Looking to Change Up My Bathroom

When we moved into our house, it was previously rented by five guys who had just graduated from college.  As you can imagine, it was like Animal House and the Hangover combined.  According to my neighbors they use to throw kegs off the roof and party all night long.  The house was a disaster, smelled musty, and was absolutely filthy.  I had seen the house prior to them renting it.  We wanted to rent it at the time but we didn’t have extra money to pay first, last, etc.  The house was in great shape and had a lot of charm with the exception of the kitchen and bathrooms which were completely outdated.  When we moved in the landlord agreed to let me make some modifications within reason.  I told him my dad would do the work, we would look for the least expensive materials while making it look nice but I couldn’t live here in the current state of some of the rooms.  We asked that the house be painted all white so we had a blank slate.  We had so many projects to do that I never got around to painting colors because we were so focused on so many other things such as getting it clean, working on the outdoor space and various other elements of the house (cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning).  I’m now revisiting our upstairs bathroom.  Currently, my color scheme is white walls with chocolate brown accents.   I am now looking to take it to the next level by painting above the bead board chocolate brown to give it a more dramatic effect.

What most people don’t know about renting is that a lot of landlords are very accommodating if you just ask.  I have been very fortunate where I have lived that they let me do, whatever I want (within reason of course).  It only improves their space and value of the home.  They are normally genuinely happy if someone is taking care of their property.   I always encourage people if you don’t like something and it’s outdated all you have to do is ask. 

This is an example of a project we took on.  Our landlord agreed to pay for the materials and my dad did the work.  Our bathroom initially looked like this below.  It had an outdated sink and stock cabinet with huge track lights above with a tacky oak mirror.  I had my dad take out the light fixture.    My dad was going to do a built in cabinet and sink but he was only visiting for two weeks and we were on a limited time schedule.    The photo below is what it looked like before. 

 

The floors were blue tile trimmed with red.  Initially I thought what the heck, I can work around it and maybe do a nautical theme since we live at the beach. However, the tile was so disgusting and the thought of five guys living here before me made me want to start fresh.   I convinced my dad to redo the tile (he thought he was just doing the kitchen).   Off to Depot we went, I found some Dale Tile hexagon shaped 12” x 12” tiles that looked vintage and fit the architecture of our house perfectly.  They actually look like original to the house (see in the after pictures). By the way, did you notice the plastic icky beige towel bar.  Gross. 

How do you like the empty toilet roll they left. Can you imagine this is only one room?This is how our bathroom looks now (see below).   Now my new project is to paint above the bead board a rich chocolate brown.  I wanted a minimal feel to the bathroom.  Simple and not overly done.   I got the shower curtain from the Nate Berkus collection for $29.99 on sale vs.. Restoration Hardware’s hotel collection for triple.  I wanted Smith and Noble bamboo or textured blinds but it was not practical to buy customs blinds that might now work somewhere else.  I found these at Target for $29.99 and they are nicely textured in a grass cloth.  People think they are super expensive and are always surprised when we say Target.The picture (see below)  is actually a card.  I was looking for some classy nudes but all the paintings were too expensive.  I happened to stumble on some cards in an  and found this in a shop in Connecticut.  The frame cost me $ .01 from Aaron Brothers because I did buy one get one for a penny and the mat came from Target.  To frame this entire picture including the picture cost me less than $20.00.  You can’t tell by the photo but it looks like an expensive piece of art up close.  This is an inexpensive way to add art to your home.  I’m always looking at cards or books for things that I can frame.  I prefer to do a larger mat so there is even more focus on the item your framing.  I love these frames from Aaron Brothers because they looks expensive (Pottery Barn has similar ones) because they are a rich chocolate brown wood frame.

This shelf sits directly across from the toilet and behind the door.  Unfortunately, I’m still learning how to photograph for my blog and I accidently cut off the top of my orchid.  The table came from a home boutique store that is no longer in business in Manhattan Beach.  I’m looking for a matte white colored Urn to match the small one below to put my orchid in.  I like that Martha Stewart look of multiples of the same object in various sizes.   Here you can get a glimpse of the tile we used for the bathroom floor.  As you can see, it looks more vintage and appropriate for our house.

