of a typical towel rack, try a ladder.  This detail creates a country atmosphere, and when paired with a woven basket that houses hand towels, the look is complete.  The white accented with turquoise in the towels and in an unexpected spot such as the basket is a fresh look.

Photo: Southern Living

Don’t forget that the sink can be a spot for style!  This copper sink is a striking look and served as inspiration for the rest of the bathroom, from the walls to the mat to the towels and shower curtain.

Another task completed: Reid installed our glass blocks to make a window for the half-bath. The little space is completely dark, with no windows at all, so now it will get some light from the kitchen, which will save us from having to turn the light on every time we go in there.

In other news, we decided today to bite the bullet and have Ben’s crew finish all the trim. I thought we could potentially save some money by doing it ourseleves. But I’m beginning to realize that will probably never happen. Plus, we want the trim to look good, not like some hack job (which it probably would if we were wielding the table saw). It will take about two weeks and will really be the last thing the house needs before we get to the fun part of decorating.

Before we Bought it:

The bathroom wasn’t properly vented, which I thought meant a fan but it means something I don’t quite understand about the pipes and gas and stuff.  So we had to take it to the studs

During:

After (but not quite done):

We got the Cole & Sons wallpaper (I’m the last to jump on the bandwagon, I’m a big girl so I run walk slowly).  I also would like to add that the periwinkle step thing is also a “before”.  On the list of things to rectify.

I bought if from Rose & Radish and I have to say the owner, Cate, was delightful to talk with over the phone.

It was my husband’s idea to do the “grass” tiles.  We love it!

Not quite done, still have to install the super cool mirror I scored on ebay and put in a handle.  But I could not wait to share!

Hard to take a photo  inside the tiny bathroom but you get the idea.  We were going for a secret little woodland world under the stairway.

Edit to add: Want to acknowledge the other players on the team -wish we were DIYers but we’re really not.  Our contractor is AMAZING.  He thought of things I would never have like mimicking the trim around the door so it relates with the rest of the house and the baseboard molding, nice touch.   My husband had the idea for the grass flooring and our contractor hunted a distributor down.  I love that my husband trusts my instincts but also brings so much to the creation of our home.

&&&

Thanks for all the kind words.  I am embarrassed to admit how good it feels to read them.

First let me explain something.  My house has a full bath (upstairs) and an old servants “bathroom” downstairs that is actually only a closet with a toilet in it.  NO SINK.  And unfortunately there is no room to expand on either side (it’s blocked in by a stairwell and an exterior brick wall).  Anyways, this weekend I decided I would tackle the half bath by peeling the wallpaper.  It had been painted over several times, so I thought this was going to be difficult…but not so.   (Meanwhile, keep in mind it’s hard to photograph since it’s so small.)

A general idea of what I’m working with.

Here’s what the old wallpaper looked like when I started peeling.

Progress made.  I ended up peeling a lot of wallpaper in no time!  However as I began to keep peeling I realized that the exterior wall was covered by a weird 50’s wallboard that was super soft and not worth painting over.  So I poked a small hole…and then the next thing you know I’d torn all the wall board down and discovered an old exterior doorway that gave me an extra 8″ in depth where I’d be able to create built-in shelves!!  In a space this small…every centimeter counts!

Wow!!  I was thrilled to have found an old doorway!  At the bottom of the pic is the old baseboard.  I’m so thrilled!!  Now I have to either sheetrock or use beadboard to close it in.  (Oh, and install some foam insulation.)  I can’t wait to get you the after pics soon.

Lastly, I did some digging online and found the perfect sink for my teensy little powder room.  It’s only 8″ deep! If you have a teeny, tiny space and are looking for a sink, I can’t recommend this one enough.  It’s from the Whitehaus Jem collection and is so cute in person.  Vintage Tub & Bath had the cheapest price on it, plus free shipping.

