The Bathroom That Blogging Built

This weekend marked the completion of the final decorative touches to our master bathroom and I couldn't be happier with the finished results. What excites me even more though is that this is the first room that I feel like I can really cross off my list and declare "done" in the new house (as much as any room I ever design can be deemed complete as I'm always tweaking things). It's also the first room that I can really say is exactly as I had hoped it would be as the majority of my house is still incomplete. In honor of the occasion, I thought I'd give you a virtual tour of the room, from top to bottom.

When I last updated you on my master bathroom, I was debating which light fixture to switch out the small, completely inadequate, ceiling light with. Well, after months of contemplating my options, I decided to go with: Neither! Ultimately, I felt that if I was actually that torn about which light to pick, I should just hold out until I found one that was exactly what I was looking for. And I'm so glad I waited.

A few weeks ago I spied this fixture over at Aesthetic Oiseau and knew instantly that it would be a perfect fit for my master bath. As a major bonus, it was also well under what I had budgeted for a light fixture (I bought the smallest version, the three-light fixture). And, while my ceilings wouldn't allow me much room for hanging, I do think the hanging pendant brings a coziness to the space that a flushmount simply couldn't have.

With all the hard tile (and all the white and gray!) in the bathroom, I wanted to bring in some softness and pattern in the form of fabric. Obviously, in a bathroom draperies aren't particularly practical, so after reading about Jenny's gorgeous pelmet boxes over at Little Green Notebook a few months ago, I decided to try making my own pelmet box to fit around our large, very bare window over the bathtub.

Because the bathroom will obviously see a lot of moisture over the years, I decided that constructing my pelmet box out of foam core was probably not the best move (I could just image it starting to droop after a few months of showering!). So I decided to tear apart the plywood box that one of our mirrors was shipped in and reuse the plywood as the frame for the pelmet box. It took Dave and I several hours (and several attempts) before we got a product that I was happy with, but overall the project was fairly simple. We hung the pelmet with two L-brackets,which we hung just a few inches from the top on either side so they're now completely invisible.

The fabric is Windsor Smith's Archipelago fabric in Haze. Normally this fabric is to-the-trade-only, but I managed to score it (at a pretty decent discount) from Avid-Home (which I heard about via Paloma over at La Dolce Vita). I love the fabric so much that I'm thinking about using the mist colorway for draperies in the master bedroom.

Beth has touted the virtues of this trellis foot stool (from, of all places, JCPenney's) several times on her blog Chinoiserie Chic. And, once it went on sale, I decided to pick up my own for the vanity in our bathroom, intending to recover the seat in the same Windsor Smith fabric as the pelmet box. When the stool arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by its sturdiness, but wished the base were in a bronze instead of a brushed gold (which is actually quite nice, I just didn't want to introduce another metal into the room). So I decided to pick up some spray-paint at Lowe's and give it a quick coating of bronze paint. I did a light coat to allow for some of the gold to come through, which I think gives the metal a more authentic, bronze look.

And finally, I decided to cover the majority of the open floor with a rug because (1) those tiles are dangerously slippery in the morning, (2) I love the look of a real rug and not just a bathmat in a bathroom, and (3) our pristine white grout is a major b*tch to keep clean. I chose the steel zig zag rug from Madeline Weinrib because I wanted to stick to the same neutral color palette, but go with a bold pattern that would really make a statement. As a bonus, the fact that the rug is a cotton flatweave should help it stand up to the dampness.

So many thanks to all the bloggers mentioned who inspired specific aspects of this design as well as to all the other bloggers who have inspired me daily and helped me to better define my own sense of style. It's a great feeling to finally have an entire room more or less complete (even if it is just a bathroom). Next on my list: finishing up the living room.

Be Bold, Go Blue.

Sherrill Canet

There seems to be a general resistence in the design world to decorating a kitchen in anything other than neutrals or whites -- probably because of the expense and difficulty of overhauling a kitchen should you decide just a few years later that you're no longer so enamored with, say, peach. And that's fair. I, too, eskewed bolder choices in favor of safer, buyer-friendly selections when I designed my kitchen last spring. But the end result is that, while I like my kitchen, I don't really love it. So I wish I'd stretched myself a bit more, been a bit bolder with my choices and maybe gone with, say, a blue kitchen.

The great thing about a blue kitchen is that, while it's a bit of a departure from the oft-used white, it's still fairly traditional. Nobody is going to think you've gone completely off your rocker and there's a good chance that you'll still love it in a few years' time. And even if you don't, repainting cabinets (or riping out backsplash) isn't the enormous hassle or expense that it's often made out to be.

One of my all-time favorite kitchens is this one by Sherrill Canet (shown in two photos above). Of course the towering cathedral ceilings probably have a lot to do with it, but I also love how Sherrill used a lighter blue on the wall cabinets and a darker blue on the island to anchor it in the space. My favorite element though is the glimmering stainless steal subway tile backsplash around the oven and the gorgeous stainless steel hood.

Elle Decor

This kitchen deservedly made the rounds in the design blogosphere when it first appeared in Elle Decor. I love the contrast of the large white island with the indigo wood floors and cabinets. The pendant lights and the milk glass chandelier are also envy-inducing.

Massucco Warner Miller Designs

A more modern take on a blue kitchen. I absolutely adore the (Silestone?) countertops and backsplash. The reddish tones in the natural wood floors and trim are a great contrast to the stainless steal and the cool blue of the cabinets.

Michael J. Williams

This kitchen from Michael J. Williams was featured in the latest issue of Traditional Home. As a brief aside, if you haven't picked up the February issue of TH yet, I highly suggest you do. Between the spread on Ruthie Sommers' latest work and Kara Mann's, it's one of the best issues I've seen from any shelter magazine in quite some time. Both spreads are also so reminiscent of domino that I found myself flipping back to the cover periodically just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating and reading a "new" issue of domino. In any case, the blue on this island is almost a chambray and it's this denim-like quality that I think really gives the space a laid back, family-oriented vibe.

Retro Renovation

This kitchen is retro to the point of kitsch, but turquoise and red always make me smile.

domino

When this kitchen first appeared in domino a few years ago, it made me desperate for a chandelier in my kitchen. I love the contrast between the ornate black glass fixture and the sleek and modern kitchen.

House Beautiful

I love the deep royal blue featured on all the cabinetry -- it works so beautifully with the pops of bright citrus that the stylist brought in for the shoot. The color choice here is undoubtedly brave, but it's what elevates this kitchen into magazine-worthy status. The designer also wisely kept the rest of the kitchen quieter with classic Carrera marble counters and backsplash. Matching your counters to your backsplash is a great way to create a seamless and sleek look, which is ideal if you've got a lot of "look" going on elsewhere in your kitchen.

Frank Roop

The Ann Sacks tile featured on the backsplash in this kitchen makes me a bit weak in the knees. It works perfectly with the sleek gray (soapstone?) countertops without feeling overly match-y. I think backsplash is a great way to bring color into a kitchen if you don't want to go for a bold color for your cabinetry. If your tastes change, it's also not nearly as onerous to replace.

Object of Lust: Moreno Nesting Tables

My jaw literally dropped when I saw this pair of Moreno nesting tables from Crate&Barrel. Not only are the tables a departure style-wise from the typically very contemporary C&B (these look more like something you'd find at Jayson Home & Garden), but they also look way more glamorous and high-end. Between the antiqued brass finish and the polished shell top, it's as though C&B were channeling Kelly Wearstler.

Sure, $399 is some serious dough to pluck down for a pair of accent tables, but these look as if they cost twice that. Even my very frugal hubby loved them and wanted them for his man room.