We needed to replace the nasty oak bathroom sink so we went looking for a free standing sink and cabinet. At that time (four years ago) it was difficult to find nice free standing sinks and cabinets like the ones in Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware.  I had one day to find everything and our only options were Home Depot and Home Expo. All the Home Depot free standing cabinet/sinks looked cheap or too small and I wasn’t convinced.    We found this one at Home Expo and it was the only one that looked like something that would go with our house.   I liked the marble top because it made it look more expensive and was more beachy as opposed to some of the other ones.  I found an inexpensive faucet for the sink that looks like one you might see from Rohl or Restoration Hardware at a fraction of the cost.  I hung two Chatham Towel Rings from Restoration Hardware's on each side of the sink.  Since they had to be hung higher it looked funny with just one so, I ended up putting two and it looked much better.  I also got the  Chatham Tissue Holder and Towel Rack] at Restoration Hardware to make the fixtures look a little more upscale than your typical rental.

I’m in love with my parrot. I found him in my favorite store Home Goods.  He will look great against the chocolate brown walls once I paint them. My boyfriend just thinks it’s more clutter on the sink but I love it.

I added a basket with fresh towels underneath in chocolate brown to give the bathroom a little color and texture.

Can you believe I couldn’t find any pictures on-line of chocolate brown bathrooms.  This was as close as I could get to demonstrating the contrast of the brown and white that I am looking to create.   The bead board would remain white below and I would paint the top a rich chocolate brown.  I will change out the mirror and either do a long gold rectangular one or paint a silver mirror that I hate downstairs a glossy white to make it pop on the wall. I found some great bathroom fixtures that are fabulous for our style house at Rejuvenations, which specializes in classic American light fixtures.  Now, I have to finalize the color brown and get to work.  Let’s see how long this will take me.  Of course, if we owned this house, I’d be gutting this bathroom and starting from scratch.  Now back to reality!  I’ll be sure to post the after pictures once I finish.  Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear your comments.      

Just for giggles, I thought you might get a kick out of what our house looked like before we moved in.  I just did the post on our window boxes (what our house looks like now) and you can you see with some minor changes such as paint and flowers how easy it is to spruce up your house.   Keep in mind this picture makes it look good compared to state the house was actually in.  I wanted to keep that door because it fit the architecture of the house better than the one we have now (see post on I’m in Mourning) but it was falling apart.  Most of the ones that look like this need to be custom and being renters, I’m not willing spend that kind of money. However, I just found one at Osh for $100.00  that looks very similar and eventually I am going to replace it. It will add to the character of the house.  You can see how the flower boxes were not painted, the house was chipped (I got the landlord to agree to paint the house) and fix the roof.  There were NO plants anywhere except for two rose bushes and a hydrangea bush in the corner.  I painted the window boxes, added the arbor by the front gate and we planted all the roses and flowers ourselves.   It’s like the saying, “We’ve Come a Long Way Baby”.

There are some inexpensive and creative ways you can freshen up your bathroom or home especially for those living in a house that they are renting or an apartment.  I’ll be sure to show you the after pictures once I finish it.  With a little bit of creativity you’d be surprised what you can do!

 

Photo Credits:  All photos are taken by Peggy & Fritz except Photo 11: Source Unknown.  You are welcome to use them and it would be great if you can reference Peggy & Fritz.

Affordable Art on Etsy

Yesterday I had typed this entire blog and was in the middle of copying something when my computer froze up and I lost the entire blog post. I was so frustrated, I had to step away and here I am again today trying to duplicate what I had almost completed Saturday.

I spent yesterday morning on Etsy looking for some art for my downstairs bathroom.  It has burgundy color walls with white wainscoting with maroon and white vintage tile.  I was looking for a sizeable painting or unique print for one wall, however, I wanted a beach theme.  As I was looking for something to match my bathroom, I came across some fun art that I thought might interest those that live near the beach or simply enjoy the ocean.

For those of you who don’t know about Etsy, it’s the Ebay for creative and talented individuals.  They carry art work, handmade jewelry and pottery, handbags, vintage items, etc.  You have to be patient because it doesn’t let you view 50 or 100 items per page and for me this can be frustrating.  However, don’t let that deter you from shopping.  It’s a great place to find a unique gift.  Here’s some of the fun things I found yesterday.

Black Baroque has fabulous art (see below).  She has long collected vintage books like most women collect shoes.  She uses antique illustrations from one book, with an antique page from another book to create unique works of art.  What I love about her site is she shows you how the art would look in a room setting.  I have taken a few examples to show you below.  She has all types of subjects such as:  shells, flowers, peacocks, elephants, food, etc.  Whatever, your fancy is, she has it.  I love these for a single picture, groupings of three, four, six, etc.  My favorite, the peacock below.

 

 

Cassia Beck is from Brighton, U.K. (see below) who enjoys all things vintage.  She takes her camera everywhere and enjoys flaws and blurs in her work.  She believes these imperfections create the atmosphere behind her photos.  She also has a blog http://cassiab.blogspot.com/  with incrediable photos.  What I love the most about her work is the soft color palette, which tends to be my personal style.  The four pictures below are postcards.  I love all of them, but especially the row of garages or buildings.  I use postcards often as art.  I buy an oversized mat and frame so the picture/postcard really pops and stands out.  These four would look great in a group setting.

 

These are four separate pictures that I put together from her collection.  I envision these in a little girls room. 

Magic Marking Art (see below) is an artist and mom of two teenagers.  She is also a teacher of art as well out of her home studio.  She paints mostly on canvas but also on wood.  Take a look at her wood paintings in her shop Magic Marking Art.  They are unique and would make a great display on a table or leaning against a wall.  These two below were the ones I was considering for my bathroom.  I prefer the top one because of it’s softer color palette.  If I end up buying it, I will take a picture and show you how it looks in the bathroom.

 

For those of you who like beach and surf scenes, I love the ones below.  They would look great as a series or individually.

 

 

These bicycles (see below) caught my attention by Den 10 Studio.  See what she says about her work.  I think this about sums up how I felt about this picture.

“I am creating art prints that I define as “art for the youthful spirit.” Art that inspires a fresh and optimistic attitude, and reminds us to savor the things that make us happy. There is something about the simplicity of an object that reminds us of a moment in time that we enjoyed. This art was created with those moments in mind...the little moments that refresh the soul.”

Living at the beach we are pleasantly reminded of the feeling of being a kid.  In Manhattan Beach people ride all types of bikes ~ sometimes colorful, sometimes rusty, sometimes double, people with dogs in baskets, kids in tow, but everyone is smiling and the best part ~ it’s all ages.  It’s that blissful feeling of riding along the strand with the wind in your face makes you feel like a kid.  Like Den 10 Studio says, “it’s refreshing the soul”. 

Bragging Bags can customize these photos (see below) to say whatever you want.  If your a guy (likely they are not reading this) ~ what a great way to propose. Girls pass on to your brothers or guy friends.  OMG!  Wouldn’t this make the most romantic proposal if it said, “Will you marry me?”  There are so many great gift ideas that you could do with these photos.  It’s the perfect gift for Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Wedding, anniversary or use as a save the date for a wedding or simply let someone know your thinking of them.  If your looking for a creative gift, this is it!

 

I spotted these and I had to post them for my New England friends.  Laura Trevey's lobster and crab’s are perfect for that beach house in New England.  Plus, it makes me miss Maine lobster and crabbing as a kid.  How cute would these be framed in a living room or a kitchen.

You know I love to show you all my great Bargains. I’ve been looking for reasonable vintage beach paintings on Ebay and Etsy.  Here’s a cute little picture (I use cute little a lot) I scored on Ebay a few weeks ago for $17.00 including shipping. It was a vintage signed oil painting that was so charming, I had to have it.  It’s only about 8” x 5”, but it’s darling.   Most of the ones I tend to gravitate towards are not in my price range, but just like a flea market occasionally you come across a great bargain.

Hope you find what your looking for!

Bloomingdales Big Window Challenge

Currently, Bloomingdales is hosting a Big Window Challenge at their flagship store in NYC.  There are three different designers doing a various window displays with their own concept idea and storylines.  Eddie Ross is one of the designers, representing Elle Decor for this competition.  I fell in love with Eddie during Top Design. I have watched Top Design since it’s inception. My girlfriend Erin and I always giggle because it reminds us of us a few years ago at FIDM.  As crazy adults, we decided to go back to school for design.  We both had a love for design, textiles & homes and wanted to fine tune our skills and see if this was a life we’d want to lead.  Anyone, who is a professional working person and goes to school full time for interior design at night can attest how insane and crazy it is ~  pulling all nighters, laughing because your so delirious and deprived to sleep that your going crazy, and the joys that come from all the hard work and seeing the end result.  I always related to the Top Design contestants because sometimes you do need a little time to get the creative juices flowing but not on this show – you jump right in and sometimes they had to work on a tight deadline and/or had to work through the night, something I related too!  Eddie Ross was one of those contestants that always pulled the rabbit out of a hat and made, whatever he did, look like it was magazine worthy (table settings, room vignettes, etc).  He’s been in the business for sometime and has had an already successful career working at Martha Stewart and now he is thriving even more!  He has a fabulous blog which everyone should read Eddie Ross.  If I lived back East, I’d want him as my neighbor.  I know we would have a blast entertaining together and I think he would be great fun to chat and gossip with!

What I love about this contest is each room done by a designer is to have a story.  Eddie’s is a woman who owns a fashion PR company with offices in Paris and New York. She has two children who have recently moved out of the house likely on their way to Harvard or Yale (that’s my thoughts) or maybe off to school in Florence to study textiles or apparel. While I read the story of who this woman was and how she lived, I really got lost in the story, it was as if, I was reading a modern day novel of Coco Chanel, but more the business woman.

What I love about Eddie is ability mix the bold with the subtle.  I truly enjoy pops of color but my natural esthetic tends to be whites, linens, tans, etc.  I appreciate color as a designer and wish sometimes I had the ability to do it myself ~ go to the bright side!   After reviewing the photo’s of Eddie’s window display (See Photo’s Below) I was stumped on the walls ~ I couldn’t figure out if it was wallpaper or if he splattered paint on the walls.  I was torn – do I like it or don’t I?  I loved the color but wished I could see it in person.  The more I pondered it, I was pleasantly reminded of a class that we took at FIDM with a quirky instructor who taught us about the imagination and about shapes, proportions, and various elements as an art form (think Andy Goldsworthy and the late Gene Moore, the window dresser for Tiffany’s) and I looked at it in a new light.  I always love his mix of materials.  The brass chandelier in just the right color – not to shiny not to dull.  I love how Eddie and his team added pops of color and how the orange and pink’s compliment one another.  The furniture is simple and understated but the woman expresses herself through her art, pillows, and classic accessories.

  I love this statue (See Below).  It makes me want to go to Italy and scour the flea markets for one. I think I’m in love.

Dear Apollo,

How I wish you would come live with me? If we lived together, you’d probably be my new best friend – I’m sure we’d have many conversations ~ on how our day is going or not going, maybe I’d throw things at you when I was angry, but, your far to handsome for that.  I see us as being best friends, while my dog barked at you – like, who is this stranger that invaded our house? I think my boyfriend would likely hang his clothes on you…but I would take care of you.  Don’t you worry! Of please come stay with me!

All the Best,

Ann

I absolutely love this table display below.  My dream is to have a room dedicated to nothing but dishes, glasses, serving platters, etc., so, I really could begin to collect all different colors for the various seasons.  I remember reading about this brass tray below Eddie bought he was guest blogging on Pure Style Home– another of my favorite blogs.  He shared with her readers how he bought it for next to nothing at the flea market in the hopes it would clean up nice but even if it didn’t – it still would look amazing.  A little brass cleaner and elbow grease and look how well it cleaned it up ~ looks like something you’d see at Bergdorf’s.  Also, another accessory I love on this table and something I’m collecting myself, is this white urn.  I have one in my bathroom, I got for a $1.00 when I was at an antique shop in Old Saybrook, CT.  It currently holds my Q Tips!  I broke my other one (I do everything in 3’s) so I need a replacement.  I’ve been looking for a larger sized one to put my orchid in and this was is perfect.  Eddie  it’s perfect for my bathroom ~ where did you get that?  Can I buy it when your done???

