Tranquil

I’m craving  a hot bath with scented candles, salt scrub, and a glass of champagne.  The reality is I live in a rental with a tub not worthy or functional, a bar of dove soap and I’m too sick to drink.  A girl can dream, can’t she?

Wishing you a beautiful and tranquil day amongst all the craziness!

Stocking your Powder Room for Guests

I love powder rooms for the simple reason, they are compact and you can be a little more creative with them.  However, today’s post is not about design but about the key things I believe every powder room should contain when you host a dinner party, or simply have company over.  This is where my friends will roll their eyes at me.   You would be surprised how many of these things are actually missing from peoples bathrooms.  Here are some of Peggy & Fritz’s tips on how to make your guests feel comfortable in your bathroom, powder room, bano, toilet, etc. 

My ideal powder room.

1.  Use paper napkins vs. a hand towel for your guests.  Most people prefer to use a paper napkin to dry their hands vs. using the same hand towel that some one else has used to dry their hands.  Believe it or not, I have had people still wipe their hands on a decorative hand towel when guest towels were provided,  that bugs by the way (pet peeve).  I use long napkins and keep them on a white ceramic dish purchased at Cost Plus, it’s meant for serving, but I love it for holding napkins (it looks clean and elegant). You can use all kinds of items for holding napkins (I don’t like those store bought ones except below) such as a silver tray from the flea market, porcelain dishes, pottery, etc.    I change the napkins based on holidays, time of year, etc.  You can find them at Home Goods, Target, Amazon has a great selection, and Horchow has some that you can have monogrammed, etc.

2. Always leave a garbage can out.  Even if you keep your waste basket under your sink, please take it out when you have guests.  Also, for those that do not have one in their bathroom, if for no other reason then my next sentence, kindly purchase a waste basket.  There is nothing worse than it being that “time of the month” and needing to throw away your “goods” and you look and there is no basket.  I’m like, are you kidding me?  I know, likely not what you thought I would say, but I’m just stating the facts.  I’ve actually been places where there was no waste basket.  I had to stuff “the goods”   in my pocket and march directly to the kitchen to find a trash can so I could throw out “the unmentionables”.  Now, what if I was wearing a cocktail dress? Can you imagine the horror?  Please don’t subject your guests to this!   I know a little more visual than you needed.  How else can I get the point across?  If you usually put it under the sink, it is helpful during a party to pull it out and place it by the toilet or if you don’t keep one in there at all,  if for no other reason than the one above, you need to purchase one.

3. Keep an extra roll of toilet paper in the bathroom.  I keep a small wicker basket right next to the toilet  (with a lid that flips up).  It’s visible to guests should they run out of toilet paper. They won’t feel funny opening it up because it’s a logical choice for them to look and the best part is, they don’t have to get up. They simply reach to the left or the right.  

4.  Always have room spray.  Let’s face it, sometimes you have to poop.  Nothing is worse then looking around and seeing no room spray.  You don’t want to be the one that poops and leaves the bathroom.   Your then cringing in fear that someone will step into the bathroom right after you and your thinking, “Please don’t go in there!” Then without words your subjected to “the oh….., she just pooped look”.   Save us the embarrassment please.  I have a tiny electric socket right near my toilet with a ledge where I keep a small can visible.  If you have a basket next to the toilet, you can store it where the toilet paper is or leave it down on the floor behind the basket, but still visible. Sorry after Dr. Oz was on Oprah, poop conversations make me laugh and I don’t even have kids.

5. Provide liquid soap in a pump.  Only use a bar of soap for yourself or as a decorative item.  When you have multiple guests, it’s best to provide a pump of soap as it’s more sanitary.  No one wants to be using the same bar of soap as everyone else. Reserve that for your family and switch it out for guests.

 

6.  Adding little touches.  I usually have a nice scented candle or tea light burning in a votive holder and a fresh flower or mixed greens in a bud vase.  Just these little things add a nice touch and make guests feel special.

 

Now as a guest in someone’s home, I think it’s important to exercise the following:  1. It is considered polite after you wash your hands to wipe down the faucet and counter.  Some people wash their hands and you would think a bird had just been in their flickering around in a birdbath.  There’s water everywhere. It’s sprinkled on the mirror, on the counter and there are water spots all over the faucet (another pet peeve, water spots make me crazy).  When I say crazy, I mean crazy.  I’m not known as the Windex Queen for a reason.  Just so you know, you are not in a hotel, your in someone’s home.  Kindly use your napkin and wipe off the common area and faucet.   2.  Since it’s likely I don’t have any men reading my blog but if I do, please put down the toilet seat.  For all the moms out there, please teach your son’s this!  No one wants their company walking into a guest bathroom to the visual of a toilet seat up.  While this happens rarely with my guests, there is always someone from time to time a guest that will do this.  Ok, I’m done.  I’d love to hear your tips of anything I haven’t included. 

Do you have any tips that I haven’t listed.  If so, I would love to hear them.

Sumptuous Bathrooms

If you love bathrooms, The Perfect Bath written by Barbara Sallick, the co-founder of Waterworks is a must read.   She started a blog a few months ago around one of her favorite topics, the bathroom.  It’s the perfect site for interior designers or anyone redoing their bathroom as a source of inspiration  as well as for those that enjoy history and learning about how products come to fruition.   She did a recent post on the  The Empire Bath by Waterworks and I had to share some of the images with you.  All of these bathrooms make me want buy some lavender bubble bath, pour myself a glass of wine, and relax in the tub with a good book.  If only my bathroom could be so elegant instead my reality is standing in an old shower with some dove soap.  A girl can dream can’t she?

This bathroom is so elegant.  I love the oversized gold mirror above with the chandelier hanging down and the touch of fresh flowers.  Yes, I can see myself here.

I love the pop of color of this chair (looks like velvet, even better) with the mirror above flanked by two sconces.

This bathroom below is so me.  I love white Carrara marble anything.  I am not particularly fond of open showers.  That’s what I love about this space. I love how the Empire tub sits in front of a half wall in Carrarra marble with the shower behind it making the tub the focal point.

How beautiful is this pop of blue with the white trim.  The Carrara marble backdrop in a create shape adds additional interest.

Simple and Elegant

Of course, I love all white bathrooms.  I love the dual sinks across from each other with the wide open space.  It feels fresh.

This is from an unknown source (the bathtub) but look how gorgeous this Empire Tub is in marble.  It feels so luxurious.

A picture of an Empire Tub from an old French Bath Catalogue from the early 1900’s.

My wish for you this week is that you relax, take a deep breath, and enjoy the bliss of a bubble bath!

 

I love hearing your comments! Stop by

 Peggy & Fritz

and let me know your thoughts they always make my day!

 

 

Photo Credits:  The Perfect Bath, Velvet and Linen, Architectural Digest

Pure Bliss

Growing up Meg Ryan was one of my favorite actresses. I watched her from her soap days, (now I can’t remember what one), to her first role as Goose’s wife in Top Gun, and my all time favorite movie Harry Met Sally. I always felt like she was someone I could be friends with, don’t ask me why (wouldn’t it be terrible if she turned out to be bitchy), she always seemed so approachable. Maybe I feel connected to her because we’re both from Connecticut and I loved that she was always a little preppy!  Imagine my surprise, when I saw her house in the June issue of Elle Decor.   I knew we were kindred spirits when I saw her Martha’s Vineyard home designed by Marsha Russell of Satinwood LTD in Bedford, NY.  This house is soooooo me!  While I’m trying to add more color into my own home, I am forever drawn to white.  I don’t know why, but for me it’s pure bliss. I know some people prefer color but after 15 years, I never grow tired of white.   My boyfriend thinks we live in a hospital and my friends joke that that I got a white dog to go with my white furniture.  This home is so simple and beautiful that I can’t help but be drawn to it.  It only reinforces my fondness for Meg Ryan and why if we lived next door to one another – we’d be BFF’s.

I love the grandeur of this dining table with this big chairs. I picture this at night with lots of votives burning, wine being passed around the table, and yummy food prepared from local ingredients.

This kitchen just makes you want to cook.  I love that the pendant lights and  how the wood beams give the room more interest rather than a flat surfaced ceiling. It’s refreshing to see a rustic wood table with the wide planks as the focal point vs.. your traditional matching island.  It adds an organic feeling and warms up the room.

What I find interesting architecturally about the house is the use of height and different windows and ceiling materials.  Each room is slightly different yet it all compliments one another.

While some would find this room boring, I love it.  White, white, and more white.  Heaven for me

The bathroom tile looks so vintage and I like how they used the wood room divider. 

I love the clean look of the counter with the oversized sink.  The pendent lights are one of my favorite things in this bathroom along with the oversize mirror.  The whole bathroom is a combination of vintage with modern lines but the materials compliment one another.  I love it.  Wouldn’t you be happy washing brushing your teeth every morning here?

What are your thoughts?  Are you a white person or do you like your color?

 

 

Photo Credits:  All photos by William Waldrom /Elle Decor

Splish Splash

I am often inspired by the colors of the ocean and have been looking for a color palette to serve as an inspiration for my living room (new accent color). I knew I had found it when I spotted this effervescence mosaic tile (below) from Artistic Tile in wolfgang white satin and glossy in a recent issue of one of my home magazines. The tile is made from glass and marble in the most beautiful soft gray/blue tones. Imagine this in a large walk-in shower with white subway tiles and a built in nook made from this tile or as a backsplash in a bathroom or kitchen. Its soothing colors make me want to take a bath - it screams calgon take me away!

It looks like someone blew bubbles.

I also found this fabulous limestone in lake blue. It looks like waves on the ocean. I love the shape and texture!

PHOTOS 1, 2, and 3: From Artistic Tile