bathroom before and after

My bathroom has been mostly finished for a couple of months now. I just kept putting off taking the photos since, well, it's not totally finished.  But this is usually the case in my home as I am forever tweaking and hunting for accessories to pull things together. If I wait until it's "finished" we will all be old and gray. Please forgive the photo quality: the lighting was terrible and the space, tiny. I shot many of them from the bathtub.

Idea board:

bathroom update by eecandrews on polyvore.com

I created this board to see how my ideas worked together.  With the exception of the trellis fabric and embellished shower curtain, which may happen at some point, I was able to incorporate many of the same or similar details into the actual space.

Before & After:

 

 

Details

   

I'm thrilled with the Marshalls' mirror I spray-painted Pimiento and the two West Elm rugs that hide a multitude of sins.

The curtains in this Covington fabric are my favorite element in the room. The cheerful pattern and colors offered an easy jumping off point for the rest of the space, including the paint color.  In person, the walls are a bit richer and not so washed out.  After testing several samples, I mixed my two favorites, Benjamin Moore's Feather Grey (thanks to Holly of West Pear Avenue for recommending it) and Blue Haze. My local paint store color matched 

it for me.

I learned a lesson after having my light fixture installed.  I bought the fixture before I bought my medicine chest/mirror and measured for centering based upon the width of my vanity. As a result, the light fixture feels a bit puny to me.

These two watercolors (in frames I already owned) are actually pages torn from a traveller's guide of Anguilla where we spent our honeymoon and have visited a few times.  I hope to gather some more artwork/momentos to frame all the way up to where the molding will be. (someday??).

notice my husband's basket on the right is labeled "Master of the House"? Not my doing.

I kept our existing shelf/basket combo as it's in good shape and really helps for storing daily used odds & ends. The dishes holding the q-tips and cotton were in the clearance aisle at Target. They were part of a set of melamine bowls meant for outdoor entertaining and perfect for my clumsy tendencies. I still need to shop my house/Goodwill/Etsy etc. for some  artwork to go above the baskets.

a new towel holder from Home Depot and a pretty towel from Marshalls.

the view from my hallway

While I have lots of finishing touches still to tackle, I am really happy with the transformation from unfinished and sloppy to bright, airy and cheerful.  Now if someone else would clean it for me, I'd be all set!

Next up: painting and stenciling my hallway and basement, hopefully before the summer's over if the beach, yard and pool don't get in the way too much ; )

Do you have any summer projects lined up or are you smarter than me and take the 

summer off?

Have a great weekend!

Erin

Linking up with:

Tuesday's Treasures: My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Simple Home Life
Simply Designing
The Shabby Nest
The Brambleberry Cottage
House of Hepworths
Blissful and Domestic
The DIY Showoff: Project Parade
The Foley Fam: Sunday Funday Link Up Party
Crafty Confessions of a stay at home Mommy: Tuesday Confessional Link Party

Karma and a Lazy Boy...

We had a great Father's Day weekend around here with two small exceptions: 

Neve spiked a fever in the middle of the Father's Day, BBQ/Pig Roast/German Fest we attended 

(she seems to be on the mend) and Todd won a Lazy Boy at said BBQ/Pig Roast/German Fest.  

It's probably my fault since I told the man who let us in to keep the raffle ticket since it would be "Over my dead body that we bring home a big fat recliner." 

My fighting words might have led to my karma.

I know I should be happy for his Grand Prize win and really I am, (or at least I'm trying) but I can't seem to get past my Lazy-boy snobbery. 

When I think of a recliner I think of these:

(not that there's anything wrong with them, especially if you own one)

muddy colors, dated, itchy upholstery and bulky shapes. 

I know they're incredibly comfortable. 

I slept on one for a week when I had sinus surgery ten years ago. 

Somehow though, they just don't seem fit into my aesthetic. 

See. Lazy-boy snobbery. 

I'm not proud.

In an effort to kick this ugly trait of mine, I turned to Google. 

Surely in this day and age there must be something out there to marry both form and function.(aka please both husband and wife)  If not, this could be a teachable moment for me in the art of  compromise and designing for the sexes.

Or, I could just end up living with an ugly chair.

Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised with what my search turned up:

all three chairs via  http://www.la-z-boy.com/

Boy has the classic recliner come a long way. 

(Just ask Brooke Shields.)

Although I would never have sought these chairs out, they're really nice and disguise that whole recliner thing seamlessly.  I would definitely consider them and keep them in mind when someday I have clients who want an "attractive" recliner.  But, the choice is not really for me to consider.

Since I usually have carte blanche when it comes to the decorating decisions around here, I think I have to let this one go and trust that Todd's good taste will prevail. His trophy from last year's fishing tournament has grown on me and really, how often does a guy win a grand prize and a free new piece of furniture?

Perhaps his taste in chairs will be equal to his taste in women ; )

What items of your mate's gives you the willies?