]]> http://growingalife.wordpress.com/2009/07/22/the-saga-of-my-bathroom-continues/ Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:14:07 +0000 growingalife http://growingalife.wordpress.com/2009/07/22/the-saga-of-my-bathroom-continues/

When we moved in our half bath had MAJOR granny wallpaper super-glued to the walls (I don’t think the previous homeowners ”sized it” before they put up the wallpaper).  I’ve been pulling down that wallpaper bits at a time for the past year. Every time I remove a strip it takes the top layer of the drywall with it. So I’m left with a brown, rough wall. After much deliberation (hah!) I’m putting up pages of books in stripes around the walls. I saw it on Apartment Therapy and it’s gonna look cool. Kinda like this:

I’m also putting mosaic tile on the vanity counter. It’s a pretty wooden vanity that looks like a chest of drawers with a white ceramic sink dropped in the top. After four years of use the wooden top is RUINED. It looks terrible since we’re big slobs who splash water everywhere. We need tile. I found tumbled glass mosaic pieces on sale at Michael’s and am excited about that project too. I want to have this bathroom done by the first week on June. We will have a house guest and I want everything “just so”!

Also, we went to Home Depot yesterday to pick up new garden gloves. I left mine outside and the monsoon really gave them a once over. While we were cruising the sale aisles (the official pass time of this little family unit) we found an urn fountain marked down to $33!!! Of course, I had to get it. Tony wasn’t sure about the color and is sort of… uncomfortable with the idea of something outside being plugged in all the time. He’ll get used to it.

I have a flip house we have recently put on the market.. It’s a 1950’s bungalow, and it has 1 full bath… 3 bedrooms, and a 2 car garage, but that one lousy bath! hehe

It’s hard to explain, but you enter into the home in the living room, and there is a closet jutting out about 4 feet by 3 feet on the wall to the left. It’s like someone put a cabinet behind the front door, but more finished(drywall and normal closet door). So basically there is like 6 feet of wall space that kinda doesnt make sense.. Good place for entertainment center I guess, but not much else.. ANYWAY, my father(my general contractor) has been harassing me for over a month to add a half bath in place of that 3′ x 6′ area of the living room. You know, wall it out and put a door on the hallway for entry… I’ve just been thinking it wouldn’t make sense.. Not only would it put 2 bathroom doors next to each other in the hallway, but it would be pretty tough to put a sink vanity and a toilet in a 3′ x 6′ room.

So tonite, I was trying to find the end of the internet, and I happened on a product which turns the tank/top of the toilet into a small sink basin… Is this my solution?!?!  Would it really make a useful bath? I mean on the one hand you could do your “business” and wash your hands, but would people accept that as a “half” bath?! I doubt it, but it is an intriguing question and thought process… Would people feel comfortable brushing their teeth over the toilet?!? It’s clean “cold” water, but I think people might get squeemish… Not to mention, I would tend to think there is probably quite a few people who would think it was dirty water.. You know, those same people who think there really is a nigerian princess out there with gobs of money they are willing to give away!

A lot of “experts” say when you are rehabbing/flipping homes, you need to do one thing that throws the house over the top…. Could this be that one thing?!?!

I sent the site to the old geezer(my dad), let’s see what he thinks.. hehe I wont ask the wife, or my mother, cause I know they will tell me HECK NO!!! hehe

As referenced in previous posts, we had to build a support wall for the second floor joists before we could remove the wall that stood between the old dining room closet and the original kitchen. We realized that these old studs needed support as a cut through them revealed “pinching”: cut through a stud and a space is visible between the peices? Cool. Not a support wall. But if the two peices pinch together, closing the gap between the top and bottom? It’s supporting something, even if not originally intended to be.

Without further ado: the beautiful, sturdy, very-supportive, support wall.

The renovation was a success and we had a great open house on April 13!  Here are some of the highlights (to see pictures bigger, just ‘hover’ the cursor over the picture):

Family Room

   Fireplace Before:                                    Fireplace After:

False beams and popcorn ceiling gone; new railing between kitchen and family room:

Kitchen

Before:

After:

Foyer

Before:

After:

Half Bath:

Before:                                                 After:

Laundry Room

The washer drained into the laundry tub previously; the washer now drains directly.

Before:                                                             After:

Flooring

Solid hardwood flooring (bamboo) was installed throughout foyer, living room, dining room, and kitchen.  Ceramic tile was installed in the back hall, including the half bath and laundry room.  All trim, baseboard, doors, hardware, plugs, switches were replaced with new.

Before:                                                                   After:

Exterior

Getting rid of the brown exterior made a huge difference.

Before:

After:

And, of course, a beautiful new front door: