Tag: Bathrooms

More Brass for the Third Floor Bathroom
There’s more to be done in the bathroom you saw yesterday! It hasn’t been a huge priority for several reasons. First, it’s really not too bad as it is. Second, it’s the third of three bathrooms, and the least used one. Third, our money has been going to other house expenses, and toward saving for work to be done in the kitchen. But? When I was up there swapping out the shower curtain and hanging the new towels, I thought I could do a lot to update the bathroom without it being too difficult or expensive. A new faucet and lights would go a long way in there! Paint would be a big change too, but I like the all white everywhere that’s in there right now.

The cheap brass sconces and the faucet we have now are in fine shape, but the style and finish (respectively) don’t work for me. So what will work? Oh, funny you should ask! I have many thoughts on the matter. I think too much about this stuff sometimes.

I usually prefer cross handles, and I definitely prefer widespread installations. This is a simple bathroom update though — I’m not replacing the sink, and the holes are drilled for a 4″ centerset faucet. There is such a thing as a mini widespread faucet (it’s usually one that gives you the option of installing at 4″ or 8″ apart), but the escutcheons are hard to clean around when they’re that close together. They’re also more expensive, and it just ends up looking like you squished everything in toward the center on accident anyway. Centerset it is. And with centerset faucets, levers look better than cross handles.

The choice of sconces will drive the finish of the faucet. Polished will go with polished, antiqued will go with antiqued. I’ve read that you can strip the chrome finish off of a brass faucet, so that’s an option too. (Good idea? Bad? Who knows!) I can try it with the one I have now and we’ll see how it fares. If it’s awful, I’ll order one of the ones below.
1. Kingston Brass Templeton Two Handle Centerset Faucet, eFaucets, $120
  Cute little teapot shape.
2. Kingston Brass Heritage Double Handle Centerset Faucet, Wayfair, $97
  Taller spout, plus a touch of porcelain.
The only light source in this bathroom, aside from the window, is the pair of sconces. The ceiling is low, low, low, and I’m not interested in moving the junction box and trying to repair or replace the beadboard. So we’re working with the cards we’ve been dealt here (which really are not bad, they’re just considerations to keep in mind). Too big, and the bathroom will be all HI, HAVE YOU SEEN THESE LIGHTS? We need good general illumination, so no metal shades that only focus light downward. Nobody is doing their makeup up here — the light can be softened with a glass shade (more flattering) or the bulb can be exposed (more harsh, but looks cool). They make convincing looking LED Edison bulbs now, so if the bulb is visible, it will be one of those.

These are the options I’ve been considering, along with my thoughts on each. I’ve already ruled a bunch out, but I haven’t make my final choice for the winning lights yet.
1. Thurman Wall Sconce, Rejuvenation, $130
  Simple and classic, but still cute. The Otis Sconce from Schoolhouse Electric is another version for about the same price.
2. Sage Sconce, Schoolhouse Electric, $155
  Black or white porcelain base, tons of shade options. I used these sconces in the bathroom we added to the basement of our first house (white porcelain base, white glass shade with two thin black stripes). Their Emory Sconce is a nice option if we want a similar look without the porcelain.
3. Austin and Allen 1-Light Sconce, Home Depot, $98
  I like the style, but a round base would be better in the room. Plus it has that metal shade I’m trying to avoid.
4. Orbit Sconce, Schoolhouse Electric, $189
  So cool, and I really want to use it. Somewhere. That doesn’t mean it’s the best choice here.
5. Steichen 1-Light Outdoor Polished Brass Wall Lantern, Home Depot, $15
  Honestly, the most appealing thing about this one is the price. Other than that, kind of boring. Ho hum. Missed opportunity.
6. Stanley 1-Light Wall Sconce, Wayfair, $549
  The most expensive of the bunch (I tried to stay on the mid to lower end of prices for the other choices), and too big for my tiny bathroom. Nice looking though, eh?
7. Lander Brass Sconce, Crate & Barrel, $149
  That glass shade is great, but the reviews say the brass finish is darker than it appears in photos.
8. Mist Single Sconce, Rejuvenation, $225
  The mix of brass and porcelain is just right, but I wish there was an option for a globe shade without an opening at the bottom. There’s an arched version too.
9. Stratford 11″ High Wall Sconce, Lamps Plus, $386
  I like the lines and proportions of this one a lot, but it’s too formal for the space
10. Hannah Sconce, Rejuvenation, $165
  The same as the first fixture, but in porcelain (white or black).
All right. Thoughts on the lights? And have any of you ever tried removing the chrome plating off of a brass fixture? I know people will spray paint a metal finish, but that’s not something I’m interested in for a faucet. I’ve searched and found a few methods (mechanical abrasion, aka sanding, dipping the faucet in chemicals, or taking it to a shop to have the electromagnetic plating attraction reversed), but I’m not sure which is best. As with so many things in life, the answers may lie in a Steampunk forum?
August 19, 2015
A Post-Summer Perk Up

This post is brought to you by Target Style.
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Everything has kind of been up in the air, house-wise, waiting for the rewiring work to be done. There are some holes in walls waiting to be patched, and some pretty terrible patchwork waiting to be fixed up. (The electricians are fine electricians, but not so fine at plaster repair. We told them we’d handle that part after seeing how they did it.) I have all of these ideas swirling around for things I want to do in the house, but I have to wait. Gah.

Target asked if I wanted to take on a little post-summer perk up, and I was definitely on board. A quick and easy decorating project was sounding pretty good right about now! The rewiring on the top floor is done, so I gave the bathroom a good cleaning (plaster dust was everywhere) and went out in search of a new shower curtain. This city sketch print was cute, but I chose coral pink because of course I did. We may be transitioning from summer to fall, but I’m always in favor of bringing in more pink all year long.

Since I was changing out the shower curtain, I picked up new brass shower curtain hooks to replace the plastic white ones that were there. It’s easy to find silvery finishes for bathrooms (chrome, nickel), and oil-rubbed bronze is all over the place too, but I was looking specifically for brass and I was glad to see a couple of options for the bathroom at Target without having to order from a more expensive source.

There’s a pink hand towel on the pirate ship hook (why not, right?), and matching bath towels. I hung a couple from the hooks on the back of the door for a picture, but they would normally be tucked away below the sink, in the bottom drawer.

(And I feel like I should point out that the mirror’s dark spots are the result of aged mirror glass. It’s clean — promise.)

I picked up a little red accent rug too. It isn’t a bathmat but it is cotton, and I think it will work well in that spot.

Our routines are about to shift once school starts again. Obviously the kids will be going back, but I might be going back too (depends on whether enough students sign up for the new course I’m supposed to teach). I love that I was able to knock out an update while our days are still relatively calm by just picking up a few new things in a favorite color.

August 18, 2015
Slightly Off-putting Art for a Bathroom
I’ve been making a few changes to our bathroom. I feel like it needs some art on the walls, but I don’t think it should be too serious. There was a photo that used to hang in my uncle’s house that I loved, and he has said that we can have it if he can find it, so fingers crossed for that. If it doesn’t come up in his search though, I’m thinking it’s going to be something along these lines…

Funny

But not that funny. Let’s call them mildly amusing.
- Look at those puppies!
  Champion Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, at Cruft’s Dog Show, Terence Spencer
- Look out behind you!
  Fist Fight, Red, Dadu Shin
- Nature calls.
  Collocation No. 14 (NATURE) Left Panel, Mickey Smith
- Ooh, that smell. Can’t you smell that smell?
  Knuba, 2010 by Alex Kostinskyi
People

Because I also think the idea of a bunch of people watching you when you step out of the shower is funny.
- I like your glasses.
  Tyler, Megan Adams
- And you, I like your scarf.
  Portrait Study No. 1, Three Potato Four
Slightly Off-putting

Some of these are strange in and of themselves, and others only by context. Certain imagery is just a little ‘off’ in the loo.
- I love the idea of a nude, but thought better of it because of the kids. I’m not worried about my kids, but more about their friends. Is that a strange concern to have? The Balch House: gateway to sin for the youth of Oak Park. Anyway, I love this one, but the eye contact is a little intense.
  Untitled (Suzie Hedge), 2006 by Brandon Herman
- Do you really want to think about food in a bathroom?
  Chocolate Electric, Martha Rich
- I see you.
  Mask, Jennifer Ament
- A family of five, just like mine! Oh, wait. This family might not be “just like mine.”
  Family, T. Huybers
- Yeah, they really want you. They really want you, and I do too. (Hey, this one can hang next to the cake! Think anyone would get it?)
  Day 260: Baby Doll Hands by Lisa Congdon
- Again, think of the children.
  Drawings for 3 Rooms in Your Home: #1 by Steve Lambert
Funny and Slightly Off-putting People

It’s everything I love in one! (Can you tell this is my favorite category?)
- Shhhh!
  British Children Playing Outdoor Games in London Suburbs, Terence Spencer
- I’m not familiar with her (she’s an actor, says her Wiki), but this photo is fantastic.
  Lynn Redgrave Making a Face, Terence Spencer
- What’s not to love about this?
  Women Holding Giant Masks, Bettmann
April 30, 2015
Neutrals Plus Pink for the Downstairs Bathroom
I usually keep a few plain white towels on a Thonet chair next to the sink in our downstairs bathroom, but I loved the stack of coral towels that the stylist swapped them out for during our shoot last week. She also hung one of my own pink towels (number three, below) on the wall to cover an outlet. Think it’s safe to do that for real life? Wet hands + kids + electricity… it doesn’t sound like the smartest idea. Would it be overkill to use a weatherproof outlet cover (they’re ugly, but it wouldn’t be seen), or would we just rely on the gfci outlet to do its job? Either way, I’m planning on picking up a few new towels for the bathroom to bring back in some more color.
1. Fouta Bath Towels (Juice), Serena & Lily
2. Fouta Color Block Towels (Coral/Melon), Serena & Lily
3. Honeycomb Tassel Hammam Hand Towel (Rose Bisque), West Elm
  These look great, but they are very thin.
4. Threshold Textured Floral Bath Towels (Coral Island), Target
5. Woven Ombré Towels (Coral), Anthropologie
6. Channel Pink Towels, CB2
7. Threshold Textured Damask Hand Towel (Pink), Target
A reminder: This is what our bathroom looked like when we moved in. Perfectly neutral and vintagey and lovely.