Erin

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my dad:

The man whose quiet strength I admire,

who gave me his humor, his work ethic, 

his laid back personality and most of all, 

his unwavering love and support.

When I think of my dad, I think of airplane

rides and Groom and Clean, long summer afternoons

spent in a pool that he vacuumed and treated more than 

he ever enjoyed. 

I remember bagpipe nights at the Hibernian Hall and the countless
summer road trips he endured with lots of fighting in the backseat.

I remember the secret money he used to sneak me when I was away

at college and the time he took me out when I was heartbroken and lovesick.

I remember the first time I knew that my dad and future husband really hit it off.

My dad set the tone for what to expect in a man and it's because of this, that I'm married

to an equally great one.

Happy Father's Day to my husband:

The man whose strength bolsters us,

whose humor keeps us laughing, whose work ethic is a model for our children

and whose unwavering love and support will  guide them for the rest of their

lives.

We are incredibly lucky to have these two men in our lives and even luckier

that they are friends.

Happy Father's Day.

Erin

I'm back and Mood Board Monday

Good news. I'm still alive. The month of May was exhausting, and quite honestly, kicked my rear.  After the culmination of three months of birthdays and celebrations, nice visits with family, minor construction and a new dog, I was starting to run out of steam.  Then, on Mother's Day a wicked virus blew through our house, hitting 3/4 of us (including me) and finished me off. I'm finally coming out of the weeds and I'm happy to be back today with a new Mood Board for Sarah's Mood Board Monday Linky party over at Pewter and Sage.

Our challenge this month was to select one of these beautiful chairs from Horchow to inspire our virtual room. Our client could be imaginary and if chosen, the budget unlimited.

 

I chose this beauty. 

Old Hickory Tannery Green Leather Chair

Although it's a much more formal, grown-up chair than anything I own, I was drawn the juxtaposition of the classic, elegant lines, and the modern, casual spin the green leather gives this piece. It looks incredibly comfortable despite its elegant curves. I thought it would be perfect for a master bedroom, blending the  feminine with masculine. Here's my imaginary room. The client was me and this exercise was a combination of real possibilities, risks I'm thinking of taking, and daydreaming of a much larger budget than I have!

Where I started:

inspiration for mood board monday june 4 by eecandrews on polyvore.com

1. The Horchow chair's color automatically led me to my wall color:
2. Martha Stewart, Azurite. I love green and blue together, and although it's dark, I kind of like the idea of a moody bedroom.
3. Erin from Skoots and Cuddles used this gorgeous image from Lonny Magazine as inspiration for her dining room. I immediately fell in love with the navy walls, crisp white accents and wood tones. I knew I wanted to incorporate this look into my master bedroom.
4. Right after Sarah posted the challenge, I came across this bedding from Land's End and knew it would be perfect in my virtual space,
5. and would work with my existing Captain's bed which is similar to this one from Pottery Barn, minus the headboard.

Here's how the room evolved:

Mood Board Monday- Modern Nautical bedroom by eecandrews on polyvore.com

1. Fabrics for the space top to bottom, Cotillion Stripe Khaki (for a DIY upholstered headboard), Wilmington, Multi by Covington (for 3 Euro pillows), Tala Bluemarine (a long bolster for bed), Lisbon Linen in Indigo (a throw pillow for chair or to trim the edges of the curtains), all from Calico Corners.
2.Accessories: a ) gorgeous red mirror for a pop of color and a little Americana, b) framed personal letters as seen on Emily A. Clark's blog highlighting Cote de Texas for personal, inexpensive artwork, c) and brass sconces on either side of headboard since we have little room for bedside lamps.
3.Windows: we already have these room-darkening drapes over bamboo roman shades. I would trim them with similar grosgrain ribbon or the Lisbon fabric from above, for some added interest.
4. We have nightstands similar to this one I found on Pinterest from Centsational Girl, which I would add these Anthropologie knobs to for another touch of green.
5. I fell in love with this rug from Shades of Light for its sort of modern, nautical note and the way it connects to the headboard fabric. I think the wide stripes in both help to balance some of the more feminine aspects of the room and add some contrast.
6. The Land's End bedding
7. The inspiration chair from Horchow
8. I fell in love with this dresser from West Elm. I love the tones of the wood and its simple, slightly rustic, yet clean-lined form.

Fabrics up close:

 

 

Looking at the "space" as a whole, I see a hint of a modern-nautical look which I think fits my husband and me pretty well. I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to go so dark in my real space, but the mood board definitely helps me to visualize the potential for this look in our room.

Thank you Sarah, for hosting this fun challenge once again! Please visit Sarah's blog Pewter + Sage to check out all the talented bloggers who are participating in today's party.

Have a great day. I'll be back in Blogland, catching up on my favorite reads and sharing my bathroom facelift later this week.

Erin