The picture above does make me feel like this woman is in the fashion industry – with the ever so popular Ikat fabrics on the pillows to classic Toile and Leopard  print ~ it’s timeless yet current. I want to sit on that pink (I think it’s pink – maybe red) blanket with a glass of Cristal champagne. I love the sense of whimsy (See Below), the pink and white gumballs displayed in a beautiful vintage porcelain and of course, the ever so classy Eddie, has it in a beautiful bowl with peonies behind it – I LOVE IT!  When I talk about decorating is in the details, this is a great example of it. It’s just the right touch color, texture, whimsy and everything blends together beautifully.  I want to be friends with this lady – never mind!  I want to be her!

Eddie has an incredible eye for putting together unique and creative ways to display barware.  He puts them together in such a chic way.  I love how he mixes the silver tray with vintage glasses and even throwing in the whimsy skull head or monkey head LOL!  I don’t know what it is, but, it looks like an ice sculpture.  These brass flowers are amazing!  All the bloggers are talking about them and how they want them and so does muah!  I welcome the touches of fresh flowers when entertaining but I also enjoy it in my personal space when I’m alone.  When I was broke in college, I told my best friend, Sue when I had my own apartment, I was going to buy fresh flowers  every week and have them in my house.  I do, whether, I have company or not.  Depending on my budget that week, it can be a fresh rose from the garden in a bud vase, or star gazers (my favorite for smell) in my living room, tulips or hydrangea’s in my teapot,  or my green goddess calla lilies to brighten my kitchen.  The quickest way to warm your home is through flowers and candles.

This is probably of my favorite pictures in his storyline for his window display.  Why?  Because this picture hits so close to home and is SO ME!  His storyline indicates that, this woman loves to entertain and she and her husband are having friends over for drinks.  She only has a few hours and wants to catch up on her favorite indulgence ~ reading magazines.  She’s looking for ideas for her house or inspiration?  While this lady can afford anything  ~ I cannot!  So for me, magazines are my pure pleasure and they transport me to a place of utter bliss.  I know what I love, but, unfortunately, my pocketbook cannot afford my champagne taste on my beer budget.  So until I am in a place where I can decorate the way I want, I will live vicariously through Eddie Ross’s window and fantasize about this fabulous woman’s life and story he has created.  While our lives are very different, she lives in chic house in NY and I’m in a beach house in Manhattan Beach, we do have a few things in common ~ we love to shop at flea markets and find those secret treasures(whether it’s $1.00 or $100.00), the fun is in the hunt and spotting a good thing in a pile of ruble also, kicking off your heels off after a long day, relaxing with our magazines and then having close friends over for cocktails!

Make sure you check out Eddie’s beautiful window display and read the story line.  I assure you for a blissful 10 minutes you will be transported to Paris and a chic apartment in New York.  I promise the journey will be worth it.  Make sure you vote for him and his team!  You can only vote twice a day online or via text.  Click here to cast your vote for the designer of your choice.  All excellent, but, I think you know who my favorite is!

 

PHOTO CREDITS:  EDDIE ROSS

Gotz To Get Me Some Sugarboo!

I love everything from this company Sugarboo Designs.  They have great pillows that look like the old grain or flour sacks and wall art in that looks like something you would find at an antique store or European flea market.  Everything is made by the owners Rebecca Puig and her husband Rick who are located in Roswell, GA.  Their philosophy is homemade products that add soul to a home. My favorite – You are My Sunshine!  They also have some great wall art that would be perfect for a kids room.  

 

 

 

 

 

How Romantic?  Who wouldn’t want to get this?

 

Check out their website Sugarboo Designs to find a retailer near you. 

 

PHOTOS:  All photo’s are from Sugarboo Designs