The room doesn’t need much, but while I’m at it, I figured I’d make a few other changes too. The extra-long silk shower curtain there now has seen better days and it’s time for a replacement, along with a new bath mat. Everything but the towels will be neutral, but I’m not against bringing in a little texture or pattern.
1. Painterly Stripe Shower Curtain, Schoolhouse Electric
2. Vintage-Washed Belgian Linen Shower Curtain, Restoration Hardware
  Comes in tons of colors, including many neutral shades.
3. Iron Shower Curtain Rings, Anthropologie
4. Black and White Apothecary Bath Accessories (Wastebasket), Pottery Barn
5. Black and White Apothecary Bath Accessories (Soap Pump), Pottery Barn
6. Antique Thonet Chair
7. B&W Wall Hook, Anthropologie
8. Ella Hook (Antique Brass Finish), Pottery Barn
9. Fringed Hand-Loomed Rug (Taupe), Pottery Barn
10. Cotton Woven Bath Rug, Restoration Hardware
  Again, many colors (including plenty of neutral options) are available.
Which combination of shower curtain, rug, and towels would you go for?
April 13, 2015
A Classic Bathroom Design
This post is brought to you by American Standard DXV.
Discover the DXV collections.

I chose matching bridge faucets from American Standard for the utility sink in the laundry room of our last house. When I shared the finished room on the blog, I wrote “that’s pretty much my dream sink and if we ever leave this house, it would be one of the things I’d miss most.” And I do! I miss that awesome setup.

Having liked my American Standard faucets so much, I was happy to accept an invitation to see their DXV line at a local showroom, so I visited Ferguson in Downers Grove.

The DXV line has over 70 products (like freestanding tubs, toilets, sinks, and faucets), grouped into four broad styles: Classic (1880–1920), Golden Era (1920–1950), Modern (1950–1990), and Contemporary (1990–today).

The Classic series had some of my favorite offerings — fixtures that would be right at home in my Victorian. Plenty of things that would have been right at home in our old house, too.

The Wyatt toilet and sink are from the Golden Era collection — another favorite. The console sink was paired with a more modern faucet than I would have chosen though. Wouldn’t it be perfect with one of their more vintage-style faucets and a great wallpaper in the room?

When I got home from the showroom, I started thinking about how I would design a bathroom around those same base pieces. I’m drawn to old houses with period details, but I don’t mind mixing different elements in as long as the look is complementary. I went with a subdued palette but still played with texture and pattern to bring in some design interest. And a quick note on the wood floor: I’m aware that it is not the best flooring for a bathroom! We have it in each of our bathrooms here though and I’ve grown to love the look.
September 3, 2014
Further Plans for the Bathroom

As opposed to the guess I made a couple of months ago. I got so excited when I heard about the Rifle Paper Co. wallpaper collaboration with Hygge & West that it inspired a design plan for the bathroom, but I’ve tweaked it a bit since then and am happier with the new direction it’s heading in.

Before the complete collection launched, only one design was shown: Rosa, in yellow.. After everything became available last week, I ordered samples of some of my favorites and was somewhat surprised when I liked the Rosa pattern in persimmon best. The color is vivid, but it looks great in the room. The plan on the left is the original, and the one on the right is mostly the same, but with a pink bathtub to complement the blooms in the wallpaper.

Super cute, but that was the problem. A little too cute. I feel like it would have been a great fit in our first house, but here I feel myself pulled in a different design direction. While at the Merchandise Mart yesterday to pick up a gallon of paint, I stopped in several showrooms to look at wallpaper. After trying out some new pattern samples, here’s where I’m at with the design now.

Sources: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11

The paper is Summer Lily in black, white, and bronze from Cole & Son. I had the brass stool from the last house, and I’ve already added the trash can, bathmat, art, and two of those striped hand towels to this bathroom. The hooks were added semi-recently too, so the only things I would still need to change are the color of the bathtub, the light, and the wallpaper.

I painted the pedestal tub in the last house dark grey, and here I think black will be fantastic. The Hicks pendant may wait a bit because I’m going to give the old light from Eleanor’s room a try first. It isn’t bad, and it’s free. The biggest expense will be from the wallpaper, and even that will only be a few hundred dollars since we can hang it ourselves. The cost is worth it for such a big impact.

The bathroom could have waited (truly, it didn’t bother me much), but I feel like this is a good area to take on right now because the finish line is easily within sight. Timing though, may get tricky. The wallpaper has to be ordered, and then I’m leaving soon on a trip. When I get back, I’ll be about six months pregnant and while I hung wallpaper at five months along before, that was back when I was a spry young whippersnapper and I’m not sure if I’ll be physically up to it a month from now. Hopefully, but I only started feeling better recently and it may be a short window.

Anyway, I’m curious about how you like the wallpaper. Do you? It’s got that ugly/pretty thing going on that I tend to like, but I have a feeling a lot of you would prefer the cute Rosa pattern (or something else)!

June 5, 2014